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Eastern Greek Texts AV (1611 KJV) – Western Greek Texts RV (modern based translations)
What is the more reliable of the two [AV – RV] ancient ‘Bible’ Greek Manuscripts?
The King James Bible 1611 AV Eastern [Antioch, Syria and Constantinople aka Byzantine – Eastern Roman Empire] Greek Texts, the actual ancient “Textus Receptus” Greek Bible text documents came to the West (Europe) from Constantinople as a result of the 1453 A.D. fall of Constantinople, or the modern RV Western [Alexandria, Egypt – Sinai, Egypt – Rome] Revised Version [RV] (1881-1885) Greek Texts.
Introduction:
The Apostles of Jesus wrote [and or validated] the Gospels, Epistles (letters), Acts and the Book of Revelation that compiled became the basis of the Christian New Testament Bible. Originally the NT documents [written between about 33 A.D. to about 100 A.D] existed scattered throughout the various Church locations. Origen of Alexandria (185-254 A.D.) during his lifetime began the first large-scale global collection and preservation of the Christian NT Scriptures. Origen of Alexandria was able to locate and bring into his private library collection the entire 27 books of the NT Bible that we now know today.
Unfortunately for the accuracy of Christian bible documents Origen was a native of Alexandria, Egypt and lived at ground zero regarding the Gnostic Heresy of his day. The Gnostics were not about to let the Bible Scriptures remain unedited and very early in Church history the Gnostics set out to edit small portions of the collected Christian Scriptures conveniently located in Origen’s possession in Alexandria, Egypt.
Fortunately for Christianity the ancient Gnostic heretics were able to only make about two types of edits [deleting about four verses and replacing Hebrew words with Aramaic words] to the early NT Greek Manuscripts in Origen’s possession. The [approximately] four edits of verses have been corrected by the AV KJV 1611 translation team while the one Gnostic error [added Aramaic] still remains embedded even in the AV to this day.
In about 232 A.D. Origen was forcibly exiled from Alexandria, Egypt [leaving Egypt – though the Gnostics already had their copies of his NT documents to further their corruption] and in about 233 A.D. Origen relocated and settled [with his library] in Caesarea, Israel. Origen died in 254 A.D. in Caesarea, Israel leaving his extensive [though slightly modified] library to the Christian Church in Caesarea [later Ambrose Bishop of Milan would take possession of Origen’s library and portions of it still remain available today]. The NT Bible of Origen’s became the Christian Bible including in later Antioch, Syria and Constantinople where the few Gnostic edits also became an embedded part in both the Eastern AV and Western RV Greek Texts and remained embedded until the 1611 KJV translation committee examined and re-instated the few (about four) missing Bible verses.
Early Gnostic Edits:
Missing bible verses removed by early Gnostic editing
1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
Note: Jerome’s [382-405 A.D.] Latin Vulgate Translation omitts 1 John 5:7 but retains 1 John 5:8.
1 John 5:8 And [so] there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
The last six verses of Revelation 22:16-21
Revelation 22:16-21 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. 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: 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. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Part of the Gospel of Luke 23:34 and the Gospel of John 7:53-8:11
Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. …
John 7:53-8:11 And every man went unto his own house. [John 8] Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
As stated by other researchers the Gnostics were primarily determined to remove the Deity and the compassion of God from among the ancient Greek Manuscript scriptures.
All of these ancient edits (and probably a few more) were known to the Church because each of these verses were mentioned in the early Church writings of the Church Fathers, in various ancient Bible translations and in other Church writings and documents so these verses were all retained by the KJV translation committee.
What has not yet been corrected by any Church committee has been the early Gnostic replacements where Gnostic editors have replaced the Bible’s Hebrew words for Aramaic words i.e. Mark 15:34 a hoax that continues and even flourishes to this day. The predominate language of the New Testament is Hebrew [though written in Greek the underlying language is Hebrew not Aramaic]. Abba, Amen, Messiah, Peace, Barabbas, etc. are all Hebrew words, terms, concepts and names, retaining the original Hebrew language of the New Testament Bible, except in the few places [i.e. Mark 15:34] were the original Hebrew has literally been scraped from the parchments and Aramaic has forcibly and clumsily been written in as an attempt to replace the original Jewish Hebrew language.
Later English Edits:
Today the problem is not a continued editing of the Greek Manuscripts but of a continuous, relentless and staggering editing of the English words, phrases and meanings in the modern bible translations, edits that easily number in the thousands.
Edits that are so subtle and yet so abundant that in reality the modern [RV] bible translations are bordering on unreliable for even simple personal devotions let alone serious or scholarly bible study.
Example:
[AV] KJV1611 Revelation 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
[RV] NIV Revelation 5:10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.
[RV] ESV Revelation 5:10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.
[RV] Catholic Bible Revelation 5:10 You made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they will reign on earth.
Note: the [AV] Bible versions present “us” Christians in Heaven while the [RV] versions of the bible have actually edited Christians out of heaven – the intended results of the editing probably don’t get much clearer than just this one edited verse.
