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Bible Preservation - Introduction
- INFORMATION SOURCES
- Introductory Sources
- New Age Versions by Gail Riplinger
- Final Authority by William Grady
- Things That Are Different by Mickey Carter
- The Answer Book by Samuel C. Gipp
- Which Bible by David Otis Fuller
- Believing Bible Study and The King James Version Defended by Edward F. Hills
- Advanced Sources
- The Identity of the New Testament Text by Wilbur N. Pickering
- The Revision Revised by John W. Burgon
- Specialized Sources
- Translators Revived by Alexander McClure
- The Men Behind the KJV by Gustavus S. Paine
- INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION
- This study of Bible Preservation could also be called Manuscript Evidence. Bible preservation refers to the Biblical doctrine and the historical process by which God has kept His word pure and perfect after giving it to man. Manuscript evidence refers to the evidence for Bible preservation as found most specifically in the existing manuscripts. The four kinds of manuscript evidence are:
- Doctrinal (2 Timothy 3:16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
See All...) - Textual (Nehemiah 8:8So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
See All...) - Historical (Ecclesiastes 3:14I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.
See All...) - Spiritual (Romans 8:16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
See All...) - Four Levels of Belief in Preservation
- Disbelief—even the originals had mistakes in them
- Belief in perfect originals but no perfect existing text
- Belief in perfect preservation of the Greek text but not in a perfect translation
- Belief in a perfect translation—usually in reference to the King James Bible of 1611
- Two Truths That Set the Battle
- God has promised to preserve His word (Psalm 12:6-7 [6] The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
[7] Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
See All...; Matthew 5:18For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
See All...; Luke 16:17And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
See All...; John 10:35If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
See All...) - Man will always corrupt God’s word (2 Corinthians 2:17For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
See All...; 2 Corinthians 4:2But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
See All...) - THE PRINCIPLE OF BIBLE CORRUPTION
- The Corruption of God’s Word Began in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:16-17 [16] And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
[17] But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
See All...; Genesis 3:1-5 [1] Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? [2] And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: [3] But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. [4] And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: [5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
See All...) - The word stated (Genesis 2:16-17 [16] And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
[17] But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
See All...) - The word questioned (Genesis 3:1Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
See All...) - The word altered (Genesis 3:2-3 [2] And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
[3] But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
See All...) *the M.E.V. or Mother Eve’s Version - The word denied (Genesis 3:4-5 [4] And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
[5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
See All...) - Sin (Genesis 3:6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
See All...) - Separation (Genesis 3:7-10 [7] And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
[8] And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
[9] And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
[10] And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
See All...) - Judgment (Genesis 3:11-19 [11] And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
[12] And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
[13] And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
[14] And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
[15] And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
[16] Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
[17] And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
[18] Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
[19] In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
See All...) - The Corruption of the New Testament Scriptures Began as Early as 60AD (2 Corinthians 2:17For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
See All...) - The Causes of Corrupted Scriptures
- Corrupted doctrine (2 Corinthians 11:1-4 [1] Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me.
[2] For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
[3] But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
[4] For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
See All...; Galatians 1:6-9 [6] I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: [7] Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. [8] But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. [9] As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
See All...) - Another Jesus
- Another spirit
- Another gospel
- Tradition (Matthew 15:6And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
See All...; Mark 7:13Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
See All...) - Philosophy (Colossians 2:8Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
See All...) - Science (1 Timothy 6:20-21 [20] O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:
[21] Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.
See All...) - Scholarship (2 Timothy 3:7Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
See All...) - Those Who Corrupt the Word Claim to be Correcting It (2 Corinthians 4:2But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
See All...; Jeremiah 48:10Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.
See All...; 2 Peter 3:16As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
See All...; Romans 1:22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
See All...,25) - Corruptions of the Word Take Three Forms
- Subtracting from the word
- Deuteronomy 4:2Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
See All...; Deuteronomy 12:32What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
See All...; Revelation 22:19And 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.
See All... - Found in Alexandria
- The result of scholarship
- Adding to the word
- Deuteronomy 4:2Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
See All...; Proverbs 30:6Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
See All...; Revelation 22:18-19 [18] 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: [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, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
See All... - The above verses are called the Three God-Inspired Sentinels by J. J. Ray in reference to their placement in the first, middle and last of the Bible.
- Found in Rome
- The result of tradition
- Changing the words of God
- Deuteronomy 4:2Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
See All...; Romans 1:25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
See All... - This includes both subtracting and adding
- This is the end result of combining Alexandrian scholarship with Roman tradition.
- The Projected Plan of the Corrupters
- First, they attempt to dilute the authority of the true word by producing many translations and thereby making the pure word only one of many.
- Second, they will try to destroy the authority of the preserved word by direct attacks upon it.
- Third, when they feel that they have won, they will push to have their own perverted standard become the one bible in common use so that they can entirely the true Bible.
- In summary, they will (1) Dilute the authority of the word by making many authorities; (2) Attack the authority of the pure Bible and anyone who defends it; and, (3) Replace the true word with their own bible.
- GENERAL OUTLINE OF THIS COURSE
- Early Preservation of the True Text
- Early Corruptions to the True Text
- Early English Versions of the Bible
- Translation of the King James Bible
- Modern Corruptions of the Bible
- The Study of Textual Transmission