The Minority Text
Alexandrian Manuscript family composed of
Codex Sinaiticus (Aleph) and the Codex Vaticanus (B)
Codex Sinaiticus (Aleph) and the Codex Vaticanus (B)
| A SOLEMN WARNING by Edward F. Hills "In regard to Bible versions many contemporary Christians are behaving like spoiled and rebellious children. They want a Bible version that pleases them no matter whether it pleases God or not. 'We want a Bible version in our own idiom,' they clamor. 'We want a Bible that talks to us in the same way in which we talk to our friends over the telephone. We want an informal God, no better educated than ourselves, with a limited vocabulary and a taste for modern slang.' And having thus registered their preference, they go their several ways. Some of them unite with the modernists in using the R.S.V. or N.E.B. Others deem the N.A.S.V. or the N.I.V. more evangelical. Still others opt for the T.E.V. or the Living Bible. |
The two Alexandrian Manuscripts of Westcott and Hort:
Below date to 330-350 A.D.
The entire well preserved Codex Sinaiticus consists of 346 1/2 folios, written in four columns. Of these 199 belong to the Old Testament and 147 1/2 to the New Testament.
Codex Vaticanus below is probably just slightly older than Codex Sinaiticus
The extant New Testament of Codex Vaticanus contains the Gospels, Acts, the General Epistles, the Pauline Epistles and Hebrews (up to Hebrews 9:14).
All of the other newer Bible versions, such as the NIV, NASB, etc. are based upon another manuscript family known as the Alexandrian Manuscript family which was put together by Origen of Alexandria, Egypt in about the 2nd century. Most scholars agree Origen was a heretic because of his denial of essential doctrines. In all, there are over 5,000 major changes between the Majority Text (KJV ) and the Minority Text (all other newer false bibles).
It is common knowledge that the Greek New Testament text produced by Westcott and Hort was based on the Alexandrian manuscripts Sinaticus and Vaticanus. This text was then used to produce the Revised Version 1881 and the American Standard Version 1901.
The Unreliablitity of the Alexandrian Manuscripts
Sinaiticus and Vaticanus are among the worst manuscripts known
Bible scholarship of the past 150 years has placed much attention on a very small number of manuscripts. While there are over 5000 known New Testament manuscripts, attention has been placed on less than ten. Of these, Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus have been exalted as the “oldest and best” manuscripts. The oldest claim has been disproved elsewhere. This document will focus on the nature of these two favored manuscripts. Sinaiticus has been recently made available to all on the internet by the Codex Sinaiticus Project, with the mainstream media and general Christians fawning over this “world's oldest Bible.” This manuscript, in conjunction with Codex Vaticanus, form the basis for most modern Bible translations. However, these two manuscripts differ substantially from the text of the bulk of the manuscripts. Thus, the public needs to know the truth about these manuscripts.
Contrary to what has been taught in most seminaries, these two manuscripts are worthless, and hopelessly corrupt. Dean John Burgon, a highly respected Bible scholar of the mid to late 1800's, wrote of these manuscripts, “The impurity of the Texts exhibited by Codices B and Aleph [Vaticanus and Sinaiticus] is not a matter of opinion but a matter of fact.”1 These documents are both of dubious origin. It has been speculated by some scholars that one or both were produced by Eusebius of Caesarea on orders of Emperor Constantine2. If this is true, then these manuscripts are linked to Eusibus's teacher Origen of Alexandria, both known for interpreting Scripture allegorically as opposed to literally. Scholars have designated these manuscripts as Alexandrian, linking them with Alexandria, Egypt, the region responsible for early heresies such as Gnosticism and Arianism. Both are dated in the mid to late fourth century.
Vaticanus is the sole property of the Vatican; it has been a part of the Vatican library since at least 1475. It's history previous is unknown. It was written by three scribes, and has been corrected by at least two more3. Vaticanus adds to the Old Testament the apocryphal books of Baruch, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Judith, Tobit, and the Epistle of Jeremiah. Dean Burgon describes the poor workmanship of Vaticanus:
Codex B [Vaticanus] comes to us without a history: without recommendation of any kind, except that of its antiquity. It bears traces of careless transcription in every page. The mistakes which the original transcriber made are of perpetual recurrence.4
The New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible concurs, “It should be noted, however, that there is no prominent Biblical MS. in which there occur such gross cases of misspelling, faulty grammar, and omission, as in B [Vaticanus].”5 Vaticanus omits Mark 16:9-20, yet there is a significant blank space here for these verses.6 Sinaiticus also lacks these verses, but has a blank space for them.7 These two manuscripts are the only Greek manuscripts that omit these verses!
The Sinaiticus was discovered by Constantine Tischendorf in the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. Catherine, on the Sinai peninsula. Monasteries are known for exceptional libraries, and scholars would often visit to conduct research. St. Catherine's is no exception. From the monastery's website:
When Egeria visited the Sinai around the year 380, she wrote approvingly of the way the monks read to her the scriptural accounts concerning the various events that had taken place there. Thus we can speak of manuscripts at Sinai in the fourth century. It is written of Saint John Climacus that, while living as a hermit, he spent much time in prayer and in the copying of books. This is evidence of manuscript production at Sinai in the sixth century. The library at the Holy Monastery of Sinai is thus the inheritor of texts and of traditions that date to the earliest years of a monastic presence in the Sinai. In earlier times, manuscripts were kept in three different places: in the north wall of the monastery, in the vicinity of the church, and in a central location where the texts were accessible.8
This monastery has a library full of old manuscripts. One would then assume that Tischendorf found the prized Sinaiticus one a library shelf, hidden among other manuscripts. Well, this is not exactly the case. He found it in a trash can, waiting to be burnt! Sound incredible? Tischendorf gives his personal testimony:
It was at the foot of Mount Sinai, in the Convent of St. Catherine, that I discovered the pearl of all my researches. In visiting the library of the monastery, in the month of May, 1844, I perceived in the middle of the great hall a large and wide basket full of old parchments; and the librarian, who was a man of information, told me that two heaps of papers like these, mouldered by time, had been already committed to the flames. What was my surprise to find amid this heap of papers a considerable number of sheets of a copy of the Old Testament in Greek, which seemed to me to be one of the most ancient that I had ever seen.9
Why would the monks of St. Catherine's thrown out such a valuable manuscript? Perhaps because of it's low quality transcription and it's “heavily corrected text.”10 Concerning it's sloppy penmanship, Burgon writes, “On many occasions, 10, 20, 30, 40 words are dropped through very carelessness.11” His colleague, Frederick H. Scrivener, goes into detail:
Letters and words, even whole sentences, are frequently written twice over, or begun and immediately canceled: while that gross blunder technically known as Homoeoteleuton...whereby a clause is omitted because it happens to end in the same words as the clause preceding, occurs no less than 115 times in the New Testament...Tregelles has freely pronounced that “the state of the text, as proceeding from the first scribe, may be regarded as very rough.”12
Sinaiticus has also been corrected by “...at least ten revisers between the IVth and XIIth centuries...”13 The Codex Sinaiticus Project readily admits:
No other early manuscript of the Christian Bible has been so extensively corrected. A glance at the transcription will show just how common these corrections are. They are especially frequent in the Septuagint portion. They range in date from those made by the original scribes in the fourth century to ones made in the twelfth century. They range from the alteration of a single letter to the insertion of whole sentences.
