 Summer 2000
No.21
“Let us walk by
the same rule”
Phil.3:16
|
Contents
Report of Open Air Preaching……………………………………..2
The Integrity of the
AV Bible……………………………………...4
2 Tim.3:15
Romans 10:9
John 6:20…18:8
Versionist Unbelief…………………………………………………6
Lattimore’s Translation……………………………………………6
Jerome’s Vulgate and Erasmus’s Greek Text……………………7
Test Yourself ……………………………………………………….9
The Divine Provision….……………………………………………9
The Status Quaestionis.…………………………………………...10
The Newberry Study Bible.………………………………………12
“The Ever Patient Heart”..……………………………………….16
REPORT OF OPEN AIR PREACHING
March 23rd AYLESBURY MARKET SQUARE. There were two men listening on the far side of the square. One of
them, I could see, was a beggar. The other eventually walked across to me. With
his shaven head and tattoos he looked quite fierce but he made no attempt to
interrupt me. When I stopped preaching he introduced himself as being also a
religious person. (I am aware that appearances can be very deceptive). He was,
he told me, a practicing pagan. This it seems is now a religion in its own
right. I used to think of pagans as those without any religion. He was quite
taken aback that I, being a Christian, should be so friendly towards him. He
thought all Christians hated pagans. I was able to tell him that my Saviour ate
with publicans and sinners and came not to call the righteous but sinners to
repentance. He acknowledged this but it had not dawned upon him that Christ
came for him personally. He took a tract titled “One died for you” and said he
hoped to see me again some time. I reminded him that our Gospel Hall was not
far off and we would love to see him there.
March 31st LUTON TOWN CENTRE. Three
teenagers stopped to mock. Two boys and a girl, truanting, I assumed. One lad
was obviously trying to impress his companions by standing next to me and
mimicking. As I totally ignored him he got embarrassed and stopped. I then
asked them why they were not in school and learned that all three were
suspended. They wanted to know why I was preaching in the street and listened
again, now quietly, to the story of God’s love towards them. The boy who had
mocked then poured out his sorry story. It was one of neglect and abuse. He had
no idea of the identity of his father, he told me. While we talked, a man
passing by called to them, “are you learning to be priests now?” I did not
recognize the man. There was time to give a little further counsel to these
children, not only as a preacher but also as a father and a schoolteacher,
before they moved on. I saw them later causing a disturbance in the Arndale
Centre.
April 17th LUTON T.C.
Several of the regular folk I see passed by; the retired schoolmistress who
once stopped to inform me that atheism was the best religion; the aged
Salvation Army man, who always asks for a tract and today asked for one for his
landlady; the Rastafarian who always walks down the middle of the road shouting
invectives at all and sundry, often stopping to shout at me. He seems quite
harmless and never does anything but shout.
April 20th LUTON T.C. It was warm today so
there were several people sitting on the benches in front of me. I hadn’t been
preaching long before I was interrupted by an Irishman who wanted me to listen
to his brand of religion. It was a mixture of pentecostalism and pantheism. He
didn’t think it possible to know one was saved this side of the grave. I asked
him why Paul wrote to the Corinthians concerning the preaching of the cross ‘
unto us which are saved it is the power of God.’ He brushed this aside. Then he
spoke of winning the lottery and I pointed out from Ephesians that covetousness
damns any soul. No ‘covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in
the kingdom of Christ and of God.’ What a tragedy that
multitudes are willing to lose their soul for a one pound lottery ticket.
April 25th HITCHIN,
MARKET SQUARE
A number of folk sat listening to the gospel. While I was preaching
a man of Asian appearance attempted to thrust a piece of paper in my hand. When
I declined to accept it he attempted to push it into my pocket. It appeared to
be a handwritten note. I would have been willing to talk to him if he had not
been so aggressive in his approach.
Three young girls wished to talk to me but they waited until I had
finished and made no attempt to interrupt. They wanted to know why I was
‘shouting’ in the square. There was opportunity to give a word of personal
testimony and they each accepted a tract before moving away.
After the girls had gone I sat on the nearby bench so that any who
wished might come and speak to me. An old lady who had been listening
throughout came over and sat next to me. I learned that she was a Methodist.
