So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. well need some words so It is acknowledged that Erasmus stated in his annotations: I found some words in our versions which were lacking in the Greek copies, but we added them from the Latin. However, well only concentrate on the two most influential. This was an interesting article. Im not pushing it and Im not saying its better; just that it shouldnt be dismissed out of hand. About the myth of Erasmus backtranslation, this site references some sources: but this clause in red is On which manuscript(s) should we base our translations? Weve just seen that it doesnt originate in the scriptures. (It is only by Gods grace that you have been saved!) Throughout Europe the Elzevir editions came to occupy a place of honor, and their text was employed as the standard one for commentary and collation. o monogenes uios Alexandrinus, Textus Receptus, Peshitta etc. I know almost nothing about Latin, or Id check. It was shockingly balanced, very respectful, and based upon facts. Aside: I try not to run in circles as I have found you dont get very far! You next reply could be 2-3 words long, just enough to give the name of the manuscript and that would be fine but which manuscript that we have is absolutely and entirely inerrant? (Even though it snowed last night and she wouldnt be caught dead outside our apartment in her pajamas) I mean, its possible Right? The WEB translation reads: For this cause the woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels. Westcott & Hort believed the Byzantine text type was a combination of the Alexandrian and Western text types. However, the examples leave out one very important factor (which well get to in a moment. You will stand and give account for spreading the lies that you and these so-called scholars have preached as the truth. Textus receptus vs alexandrian text. The Muslims destroyed Biblical manuscripts as a matter of course, meaning very few manuscripts survived from the regions they controlled. Its over 90% intact/complete, which is incredible for a manuscript of its age. While the Confessional Position holds no water, the Textus Receptus itself is a very good document. 4 Every valley shall be exalted You sourced the second quote, but not the first. Great work! Its not just the article itself where your humility is to be commended, but even in numerous responses that you gave to comments. If you were working from an NASB or NKJV, you might have some luck. Ive probably researched it over the years far more than most average lay folks, but its not something I can keep top of mind all the time. Did you even bother to examine those verses? Note: it will sound like Im strongly biased in favor of the Majority Text while I present the pro side of the argument. Professor Emeritus, Near Eastern Studies, University of Toronto. Now that we know what Greek text the Confessional Position uses, lets take a closer look at the various scriptural passages they use to support the doctrine of Preservation (which says God kept His Scriptures pure in all ages). 6 The voice said, Cry out! I have some controversial articles for which Id prefer not to be doxxed, so Im going to keep my real name off the website. can never be the sole basis for a critical decision, especially when they stand in opposition to the external evidence. The WEBs authority over her own head is quite in order. Theres a wikipedia article, but its wikipedia so take it with a grain of salt. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christby grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. I am exposing what a textual critic, like you, really believes. 1 Corinthians 11:10, which Ive copy/pasted below with verses 8-9 for a bit of context. My question is if the Critical Text is the text behind the NASB and comes primarily from two manuscripts that are of dubious quality, why do you prefer the NASB? The Bible: 66 books vs 73 and Why (the Apocrypha Explained), Lobegott Friedrich Constantin (von) Tischendorf, You can read Tischendorfs entire account of finding it in his own words here. The KJV is a translation of an edition of the Greek New Testament text called the Textus Receptus. Amen! Okay, heres my question for you: which single document that we have contains the complete, inerrant New Testament without any issues at all? The two definitely share similarities, but they definitely arent the same. This reading ranks second in terms of the number of manuscripts containing it, and has a wider distribution among text-types. First, remember that the worst manuscript at the 5th generation has exactly and only 5 mistakes (one added every generation). Nothing comes to mind right now though. In many modern renderings, Of example Irenaeus in the 2nd century, though not in Alexandria, made a similar admission on the state of corruption among New Testament manuscripts, yet Irenaeus admits that it was already corrupted within just a few decades of the writing of the Apocalypse, I prefer to judge a work based on its merits, not what