Sinaiticus and Vaticanus are among the worst manuscripts known
Bible scholarship of the past 150 years has placed much attention on a very small number of manuscripts. While there are over 5000 known New Testament manuscripts, attention has been placed on less than ten. Of these, Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus have been exalted as the “oldest and best” manuscripts. The oldest claim has been disproved elsewhere. This document will focus on the nature of these two favored manuscripts. Sinaiticus has been recently made available to all on the internet by the Codex Sinaiticus Project, with the mainstream media and general Christians fawning over this “world's oldest Bible.” This manuscript, in conjunction with Codex Vaticanus, form the basis for most modern Bible translations. However, these two manuscripts differ substantially from the text of the bulk of the manuscripts. Thus, the public needs to know the truth about these manuscripts.
Contrary to what has been taught in most seminaries, these two manuscripts are worthless, and hopelessly corrupt. Dean John Burgon, a highly respected Bible scholar of the mid to late 1800's, wrote of these manuscripts, “The impurity of the Texts exhibited by Codices B and Aleph [Vaticanus and Sinaiticus] is not a matter of opinion but a matter of fact.”1 These documents are both of dubious origin. It has been speculated by some scholars that one or both were produced by Eusebius of Caesarea on orders of Emperor Constantine2. If this is true, then these manuscripts are linked to Eusibus's teacher Origen of Alexandria, both known for interpreting Scripture allegorically as opposed to literally. Scholars have designated these manuscripts as Alexandrian, linking them with Alexandria, Egypt, the region responsible for early heresies such as Gnosticism and Arianism. Both are dated in the mid to late fourth century.
Vaticanus is the sole property of the Vatican; it has been a part of the Vatican library since at least 1475. It's history previous is unknown. It was written by three scribes, and has been corrected by at least two more3. Vaticanus adds to the Old Testament the apocryphal books of Baruch, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Judith, Tobit, and the Epistle of Jeremiah. Dean Burgon describes the poor workmanship of Vaticanus:
Codex B [Vaticanus] comes to us without a history: without recommendation of any kind, except that of its antiquity. It bears traces of careless transcription in every page. The mistakes which the original transcriber made are of perpetual recurrence.4
The New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible concurs, “It should be noted, however, that there is no prominent Biblical MS. in which there occur such gross cases of misspelling, faulty grammar, and omission, as in B [Vaticanus].”5 Vaticanus omits Mark 16:9-20, yet there is a significant blank space here for these verses.6 Sinaiticus also lacks these verses, but has a blank space for them.7 These two manuscripts are the only Greek manuscripts that omit these verses!
The Sinaiticus was discovered by Constantine Tischendorf in the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. Catherine, on the Sinai peninsula. Monasteries are known for exceptional libraries, and scholars would often visit to conduct research. St. Catherine's is no exception. From the monastery's website:
When Egeria visited the Sinai around the year 380, she wrote approvingly of the way the monks read to her the scriptural accounts concerning the various events that had taken place there. Thus we can speak of manuscripts at Sinai in the fourth century. It is written of Saint John Climacus that, while living as a hermit, he spent much time in prayer and in the copying of books. This is evidence of manuscript production at Sinai in the sixth century. The library at the Holy Monastery of Sinai is thus the inheritor of texts and of traditions that date to the earliest years of a monastic presence in the Sinai. In earlier times, manuscripts were kept in three different places: in the north wall of the monastery, in the vicinity of the church, and in a central location where the texts were accessible.8
This monastery has a library full of old manuscripts. One would then assume that Tischendorf found the prized Sinaiticus one a library shelf, hidden among other manuscripts. Well, this is not exactly the case. He found it in a trash can, waiting to be burnt! Sound incredible? Tischendorf gives his personal testimony:
It was at the foot of Mount Sinai, in the Convent of St. Catherine, that I discovered the pearl of all my researches. In visiting the library of the monastery, in the month of May, 1844, I perceived in the middle of the great hall a large and wide basket full of old parchments; and the librarian, who was a man of information, told me that two heaps of papers like these, mouldered by time, had been already committed to the flames. What was my surprise to find amid this heap of papers a considerable number of sheets of a copy of the Old Testament in Greek, which seemed to me to be one of the most ancient that I had ever seen.9
Why would the monks of St. Catherine's thrown out such a valuable manuscript? Perhaps because of it's low quality transcription and it's “heavily corrected text.”10 Concerning it's sloppy penmanship, Burgon writes, “On many occasions, 10, 20, 30, 40 words are dropped through very carelessness.11” His colleague, Frederick H. Scrivener, goes into detail:
Letters and words, even whole sentences, are frequently written twice over, or begun and immediately canceled: while that gross blunder technically known as Homoeoteleuton...whereby a clause is omitted because it happens to end in the same words as the clause preceding, occurs no less than 115 times in the New Testament...Tregelles has freely pronounced that “the state of the text, as proceeding from the first scribe, may be regarded as very rough.”12
Sinaiticus has also been corrected by “...at least ten revisers between the IVth and XIIth centuries...”13 The Codex Sinaiticus Project readily admits:
No other early manuscript of the Christian Bible has been so extensively corrected. A glance at the transcription will show just how common these corrections are. They are especially frequent in the Septuagint portion. They range in date from those made by the original scribes in the fourth century to ones made in the twelfth century. They range from the alteration of a single letter to the insertion of whole sentences.