She had taken part in the annual Easter procession of witness, and had also
been on a ‘Bunyan’ walk. Sadly she did not know anything about being saved,
though she does now! She told me that several people had been discussing my
preaching. At least they didn’t heckle today. And nobody threw anything.
What a pity that so many think that they are serving God when they
drag a wooden cross around the town each ‘Good Friday’. It is an idolatrous
practice and I don’t suppose many believers would get caught up in this
nonsense. If Paul had wheeled a wooden cross around Athens, he would not have been able to say to
the Athenians, I perceive that in all
things ye are too superstitious (Acts 17:22).
May 2nd HITCHIN MARKET SQUARE. The
Christadelphian stall was on the square when I arrived but they were just
packing up so I waited for them to depart. They had a placard with a cultish
slogan, The Bible Explained. ‘Explained
away’ might be nearer the truth. In our preaching we have no need to ‘explain’
the Bible. We quote it instead, with gospel verses that are understood by all.
While I was preaching the Town Crier came by, but he signalled to me
to carry on preaching and he went farther down the High Street. He came back
for a chat later. One of the Christadelphians crept up on me and stood behind
me. As soon as I stopped preaching he pounced on me to ask his ‘hard questions’. I reminded him that his
Jesus bore no resemblance to the Lord Jesus Christ of Scripture in Whom I
trusted. While we were speaking a woman interrupted to ask me what was my
message. I told her it was the gospel of the Lord Jesus, Ye must be born again, and proceeded to explain what that meant.
The Christadelphian listened intently while I gave the woman my testimony. She
seemed interested in this and asked where I usually met. She told me she was
from the ‘Bible Belt’ in the USA,
but she had no word of testimony to give other than she was a member of the Church of Christ. This I believe to be another
false cult.
On January 1st the Anglicans erected an idol in Luton town centre. It is a sort of trident with three
fire-baskets on the top. A plaque at the base informs passers-by that it is ‘A
gift from St. Mary’s Parish
Church signifying 2000
years of the light of Christ.’ Somebody told me that sometimes it is lit up at
night.
It is just an idolatrous monstrosity. What signifies the light of
Christ in any locality is the presence of a street preacher telling forth the
good news of God’s saving grace, and the presence in that locality of a group
of believers meeting¾and
living¾ according to New Testament principles.
People don’t get saved through looking at a metal pole with lights stuck on the
top of it. They will get saved by believing that Christ died for them on the
cross. They will not know about the cross unless somebody preaches the cross to
them. The preaching of the cross is at a premium today, the reason being that the preaching of the cross is to them that
perish foolishness. (1 Cor.1:18) So we know that most people will
reject the message. I have attended a number of Sunday Evening gospel
‘services’ where there has not even been an allusion to the cross of Christ.
Yet Paul proclaimed we preach Christ
crucified. The picture of Christ painted in Christendom today is of a good
man, a religious leader, but somewhat misguided. We have to tell the world that
He is the Son of God, always Himself fully God, the Scripture saying of Him, God was manifest in the flesh. We have
to tell people that the cross declares to
this world that hell is real. We have to tell people there is a way in
to hell but no way out and that those real flames burn forever. We must not
bemoan the lack of conversions if we are not prepared to tell the truth. Paul
said, I have not shunned to declare unto
you all the counsel of God. He did not declare some of it and withhold some
of it for fear of giving offence.
*****
THE INTEGRITY OF THE AV BIBLE
1. 2 Timothy 3:15
And that from a child thou hast known the
holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus.
The fact that
modern versionists do not understand the Scriptures, the reason being because they are not saved, is apparent from
their mutilation of this verse.
Outside Brook
Street Chapel, Tottenham, there stands a poster displaying these words, ‘The Holy Scriptures are able to give you
wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.’ (Good News
bible).
