The KJV was a superb translation for its day. I once saw a Christian rant and rave to some Jehovahs Witnesses and he quoted 1 John 5:7, 1 Tim 3:16 and said the KJV was the true Word of God, it was embarrassing and it reinforced the Witnesses in their faith. Nevertheless, it was Westcott himself who wrote, Many years ago, I had occasion to investigate spiritualistic phenomena with some care, and I came to a clear conclusion, which I feel bound to express in answer to your circular. Second, a number of old Byzantine and Western manuscripts are in good condition as well, which by this argument would indicate that they are also guilty of never having been read because they were full of errors, alterations, additions and deletions, so they would have had little chance of wear and tear. As the Christian message was . Shows (by hyphenated groups) the English meaning applying to each Greek word. 2.5-6, 31), Readings are approved or rejected by reason of the quality, and not the number, of their supporting witnesses. The Old Testament translation is based on the Hebrew Masoretic text. Public Domain due to copyright expiration. A. Hort (1881). This Bible version is now Public Domain worldwide due to copyright expiration except in the United Kingdom due to crown letters patent until 2039. HebrewMasoretic Text, Hebrew and Aramaic New Testament sources. The KJV was a superb translation for its day. The Response to the Appeal. Start your free trial today. It is inaccurate in many ways now due to greater understanding and the number of manuscripts that make better translations possible. We know now that the Greek of the New Testament was common or koine Greek which was the Greek of Alexander the Great, a common, or marketplace Greek. Textual scholars use the abbreviations "WH" [1] or "WHNU". The point here is simple. www.wayoflife.org/about/makeanoffering.html. (2.27, 29), The reading is less likely to be original that shows a disposition to smooth away difficulties (another way of stating that the harder reading is preferable). The KJV translators only had fewer than 12 manuscripts of the NT in Greek to work with. These men were hereticks. Brooke Foss Westcott (1825-1901) and Fenton John Anthony Hort (1828-1892) produced a Greek New Testament in 1881 based on the findings of Tischendorf. First Name *, Email Address *. It had nothing to do with it being the better text, i.e., the text that more accurately reflected the original. How did the term Textus Receptus come about? Fourth, both were written on extremely expensive and durable calfskin. Adds a new translation of the LXX to an existing translation of the NKJV in a single volume. So, where is the miraculous preservation of Scripture? Burgon, Miller, and Scrivener in their third argument continued with the belief that it would be foolish to set aside thousands of manuscript witnesses (the Byzantine text-type) for a few supposedly early manuscript witnesses (the Alexandrian text-type). Thus THE TEXT, BUILT UP ON THE WORK OF THE 19TH CENTURY, HAS REMAINED AS A WHOLE UNCHANGED, particularly since the research of recent years has not yet led to the establishment of a generally acknowledged N.T. (10) Speaking of the Textus Receptus, which of the four editions by Desiderius Erasmus do you prefer (1519, 1522, 1527, 1535), or the four editions of Robert Estienne (Stephanus) (1503 1559), or the nine editions by Thodore Beza (1519 1605)? Riplinger speaks much on this subject and also aligns them with the New Age movement. At this point we have entered the realm of textual criticism. Westcott and Hort did what was unthinkable..they picked through five Greek texts which did not agree with each other, and came up with a new revised Greek version of the Bible. In 1892, a revised edition was released by F. C. It is comparable to a judge with a criminal past, making a judgment based upon the witness of five liars, and at the same time ignoring the unified witness of over 5000 men. During the eighteenth-century scholars assembled a great amount of information from many Greek manuscripts, as well as from versional and patristic witnesses. John Tancock December 12, 2015. To use the KJV as a baseline so that anything different to it is changing the word of God. () In many instances where I would disagree with the wording in the Nestle / UBS text in favor of a particular variant reading, I would later check with the Westcott and Hort text and realize that they had often come to the same decision. To prefer the KJV because the Trinity (or any other doctrine) can be proved more easily from it. In Christ Jesus our Lord, (7) Which is inerrant the Latin Vulgate Erasmus used to make some of the Textus Receptus or the Byzantine texts? (Eclectic means to select or employ individual elements from a variety of sources, systems, or styles.). Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, which underlie the Westcott-Hort Greek New Testament of 1881 have been somewhat discredited by textual critics of the 20th century. THE DEAD HAND OF FENTON JOHN ANTHONY HORT LIES HEAVY UPON US. () Of course, the manuscript discoveries of the past one hundred years have changed things, but it is remarkable how often they have affirmed the decisions of Westcott and Hort. We suspect that these two manuscripts are indebted for their preservation, solely to their ascertained evil character . For example, the witness Codex Vatican B (one of the five), a Greek manuscript of the New the KJV, it wasnt even the first (by a long way) of the English translations of the Bible. Offering: We take up a quarterly offering to fund this ministry, and those who use the materials are expected to participate (Galatians 6:6) if they can. This knowledge also informs us that the New Testament was not written generally in posh language more a sort of popular tabloid type language. No Christian truth is affected by any of the variations of translation due to textual differences. Many modern versions like the New International Version (450 million copies worldwide), English Standard Version, H, , New Living Translation, New Century Version, A, and New American Standard Bible have been produced by the finest Bible believing scholars in the world. An extensive comparison of the TR against the WH text, the Nestles Text, the UBS text, and key English versions was done by the late Everett Fowler and can be found in his book Evaluating Versions of the New Testament, available from Bible for Today. Brooke Foss Westcott (1825-1901) was born at Birmingham and Fenton John Anthony Hort (1828-1892) at Dublin. First, and most importantly, notice that the quote had wantof (lackof, e.g. We have nothing to fear from new manuscript discoveries and the advancement of linguistic knowledge. Today, for instance, we have in excess of 5600 manuscripts we can consult. 118:8 Putting our confidence in God and not man, it seems apparent our Lord has kept His promise and that His Word is faithfully preserved in over 5000 witnesses! Any man who discounts the continuing significance of Westcott-Hort in the field of Bible texts and versions is probably trying to throw up a smoke screen to hide something. Brooke FossWestcott(18251901) and Fenton John AnthonyHort(18281892) are mentioned regularly in relation to the Greek text of the NT. Riplingers New Age Bible Versions, and Mr. Joseph Van Beeks tract, KJV vs NIV. Way of Life's content falls into two categories: sharable and non-sharable. The Work of Gods Children Illustrated Bible. So, what was the New Testament Text before the 9th century when the Byzantine came to be the majority and up until that time the Alexandrian was the majority? Before delving into whether Westcott and Hort were Occultists or unbelievers, let us look at their work first. Again, they need not pull quotes from when Westcott and Hort were young men but rather show one unorthodox belief in their commentaries, which have been listed below. (2.20), The reading is to be preferred that most fitly explains the existence of the others. I have never personally come across anyone that actually believes it, but some scholars do. The King James Bible translation is based on the Greek text found in the Textus Receptus. Totaling to 7,320 places. His method of picking and choosing which verses belong and which verses dont, is called the eclectic method. The items have taken years to produce at enormous expense in time and money, and we use the income from sales to help fund the ministry. All we ask is that you give proper credit. Certainly nothing could be more unscriptural than the modern limiting of Christs bearing our sins and sufferings to his death; but indeed that is only one aspect of an almost universal heresy. 