The figure below gives an example of Sinaiticus' many corrections.
All of the other newer Bible versions, such as the NIV, NASB, etc. are based upon another manuscript family known as the Alexandrian Manuscript family which was put together by Origen of Alexandria, Egypt in about the 2nd century. Most scholars agree Origen was a heretic because of his denial of essential doctrines. In all, there are over 5,000 major changes between the Majority Text (KJV & Douay Reims) and the Minority Text (all other newer bibles).
The two best renditions of the Bible that have had the least amount of change are the King James and the older versions of the Douay Reims, Catholic Bible. The original King James Bible is the Authorized Version of 1611 (AV). This Bible does a good job in translating the ancient Hebrew texts. The King James, Authorized Version is relatively free from bias and is widely accepted by English speaking Protestants.
This manuscript family behind the KJV is called the Traditional or Majority text because over 99% of the manuscripts that have ever been found support and back this text. Scholars have discovered 5,255 pieces of manuscript evidence. Its been said that Of these, 5,210 of them support the Traditional text behind that of the KJV! That’s why it is called the MAJORITY text! That is 99%! Most important vis-à-vis credibility is that these manuscripts come from all over the known world of the day, not from any central location. And 99% agree with each other.
The Textus Receptus (received text) (aka: "Byzantine Text") from which the King James Bible came can be traced clear back to Antioch, Syria, where the disciples were first called Christians and where Paul and Barnabas taught the word of God for a whole year (Acts 11:26). The most notable version support for the Byzantine text is in the Peshitta Syriac and the fourth century Gothic version. A second-century date for the Peshitta used to be advocated, but study of the Biblical quotations in the writings of Syrian Fathers Aphraates and Ephraem has demonstrated that neither of these leaders used the Peshitta, and so it must date from after their time, i.e., to the late fourth century or after. Erasmus gathered many of these documents on his travels himself. The text for these new bibles Hort and Wescott took from finds in Alexandria, Egypt, and from Rome . Hort clearly had a bias against the Textus Receptus, calling it "villainous" and "vile". Hort aggressively taught that the School at Antioch (associated with Lucian) had loosely translated the true text of Scripture in the second century A. D. This supposedly created an unreliable text of Scripture which became the Textus Receptus. This was called the Lucian Recension Theory.
The Latin Vulgate Bible, translated by St. Jerome from the Septuagint Cannon (LXX) of the Old Testament, is considered the "official" Bible of the Catholic Church.
Probably the most important figure in the renaissance of learning and religion was Erasmus. He traveled around Europe's great learning centers, such as Oxford, Cambridge, Paris, Rome and others. He left his mark in history as the editor of the first published Greek New Testament printed in 1516"
Barry Burton says: "The vast majority of Greek manuscripts agree together. They have been passed down thru the centuries by true Bible-believing Christians. In 1516 Erasmus compiled, edited, and printed the Greek 'Textus Receptus'. This is the text that the Protestants of the Reformation KNEW to be the Word of God (inerrant and infallible). The text Erasmus chose had an outstanding history in the Greek, the Syrian, and the Waldensian Churches (also termed "Syrian", "Antioch", or Koine text), and ... it constituted an irresistible argument for and proof of God's providence. The Old Testament has been faithfully preserved by the Jews in what is known as the Masoretic Text. There are few translation problems with the Old Testament.
Now, the truth about Erasmus. The truth about Erasmus is that he was first a Roman Catholic monk who was later ordained and became a Roman Catholic priest, who opposed Luther and the Reformation, was offered by the Pope himself the high Roman Catholic church position of cardinal, refused to leave the Church of Rome and always freely submitted his judgments to the decisions of the Roman Church.
LOOK AT THE BELOW EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENCES:
Let's look in a 'modern' version of the Bible, at Luke 2:33.
Starting in Luke 2:27 Simeon has gone into the temple to see the baby Jesus (who is with Joseph and Mary). Again, depending on the particular 'modern' version, in verse 33, it will say something similar to:
" ... and his FATHER and mother were amazed at the things which were spoken of him" [i.e. of Jesus].
his father" was amazed at the things which were spoken of him?!
The father of Jesus was NOT Joseph! Jesus' father was God!
Now, let's look in the Authorized King James Bible. The KJV has the correct reading; in Luke 2:33 it says:
"And JOSEPH and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him".
For a 'modern' version ( NIV, NASV, RSV etc.) to say Joseph was Jesus' father is blasphemy!
The Authorized King James says:
"For the Son of man is come TO SAVE THAT WHICH WAS LOST."
This one verse, which summarizes Jesus' entire mission to earth, is either ignored in 'new' versions; or it is put in brackets casting doubt on it! This verse contains a KEY piece of Christian doctrine.
Turn to 1st Peter 4:1.
In a 'modern' version it says: "... Christ suffered ..."
In your Authorized King James Bible the full reading is quoted as:
"... Christ suffered FOR US."
Notice the last two words give the FULL meaning. Leaving out "for us" misses the point entirely!
A 'modern' version will NOT tell you how! (in Colossians 1:14). It says (of Jesus):
"in whom we have redemption ..."
The full Christian doctrine is only included in the King James reading of the same verse. Properly stated, it says (of Jesus):
"In whom we have redemption THROUGH HIS BLOOD ..."
With no shedding of blood -- there is NO remission of sins. Leaving out "the blood" misses a key point of doctrine (and leaves us in our sins).
