My grandmother use to tell me that, “You don’t always have to be a fool or a devil to be wrong.” She went on to say, “There’s a lot more sincere wrong-folk out there than there are evil tricksters”. I was reminded of this matriarchal wisdom the other day when I and a well learned minister friend of mine were observing an articulate atheist and a bold evangelical preacher arguing the finer points of religion’s social value versus humanistic education. Referring to the argument in front of us my minister friend said to me, “How can you be that smart (referring to the two people arguing) and still completely miss the point?” These two gentlemen were bickering over issues of faith, intellectual reasoning, and the church’s “proper” place within society.
For some of us reading and understanding the Holy Scriptures involves one of two categorical philosophies; TOTAL DISBELIEF, or UNQUESTIONING FAITH. Far too many of us, within the culture at-large, can be divided into these two polarized camps. The continual shame and utter disappointment for those of us who have been exposed to higher levels of theological and spiritual understanding is that both sides are completely missing the point! They fight against each other for an inch of cultural and societal influence as though their entire sense of personal validation depended on it. The trouble with all the passionate fervor and intense language is that they are, in a very real sense, misleading themselves and others by the genuine sincerity of their convictions.
In 1912 during Princeton Theological Seminary’s graduation ceremonies, J. Gresham Machen said the following regarding the “intellectual” threat to Christianity.
“False ideas are the greatest obstacles to the reception of the gospel. We may preach with all the fervor of a reformer and yet succeed only in winning a straggler here and there, if we permit the whole collective thought of the nation or the world to be controlled by ideas which, by the resistant force of logic, prevent Christianity from being regarded as anything more than a harmless delusion. Under such circumstances, what God desires us to do is to destroy the obstacle at the root….”
In today’s highly charged evangelical and fundamentalist movements there seems to be an eerie clinging to some faded hope in the possibilities of literal truth or accuracy in every word or phrase of the Bible. Such sincere intensity provides an ever tightening death grip to the awesome power of the marvelous meanings our Bible has to offer. These genuinely sincere literalists continue to give undue credence to the stale arguments made by Christianity's detractors against the needed conversion of contemporary humanity. Without realizing it, some of us are supplying unbelieving, disheartened, and self-centered souls with more evidence that we, as a collective body of believers, actually know little concerning our own professed faith proclamations.
These self-proclaimed defenders of the Throne of Grace apparently are unaware of the damage they are actually causing. They continue to provide false-evidence to the unbelieving world that Christianity, as it is slowly becoming recognized as being, is utter nonsense. It is important to understand that just because someone believes something "sincerely" doesn't make it true. Just because a preacher slams his/her hand down on the pulpit and shouts with fervor doesn't mean that they are honestly reflecting what the Christian message is meant to be about; no matter how much they believe what they are saying. All of us from the pew to the pulpit need to be better prepared to defend and live our Christian Journey of Faith.
From most of the Christian community there is no doubt concerning the Bible’s “divinely inspired” nature. But folks, we can no longer afford clergy and lay leadership to be accused of uninformed sincerity because it’s killing the Christian Church. We do not need to hide in some “cloud of confusion” over the beautiful and direct messages that are located throughout the Bible. That would be a terrible error. We need to discard this ridiculous man-made mythology concerning its origin and get to the heart of The Bible’s CORE MEANINGS. We have got to take a fresh, open and honest view of what Scripture is… and what it is for… and who it is for… and why we were graciously given it in the first place. Even though it is essential to know what the Bible says... it is far more important to know what it means... and then how it applies in the lives of those who are to be touched by its genius. That is where the powerful truth lies. That is where God's scriptures meet our hearts. That is where the Bible changes lives... changes families... changes churches... and changes communities.
God can, and often does, speak to each of us as well as all of us collectively, in a myriad of different ways. One of those methods of divine communication has been accomplished historically through ancient texts. Some of those texts are known as Scripture. These ancient texts were conveyed by those inspired individuals who were attempting to somehow translate their experiences of God by relating the circumstances and events of their particular moment-in-time. The translation of these individual events, or shared experiences, often were eventually written down into different transcripts, versions, languages and many of these finally ended up in a collection that are currently recognized as THE BIBLE.
Studying those Holy Scriptures, as well as other ancient texts, is a greatly rewarding and enlightening experience for those who pursue its meanings and methods with a sincerity that is only matched by its depth of commitment. Once the process of CENTERED TEACHING, (kerygma) or CENTRAL UNDERSTANDING, has been discovered it then helps greatly in placing Biblical Scripture in its proper perspective, so as to allow all of us to be fed a spiritual meal that will feed us continually toward our growth in Christian maturity.