Now, these
words may be true when directed to the unconverted, but they are not true in
the context of 2 Timothy and they are not Scripture. They represent a false interpretation of the passage. The
modern versionist will be well aware that the epistle is directed first to
Timothy. The singular thou addresses this verse to him. The implication
therefore is that Timothy had not yet attained to salvation, i.e. was not saved
at the time of Paul’s writing to him. The evangelical doctrine of salvation is
not held by modern versionists and textual critics. They do not believe that it
is possible to know that one can be saved and assured of heaven here on this
earth. This is the teaching of the good news bible. Some good news indeed! Timothy had been grounded in the Scriptures
(our Old Testament) from a child. When he heard the gospel of Christ proclaimed
he found it to be fully in accord with what he had already learned and so he
believed it. From that moment he was a saved man in possession of full
salvation. But it wasn’t only that the Scriptures were able to make him wise unto salvation. They continued to
maintain the same ability, now through the application of faith, to make him
wise unto the salvation which he presently enjoyed. That is, his exercise of faith enabled him to
apply the Scriptures in gaining the wisdom necessary to take full advantage of
his salvation.
2. Romans
10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved.
The Good News
[?] bible changes this to “if you confess that Jesus is Lord. And believe that
God raised him from death, you will be saved”.
In this one verse the GNB makes five major changes, (ignoring the change
of singular thou to plural you). The point of the passage is missed in its
presentation of the double testimony¾heart and mouth¾internal and
external evidence of the possession of salvation. The tense is changed from
shalt confess; shalt believe, (aorist in the Greek) to present, thereby losing
the impact of the imperative nature of the command to confess and believe.
Then, the Lord was not raised from death. One might be brought back from death, but not raised from it. The Scripture
tells us that the Lord was raised from (among) the dead. A more serious change
is the alteration of Scripture to read Jesus is Lord. This has given rise to
the popular “Jesus is Lord” slogan that we see everywhere. It robs Christ of
His deity. Every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord. Phil.2:11.
So in Rom.10:9, there is no verb (is). Rather, the confession is to the whole
person of Christ, the Lord Jesus. The emphasis is not solely upon His Lordship
but upon His full possession of deity and humanity
.3. John 6:20, 8:24,28,58, 13:19,
18:5,6,8
’Egw eimi
The AV Bible rightly translates this as I am he
in each case excepting
John 8:58 where we read Before Abraham was, I am. The two Greek words may be translated either with or without the
personal pronoun depending on the context. It would not make sense to place he in 8:58 for that would suggest that the Lord was Abraham
before Abraham was. The I am here speaks of the deity of the Lord Jesus, a claim
clearly recognized by the Jews as they took up stones to stone Him. They did
not fall to the ground as those did in 18:6.In ch.18 he is clearly required in order to make the statement intelligible
in English.
The Lord spoke
the words I am he in ch.18 to fully identify Himself as
Jesus of Nazareth, thereby protecting His disciples and fulfilling the
Scripture (v.9)
That this had
a supernatural impact on those present is evident in their falling to the
ground but we do not see this as an act of worship as some do, because it did
not happen on previous occasions when the Lord spoke the words. Here they
quickly picked themselves up and proceeded to take the Lord prisoner.
We note the
careful use of italics in the AV Bible. Words are given in italics to indicate
to the reader that the word is not found in the Greek but is required in the
English translation for the sake of accuracy and meaning. There are multitudes
of such additions in modern versions without any indication to the reader.
*****
VERSIONIST UNBELIEF ON THE INTERNET
I recently got
involved in a “Bible Version Forum” on the Internet. The question of versions
was being debated and I was interested to know the spiritual standing of those
contributing. So I asked contributors individually if they were saved. The
question provoked quite a degree of contempt from some while most just ignored
the question. The only two who were prepared to make a public acknowledgment of
salvation were the two who held to the AV bible. I am not saying that all who
hold to modern versions are unconverted but it certainly appeared so on this
particular forum. There are a number of reasons why our brethren hold to modern
versions. They may be influenced by the “scholars”. They are so clever, how can
they be wrong? Supporters of the “scholars” will often tell us they are, or
were, godly men. The inference from that being that any in disagreement with
the “scholars” must be ungodly men. Our brethren do not want to appear
unscholarly when they occupy the teacher’s platform so they must ape the
scholars in their criticisms of the word of God, the AV Bible.
Others are
uncertain because they have not personally examined the weight of evidence in
favour of the AV bible.