The Lord's prayer, taught to us by Jesus, and recorded in Luke 11:2-4 of the KJV, is as follows:
"... Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed (Holy) be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."
Look at Luke 11:2-4 in a 'modern' version and re-read the Lord's prayer. The wording will be similar to:
"... Father, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation".
This modern version states "Father" but then leaves out "... WHICH ART IN HEAVEN ...".
You don't know who you are praying to, your Father in heaven, or to Satan!
This modern version also leaves out "THY WILL BE DONE, AS IN HEAVEN, SO IN EARTH".
By leaving out the fact that we are praying to our Father WHOSE WILL IS DONE IN HEAVEN, this 'modern' version is re-directing your prayer away from God and toward someone or something else (in another place).
Look at it again. There is a major omission in the last half of verse 4.
Verse 4 states: "And lead us not into temptation". But this verse then leaves out: "... BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL ..."
The New Revised Standard Version, New World Translation and Revised English Bible take Isaiah 7:14 and discount the prophecy of Mary being a virgin by calling her a young woman.
Romans 13:9: For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
The phrase "thou shalt not bear false witness" is missing from the modern critical text.
Other examples in some, but not all versions:
Matthew
1:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
"firstborn" is missing"
5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
"bless them that curse you" is missing
6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever." is missing
6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
"of God" is missing
8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
"Jesus" is missing
9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
"to repentance." is missing
16:3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
"O ye hypocrites" is missing
17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
missing enrirely
18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
missing entirely
NOW FOR SOME REALLY BIG STUFF
The NASB teaches in John 5:29 that we are saved by doing ‘good deeds’ Rather than doing the one good thing of trusting Christ as Saviour!
The NKJV teaches that it is ‘difficult’ to be saved in Matt. 7:14!
The NIV teaches that Jesus SINNED when you read Mark 3:5 and Matthew 5:22!
The NIV does away with Lucifer! There is no Lucifer in the NIV!
Worse than that, the NIV declares that ‘the morning star’ is the that fell and was cut down and did weaken the nations, not Lucifer!
When we read Revelation 22:16 we see that the Morning star is Jesus!
Why we were spared by the gift of the Authorized King James Version:
Psalm 12:6-7 says, "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever."
The new versions have systematically removed Luke's witness to the ascension of Christ--and of course they have done away entirely with Mark's witness to the ascension, simply because these last twelve verses do not appear in those two corrupt manuscripts, the Vaticanus and Sinaiticus.
Remember, these new bibles began to appear in the late 1800's.
On the 18th of September 1846 Our Lady of La Salette said to the 14 year old girl Mélanie Calvat, and the 11 year old boy Maximim:
"In the year 1864, Lucifer together with a large number of demons will be unloosed from hell; they will put an end to faith little by little, even in those dedicated to GOD. They will blind them in such a way, that, unless they are blessed with a special grace, these people will take on the spirit of these angels of hell; several religious institutions will lose all faith and will lose many souls.
Evil books will be abundant on earth and the spirits of darkness will spread everywhere a universal slackening in all that concerns the service of GOD. They will have great power over Nature: there will be churches built to serve these spirits. People will be transported from one place to another by these evil spirits, even priests, for they will not have been guided by the good spirit of the Gospel which is the spirit of humility, charity, and zeal for the glory of GOD. On occasions, the dead and the righteous will be brought back to life. "
The Bible the Pilgrims read
When they arrived in America in 1620, the most precious cargo the Pilgrims carried with them was the Bible.
Have you ever wondered which version of the Bible they brought to America on the Mayflower? It was not the King James Version of 1611. It was an earlier version not sanctioned by the government – the 1599 Geneva Bible, a forgotten yet priceless treasure.
The Geneva Bible, printed over 200 times between 1560 and 1644, was the most widely read and influential English Bible of the 16th and 17th centuries. The translation was the product of the best Protestant scholars of the day and became the Bible of choice for many of the greatest writers, thinkers, and historical figures of that time. Men such as Shakespeare, John Bunyan, and John Milton used the Geneva Bible, and it was reflected in their writings. During the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell issued a pamphlet containing excerpts from the Geneva Bible to his troops. William Bradford cited the Geneva Bible in his book "Of Plymouth Plantation."
The Geneva Bible is unique among all other Bibles. It was the first Bible to use chapters and numbered verses and became the most popular version of its time because of the extensive marginal notes. These notes, written by Reformation leaders such as John Calvin, John Knox, Miles Coverdale, William Whittingham, Anthony Gilby, and others, were included to explain and interpret the scriptures for the common people.
For nearly half a century these notes helped the people of England, Scotland, and Ireland understand the Bible and true liberty. King James despised the Geneva Bible because he considered the notes on key political texts to be seditious and a threat to his authority. Unlike the King James Version, the Geneva Bible was not authorized by the government. It was truly a Bible by the people and for the people. You can see why this remarkable version with its profound marginal notes played a key role in the formation of the
American Republic.
Now 407 years after its original publication, this wonderful version of the Bible has been resurrected.
When they arrived in America in 1620, the most precious cargo the Pilgrims carried with them was the Bible.
Have you ever wondered which version of the Bible they brought to America on the Mayflower? It was not the King James Version of 1611. It was an earlier version not sanctioned by the government – the 1599 Geneva Bible, a forgotten yet priceless treasure.
The Geneva Bible, printed over 200 times between 1560 and 1644, was the most widely read and influential English Bible of the 16th and 17th centuries. The translation was the product of the best Protestant scholars of the day and became the Bible of choice for many of the greatest writers, thinkers, and historical figures of that time. Men such as Shakespeare, John Bunyan, and John Milton used the Geneva Bible, and it was reflected in their writings. During the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell issued a pamphlet containing excerpts from the Geneva Bible to his troops. William Bradford cited the Geneva Bible in his book "Of Plymouth Plantation."
The Geneva Bible is unique among all other Bibles. It was the first Bible to use chapters and numbered verses and became the most popular version of its time because of the extensive marginal notes. These notes, written by Reformation leaders such as John Calvin, John Knox, Miles Coverdale, William Whittingham, Anthony Gilby, and others, were included to explain and interpret the scriptures for the common people.
