Page 77 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

BIBLE VERSIONS

“conflated” three competing texts. In fact, it is “Egypt shares no such glory. It has always been looked
unreasonable to believe that it would have allowed the upon as a symbol of the world-system which is
cherished apostolic text to become corrupted in a mere opposed to the things of God. God would not allow His
three centuries. Son (Mt. 2), His nation (Ex. 12), His patriarchs (Ge.
“Why should the great apostolic and mission-minded 50), or even the bones of the patriarchs (Ex. 13:19) to
remain there. The Jews were warned repeatedly not to
church at Antioch send to Alexandria or any other return to Egypt, not to rely upon it for help, not to
center for Scripture copies by which to correct her even purchase horses there, etc. Thus, in contrast to
own? The Church at Antioch, conscious of her heritage what is being claimed today, it is hard to believe that
and the excellence of her own first copies of the Egypt and Alexandria would have been the central
Scriptures, would have little reason to consider the place where God would preserve His Holy Word.
resources of others superior. .... Antioch may well have Frankly, it was the last place on earth that one could
been the prime source of the earliest copies of most of trust in doctrinal and biblical matters. It certainly
the New Testament Scriptures for newly established wasn’t safe to get a Bible there! Even Bruce Metzger, a
churches. ... It might appear more logical to reason supporter of the Alexandrian Text, is compelled to
that if Antioch would send anywhere for copies of New catalogue the vast amount of religious corruption
Testament Scriptures in order to purify its own text, it which came from Alexandria: ‘Among Christians which
would most likely send to Ephesus, Galatia, Colosse, during the second century either originated in Egypt or
Thessalonica, Philippi, Corinth, and Rome in order to circulated there among both the orthodox and the
acquire more perfect copies of the epistles originally Gnostics are numerous apocryphal gospels, acts,
sent to these locales. Another reason for questioning epistles, and apocalypses. Some of the more
Antioch’s dependence upon manuscripts whose noteworthy are the Gospel according to the Egyptians,
provenance was Alexandria is the difference of attitude the Gospel of Truth, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel
toward Scripture and its interpretation which existed of Philip, the Kerygma of Peter, the Acts of John, the
between the theological schools of the two cities. Epistle of Barnabas, the Epistle of the Apostles, and the
Beginning as early as Theophilus (died before 188) Apocalypse of Peter. There are also fragments of
who, as an advocate of the literal interpretation of exegetical and dogmatic works composed by
Scripture, is considered a forerunner of the ‘School of Alexandrian Christians, chiefly Gnostics during the
Antioch,’ Antioch developed a school of literal second century. We know, for example, of such teachers
interpretation which was almost diametrically opposed as Basilides and his son Isidore, and of Valentinus,
to the ‘School of Alexandria’ with its principles of Ptolemaeus, Heracleon, and Pantaenus. All but the last-
allegorical interpretation. This makes it difficult to mentioned were unorthodox in one respect or
believe that Antioch would look to Alexandria for help another.* In fact, to judge by the comments made by
in either the earliest period or later when the Clement of Alexandria, almost every deviant Christian
differences between the schools became even more sect was represented in Egypt during the second
marked” (Harry Sturz, The Byzantine Text-type, pp. century; Clement mentions the Valentinians, the
104, 105, 106). Basilidians, the Marcionites, the Peratae, the
Missionary Jack Moorman describes the battle Encratites, the Docetists, the Haimetites, the Cainites,
between the traditional text and the modern critical text the Ophites, the Simonians, and the Eutychites. What
as “A Tale of Two Cities.” proportion of Christians in Egypt during the second
“There is one point upon which both sides of the century were orthodox is not known’ (Metzger, The
current Bible text-version debate agree: the early Early Versions of the New Testament, Clarendon Press,
transmissional history of the New Testament is a ‘tale 1977, p. 101). [* Metzger errs in implying that
of two cities’, Antioch and Alexandria. And just as Pantaenus was orthodox. In fact, he mixed pagan
surely as the KJV Text was woven into the spiritual life philosophy with Christianity.]
of Antioch in Syria, so was also the Modern Version “Let it be said again: Alexandria was the worst possible
Text in Alexandria. ... The choice is a clear one, as place to go for a Bible! Yet it is precisely the place that
there is very little common ground between them. our present-day translators have gone in gathering the
“Certainly Antioch has by far the more glorious Biblical major sources of the modern Bible” (Jack Moorman,
heritage. It became to the Gentile Christians what Modern Bible Versions: The Dark Secret).
Jerusalem had been to the Jews, and superseded What do these facts about the early centuries have to
Jerusalem as the base for the spread of the Gospel. The do with the modern Bible versions?
‘disciples were called Christians first in Antioch’ (Acts First, the Westcott-Hort principle that “oldest is best”
11:26). It was the starting point for the Apostle Paul’s in regard to Greek New Testament manuscripts is
missionary journeys. Mark, Barnabas, and Silas were proven to be bogus. In light of the conditions that
there; as was Peter and probably Luke. The Book of
Acts leaves us with no doubt that Antioch was the existed in the Post-Apostolic centuries, “oldest” means
centre of early church activity. absolutely nothing in regard to the purity of New
Testament manuscripts. An ancient Greek manuscript
could as easily represent a corrupted text as it could a

Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity 77