However, I
believe that because the AV Bible is the proven word of God it is under immense
attack from Satan in these closing days and therefore those who are his
instruments in attack are very largely unregenerate men. What folly to think
that these men could not find their way in to OUR circles of fellowship. They
crept in unawares in Jude’s day. What blindness to think they could never be
lauded as the chief men among the modern-day brethren!
*****
LATTIMORE’S TRANSLATION OF THE NT
Richard Lattimore was a translator of the Greek classics. He decided, late in life to translate the New Testament. I could not find any testimony to his being a believer. It was his intention to present to the modern reader the words of the gospel and the Apostles by a writer “without pretensions as a biblical student”.
He doesn’t tell us which Greek text he used, but it certainly was not the Received Text. He had to make a choice and he chose a text that does much to detract from the deity of Christ.
In Mark’s Gospel, which he places first in his book, he has Malachi’s prophecy attributed to Isaiah. (1:2) John is betrayed rather than put into prison (1:14); Simon and Peter merely left their nets. They did not forsake them (1:18); The man with an unclean spirit was convulsed by it, rather than that the unclean spirit had torn him ((1:26). This latter verse in the Lattimore translation implies that the man was merely epileptic, and not possessed by an actual evil spirit.
A serious change is found in 1:38, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. Lattimore has the Lord saying ‘let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring communities, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I set out to do. [my underlining].
The AV Bible gives the first mention in the New Testament of the Lord’s coming forth. It begs the question , ‘from whence came He forth?’ The answer: From the Father. Christ said, I came forth from the Father. (John 16:27) and Lattimore refutes the Lord’s words. By this he makes an attack on the deity of Christ.
There are more than fifty changes made to the AV in this first chapter. There are multitudes more in the following chapters.
*****
JEROME’S VULGATE & ERASMUS’S RECEIVED TEXT
R Sheehan in his book The Word of Truth (Evangelical Press; 1998) says this, “The ‘Received Text’ is basically the text compiled by Erasmus in 1516. He created it by a comparison of six manuscripts and checked and amended it by a reference to the Latin Vulgate, from which he constructed a small part of the text for which he lacked any Greek manuscript.
If we are to follow the Received Text slavishly, then we argue that Erasmus’ decisions were correct even when the majority of the manuscripts and the earliest manuscripts disagree with him. We are insisting on following the text he made up from the Latin even when there is no Greek evidence at all to support him. To follow the Received Text is to ignore all other evidence and to invest in the infallibility of Erasmus.”
Sheehan pulls the wool over his readers’ eyes. He offers part truths and withholds much of the evidence.
The mss used by Erasmus are listed. He had five Greek ms available for his immediate use when he arrived in Basel in 1515. They were; 1 (an 11th C. ms of the Gospels, Acts, and Epistles), 2 (a 15th C. ms of the Gospels), 2ap (a 12th-14th C. ms of Acts and the Epistles), 4ap ( a 15th C. ms of Acts and the Epistles, and 1r (a 12th C. ms of Revelation.
Erasmus borrowed a number of other mss. He included readings in his RT which are not found in the five major mss that he used. He had already made a Latin translation of the NT in 1505 (of which I have a facsimile copy). He was well aware of ‘variant readings’ found in alleged earlier copies (which had been rejected by the early church).
What about the ‘text he made up from the Latin? Some of the most of the most important readings found in the Vulgate and placed in the RT though not part of the Traditional Greek Text are given below. They are quoted from The King James Version Defended by Edward Hills. All of these are found in other ancient witnesses, i.e. old Greek ms, versions, and Fathers, so they are not peculiar to the Vulgate alone.
Matt.10:8, raise the dead.
Matt.27:35, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
John 3:25, Then there arose a questioning between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying.
Acts 8:37, And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Acts 9:5, it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
Acts 9:6, And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him,
Acts 20:28, Church of God.
Rom. 16:25-27, Now to him…. (whole doxology).
Rev. 22:19, 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. (Hoskier suggests that Erasmus did not translate this verse from Latin to Greek, but took it from Codex 141).
I would recommend that these verses are looked up and their vital necessity in the text considered. All of them are attested for from sources besides the Latin Vulgate. We believe that the Spirit of God superintended the establishment of the Greek Received Text, which has all the above readings, together with the production of the English Authorized Bible.
