Detour, Part 3 - Manuscripts, Translations, and "Why the KJV?"

I am no bible scholar. I have no degree in theology. What I do have is a good working knowledge of what the bible has to say, to whom it speaks, and why it remains uncorrupted doctrinally-- despite man’s best efforts --to this day. The first proof of this lies in the knowledge that God cannot lie.

Proverbs 30:50

"Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him."

Psalm 119: 160

"Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever."

Psalm 119:89

"LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven."

Psalm 33:4

"For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth."

Psalm 18:30

"As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him."

Some have argued, and still argue that although God’s word is preserved in heaven, we should not take that to mean it is settled—or unsullied—on earth. But this argument presupposes that God’s power—his locus of control—ends at heavens’ gate. This position is indefensible; wherever God speaks, His word is true. Wherever God is, His judgments are righteous.

It has further been argued that man cannot possibly alter the incorruptible word of God, but if this were true how are we to explain Revelation 22:18-19?

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Why would God bother to warn us against a thing we could not possibly do? Quite simply, He wouldn’t.

So which manuscript is the most reliable? Which manuscript is the most authentic? Which manuscript tells the truth? First, let’s identify the manuscripts from which our modern translations are derived. Rather than regale you with knowledge I don’t have on this subject let my point you to a place that does...

Codex Sinaiticus:

"Codex Sinaiticus was discovered by Constantin Tischendorf in a convent at the foot of Mount Sinai. It contains the entire Greek Bible, plus the Epistle of Barnabas and most of the Shepherd of Hermas (early Christian writings which were widely used in teaching). It is believed to be from the fourth century, but somewhat later than Codex Vaticanus. Prior to its publication Tischendorf had given a descriptive account of the manuscript with a sample of its readings in Notitia editionis Codicis Bibliorum Sinaitici auspiciis Imperatoris Alexandri II. susceptæ ... Edidit Ænoth. Frid. Const. Tischendorf, &c. (Leipsic, 1860).

The text of Sinaiticus (written in four columns to the page) contains an unusually high number of readings which have clearly arisen by transcriptional error, most of them by careless omissions. Aside from these, however, the text closely resembles that of Codex Vaticanus, and so the discovery of Sinaiticus had the effect of increasing the already high reputation of that manuscript. Readings which are shared by both of these codices are usually regarded by critics as deserving of special attention (see Westcott and Hort 1881)."

Codex Vaticanus: From the same location as the previous...

"The Codex Vaticanus, so called because it is the most famous manuscript in the possession of the Vatican library, is generally believed to be from the fourth century, and is thought to be the oldest (nearly) complete copy of the Greek Bible in existence. Lacking from it are most of the book of Genesis, Hebrews 9:14 to the end, the Pastoral Epistles, and the book of Revelation; these parts were lost by damage to the front and back of the volume, which is common in ancient manuscripts. The writing is in capital letters (called uncial script) without spaces between words (scriptio continuo), and is arranged in three columns on the page. Like other early manuscripts, its text is somewhat shorter than the later manuscripts, less harmonistic in parallel passages of the Synoptic Gospels, and it often agrees with the texts presumed to underlie the ancient Coptic, Syriac, and Latin versions against the later Greek manuscripts. It is relatively free of obvious transcriptional errors, and is usually taken as the best representative of the ancient "Alexandrian" form of the New Testament text."

Textus Receptus:

"Traditional Received Text (Textus Receptus), also called the Byzantine Text or the Majority Text because it is based on the vast majority of manuscripts still in existence. These extant manuscripts (MSS) were brought together by various editors such as Lucian (AD 250-312), Erasmus, Stephanus, Beza and the Elzevir brothers to form the text known as Textus Receptus, the name given to the Majority Text in the 17th century. The most notable editor of all was Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) one of the greatest scholars the world has ever known. When the early Protestant Reformers of the 16th and 17th centuries decided to translate the scriptures directly from Greek into the languages of Europe, they selected Textus Receptus as their foundation Greek document. It is vitally important to understand why they did so."

What’s important to note from all this?

The Textus Receptus...

...Is based on the vast majority (90%) of the 5000+ Greek manuscripts in existence. That is why it is also called the Majority Text.

...Is not mutilated with deletions, additions and amendments, as is the Minority Text.

...Agrees with the earliest versions of the Bible: Peshitta (AD150) Old Latin Vulgate (AD157), the Italic (AD157) etc. These Bibles were produced some 200 years before the minority Egyptian codices favored by the Roman Church. Remember this vital point.

...Agrees with the vast majority of the 86,000+ citations from scripture by the early church fathers.

...Is untainted with Egyptian philosophy and unbelief.

...Strongly upholds the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith: the creation account in Genesis, the divinity of Jesus Christ, the virgin birth, the Savior’s miracles, his bodily resurrection, his literal return and the cleansing power of his blood.

...Was - and still is - the enemy of the Roman Church. This is an important fact to bear in mind.


The simple fact is, the King James Version sustains vital Christian doctrine, while all other versions erode, or tear down altogether these same Christian Doctrines. These basic doctrines include:

The Virgin Birth of Christ
His Deity
His Blood Atonement
His Resurrection
His Ascension into Heaven
His Second Coming
His Millennial Rule as King


Next:
Interlude No.1

Previously:
Detour, Part 2 - The Nature and Limits of God... and why this is important
Detour, Parenthetical - "What Will Shortly Follow"
Detour, Part 1 - "Preamble"
Warning: Detour Ahead