the authors, Think of the vile Textus Receptus leaning entirely on late MSS, As soon as the numbers of a minority exceed what can be explained by accidental coincidence, their agreement , A theoretical presumption indeed remains that, Once a variant reading appears in a manuscript, it doesnt simply go away. Try shaping your theology to the words of God, instead of what you are now doing, and I believe you will get a better understanding of just Who our Lord is and His power to save, even whores and people like you and me. Thank you again for a wonderful and concise article, Ill be recommending it to many. They are confused, just like you, and I. I love studying to see what God has said as clearly as I can, so using all the versions aid me. Now, this argument can be used both for and against the Byzantine Text type. Regardless of the third quotation they bring up, why is it ridiculous if thats what Erasmus explicitly stated he did, and included this statement in his annotations, and gave the reason why he included it in his annotations? (Its also called Haplography, but the two are technically slightly different) This error occurs when two words or phrases end with the same letters/words, and the scribe accidentally skips everything in between. I finally feel i have a grasp on the topic. After reading this one article, youll know more about these topics than the overwhelming vast majority of Christians. How many such readings are there? The remainder dont impact major doctrines, and certainly nothing concerned with salvation or the Gospel. Novum testamentum Graece, The German biblical scholar Constantin von Tischendorf (1815-74) published his monumental eighth edition of the Greek New Testament between 1869 and 1872. The Byzantine text type does have some very early witnesses, (in papyri from the 200s and 300s) but these often contain Byzantine readings mixed in with the other text types. Posted July 16, 2008. The WEB reads like a smooth ASV in the New Testament. Further, the Byzantine texts went 1000+ years with manuscripts changing very little. Again, well go back to Westcott & Hort because they did the original work that virtually all modern New Testament translations are based on. The context and the discussion of a covering as a symbol over or upon the womans head makes this clear. A. Hort and first published in 1881, with numerous reprints in the century since. 16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last.. There are four tabs on this option: on the first tab, AutoCorrect, uncheck the box labeled "Capitalize first letter of sentences" and the box labeled "Replace text as you type . There is a well-known error when copying manuscripts by hand called parablepsis. So in the text types of Homer, you have: Among scholars, theres little doubt that the medium text type of Homer is the original, while the short is the result of scholarly revision. Is it possible that Jesus is talking about His prophecies in that chapter? There is no way to reduce Erasmus entire pool to 7-8 manuscripts. Double for all her sins.. If you forced me to pick one of the three major theories (instead of the blend I prefer) Id pick Reasoned Eclecticism but with a different set of rules. Anyhow, thanks again for this good primer on the different manuscripts. Manuscripts repeatedly proven to have incorrect readings loose respectability. 10 Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, Its a basically byzantine textform, which I do like. Whatever may be thought of it, it is a book that one is proud to be contemporary with My feeling is strong that the theory is unanswerable. Those copies were copied, which were copied, which were copied, which were. 6 The words of the LORD are pure words; The Masoretic Text, Septuagint, Vulgate, & Textus Receptus. Their rules for textual Criticism are below: (Note: I condensed these from here, at the bottom of the page.). My Bible study group were puzzled that the NKJV Bible ends Matthew 20 with an extra sentence which doesnt appear in the more recent translations: The words do matter; please see my article on Bible translation for powerful evidence of that. Note, all of the above are very similar. Westcott & Hort thought the Byzantine text family resulted from some scribes combining the other two text types to try and get closer to the original document (much like they were doing). And, finally, when do you hope to see the church rediscover what you believe they have lost? Over a quarter (16) of the incorrect manuscripts will only have a single mistake, most of the rest will only have 2-3. They believe that over time good manuscripts will push out bad manuscripts. Further, such a text appears to prevail in the larger quantity of copies in Homer, Hippocrates, and the NT tradition. These four are often called the Great Uncial Manuscripts). (The other being the 1995 NASB). I mean, how arbitrary can you get? For she has received from the Lords hand The writing, inadvertently, I believe, gives the unfamiliar reader the false impression that Erasmus only