We might note (from Hills) that Acts 8:37 was thought to be omitted by “many scribes, as unfriendly to the practice of delaying baptism, which had become common, if not prevalent, before the end of the 3rd century.’ Hence the verse is absent from the majority of the Greek manuscripts. But it is present in some of them, including E (6th or 7th C.) It is cited by Irenaeus (c.180) and Cyprian (c.250) and is found in the old Latin and the Vulgate. In his notes Erasmus says that he took this reading from the margin of 4ap and incorporated it into the Textus Receptus.”
TEST YOURSELF¾True or False?
1 The AV translators used defective manuscripts.
2 Erasmus produced the first English Bible.
3 The Authorized Version is the inspired word of God written in English.
4 As further manuscripts are found, the Bible will need to be updated.
5 The Revised Version is the most accurate translation available.
6 JN Darby used the original Hebrew/Greek mss to produce his translation.
7 The NKJV is simply the AV written in modern English.
8 The Bible cannot be fully understood without recourse to the Hebrew and Greek.
9 No single translation contains the whole of the word of God.
10 Only the original manuscripts have the inspired of God.
11 The New King James Version is the most accurate translation available.
12 God never promised to preserve His word.
Answers on page 16.
*****
THE DIVINE PROVISION
The following is quoted from the TBS leaflet ‘Holding Fast the Faithful Word’
“It is impossible to overstate the importance of these two things¾unfeigned faith, and the word of God. This is the Divine provision for all the errors, and all the evils, and all the hostile influences of the present day. There is a great shaking going on all around us; the foundations are being displaced; ancient landmarks are being removed; institutions are being assailed; confusion is written on all things ecclesiastical and political. There is only one thing that can sustain us in times like these, and that is living faith in the living God. It is the design of the enemy to quench the lamp of Inspiration, to get rid of the supernatural and miraculous in the Word of God; to break down its authority and integrity by minimizing differences of translations; for, if the Bible is not the Word of God, but only ‘contains’ it, then one version can contain it, or as much of it, as another. If there is no such thing as ‘THE Bible’, then ‘A bible’ or any bible will do. The enemy cares not by what agency he gains his great end of making the word of God of none effect. The enemy will use any instrument to accomplish his purposes; and the greater and the better the agent, the more effectually will he obtain his ends. Because of deficiencies of text and translation, the Society rejected versions based on the Latin Vulgate, and the Revised Version based on a form of the Greek text developed by 19th century textual criticism. For the same reasons the Society has not adopted any of the more recent modern versions.” The above words, written some 30 years ago, remain true today. The situation has not improved but has steadily worsened as the apostasy of Christendom grows. Modern versions, ‘study bibles’ and various lexicons now available have not produced a deeper knowledge of God. We do not find increased holiness among us because it is now ‘easy to read and understand the Bible’. Our ministering brethren are noted for their criticism of the page of Scripture, and Neo-evangelism is rampant in our assemblies. We are told that there are so many errors in the AV because it is ‘only’ a translation. Professing Christians no longer trust their Bible as the Word of God. And their unholy lives are the fruit of their unbelief. It is now believed possible to have Jesus and the world. Be saved and enjoy your ‘telly’.
*****
THE STATUS QUAESTIONIS
In 1995 a book was published titled ‘The Text of the New Testament in Contemporary Research; Essays on the Status Quaestionis.’ Edited by B D Ehrman and M W Holmes. The title cries unbelief. The use of Latin in the title is to give the impression that the work is scholarly. The text of the New Testament requires no contemporary research. It did in the 16th century and Erasmus, Stephens and the Elzevir brothers applied themselves to this, producing what became known as the Received Text. This text was accepted as the true text by believers in the 16th century and since. A fundamental reason for its acceptance was its agreement with early translations, documents, and quotations from the Fathers. This agreement is evidence that it is the text ‘handed down’ by the early church. The majority of all the Greek mss bear testimony to this text.