For nearly half a century these notes helped the people of England, Scotland, and Ireland understand the Bible and true liberty. King James despised the Geneva Bible because he considered the notes on key political texts to be seditious and a threat to his authority. Unlike the King James Version, the Geneva Bible was not authorized by the government. It was truly a Bible by the people and for the people. You can see why this remarkable version with its profound marginal notes played a key role in the formation of the
American Republic.
Now 407 years after its original publication, this wonderful version of the Bible has been resurrected.
Read more on this subject HERE
Lineage of the Modern Corrupt Versions
Compiled by Dr. Ken Matto
Just as the King James Bible has a rich lineage of uncorrupted transmission through the ages, the modern versions also have a lineage. Their lineage is one of corruption, deletion, omission, addition, rejection and confusion. Modern versions are the fruit of arrogant scholarship which includes homosexuals who worked on the NIV. God never calls unbelievers to preach and neither would He call a sodomite to translate His Word.
If your pastor rejects the pure lineage of the King James Bible and accepts the corrupt translations, then he is a proponent of modern scholarship which exalts the god of education above the God of the Bible. They are seriously deceived and are a danger to spiritual growth.
THE OLD TESTAMENT
Rudolph Kittel’s Biblical Hebraica**
Dead Sea Scrolls consulted
From the Translator’s Preface in the NIV:
“Sometimes a variant Hebrew reading in the margin of the Masoretic Text was followed instead of the text itself.”
“The translators also consulted the more important early versions-the Septuagint; Aquila, Symmachus and Theodotion; the Vulgate; The Syriac Peshitta; the Targums; and for the Psalms the Juxta Hebraica of Jerome. Readings from these versions were occasionally followed where the Masoretic Text seemed doubtful and where accepted principles of textual criticism showed that one or more of these textual witnesses appeared to provide the correct reading.”
This is known as “eclectic” scholarship. In other words, if I don’t like what I read in
the manuscripts, there is always another writing by an unbelieving, perverted
scholar who will tell me what I want to hear.
**Between 1933 and 1944 Rudolph Kittel had a leadership role in the “Forschungsabteilung Judenfrage” which was a Nazi organization and publication.
What a heritage the NIV has, homosexuals and Nazis! Do you still think your NIV is ordained of God? If you do, then you are just plain stupid!
Compiled by Dr. Ken Matto
Just as the King James Bible has a rich lineage of uncorrupted transmission through the ages, the modern versions also have a lineage. Their lineage is one of corruption, deletion, omission, addition, rejection and confusion. Modern versions are the fruit of arrogant scholarship which includes homosexuals who worked on the NIV. God never calls unbelievers to preach and neither would He call a sodomite to translate His Word.
If your pastor rejects the pure lineage of the King James Bible and accepts the corrupt translations, then he is a proponent of modern scholarship which exalts the god of education above the God of the Bible. They are seriously deceived and are a danger to spiritual growth.
THE OLD TESTAMENT
Rudolph Kittel’s Biblical Hebraica**
Dead Sea Scrolls consulted
From the Translator’s Preface in the NIV:
“Sometimes a variant Hebrew reading in the margin of the Masoretic Text was followed instead of the text itself.”
“The translators also consulted the more important early versions-the Septuagint; Aquila, Symmachus and Theodotion; the Vulgate; The Syriac Peshitta; the Targums; and for the Psalms the Juxta Hebraica of Jerome. Readings from these versions were occasionally followed where the Masoretic Text seemed doubtful and where accepted principles of textual criticism showed that one or more of these textual witnesses appeared to provide the correct reading.”
This is known as “eclectic” scholarship. In other words, if I don’t like what I read in
the manuscripts, there is always another writing by an unbelieving, perverted
scholar who will tell me what I want to hear.
**Between 1933 and 1944 Rudolph Kittel had a leadership role in the “Forschungsabteilung Judenfrage” which was a Nazi organization and publication.
What a heritage the NIV has, homosexuals and Nazis! Do you still think your NIV is ordained of God? If you do, then you are just plain stupid!
THE NEW TESTAMENT
30-95———-Original Autographs
150————-Tatian’s Diatesseron
200————-Clement’s Manuscripts
225————-Origen’s Hexapla
331————-Vaticanus (B) – Constantine’s Bibles by Eusebius
331————-Sinaiticus (Aleph) – Constantine’s Bible by Eusebius
400————-Jerome’s Latin Vulgate
450————-Codex Alexandrinus (circa)
450————-Codex Ephraemi (circa)
450————-Codex Bezae (circa)
1481———–Discovery of Vaticanus (B) Manuscript in Vatican Library
1582———–Douay-Rheims New Testament
1610———–Douay-Rheims Complete Bible (Jesuit Bible)
1657———–Brian Walton’s Polyglot
1707———–John Mill’s Edition
1774———–Griesbach’s Greek New Testament
1842———–Carl Lachmann’s New Testament
1844———–Discovery of Sinaiticus (Aleph) in garbage pail at St. Helens Monastery inSinai
1856———–A Translation of the Gospels – Andrews Norton
1857———–Tregelle’s New Testament
1859———–Tischendorf’s 7th Edition New Testament
1861———–The New Testament: Translated from the Original Greek – Ambrose Sawyer
1862———–The Life and Epistles of St. Paul – W. J. Conybeare & J. S. Howson
1864———–The Emphatic Diaglott – Benjamin Wilson
1869———–Alford’s New Testament
1872———–Tischendorf’s New Testament
1873———–The New Testament – George R. Noyes (Unitarian)
1875———–The New Testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
1881———–The Revised Version of Hort & Westcott
1888———–The New Covenant – J. W. Hansen
1890———–The Holy Scriptures – J. N. Darby
1900———–Epistles of the New Testament – Henry Hayman
1901———–The American Standard Version
1901———–Modern American Bible – Frank Shell
1901———–Moffatt’s Historical New Testament – James Moffatt
1901———–Way’s Epistles – Arthur Way
1901———–Young People’s Bible or the Scriptures Corrected – Harriet Jones
1902———–The Emphasized Bible – Joseph Bryant Rotherham
1902———–Godby’s New Testament – W. B. Godby
1902———–Twentieth Century New Testament
1903———–The Fenton’s Bible – Ferrar Fenton
1903———–Weymouth’s Translation of the New Testament – Richard Weymouth