Resources:
Modern Bible Translations Unmasked (PDF) by Dr. Russell R. Standish
Modern Bible Translations Unmasked (PDF) by Dr. Russell R. Standish — different version
The King James [AV] Bible and the [RV] Modern Versions by Vance Ferrell (PDF)
[RV – Modern Versions] One of the biggest religious frauds which occurred in church history. The most complete explanation of how it was done.
The largest in-depth defense of the King James Bible.
Documentation:
Religion Facts: Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)
Origen’s career in Alexandria was interrupted by five separate journeys. The first was a brief visit to Rome in 213 because, as Eusebius tells us, Origen “wished to see the ancient Church of the Romans.” In 215, Origen traveled to the province of Arabia (today’s Jordan) at the invitation of its governor, who wished to learn about Christianity from one of its finest teachers. The mission was carried out quickly and Origen returned to Alexandria.
However, the scholar arrived to find his city in chaos. In his absence there had been a uprising, causing the Emperor Caracalla to order the city plundered, the schools closed, and all faculty exiled. Origen therefore left his hometown once again, this time destined for Caesarea in [Israel] Palestine. There Bishop Theoctistus took advantage of the presence of such a distinguished biblical scholar and invited Origen to preach to the congregation.
The eminent Alexandrian, however, had not been ordained, and Bishop Demetrius of Alexandria was angered when he heard that his catechist was being allowed to preach. He sent a letter of protest to the Palestinian bishops, complaining, “It has never been heard of and it never happens now that laymen preach homilies in the presence of bishops,” and demanding Origen’s return home.
Around 218 AD, Origen received another invitation to teach Christianity to an interested pagan; this time from the Empress Julia Mammaea, the mother of Emperor Alexander Severus. Eusebius explains, “As Origen’s renown spread everywhere and even came to her ears, she thought it very important to be favored with the sight of this man and to sample his understanding of divine matters which everyone was admiring.” Origen stayed in Antioch for a short while, then returned again to Alexandria.
In 233 AD, Origen left Alexandria to make his permanent home in Caesarea, [Israel].
Origen was hurt by the conflict with Demetrias, and was not able to resume his work right away. In the sixth volume of the Commentary on John, his first work in Caesarea, Origen likens his ordeal to that of the Jews in Egypt and his removal to Caesarea to the Exodus. But he affirms that God has quenched the fiery arrows of his enemies and his soul had grown accustomed to trials.
In Casearea, Origen added preaching to his regular duties of teaching and writing.
Reports of the exact circumstances of his death vary somewhat, but Eusebius tells us that he lived for sometime after the persecution, into the reign of the succeeding emperors, Gallus and Volusian. Both Eusebius and Photius affirm that this is proved by the existence of letters from Origen written during this period, containing “words of value for those who need to be strengthened.”
Jerome reports that Origen was buried in Tyre, in Phoenicia, and several other historical records confirm the presence of his tomb there until the Middle Ages.
Source: Origen of Alexandria
Modern Bible Translations Unmasked by Dr. Russell R. Standish
Chapter 1
A Brief History of Bible Manuscripts and Translations
The twenty-seven books of the New Testament were written in the second half [50 A.D. – 100 A.D.] of the first century after Christ. Not one of the original writings is preserved. However, early Christians carefully preserved copies of these sacred writings, taking the greatest care to eliminate copyist errors. Syria [Antioch, Syria – Acts 11:26] became the center of such copying endeavors.
Nevertheless, within a century of the writing of the New Testament canon, serious alterations were made, especially by [Gnostic] scribes in the city of Alexandria in Egypt. These men were motivated by a desire to support their Gnostic errors, which included the view that Christ was not a member of the Godhead. Once scribes tampered with Scripture they became increasingly careless in their copying techniques, introducing numerous mistakes. However, the scribes of Syria did not deviate from their meticulous copying methods.
**Note: both ‘streams’ [Alexandria and Constantinople] had the same NT documents from Origen’s slightly edited library.
From these two copyist perspectives, two quite different streams of Greek manuscripts emerged. The Eastern stream, which became centered on Syria and Constantinople, remained true to the original writings of the apostles, while the Western stream, centered on Alexandria and Rome, was markedly flawed by both deliberate and careless alterations.
Early in the fourth century, Emperor Constantine commissioned Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea, to prepare fifty copies of the New Testament. Eusebius chose to copy the flawed Western manuscripts. His decision was influenced by his admiration of Origen, who himself was a corrupter of Holy Writ.
It is thought that two of Eusebius’ copies survive in the Codex Sinaiticus and the Codex Vaticanus. These copies contain many errors, and during the sixth and the seventh centuries at least ten different scribes attempted to make corrections to bring them somewhat closer to the valid Eastern manuscripts. Despite this effort, deliberate and careless errors remained in great numbers.
Knowledge of the errors did not prevent Jerome from using these faulty manuscripts as a basis for his Latin version of the Bible. His translation became the official Scripture of the Roman Catholic Church and is known as the Latin Vulgate. Disregarding all evidence to the contrary, the Council of Trent in the sixteenth century proclaimed the Latin Vulgate to be free from error.