The text requires no contemporary research because it is a settled text. The critics hold to an evolving text, but they are running out of steam. Hence on the cover of this book we read, “Repeatedly one hears that rigor mortis has set in for textual criticism of the New Testament. But the present publication suggests that in place of lamentation one ought to celebrate the pains a number of scholars have taken to ensure revival of the patient. Much of the credit for resurgence of interest in the discipline goes to Dr. Bruce Metzger, to whom this volume is dedicated.” ¾F W Danker; Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
Metzger is a notorious heretic. He tells us that Moses did not write the Pentateuch, and that the miracles performed by the Lord did not happen. He denies any supernatural involvement in the giving of Scripture. Be assured that any further research from these critics will result in deeper apostasy. Lutheran theology has very little to do with sound Biblical doctrine.
The title of the book is false because it assumes an incompetent God Who took the trouble to give His word by inspiration to selected men but found Himself unable to preserve it. The critics tell us that the text could not be preserved intact word for word from the beginning because it was in the hands of weak and failing men who were liable to make mistakes in the transmission of the text. We answer that those men who first set down the word of God in writing were also weak and failing, but not in the matter of writing Scripture. They were then under the direct supervision of the Spirit of God. Since then the Scriptures have remained IN THE HAND OF GOD. He has chosen to use puny believers in the transmission of His word and if God gave His word by inspiration in the first place, it seems incredible to me, that He would then abandon His word to the vicissitudes of fate.
The first essay in the book deals with the papyrus manuscripts. These are of course the oldest documents of the NT. The critics hold that ‘oldest is best’ but this is a false surmise, because we must ask, why have certain mss survived and not others? First we note that no 1st century ms has survived (i.e. no original ms) The papyri discovered range from the 2nd to the 8th centuries. After that papyrus was no longer used.
All 96 extant papyrus mss were found in Egypt and they represent less that 2% of all mss. The critics have cleverly divided them into three text types known as Alexandrian, Western, and Caesarian. depending on the various readings peculiar to each. They explain the presence of Western and Caesarian type mss in Egypt by suggesting that travelers must have brought them in. This is a mere hypothesis for which there is no evidence.
There is a fourth text type that gets a brief mention since none of this type has been preserved among these earlier relics in the sands of Egypt. This type they designate Majority or Byzantine. This type, beloved, is our received text. The critics argue that because nothing of it has been found with the other ancient papyri in Egypt then this text-type did not exist anywhere in the first and second centuries and was in fact invented much later.
The believer sees no problem in the absence of Byzantine type papyri in Egypt. These mss became worn with usage and once recopied the original would be destroyed. Those mss found discarded in the sand may be frail with age but were not worn with usage. Also we cannot imagine why Bible believers in the first two centuries would want to go to Egypt, the home even then of apostates such as Origen. And if they did, why would they throw their Bibles away¾Bibles containing the full canon of Scripture were available from the 2nd century¾or otherwise dispose of them when they got there. If they went at all, they would have taken their Byzantine Bibles back home with them. The area of testimony in the first two centuries centred around Byzantium.
E J Epp confesses in this book that of the 47 earliest papyri, dating up to the turn of the third/fourth centuries, ‘it remains doubtful, therefore, whether it can be said that in these forty-seven mss the NT text can be studied in the original’. His reason for saying so is the number of different readings that occur even among these few mss. The critics do not even know which was copied from which. We are assured however that these Egyptian copyists were not believers (i.e. were not saved men). Believers were faithful in their copying. In any case we believe that the original mss¾the autographs¾ended their days close to where they were originated, on the northern side of the Mediterranean Sea.
A note about the copying of Scripture.
A bible critic once offered a challenge. He said that it is impossible to copy any piece of prose without making a lot of mistakes. He argued that this explained the multiplicity of differences in the various manuscripts.
His statement is misleading, first because there is a remarkable unity in the majority of manuscripts. Only a few manuscripts display a depravity in the text. They are well known and are the ones ‘preferred’ by the critics. Two in particular being the Vaticanus and the Sinaiticus. They are preferred because in many instances they attack the deity of Christ and the critics DO NOT BELIEVE IN the deity of Christ.
Second, it is not impossible to copy without making many mistakes. Our critic suggested one might try copying the Gospel of John. I have copied longhand the first ten chapters. I made five errors in all; I spotted them myself; I changed them, and none affected the meaning of the sentence. For example I wrote Nathaniel instead of Nathanael; can instead of Can etc.