possessed 7-8 manuscripts as a starting point. Its by no means perfect and certainly has flaws, but overall its quite good. Parallels with Textual Criticism of Non-Biblical works, Removing Copies from the Stream of Transmission. These two passages go together because 1 Peter 1:24-25 is quoting Isaiah 40:8. So that we could not mistake His intentions, the Lord made clear to what degree He would keep the Scriptures pure. Those are the Westcott & Hort rules, and the Aland/Aland Rules. This is a well-known, well-documented scribal error, even having its own name. I understand that there are different versions of the Textus Receptus. Heres Dan Wallace arguably the most respected New Testament textual critic alive today talking about one of our oldest manuscripts, specifically Codex Alexandrius. So from 1504 to 1516 he was collating manuscripts. The WEBs over her own head betrays a feminist bent by the translators, and looking at some of the their footnotes in other places confirms this bias. He was able to view 43 sheets, which was a third of the sheets that were to be burned. If you ask most people, the Textus Receptus is the Greek text assembled by Erasmus from which the King James Version was translated. Codex Sinaiticus was found by a man named Lobegott Friedrich Constantin (von) Tischendorf, at St. Catherines monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai. It has nothing to do with a woman not being in subjection to male authority. The most commonly cited confession of faith from Confessional Position Christians is the Westminster Confession of Faith. How can two walk together unless they be agreed? Here is the website Or perhaps youd use all of three, using the combination to correct the few small variants between them. Isaiah 7:14 Welcome to Mood FM Belize 106.3! If so, it opens up a new period. Its interesting that these are the men who constructed the corrupt text from which the NASB is produced. More importantly, its patently unbiblical. This is based on the assumption that scribes will chose to copy good manuscripts over bad ones, and thus better readings will be in the majority over time. word text to the second, F.H.A. How bad are They? And, finally, when do you hope to see the church rediscover what you believe they have lost? That simply cannot be used as evidence to prove there were errors in the Bibles used by the church. This is also the text that agrees with more than 95% of the Bible Manuscripts in Koine (common) Greek. They use a set of rules to create their text, but never got very far away from Westcott & Horts original 1881 work. With slight variances depending on version, the TR has about 140,100 Greek words, and the CT has about 138,100. I believe there are a great number of such documents or manuscripts. I really appreciate your work here. Persecution under Marcus Aurelius (161-180). One issue, a minor one, the majority of Greek manuscripts show the content of Romans 16:25-27 actually belongs in 14:24-26. While I do not pretend to know your heart motives, I firmly believe you are of the same nature as the Gray Questioner, and will have the same affect on good people who fall into the web of your communications. They argue that any uncertainty is 100% uncertainty. Im not a KJV only follower Very helpful articles. However its a good representation of the differences and contains many of the major points of variation. His work was largely ignored during his lifetime but the English Standard Version largely agrees with his translation. You can see his New Testament at a French website by an internet search. There is one man who has proposed another model I find agreeable, and I confess I got many of my ideas from him. This is our example, but The question then becomes: If you take the Majority Text theory and apply it to modern times, then theres clearly more copies of the modern Critical Text than the Majority Text. Because I dont know which one, it seems prudent to compare the many copies to get as close as possible to the original. The Majority Text vs. So the Majority Text changes very significantly when you include just the other versional manuscripts. The Scriptures were not corrupted before Christs time, for then Christ would not have sent the Jews to them. (Though as weve already seen theres reason to think it was the dominant text.). You mightve even made this error yourself, just not on New Testament manuscripts. Wow, if youve stayed to the end I congratulate you on your tenacity. Im not shaken by the Majority Text position, because it represents much less, MUCH LESS, than 1% of the copies made of the Word of God. There is at least one nearly complete text of the LXX, Codex Alexandrinus. May the Lord continue to grow this character trait in you and continue to bless your studies and teaching skills. The translation is quite in order and your accusation of intentional mistranslation is unfounded. However, the Alexandrian text type is 200 years older. REV. That will take a willingness on your part and revelation on Gods. However, getting to the