The inspired authors of what we now recognize as the Bible were, for the most part, Jews living in an area we now designate as the Middle-East and
The power of God’s demonstrated deeds were so overwhelming that they were continually transferred from one group, or generation, to the next group or generation by word-of-mouth. This word-of-mouth is most often referred to as the ORAL TRADITION. We must remember that the ORAL TRADITION was the STANDARD and EXCEPTED way of making sure that one’s history would be transferred; and thus remembered. This standard form of ORAL TRADITION was accomplished by telling what was needed to be heard (which included moral, social, cultural, historical, mythical, and sacred stories) to insure what was considered to be essential for the furtherance of sacred tradition and corporate knowledge. With this understanding in mind, it is not difficult to see how God’s experiences and actions spoke with such power, clarity and relevance that these Biblical authors were divinely inspired....over hundreds of years....to eventually write, rewrite, and write again (as best as they could) a written expression of those long held traditional beliefs that were so important to their survival as a people and a nation. Once put into written form, like the days of old, they began to be read....and re-read...during each worship or celebratory gathering.
God has always had a long history of revealing Himself by using human servants. The CENTERED TEACHING or CORE UNDERSTANDING (kerygma) of ancient texts were revealing in many ways; among them were the vastness of God’s love, power and authority and the overwhelmingly limited and inadequate nature of humankind without being led by God’s will. This is important to accept because regardless of the position of this particular newsletter God’s Word, in its CORE UNDERSTANDING and CENTERED TEACHING is of course eternal and completely unchanging. However, even though I have stated this belief, it is essential for us not to be so naive that we believe that there are not unique and special circumstances associated with each developmental section of what we recognize today as The Holy Bible. We must clearly understand God’s messages as they were related by those specially chosen individuals from their perspective....from their time....from the likelihood of their understanding....not our own.
I want you to imagine for just a moment that someone has just informed you that there is everything you have ever wanted....everything you will ever need.....at this very moment ALL you’ll need it or want....everything WILL BE provided for you even if you don’t realize it ....and all you have got to do is some how climb this 25 foot solid brick wall without any assistance from any tool or support mechanism. It would seem rather bleak, wouldn’t it?
Now lets take the story one step further. Out of seemingly nowhere, someone appears to offer emotional support for your attempt to scale the wall. It will only help you slightly because even though they are sincere in their wishes to encourage you they are not offering any real means in getting you over the wall. All this person has done at the moment is help you to feel better...and even that feeling will only last a little while. Probably after a few minutes of feeling better...because you have been encouraged that you can personally do better all by yourself...you suddenly realize that all the encouragement in the world will always fail because in and of yourself you can do little to scale the obstacle in front of you.
Third level of development... Someone else comes by with a book that tells you how to build something called “a ladder” to get over the wall. You are thankful but since you haven’t learned yet how to interpret the book’s language or meanings it becomes difficult for you to build the ladder in any efficient way. You build several failed attempts yourself. Some were good. Some were not so good. Ever once in a while you were able to rise a few feet, maybe even a few yards above the ground, and yet because of your lack of understanding you still failed. The good news is at this level of development you have finally determined that that you are incapable of fixing the problem yourself. You have finally discovered though that if you study the book given slowly but surely you are gaining ground into what has been promised to you.
Fourth level of understanding.... Next there comes by someone who has had the same problems and challenges that you are experiencing currently and they offer to give you the benefit of their experience. They share with you the best way to understand the text in the book. They stand with you, encouraging you to try again. They tell you that these troubles won’t last always. They even role up their sleeves and help you build the ladder. slowly but surely you and your new found companion build rung by rung a strong ladder and together you are able to final get to the top and see what the promise was all about.
In strange and yet wonderful way, that is exactly the process of Old Testament understanding. The Old Testament stands as a guide to everyone who is willing to come into its presence with wonder, humility, prayer, enthusiasm, and a strong work ethic. It will guide you into a better understanding of the promises of God. It will guide you into a powerful sense of the unknown that once you enter it, with any level of sincerity, you will not be able to pull away from it.
The Bible can and does speak to each of us in different ways, however, there are common occurrences to all who experience its texts. It will humble you in its power. It will excite you in its depth. It will encourage you by its simplicity of purpose. It will guide you to believe in something far greater than you. BUT...try not to read by yourself for too long when you first begin to explore its contents. There are some realities you must understand concerning its contents. Even though there are historical realities in the Old Testament section of the Bible it is not primarily an historical document. It is a book of FAITH DISCOVERY! It is a book that was put together over hundreds of years by lots of people trying to share their experiences with a God so big and so vast that it must have been overwhelming to take on the task of trying to write it down.
There are some factual errors in the book. That can not be denied. However, getting to know the Bible has little to do with facts and has everything to do with UNDERSTANDING. What I mean by that is, you should always ask yourself: “what is this passage trying to tell me?” What are the meanings and messages behind the words. How is God trying to guide me at this very moment. The Bible is NOT a quiz...it is a FAITH JOURNEY!
With each writer who participated in the development of our Bibles, there are varying levels of cultural and historical perspectives. When these cultural and historical perspectives are discovered they allow all of us to consider more fully the direct intentions of each word (exegesis) or phrase. It becomes so frustrating when folks who present themselves as knowing "bible stuff" just blurt out anything that resembles Biblical interpretation....even if it has no basis in fact AT ALL.
This does not mean that God’s messages, or revelations, are unclear. It simply means that once you are aware of the fundamental techniques of how to interpret Scripture it will not only become easier but more effective in ascertaining God’s direction and will.