Believers were very meticulous in their copying of the first manuscripts because they knew they were handling Spirit given Scripture, the word of Life. Monks and professional scribes began to make copies but they did not think accuracy was too important. Later other illiterate monks made copies and decorated them with pretty pictures to make money. They were indifferent to the text itself. Today these ancient mss are worth great sums of money, but did you ever hear any person taking interest in what was actually written on them?
*****
THE NEWBERRY STUDY BIBLE
A sales leaflet promoting the Newberry Bible arrives on my doormat. It says, ‘Try to imagine having a Greek and Hebrew scholar sitting next to you as you read your Bible, ready with easy-to-understand answers to all your questions. That’s what it’s like to be the owner of the very special deluxe leather Newberry Study Bible.’
I try to imagine no such thing, not even in my most fevered moments. I would not like to be in the same building with a Greek and Hebrew scholar. The majority follow the apostate line in textual criticism and Newberry was no exception.
I don’t need any ‘scholar’ sitting next to me to answer ALL my questions. He would be in conflict with the Holy Spirit dwelling within Who teaches me ALL things.
Readers must distinguish between a Spirit appointed teacher and a scholar. Teachers are a gift from God to the church (1 Cor.12:28) who are able to give to us the sense or meaning of a passage. The indwelling Holy Spirit confirms to the soul the truth of what is taught. The scholar¾who is not God-appointed¾ tells us what he considers should be included or excluded on the page of Scripture. That is what Newberry did. He took the AV Bible and in the margin added all his corrections to the text. He then covered the page with dots and squiggles, being symbols allegedly showing what the true tense might be.
Penfold in the sales promotion of his Newberry Study bible is careful not to mention that it is the AV Bible with Newberry adaptations that is being sold. Not even on the full colour brochure is it mentioned that this is an AV Bible. This fact is finally discovered at the end of four sides of sales splurge when one comes to the detachable order form.
We read the headline of this promotion, ‘At last, enjoyable and rewarding Bible study made easy’, and wonder how believers ever coped in their study before this American-style publishing ‘house’ arrived. I suppose it is made easy because one no longer has to spend long hours in meditation on the Scriptures, in dependency on the Holy Spirit.
We are also informed that, ‘Like all great scholars he [Newberry] knew that there are precisions, perfections and beauties in the original languages that cannot be reproduced in any translation. So His[sic] passion in life was to provide you with the all-in- one bible that would open up these treasures before your very eyes (without you having to be a genius). He assumed that the English language was not a capable medium for the transmission of the word of God to English speaking believers. Penfold endorses this. In fact he tells us that no languages apart from Hebrew and Greek can sufficiently contain the word of God. The conclusion we are forced to is that the AV Bible¾and every other Bible in any modern language¾is defective, and needs the likes of Newberry to bring it up to what God wanted it to be.
The first error is found in Newberry’s introduction where we read, ‘The plenary inspiration of the original Scriptures is taken for granted. (my italics). This is one of the foundation stones of apostate scholarship, swallowed by most of our ministering brethren today, that inspiration does not apply to any bible today. This is why these men feel free to meddle with God’s word as they will. But my Bible reads, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God… not was given! If my Bible is not the inspired word of God, then it is not Scripture, it is not the word of God at all. Newberry’s statement charges God with incompetence at the very least. He could not preserve that which He originally gave by inspiration. Why, out of all the human race, would just one generation of men be blessed with the ‘plenary inspired Scriptures? Note too that the canon of Scripture was not complete until the 2nd century AD. All the documents used to produce the first Bible were copies and probably not of the ‘original’ either. This means that there has never existed on this earth at any time an inspired Bible according to our scholar. The scholar’s God lies inside his own head.
The next error in the Newberry Bible is found in Genesis Ch.1 where Newberry left a gap on the page between verses one and two. Did Moses leave a gap when he first set down Genesis? There is no manuscript evidence pointing to that. Did Newberry think himself wiser than Moses? Newberry was a ‘gappist’, pandering to the evolutionists of his day.
Penfold tells us that ‘the Newberry Study Bible is not full of notes telling you what the Bible means’. Yet when we look down the right hand margins on every page that is precisely what Newberry did. The meanings he supplies are frequently in accord with the readings found in JND’s translation.
AV JND NEWBERRY Marg.
