Page 69 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

BIBLE CHRONOLOGY - BIBLE VERSIONS

(9) The Bible’s invitations prove it is the Word of God. information about Bible versions should be understood
The Bible invites the hearer to partake of its spiritual by every Christian.
realities and thus prove for oneself its genuineness: “O WHY THE BIBLE VERSION ISSUE MUST BE FACED
taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8); “come 1. The Bible version issue must be faced BECAUSE IT

unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden” (Mt. IS FOUNDATIONAL (Ps. 138:2). The Bible is the sole
11:28); “whosoever will, let him take the water of life authority for faith and practice. Nothing is more
freely” (Re. 22:17); “ho, every one that thirsteth, come important than the issue of to what degree we can have
ye to the waters ... come ye, buy and eat” (Is. 55:1); confidence in the Bible that has come down to us
“look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the through the centuries. Many are saying that this is a side
earth: for I am God, and there is none else” (Is. 45:22). issue, a non-essential, but nothing could be farther from
The Bible promises that “he that believeth on the Son of the truth.
God hath the witness in himself...” (1 Jn. 5:10). God 2. The Bible version issue must be faced BECAUSE

will prove Himself to the sincere seeker. THERE ARE THREE COMPETING GREEK NEW
A TESTIMONY TO THE BIBLE’S PERFECTION. “This TESTAMENTS TODAY. There is the Greek Received Text
volume is the writing of the living God: Each letter was underlying the King James Bible and other Reformation
penned with an Almighty finger; each word in it translations. The Received Text is published today by
dropped from the everlasting lips; each sentence was the Trinitarian Bible Society, the Dean Burgon Society,
dictated by the Holy Spirit. Albeit, that Moses was and others. Then there is the Critical Greek text based
employed to write his histories with his fiery pen, God on the Westcott and Hort Greek New Testament of
guided that pen. It may be that David touched his harp 1881. This is published by the United Bible Societies
and let sweet Psalms of melody drop from his fingers, and others. Consider some facts about this New
but God moved his hands over the living strings of his Testament as compared with the Received Text: It is
golden harp. It may be that Solomon sang canticles of shorter than the Reformation Greek text by 2,886
love, or gave forth words of consummate wisdom, but words, which is the equivalent of the omission of the
God directed his lips and made the preacher eloquent. If entire books of 1 and 2 Peter. It omits or questions 45
I follow the thundering Nahum, when his horses plough entire verses -- Mt. 12:47; 17:21; 18:11; 21:44; 23:14;
the waters, or Habakkuk, when he sees the tents of Mk. 7:16; 9:44; 9:46; 11:26; 15:28; 16:9-20; Luke
Cushan in affliction; if I read Malachi, when the earth is 17:36; 22:43-44; 23:17; Jn. 5:4; John 7:53--8:11; Acts
burning like an oven; if I turn to the smooth page of 8:37; 15:34; 24:7; 28:29; Ro. 16:24; and 1 Jn. 5:7. In
John, who tells of love, or the rugged, fiery chapters of addition it omits significant portions of 147 other
Peter, who speaks of fire devouring God’s enemies; if I verses. It weakens the doctrine of Christ’s deity (e.g., it
turn to Jude, who launches forth anathemas upon the omits “who is in heaven” from Jn. 3:13; it omits “God”
foes of God—everywhere I find God speaking. It is God’s from 1 Ti. 3:16) and other key doctrines. In these
voice, not man’s; the words are God’s words, the words studies we will show where and when the “shortened
of the Eternal, the Invisible, the Almighty, the Jehovah New Testament” of the Critical Greek Text originated.
of this earth” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon). [Bible 3. The Bible version issue must be faced BECAUSE OF
Chronology see Chronology - Bible.] See Bible Versions, THE ONSLAUGHT OF MODERN VERSIONS IN THE LAST
Chapter, Inspiration, Isaiah, Masoretic Text, 50 YEARS. These include the Revised Standard Version
Preservation, Prophecy, Red Sea, Revelation, Star, Tyre, (1952), New American Standard Bible (1960), New
Verses, Zidon.] English Bible (1960), The Living Bible (1962), the
BIBLE CHRONOLOGY. [See Chronology - Bible.] Amplified Bible (1965), the Jerusalem Bible (1966), the
BIBLE INSPIRATION. [See Inspiration.] New American Bible (1970), the New Internatioal
BIBLE TRANSLATION. [See Bible Versions, Dynamic Version (1973), Today’s English Version (1976), the
Equivalency.] New King James Bible (1979), the Revised English Bible
BIBLE VERSIONS. Nothing is more important in the (1989), the New Revised Standard Bible (1990), The
Christian life and church than the Bible. And since we Message (1993), Contemporary English Version (1995),
do not have the original writings of the Prophets and New International Reader’s Version (1995), The Bible
Apostles, and since very few of us are fluent in Hebrew for Today’s Family (1996), the New Living Translation
and Greek, we are dependent upon translations. Of (1996), Today’s New International Version (2002), and
these, one biographer of the King James translators said, the Holman Christian Standard Bible (2004).
“For while a good translation is the best commentary on It is important to understand that the Bible version
the original Scriptures, the originals themselves are the issue did not really “heat up” for fundamentalists until
best commentary on the translation” (Alexander the 1970s. There were modern texts and versions prior
McClure, Translators Revived, p. 65). The following to this, going back to the 1800s, but they were never

Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity 69