1904———–Worrell’s New Testament – A. S. Worrell
1905———–LLoyd’s New Testament – Samuel LLoyd
1906———–Forrester Translation – Henry Forrester
1907———–Bourne’s Gospel – A. E. Bourne
1907———–Moulton’s Modern Reader’s Bible – Richard C. Moulton
1908———–Rutherford’s Epistles
1909———–Bible in Modern English
1909———–Weaver’s New Testament – S. Townsend Weaver
1910———–The Cunards
1912———–The Improved Bible Union Version – American Baptist Publishing Society
1914———–The Numeric New Testament – Ivan Panin
1914———–Cunnington’s New Testament – E. E. Cunnington
1916———–The McFayden Psalms in Modern Speech – John McFayden
1917———–Jewish Publication Society Bible
1918———–Anderson New Testament
1919———–The Messages of the Bible – Frank Sanders & Charles Kent
1921———–The Pym
1921———–The Shorter Bible – Charles Foster Kent
1921———–A Plain Translation of the New Testament by a Student – Bird McCarron
1922———–The Plainer Bible – Chaplain Frank Valentine
1923———–The Riverside New Testament – William G. Ballenteen
1923———–The Robertson Translation – A. T. Robertson
1924———–The Labor Determinative Version
1924———–Centenary Translation of the New Testament – Helen Barrett Montgomery
1924———–The Moffatt Bible – James Moffatt
1925———–People’s New Covenant
1925———–Children’s Bible
1927———–Kent’s Student Old Testament
1927———–Smith’s and Goodspeed’s Translation
1928———–The Christian’s Bible – George LaFever
1928———–Good News according to Matthew for use by “Christian Spiritualists” – J. W. Potter
1929———–The Galwyn’s Psalms
1930———–The Loux Mark Edition – Dubois Loux
1931———–The Wales Psalms – Frank Wells
1932———–The Chaplain Ballenteen Edition – Frank Shell
1932———–The Kleists Memoirs of St. Peter
1933———–Torrey’s Four Gospels – Chaplain Cutter Torrey
1934———–Royd’s Epistles and Gospels
1934———–The Old Testament in Colloquial English
1934———–The Wade Translation – G. W. Wade
1935———–The Westminster Version
1937———–The Cornish Translation of St. Paul
1937———–Greber’s New Testament
1937———–Martin’s New Testament
1937———–21 Canonical Epistles
1937———–Spencer’s New Testament – Francis Spencer
1937———–Williams New Testament – Charles B. Williams
1938———–The Book of Books
1938———–Buttonweiser’s Psalms
1938———–Clementson’s New Testament – Charles B. Williams
1939———–The Osterley Psalms
1940———–Dakes’s Gospels
1941———–St. Mark in Current English
1944———–The Gallin Psalms
1946———–Linsky’s Interpretation
1946———–The Revised Standard Version of the NCC
1947———–Eerdman’s Psalms
1947———–Swann’s New Testament – George Swann
1948———–The Letchworth New Testament
1949———–The Basic Bible
1949———–The Lesley Psalms
1951———–The Authentic Version
1951———–Vernon’s Mark
1951———–The Sacred Writings of the Apostles and Evangelists of Jesus Christ commonly styled the New Testament by G. Campbell, J. MacKnight, P. Doddridge
1952———–The Revised Standard Version update
1952———–The New Testament in Plain English – Charles Williams
1952———–The Penguin Bible
1952———–The Four Gospels – E. V. Rieu
1954———–The Cassain’s Psalms
1954———–St. Paul’s Shorter Letters – Hobart G. Hoerber
1954———–The Moore’s New Testament
1954———–The Amplified Gospel of John
1955———–The Knox Translation
1956———–The Inspired Letters in Clearest English – Frank C. Laubach
1957———–The Concordant Version
1957———–The Lamsa Translation
1958———–The Amplified New Testament
1958———–The Hudson Translation
1958———–The Meisner’s Gospels
1958———–Phillips New Testament – J. B. Phillips
1959———–The Cresmond New Testament
1959———–The Modern Language Bible
1960———–Reina-Valera Revision (Spanish)
1960———–The New American Standard Version
1960———–The Children’s King James
1961———–The New English Bible
1961———–The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses)
1961———–Noli’s Greek orthodox New Testament
1961———–One Way Bible
1961———–Simplified New Testament – Plaf M. Norlie
1961———–Wuest Expanded New Testament
1962———–The Children’s Version
1962———–The New Jewish Version
1962———–Four Gospels and the Revelation – Richard Lattimore
1963———–Beck’s New Testament
1963———–Holy Name Bible
1963———–The New Testament: A New Translation in Plain English – Charles Williams
1964———–The Anchor Bible
1964———–The Hadas Psalms
1965———–Bruce’s Expanded Paraphrase
1965———–The Complete Amplified Bible
1966———–Today’s English Version (Good News for Modern Man)
1966———–Jerusalem Bible
1966———–The Bible in Simplified English
1966———–The Burke Translation
1966———–The Living Scriptures
1967———–Dale’s New World Bible
1967———–The Liverpool Vernacular Gospels
1968———–The Cotton Patch Version
1968———–Hansen’s Psalms in Modern Speech
1968———–Restoration of Original Name New Testament
1969———–Barclay’s New Testament
1969———–The Children’s New Testament
1969———–The New Life Testament – Gleason H. Ledyard
1970———–King James II New Testament by Jay Green (1)
1970———–New English Bible
1970———–New American Bible (Roman Catholic)
1971———–Blackwell Exegetical Translation
1971———–The Living Bible
1972———–J. B. Phillips Translation
1972———–The Bible in Living English – Steven Byington (Jehovah’s Witness)
1972———–The Alba House New Testament
1972———–Today’s English New Testament
1973———–New International Version
1973———–The Common Bible
1973———–The Translator’s New Testament
1973———–The Better Version of the New Testament
1976———–New Life Testament
1976———–The Heart of Paul: A Relational Paraphrase of the New Testament – Ben Johnson
1979———–New King James Version
1979———–English Messianic Jewish Version
1980———–The Four Gospels: An Exegetical Translation
1981———–The Simple English New Testament – International Bible Translators
1982———–The Basic Bible
1985———–New Jerusalem Bible
1988———–The Everyday Bible: New Century Version
1989———–The New Revised Standard Version
1993———–The Message – Eugene Peterson
1995 ———- New American Standard Version Update
1996———–New Living Translation
1996———–Bible in Worldwide English
2001———–English Standard Version (National Council of Churches production)
2002———–Today’s New International Version
2003———–Holman Christian Standard Bible
2003———–Revolve New Testament (New Century Version)
2004———–Good As New: A Radical Retelling of The Scriptures – John Henson of the One Community
(1) Jay Green’s translation is listed here because he, like the modern scholars, disputes whether Acts 8:37 & 1 John 5:7 are really in the text. 1 John 5:7-8 has been found in the Old Latin Vulgate (not Jerome’s) and early church lectionaries. Acts 8:37 is found in the Old Latin Vulgate Version, a Middle Egyptian Version and a Syriac Version.