Matthew 4:23
The gospel glad tidings glad tidings
2 Tim.1:2
my dearly beloved son. my beloved child child
Romans 1:17
The just shall live by faith But the just shall live by faith. But
This is a textual change showing that neither JND nor TN held to the Received Text.
Hebrews 11:1
The evidence The conviction the conviction
Hebrews 12.2
Looking unto Jesus the looking steadfastly on Jesus captain or leader.
author and finisher of the leader and completer of ‘our’ is bracketed
our faith faith. as well as italicized.
1 John 2:2
He is the propitiation …for the whole world for [the sins of] the
.…for the sins of the whole world.
whole world Brackets indicate
The italicized words give that TN thought the
the full sense of the passage. words should be
omitted.
The omission of the sins of panders to the false doctrine of a limited atonement.
These are but a few of the hundreds of changes made.
Besides marginal notes, every page has its footnotes. These contain the Critical Various Readings of the Greek Text, where the MSS for and against are indicated.
No doubt Newberry and other Bible critics thought these would be helpful to the student in making up his own mind as to what is the word of God and what is not. This ‘help’ has served to undermine faith in God. The student no longer trusts his Bible.
Some examples are given below.
Mark 1:2
As it is written in the prophets.
In the prophets, AEFHKMPSUVGP. In Esaias the prophet, ÀBDLD.
All the critics accept the Esaias reading, denying Mark’s authorship or making him to be ignorant, attributing Malachi’s words to Isaiah.
Luke 2:22
The days of her purification
Her purification. His purification, D. Their purification, ÀABEGHKLMRSUVXGDLXP
The inference here is that only one solitary ms,(D), refers to Mary’s purification while the majority speak of their purification (including father and child). The charge is false, first because there are other mss extant supporting the RT reading. Second the thought that the Holy child required purification is blasphemous and Joseph was not His father. The purification was in accordance with Lev. 12. JND reads ‘when the days were fulfilled for their purifying…’ his determination to follow a depraved text in his translation was more important to him than the acknowledgment of the deity of Christ.
Romans 1:16
The gospel of Christ.
Of Christ, D3KLP.¾Omit ÀABCD1EG.
JND reads I am not ashamed of the glad tidings, which may mean anything. Errorists will leave Christ out of the gospel. There are many verses where Christ is omitted.
1 Timothy 3:16
God was manifest in the flesh.
God, À5C3D3KLP. Who, À1AC1F(Gr)G(Gr).
À is our old ‘friend’ Codex Siniaticus. But even this is divided in its loyalty being a most depraved MS. The superscript 5 indicates that this is the fourth correction, the superscript 1 indicating the ‘original’ reading. We point out that the RT reading is very well attested, as it is below.
Revelation 22:16
Blessed are they that do his commandments
Do His commandments, B.Wash their robes, ÀA
“The Ever Patient Heart”
Grant me O Lord the ever patient heart,
That trusts Thy living Word without repine.
A mind that will not from Thy ways depart;
And soul that will not from Thy paths decline.
Give me the strength to hold without review,
The Scriptures sent from heaven’s holy strands.
May I not fear to stand among the few
Who wrest the old Book from unholy hands.
Help me, O God, to love the sacred page
That lifts my spirit unto heaven’s sphere;
That I may listen not when critics rage
And cause men from Thy holy laws to veer.
Pour out Thy grace that I might wield the Sword
Which is the Word of God by Spirit sent;
To scorn the pen-knife of some earthly lord.
But with this precious page to be content.
Ron Smith
The answer to Test Yourself; No.3 is true and all the others are false.
We are
sometimes accused by those of differing views of showing a lack of love and of
being critical of the saints. We love all those who love Christ but it is not
love to Christ to condone error or to ignore it. We have a responsibility to
contend earnestly for the faith. Those
who love Christ will keep His word. Others will seek to change it.
Waymarks is a tract
published quarterly and is usually sent out unsolicited. Its purpose is to
encourage open-air preaching and also to establish the confidence of the Lord’s
people in the Authorized Bible as being the true and only Holy Bible in the
English language. Further copies may be obtained upon request. This publication
is a personal exercise and is made free of charge. Waymarks may be freely
copied but acknowledgments should be given.
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