original text of the Bible is rather like striving to be righteous; well never get there but that doesnt mean the struggle is in vain. Taken literally, you are saying that the pure Word of God was originally inspired, but no one today could ever claim to hold that pure Word in their own hands. But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus; But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved); And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For I found no discussion of the effort to reduce the number of copies Erasmus had available. GNB NET NRSV, Great explanations of Varying Further, if you take Robert Estienne at his word when he says he didnt use Erasmus Greek Text as a source for his Greek text, then Erasmus had literally nothing to do with the King James Version or the original Textus Receptus. Notice that Westcott & Hort recognized the Majority Text theory, but then summarily dismissed it saying the smallest tangible evidence of other kinds was enough to overthrow it. Each textual family (or text type) tends to contain similar readings to other manuscripts in its family, but the readings are different from the readings of other textual families. It certainly agrees with the Byzantine Majority Text quite well, and the differences are not typically very large (though certainly some are). There are several different sets of rules for Reasoned Eclecticism. Other major Textual Variants include the story of the woman caught in Adultery (Pericope Adulterae for short) and the last 12 verses in Marks Gospel. The short version is this. However, the word Ive highlighted in red isnt plural (them); its singular (him). My issue is with what I feel, based on your obvious biblical knowledge and intelligence, is a purposeful ignoring of the Holy Ghosts practice of making statements that have multiple and equally valid applications or truths when dealing with passages on the word words and Christ. Ive been studying on my own for quite sometime and read cover to cover various translations but could never understand the debate. (see 1 Timothy 2:11-12, Ephesians 5, 1 Peter 3, 1 Corinthians 7:36-38, Numbers 30, etc.). (, 3rd generation: 8 correct copies, 7 incorrect copies (~1, 4th generation: 16 correct copies, 22 incorrect copies (~1, 5th generation: 32 correct copies, 60 incorrect copies (~1, Short = Alexandrian, reflecting scholarly revision, Medium = Widely believed to be the true/original because it maintained a near-identical form over 1000+ years, and most manuscripts are of this type. God Bless, and venture forth armed with knowledge. I still think the ESV is the most accurate. everything between them, Read James 1:18. Ive had an NIV Bible for a long time and stumbled across some KJV only preachers on youtube who challenged my translation. This video covers a subject that can be strongly debated among some Christians. So no, the entire Codex Sinaiticus wasnt going to be burned. Its not hard to imagine they were fairly pure for the ~300 additional years it would take to get back to the originals. I lead a mens Bible study which is currently discussing truth and questions came up over the parenthetical thought in 1 Tim 2:7 ( vs ). "Our Church holds the infallible and genuine deposit of the Holy Scriptures: of the Old Testament a true and perfect version, of the New the divine original itself." And so we have always held that the Septuagint is the authoritative version of the Old Testament. However, the picture changes if you include translations into other languages. They comprise less than 1% of all Textual Variants. I only touched on it where you mentioned, but thats one of those known unknowns that well probably never know for sure. You could translate it will by no means be voided from the law. Up until then, the original NIV was my Bible. And why would you casually dismiss the spiritual corruption of Wescott and Hort, claim their critical text is based on corrupt texts, and then support the NASB? The Septuagint is claimed to have been translated between 285-246 BC during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus of Alexandria, Egypt. He also checked these manuscripts for particular readings, or readings that are found ONLY in that manuscript. For example, lets say that three scribes copied from the original, and one of them made an error. [See HortsIntroduction, page286, 373.]