30-95———-Original Autographs
150————-Tatian’s Diatesseron
200————-Clement’s Manuscripts
225————-Origen’s Hexapla
331————-Vaticanus (B) – Constantine’s Bibles by Eusebius
331————-Sinaiticus (Aleph) – Constantine’s Bible by Eusebius
400————-Jerome’s Latin Vulgate
450————-Codex Alexandrinus (circa)
450————-Codex Ephraemi (circa)
450————-Codex Bezae (circa)
1481———–Discovery of Vaticanus (B) Manuscript in Vatican Library
1582———–Douay-Rheims New Testament
1610———–Douay-Rheims Complete Bible (Jesuit Bible)
1657———–Brian Walton’s Polyglot
1707———–John Mill’s Edition
1774———–Griesbach’s Greek New Testament
1842———–Carl Lachmann’s New Testament
1844———–Discovery of Sinaiticus (Aleph) in garbage pail at St. Helens Monastery inSinai
1856———–A Translation of the Gospels – Andrews Norton
1857———–Tregelle’s New Testament
1859———–Tischendorf’s 7th Edition New Testament
1861———–The New Testament: Translated from the Original Greek – Ambrose Sawyer
1862———–The Life and Epistles of St. Paul – W. J. Conybeare & J. S. Howson
1864———–The Emphatic Diaglott – Benjamin Wilson
1869———–Alford’s New Testament
1872———–Tischendorf’s New Testament
1873———–The New Testament – George R. Noyes (Unitarian)
1875———–The New Testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
1881———–The Revised Version of Hort & Westcott
1888———–The New Covenant – J. W. Hansen
1890———–The Holy Scriptures – J. N. Darby
1900———–Epistles of the New Testament – Henry Hayman
1901———–The American Standard Version
1901———–Modern American Bible – Frank Shell
1901———–Moffatt’s Historical New Testament – James Moffatt
1901———–Way’s Epistles – Arthur Way
1901———–Young People’s Bible or the Scriptures Corrected – Harriet Jones
1902———–The Emphasized Bible – Joseph Bryant Rotherham
1902———–Godby’s New Testament – W. B. Godby
1902———–Twentieth Century New Testament
1903———–The Fenton’s Bible – Ferrar Fenton
1903———–Weymouth’s Translation of the New Testament – Richard Weymouth
1904———–Worrell’s New Testament – A. S. Worrell
1905———–LLoyd’s New Testament – Samuel LLoyd
1906———–Forrester Translation – Henry Forrester
1907———–Bourne’s Gospel – A. E. Bourne
1907———–Moulton’s Modern Reader’s Bible – Richard C. Moulton
1908———–Rutherford’s Epistles
1909———–Bible in Modern English
1909———–Weaver’s New Testament – S. Townsend Weaver
1910———–The Cunards
1912———–The Improved Bible Union Version – American Baptist Publishing Society
1914———–The Numeric New Testament – Ivan Panin
1914———–Cunnington’s New Testament – E. E. Cunnington
1916———–The McFayden Psalms in Modern Speech – John McFayden
1917———–Jewish Publication Society Bible
1918———–Anderson New Testament
1919———–The Messages of the Bible – Frank Sanders & Charles Kent
1921———–The Pym
1921———–The Shorter Bible – Charles Foster Kent
1921———–A Plain Translation of the New Testament by a Student – Bird McCarron
1922———–The Plainer Bible – Chaplain Frank Valentine
1923———–The Riverside New Testament – William G. Ballenteen
1923———–The Robertson Translation – A. T. Robertson
1924———–The Labor Determinative Version
1924———–Centenary Translation of the New Testament – Helen Barrett Montgomery
1924———–The Moffatt Bible – James Moffatt
1925———–People’s New Covenant
1925———–Children’s Bible
1927———–Kent’s Student Old Testament
1927———–Smith’s and Goodspeed’s Translation
1928———–The Christian’s Bible – George LaFever
1928———–Good News according to Matthew for use by “Christian Spiritualists” – J. W. Potter
1929———–The Galwyn’s Psalms
1930———–The Loux Mark Edition – Dubois Loux
1931———–The Wales Psalms – Frank Wells
1932———–The Chaplain Ballenteen Edition – Frank Shell
1932———–The Kleists Memoirs of St. Peter
1933———–Torrey’s Four Gospels – Chaplain Cutter Torrey
1934———–Royd’s Epistles and Gospels
1934———–The Old Testament in Colloquial English
1934———–The Wade Translation – G. W. Wade
1935———–The Westminster Version
1937———–The Cornish Translation of St. Paul
1937———–Greber’s New Testament
1937———–Martin’s New Testament
1937———–21 Canonical Epistles
1937———–Spencer’s New Testament – Francis Spencer
1937———–Williams New Testament – Charles B. Williams
1938———–The Book of Books
1938———–Buttonweiser’s Psalms
1938———–Clementson’s New Testament – Charles B. Williams
1939———–The Osterley Psalms
1940———–Dakes’s Gospels
1941———–St. Mark in Current English
1944———–The Gallin Psalms
1946———–Linsky’s Interpretation
1946———–The Revised Standard Version of the NCC
1947———–Eerdman’s Psalms
1947———–Swann’s New Testament – George Swann
1948———–The Letchworth New Testament
1949———–The Basic Bible
1949———–The Lesley Psalms
1951———–The Authentic Version
1951———–Vernon’s Mark
1951———–The Sacred Writings of the Apostles and Evangelists of Jesus Christ commonly styled the New Testament by G. Campbell, J. MacKnight, P. Doddridge
1952———–The Revised Standard Version update
1952———–The New Testament in Plain English – Charles Williams
1952———–The Penguin Bible
1952———–The Four Gospels – E. V. Rieu
1954———–The Cassain’s Psalms
1954———–St. Paul’s Shorter Letters – Hobart G. Hoerber
1954———–The Moore’s New Testament
1954———–The Amplified Gospel of John