But despite the great influence of the Papacy, true Christians were not deceived. Believers such as the Waldenses and the Gallic church of France and the Celtic church of Britain refused such perversion of God’s Word and used only those translations arising from the Eastern stream. This practice was also true of God’s churches in Ethiopia, Persia, India, and China.
When the Turks conquered Constantinople and destroyed the Byzantine Empire in 1453 AD, men escaped to the West bringing priceless biblical [AV] and secular manuscripts with them. These [AV – Textus Receptus] manuscripts enlightened the dense darkness of the Middle Ages, a darkness directly attributable to Roman Catholic domination. The revelations of these manuscripts opened minds to learning and also to the pure, precious Word of God. The Renaissance spread throughout Europe like a wildfire, and shortly the Reformation arose.
God’s servants perceived that it was the Word of God in the language of the common people which opened minds to truth and dispelled the errors of the Papacy. As nation after nation threw off the shackles of Catholicism and embraced a pure faith based upon the inerrant Word of God, great fear gripped the leadership in Rome. The Council of Trent was called in 1545 to find a means to stem the advance of Protestantism.
Perceptively, the bishops gathered at the Council acknowledged that the free distribution of the Bible to all men would prove the death knell of the Roman Catholic Church. Wherever men and women read this precious Book, the errors of Catholicism were forsaken.
Gladly would these wily bishops have cast every Bible into a sea of flames as they had done in previous generations, but their coercive power had disappeared from much of Europe. Thus more subtle means were required to reverse the great advance of scriptural truth. Some less farsighted bishops even suggested that the Roman Catholic Church, too, endorse the Bible as the sole source of faith. They reasoned that they might be able to wean men and women from Protestantism if they proclaimed such a view. But the Jesuits saw that such a stand, rather than serving to rescue the Catholic faith, would seal its doom. With the Archbishop of Reggio as their spokesman, the Jesuits totally overthrew this faulted tactic by pointing out that there was no scriptural basis for Sundaykeeping, and unless the church was prepared to return to Sabbathkeeping, they must uphold the authority of the tradition of the church above that of the Scriptures.
The Archbishop of Reggio’s successful argument won a continued place for church tradition as the major source of Catholic doctrine, but it did not provide a solution to the advance of Protestantism and the supremacy of Scripture in the hearts of Protestants. The Jesuits thus devised a new strategy. While having little regard for the Bible, they nevertheless went to Douay and Rheims in France and translated the Bible into the English language using the Latin Vulgate as its basis, although resorting to the original languages in some areas.
The Jesuits were not bothered by the faultiness of their new translation; it furthered their aims. Their faith depended not upon God’s Word, but rather upon church tradition. Accuracy was not vital to their undertaking, and inaccuracies would assist them in their aim to weaken Protestant faith in God’s Word. It is the corruption of God’s Word which turns men and women to the authority of men and the church in place of the Bible.
For three centuries the design of the Jesuits met with scant success. Protestants were acutely aware of the perversions of the Western manuscripts and eschewed them. Men such as William Tyndale died at the stake rather than submit to a perverted Scripture. The Reformers of Europe united to bring before God’s flock the precious truths of the pure Word of God. It was in this commitment of fidelity to God’s Word that the King James Version of the Bible was undertaken by godly men.
But in the nineteenth century the Jesuits penetrated the Anglican Church in force. This infiltration led to the formation of what became known as the Oxford movement early in that century. This movement among young Anglican clerics upheld the re-introduction of Catholic practices such as the confession, the adoration of Mary, and the celebration of the Mass, into the Anglican Church.
When in the 1870s the archbishopric of Canterbury undertook a revision of the King James Version of the Bible, the revision committee’s two most influential figures, Doctors Westcott and Hort, were greatly under the influence of the Oxford movement. They encouraged the translators to discard the pure Eastern [AV] manuscripts upon which the Protestant Reformation and its Bible were based and to revert to the perverted [RV] Western manuscripts, ever the ally of Catholicism.
Thus the Revised Version [RV] of 1881 transformed the nature of the English-language Scripture. This version, and the American Revised Version which followed twenty years later and which was equally faulted, did not initially have a profound influence in Protestantism, for the King James Version remained the standard Bible of these churches.
But the appearance of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible in the second half of the twentieth century, followed by a plethora of new translations, saw the scheme of the Jesuits finally implemented. Today most Protestants have discarded the trusted King James Version and now cheerfully use Bibles which are based upon Catholic manuscripts. All the best-known modern translations with the exception of the New King James Version (also known as the new Authorized Version) distort Scripture. These translations include the New International Version, the New English Bible, Today’s English Version, Phillips’ translation, and a host of others.
Is it any wonder that the Catholics openly rejoiced at the appearance of the Revised Version, proclaiming that its use would be the death knell of Protestantism? The use of these translations has seriously weakened the Protestant perception of the errors of Rome. Already the effects of the use of these translations, initially sponsored by theologians, are plain to see.
Modern Bible Translations Unveiled www.temcat.com (PDF)