. This aspect of Gods preservation of Scripture is just as crucial as the first. The NKJV is definitely closer and also the translation I would generally recommend. Lift up your voice with strength, (And many of these variants would be spelling errors. I started with a NKJV, then last 10 years or so a NASB. He also says that it uses a different Old Testament text than the KJV. Lachmann went further than Bekker, showing how, by comparison of manuscripts, it is possible to draw inferences as to their lost ancestors or archetypes . Also, I am building my book collection and I wanted to see if you recommended any books that translate some of these Greek texts that should be considered when translating new bibles. The relevant portion says: Textum ergo habes, nunc ab omnibus receptum: in quo nihil immutatum aut corruptum damus, (Roughly Translated: so you hold the text, now received by all, in which nothing (is) corrupt.). It goes into just as much depth as this article, and even includes short reviews on the most popular Bible translations at the end.). This is the Greek New Testament edited by B. F. Westcott and F. J. They have been made available to every generation (Psalm 33:11; Psalm 100:5; Psalm 119:89-90; Isaiah 59:21). Is there not an element of faith in your critique? This makes it sound like women should not be under male authority, instead of saying they are morally obligated to be under male authority because of why they were created. For example: NA28. Other names given to the Majority text include: the Antiochian text, Byzantine text, Traditional text, Apostolic text, the Eastern text and the Textus Receptus (Latin for Received Text). The more difficult reading should be preferred. Between these extremes, a medium or vulgate text exists, which resisted both the popular expansions and the critical revisions; this text continued in much the same form from the early period into the minuscule era. Some doctrines are certainly strengthened in the Byzantine Majority text and the Textus Receptus, but no major, central part of the gospel is affected. Probably the most balanced view of the Vaticanus scribe is found in the quote below, in an article published to respond to someone claiming the Vaticanus Scribe made very few errors. (The long is discarded because of its poor quality) In the New Testament its the complete opposite, except the discarding of the poor quality of the Western Text. (as shown in the article) Further, which Textus Receptus should we use? Almost all of the oldest manuscripts we have are of the Alexandrian text type, probably due to the climate in the location where they are typically found (Alexandrian is in Egypt, and their dry climate is ideal for preservation.) When also, according to another prophetic word, Contempt was poured out upon rulers, and he caused them to wander in an untrodden and pathless way., It was in the nineteenth year of the reign of Diocletian, in the month Dystrus, called March by the Romans, when the feast of the Saviours passion was near at hand, thatroyal edicts were published everywhere, commanding that the churches be leveled to the ground and the Scriptures be destroyed by fire,and ordering that those who held places of honor be degraded, and that the household servants, if they persisted in the profession of Christianity, be deprived of freedom.. Lets look at Isaiah 40:8 first. And by the way, I do mean near perfect agreement even according to Westcott & Hort. I currently hold a KJV only position, but am curious as to whether other versions dont speak as much to sin or disregard significant doctrine? There are 7956 verses in the New Testament. (You can look at several here.) If you click the link, the footnotes are well worth reading, especially on is morally obligated because this translation nailed it. However, you must uncheck four boxes in the AutoCorrect option on the Tools menu in Word 97+. Thank you for your hard work. Do you believe that there is no church in the whole world that actually has the preserved Word of God? (This is made even more clear by the chiastic structure of 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, which places verse 10 at the apex/focal point). Jan de Waard received his PhD from the University of Leiden in 1965. Because most of our New Testament manuscripts come from the Byzantine Text family (which well explain lower down), the document that results is often called the Byzantine Majority text. Again, they differ in ~2000 places. , , , , , . Their desire is to preserve the legacy of the NASB95, as well as incorporate two major changes: I appreciated that as well so my restless self could know I would be a minute. By the 5th generation, you can see that the number of manuscripts with errors outnumber the ones without errors nearly 2-1. God has preserved His Word to all generations, without fail! The modern Critical Text is based primarily on two flawed documents, without the benefit of the findings of the last ~140 years. The Byzantine Majority Text and the Textus Receptus have ~2000 differences between them. For the other half, Scrivener was usually able to find corresponding Greek readings in the editions of Erasmus, or in theComplutensian Polyglot. The Textus Receptus below is designed to be usable in Word 97 or higher. In English the indefinite article a gets an n added when the next word starts with a vowel. More importantly, Erasmus references in sundry of his letters some of the manuscripts he used. That makes sense, or at least more sense than applying it to the Bible. Full NEB text is available online at site I linked below. The Westminster Confession of Faith & The Doctrine of Preservation.
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