1955———–The Knox Translation
1956———–The Inspired Letters in Clearest English – Frank C. Laubach
1957———–The Concordant Version
1957———–The Lamsa Translation
1958———–The Amplified New Testament
1958———–The Hudson Translation
1958———–The Meisner’s Gospels
1958———–Phillips New Testament – J. B. Phillips
1959———–The Cresmond New Testament
1959———–The Modern Language Bible
1960———–Reina-Valera Revision (Spanish)
1960———–The New American Standard Version
1960———–The Children’s King James
1961———–The New English Bible
1961———–The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses)
1961———–Noli’s Greek orthodox New Testament
1961———–One Way Bible
1961———–Simplified New Testament – Plaf M. Norlie
1961———–Wuest Expanded New Testament
1962———–The Children’s Version
1962———–The New Jewish Version
1962———–Four Gospels and the Revelation – Richard Lattimore
1963———–Beck’s New Testament
1963———–Holy Name Bible
1963———–The New Testament: A New Translation in Plain English – Charles Williams
1964———–The Anchor Bible
1964———–The Hadas Psalms
1965———–Bruce’s Expanded Paraphrase
1965———–The Complete Amplified Bible
1966———–Today’s English Version (Good News for Modern Man)
1966———–Jerusalem Bible
1966———–The Bible in Simplified English
1966———–The Burke Translation
1966———–The Living Scriptures
1967———–Dale’s New World Bible
1967———–The Liverpool Vernacular Gospels
1968———–The Cotton Patch Version
1968———–Hansen’s Psalms in Modern Speech
1968———–Restoration of Original Name New Testament
1969———–Barclay’s New Testament
1969———–The Children’s New Testament
1969———–The New Life Testament – Gleason H. Ledyard
1970———–King James II New Testament by Jay Green (1)
1970———–New English Bible
1970———–New American Bible (Roman Catholic)
1971———–Blackwell Exegetical Translation
1971———–The Living Bible
1972———–J. B. Phillips Translation
1972———–The Bible in Living English – Steven Byington (Jehovah’s Witness)
1972———–The Alba House New Testament
1972———–Today’s English New Testament
1973———–New International Version
1973———–The Common Bible
1973———–The Translator’s New Testament
1973———–The Better Version of the New Testament
1976———–New Life Testament
1976———–The Heart of Paul: A Relational Paraphrase of the New Testament – Ben Johnson
1979———–New King James Version
1979———–English Messianic Jewish Version
1980———–The Four Gospels: An Exegetical Translation
1981———–The Simple English New Testament – International Bible Translators
1982———–The Basic Bible
1985———–New Jerusalem Bible
1988———–The Everyday Bible: New Century Version
1989———–The New Revised Standard Version
1993———–The Message – Eugene Peterson
1995 ———- New American Standard Version Update
1996———–New Living Translation
1996———–Bible in Worldwide English
2001———–English Standard Version (National Council of Churches production)
2002———–Today’s New International Version
2003———–Holman Christian Standard Bible
2003———–Revolve New Testament (New Century Version)
2004———–Good As New: A Radical Retelling of The Scriptures – John Henson of the One Community
(1) Jay Green’s translation is listed here because he, like the modern scholars, disputes whether Acts 8:37 & 1 John 5:7 are really in the text. 1 John 5:7-8 has been found in the Old Latin Vulgate (not Jerome’s) and early church lectionaries. Acts 8:37 is found in the Old Latin Vulgate Version, a Middle Egyptian Version and a Syriac Version.
As of April 2012 over 235 false bibles have come out since 1881
Chart showing from where all false bibles stream from:
TRUE FALSE
Booklet Index
| The booklet Bible Versions is spread over several pages, accessible through the Index below. Alternatively, you may download it as one file [230k]. |
When requesting a copy, please supply your full mailing address (including the country!) and do not forget to mention the subject: Bible Versions. Our e-mail address is:sbs777@rmplc.co.uk
Part One
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Crysostom/Polycarp/Clement/Irenaes/Lucian/Patrick/Columba
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Peshitta / Armenian / Old Latin Vulgate / Waldensian /Gothic / Old Syriac
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English Bibles
Wycliffe / Tyndale / Coverdale / Matthew / Great / Geneva / Bishops' -
The King James Version
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Editors: Lucian / Erasmus / Stephanus / Elzevir Brothers
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Part Two
Part Three
Modern Translations
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The New International Version: Is this the Word of God?
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New American Standard Version: Is this the Word of God?
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The New King James Version: Is this the Word of God?
Other Ancient Writings
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The Septuagint Is it inspired?
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The Apocrypha Is it inspired?
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Chart of Years