4) Hort wrote, I have been persuaded for many years that Mary-worship and Jesus worship have very much in common in their causes and their results. Westcott found a statue of Mary and a crucified Christ in a remote chapel and wrote, Had I been alone, I could have knelt there for hours.. Other translations such as the New Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, Contemporary English Version and Jerusalem Bible also include Evangelical, Bible-believing scholars and many others all of whom have the highest academic credibility. (12) THE PREFACE to the 1611 KJV by the translators says the KJV was a revision of the 16th-century translations of Coverdale, Tyndale, the Great Bibles, and others. If we are to understand the foundation of the NIV, it is critical to understand that the NIV is translated from these five manuscripts above which do not agree with one another. John 8? This was not a faithfully accurate copy. From the eighth century forward, the corrupt Byzantine text was the standard text and had displaced all others; it makes up about 95 percent of all manuscripts that we have of the Christian Greek Scriptures. "For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. Since its publication in 1881, Westcott and Hort's work has proved to be impressively accurate, though far from perfect. God has promised to preserve His Word among us, and God always keeps His promises! They will leave discussions with us knowing we will not face up to the facts available in the manuscripts. These 5000 agree perfectly as to what happened. They are based on the Greek New Testament compiled by a couple of heretic infidel blasphemers named Westcott and Hort (you will see this when you read their own words below). The KJV translators did not know this and sometimes mistranslated words because of this lack of understanding. Both found nothing wrong with the worship of Mary. Brooke Foss Westcott (1825 1901) Christian Publishing House Blog, Fenton John Anthony Hort (1828 1892) Christian Publishing House Blog, CHOOSING THE BEST BIBLE TRANSLATION JUST GOT EASIER! The international committee that produced the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament, not only adopted the Westcott and Hort edition as its basic text but followed their methodology in giving attention to both external and internal consideration. It is the latter edition that was taken as the basis for the presentUnited Bible Societies edition. The KJV itself went through a number of revisions and the one we use today is usually the 1769 revision. A.V. The baseline is not the KJV, it wasnt even the first (by a long way) of the English translations of the Bible. The NIV (and others) is taken from the five Minority texts, which do not agree. Please note that neither Westcott nor Hort believed that the Bible was Gods Word. In 1981 Metzger said: The international committee that produced the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament, not only adopted the Westcott and Hort edition as its basic text, but followed their methodology in giving attention to both external and internal consideration. It appears to me that in this, as in all spiritual questions, Holy Scripture is our supreme guide. . Naturally so because they were Greek textual scholars. That means that you may freely copy it in any form, including electronic and print formats. [1] Philip Comfort,Encountering the Manuscripts: An Introduction to New Testament Paleography& Textual Criticism, (Nashville, 2005), p. 100. [9] It was followed by an Introduction and Appendix by Hort appearing in a second volume in 1882. The irony is, these fundamentalist worshippers of the Textus receptus would never call into question John Calvin or Calvinism, who was guilty of having Michael Servetus killed for believing differently about the Trinity and was a proponent of persecuting anyone who dared to believe differently than he. Are the Modern Versions Based on Westcott-Hort? - Way of Life Literature Almost all the websites, articles, films, videos and messages I have come across regarding the KJV, pay no attention at all to this viewpoint as they. Alexandrian text-type. Masoretic Text, Greek New Testament of Erasmus, the Vulgate, and theLuther Bible. We know now that the Greek of the New Testament was common or. Jeromes Latin Vulgate, produced in the 5thcentury to make the Bible accessible to all, became a means of keeping Gods Word hidden. The same would be true of Codex Vaticanus as well. Vol. Modern Bible Versions, and Westcott and Hort (27-5) The translation now is a literary masterpiece. Now, over 100 years later, the KJV and its Textus Receptus stand nearly alone against the This, like Erasmus in the 1500s, summarised the best information available to produce the most accurate text. To hold to varying forms of King James Only or Textus Receptus Only has caused great harm to the Christian Church; it confuses people. Masoretic Text, Nestle-Aland/United Bible Society Greek New Testament, New International Version (simplified syntax, but loss of conjunctions obscures meanings), New International Version Inclusive Language Edition. Riplinger, pg 625. Codex Sinaiticus (Aleph) In fact, Constantine had ordered 50 copies of the whole of the Bible for the church in Constantinople. OT:Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia(BHS; revised 1990 edition).NT:Novum Testamentum