March 1995 Sunday School

The Revelation of God

Bible Manuscripts

English Translations

INTRODUCTION: The Bible is not an ordinary book - It is extra-ordinary in nature. How do we know which translation to use for our study? Do other translations have merit? should we refer to other translations once we have decided which one to use. These questions and many more I hope to answer in the coming weeks.

INSPIRATION

1. It is given by revelation from the mind of God to His people through the mind of mortal men. This process of God giving us His Word is called inspiration (Lit. "God-breathed"). The word inspiration is from two Greek words qeoV, meaning God and pneuma, meaning breath. Dr. Warfield says of inspiration that is "the product of the creative act of God."

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God..." 2 Timothy 3:16

Cross references: 2 Peter 1:20-21; I Cor. 2:9-13

POINT OF LOGIC: God would not give His Word by inspiration and then not preserve it! INSPIRATION WITHOUT PRESERVATION is not reasonable or logical. God preserved the Greek text from which our English translations are derived (and every other language as well). The issue is not which translation, but which Greek text should be used to translate the Bible into our language.

"All"/ The whole entire collection called the Bible

"scripture"/ 50X in the N.T. and has the same meaning each time: the "writings" of the O.T. or N.T.

There are about 100+ English translations of the Bible. All English translations are from Greek texts other than the one used to translate the KJV (also the New King James). There many significant differences in the translations. Can they all be right? How do I know which part of the Bible is translated best in my English translations. (Confusion results).

Satan wants to confuse us, and cause us to think that we do not have any translation which is the Word of God. See Gen. 2:16-17

(relate seminary experience).

Is the Bible the Word of God. The Scripture says: Prov. 30:5 and Jesus said, Matthew 24:35

HISTORY OF THE BIBLE

Realizing that the words of the Bible did not begin with the minds of the apostles, they came from God through men, let's see how God protected His Word through history.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church that while he was writing there were men who were trying to corrupt the Word (see II Cor. 2:17).

The apostles placed the manuscripts into the hands of true believers. As time passed these Christians made copies of the mss with godly fear and great care. See warnings from God's Word regarding the changing of the text (Rev. 22:19; ).

About that time Rome ruled the world and began a persecution of those who named Christ as Savior (Nero). The Roman emperor's religion was form of Baal worship, thinking also that he was Divine. Jesus had warned the disciples that this would happen (Matthew 24:9) to them and those who would follow them.

Christians were thrown to wild animals, crucified, torn by dogs, burned alive, and many other ghastly atrocities. Under the city Christians met in a network of secret passages that went on for miles. They worshipped and buried their dead in the Catacombs.

Instead of wiping out Christianity, persecution made it grow even stronger (Roman soldiers were coming to Christ as they tortured these Christians.

After time the Roman Empire was crumbling, the son of a Roman emperor, Constantine, felt that he had the right to rule on the throne of Rome. He took his army and marched against Rome. Tradition says that Constantine and his troops saw the sign of the cross in the sky. He determined that he would win his battle because of this sign.

Constantine declared himself a Christian and ordered all his soldiers to be baptized. This influx of false Christians weakened the church for years. Constantine wanted 50 Bibles made up from the area of Alexandria, the seat of gnosticism. These men thought they had great wisdom and superior knowledge. Paul warns about them in Col. 2:8; I Tim. 6:20.

In the mean time true Christians, living in Antioch of Syria, were making copies of the original mss. By the way, Christians from Antioch sent missionaries to Alexandria to reach these people for Christ (Acts 13:1-4; 11:26).

Parenthetical statement: Gnostics did not believe in Heaven or hell, or that the Bible was the Word of God. These gnostics took good manuscripts and changed them to suit their ideas and theology. One of these gnostics was a man named Origen (184 A.D. - 254 A.D.) who made copies of the original mss, but he made changes. He believed that Jesus was a lesser god.

Constantine worshipped the sun god of Egypt. He ordered Eusebius to make 50 Bibles using the texts from Alexandria. From these mss the Latin Vulgate was derived (written by Jerome in About 400 B.C.). These mss are called "Alexandrian mss" by theologians.

Some true Christians (Waldensians, etc.) had copies of the mss from Antioch, and hid in the Alps to protect them. Many mss were saved from destruction. These mss are "Eastern mss" or sometimes "Byzantine Texts."

The two basic classifications of Greek mss are Alexandrian and Byzantine. The Byzantine mss are often called the "Majority Text" or the Textus Receptus, "Received Text." This is the text which was used in the translation of the KJV.

While studying a ms from Antioch Luther came to Christ and a movement called the Reformation began. (1511)

In 1611 King James, King of England, brought together the best linguistic scholars and they choose the "Received Text" or "Majority Text" as the basis for their translation. From that work we now have the KJV.

In 1875 there were some scholars who desired to update the old words of KJV. A committee was formed headed by F.J. Hort and B.F. Westcott. They believed that the Alexandrian mss were the best for their revision of the Bible.

There are now 100 + English Bibles and paraphrases available and each of them has chosen to use the Alexandrian Text as the basis for their revision. Many of these mss do not agree among themselves.

*Which English translation you chose is not as important as the which Greek text was used as its source.

*There is a difference between a translation and a paraphrase.

*If God did reveal His Word by direct revelation, He also preserved it down through the ages, so that what we have is the correct Greek text upon which to base our translation.

*I do not have a problem with a translation updates the older and archaic words of the KJV, but I do have a problem with removing words and changing the text.

*There are over 1500 changes suggested by the Westcott and Hort committee. (Show Metzger's book and the W & H Greek N.T.).

*Those recommending the switch to other translations from the KJV state:

1. that the changes make no doctrinal changes in the Bible - But they do!

2. that the oldest mss must be the best. But this is not necessarily so. Should we change the text of the Bible based upon man's wisdom?

3. that there is no English translation which is really the Word of God, because we cannot be sure of which Greek Text is the right Greek Text for translation. Then why change it all?

*Show the TR Greek N.T. and explain why no changes are listed

*Show copies of the Greek mss and explain

*Some English translations other than the KJV have good merit, possess linguistic beauty, and in some passages are translated very well. But do they make the changes or suggest them?

*If the Holy Spirit wants you to be convicted in an important area of your life, but that particular passage of the Bible has been removed, you can miss out on the important truths which can change your life.

*Every great revival in England and America took place under the preaching of the KJV.

I Peter 2:2                  I Timothy 3:16

Luke 1:34                    Romans 14:10-12

Acts 20:28                 John 9:35

Revelation 22:8-9       Matthew 10:20

Luke 24:6                   Mark 5:6

John 7:53 - 8:11          Acts 8:37

Mark 16:9-20              Romans 9:15

Col. 1:14                      Isaiah 7:14

Matthew 1:16 (RSV note)

I Samuel 20:30 (LB)

John 1:14,18; 3:16,18; I John 4:9 (TEB)

Acts 13:48 (LB) *emphasizes the will of man