Graece(Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, 26th edition). An exception is the text edited by Hermann von Soden. ) Riplinger, pg 623, Westcott I shall aim at what is transcendental in many peoples eyes. At Constantinople, it became the predominant form of the New Testament throughout the Greek-speaking world. The links below give us plenty of information to add detail to my brief comments. Almost all of the Bible translations since the late 19th century - for. The TR was the critical text of its day, there is no reason to think that God froze in time the text of that period. Both delete almost the same number of significant portions of verses (WH--193, UBS 185). By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids . A. Hort, upon whose text the United Bible Society is based, which is the foundation for all modern-day translations of the Bible. The new Christian Standard Bible (CSB) is a major revision of the 2009 edition of theHolman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). With the acquisition, however, of the Bodmer Papyri, particularlyP66and P75, both copied about the end of the second or the beginning of the third century, evidence is now available that the Alexandrian type of text goes back to an archetype that must be dated early in the second century. I, p.119), There are several problems with the claim as made by Chick and Riplinger. Have you ever read Pickerings book? Westcott-Hort Quotes re the Bible: and the problems with these No English translation is inspired. Alexandrian text-type - Wikipedia Textus Receptus, United Bible Society (UBS) Greek text,Nestle-Aland Text, Translated byJoseph Bryant Rotherhambased onThe New Testament in the Original GreekandChristian David Ginsburgs. Puskas & Robbins (2012) noted that, despite significant advancements since 1881, the text of the NA27 differs much more from the Textus Receptus than from Westcott and Hort, stating that 'the contribution of these Cambridge scholars appears to be enduring. In 1853 these two Cambridge professors, Westcott and Hort, began to prepare a Greek Text based primarily on the Vaticanus and Sinaiticus manuscripts. This is similar to 1 but not exactly the same. [4] (Greenlee, Introduction to New Testament Textual Criticism 1995, 76-7). As we had just learned earlier under the corruption period, after Constantine legalized Christianity, giving it equal status with the pagan religions, it was much easier for those possessing manuscripts to have them copied. Westcott and Hort. You are welcome to make copies of these at your own expense and share them with friends and family, but they cannot be posted to web sites. Uses various methods, such as emphatic idiom and special diacritical marks, to bring out nuances of the underlying Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts. THE DEAD HAND OF FENTON JOHN ANTHONY HORT LIES HEAVY UPON US. Until recently the two chief witnesses to the Alexandrian text were codex Vaticanus (B) and codex Sinaiticus (), parchment manuscripts dating from about the middle of the fourth century. Isnt it better to trust that God preserved His Word in the 5000+ witnesses rather than the five witnesses who do not agree with each other? This text type is called Byzantine and most of its copies can be sourced to Constantinople. There is no way manuscripts from all over the Roman empire from different centuries copied by people who had no contact with each other would all get basically the same text unless they all go back to the same autographs. The Hebraic Roots Version Scriptures is a translation of the Tanakh/Old Testament from the Hebrew Masoretic Text. I mean, a text issued by men who are already known for what will undoubtedly be treated as dangerous heresy will have great difficulty in finding its way to regions which it might otherwise hope to reach and whence it would not be easily banished by subsequent alarms. They passed by the Traditional Text (Textus Receptus) which was the text upon which the King James Version is based. Revision of the Revised Standard Version. It is their position that the King James Version of the Bible is superior to all other English translations and that all English translations based on the Westcott and Hort text of 1881 (foundation text of UBS5 and NA28) are corrupt due to the influence of the Alexandrian Greek manuscripts. The Occult Connections of Westcott and Hort. 1881 Westcott-Hort New Testament (WHNU) - BibleGateway [citation needed], The edition of Westcott and Hort began a new epoch in the history of textual criticism. The baseline is the original Greek and Hebrew, so what we compare all versions to is the best text we can produce, notour favourite translation.