We must become more sincere in our efforts to fully apply the CENTRAL MEANINGS of what our Bibles are sharing with us and not limit our Bible’s teachings to merely the words on the page.
Why?
Because WORDS are always fluid in their definition.
q They change from one century to another....
q from one generation to another....
q from one decade to another....
q even from one person to another.
Words will most often than not fail us eventually so we as Christians MUST be willing to step out of our limited view of Scripture based on our current understanding and delve into the understanding of a ancient world of Jewish/Hebrew culture.
The language of the Bible is forever wrapped inside the culture of when it was written. We need to understand those divinely inspired words from the perspective of those who wrote them. The language of the Hebrews, as well as many other ethnic groups of the region, was a language of metaphors, word pictures, and relating current sacred events to former sacred events (midrash) so as to justify and validate their importance. They preferred examples rather than specific ideas....or definitions...or some sort of abstractions.
Where we, in our current day of thinking might take it for granted to describe God as;
n Omnipresent EVERYWHERE
n Omnipotent ALL POWERFUL
n Omniscient ALL KNOWLEDGE
Those individuals relating to others within their time period would have rather referred to God as;
The Lord is my Shepherd
God is our Father and we are His children
God is the potter and we are the clay
Other examples of this formula would be;
n Christ Jesus was the lamb slaughtered on Passover
n Heaven... equaled an oasis in the desert
n Hell........ equaled the city’s rancid and foul sewage dump that was full of dead animals, garbage, waste, and perpetual fires.
The first five books of the Bible are traditionally known as the BOOKS OF MOSES. For hundreds of years there was no questioning this “biblical truth”. The mere suggestion that the Bible could not be taken literally, as it relates to every word or even any circumstance was considered to be DEMONIC or FALSE TEACHING. As we now know, and have known for hundreds of years, Moses WAS NOT the actual writer or contributor to the first five books of the Bible.
We as minister’s and church leaders have a sacred obligation to present an educated “front-line” that will uplift our current and future congregational members to a more realistic an rational level of Christian understanding. If we don’t take this responsibility seriously by taking what we have learned (that’s assuming we are trying to learn) and transferring this vital information onward to our; Christian Educators, Associate Ministers, or Pew Sitter, we will be contributing to the eventual collapse of Christianity as we have historically known it.
The following are examples of the DANGERS OF BIBLICAL LITERALISM. Even though these representations may be well known to some of you they are just the beginning in the process of better understanding how the Holy Scriptures are actually put together.
Something to THINK about!!!!!
ITEM
Who went to Jesus’ tomb, AT DAWN, on the first day?????
FACT....
Book of Mark (Chapter 16:1)
Mary Magdelene, Mary-Mother of James, and Solome
Book of Luke (Chapter 24:10)
Mary Magdelene, Mary-Mother of James, Joanna and some other women
Book of Matthew (Chapter 27:56)
Mary Magdelene, Mary-Mother of James
Book of John (Chapter 20:11)
Mary Magdelene
ITEM
Who was there when the
woman or women arrived?
FACT....
Book of Mark (Chapter 16:5)
found a young man dressed in white who spoke the resurrection announcement.
Book of Luke (Chapter 24:4)
Two (2) men dressed in dazzling apparel
Book of Matthew (Chapter 28:2)
an angel of the Lord who descended in an earthquake who then gave the resurrection announcement.
Book of John (Chapter 20:1 & 12)
NO MESSENGER on the first visit, but on the second visit Mary Magdelene confronted two angels who could not speak.
ITEM
Luke QUOTES the already ASCENDED Christ in the Book of Acts by having him say;
“it is more blessed to give than to receive”.
(Acts 20:35)
ITEM
In Paul’s letter called 1 Corinthians he reported Jesus attending the Last Supper by QUOTING Jesus as saying;
“take, eat, this is my body”
(1 Corinthians 11:23)
FACT
Luke nor Paul ever knew the HISTORICAL or earthly Jesus. If these were actual quotes from Jesus himself, and we should assume that they were, we must also then presuppose that these quotations must have been part of an on going ORAL TRADITION or church memory that had existed before they were actually written down.
ITEM
In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus’ earthly parents, Mary & Joseph, lived in a house in the
ITEM
In Luke’s Gospel it was stated VERY SPECIFICALLY that Mary & Joseph lived in
FACT
Joseph & Mary either lived in
SIMPLE LOGIC demands us to realize that both Matthew and Luke may be wrong, BUT both CAN NOT be right! If either Luke or Matthew is correct than the other one must be wrong.
ITEM
What is the order of Creation
(Genesis Chapter One)
plants
animals
man, and then
woman
(Genesis Chapter Two)
man
plants
animals, and then
woman
For some reading and then understanding the Holy Scriptures involves one of two categories;
TOTAL DISBELIEF, or ABSOLUTE
UNQUESTIONING BELIEF
The continual shame and utter disappointment
for those who have been exposed to higher levels of scholastic understanding is that both sides are completely missing the point!!!
In today’s highly charged evangelical and fundamentalist movements there seems to be an eerie clinging to some faded hope in the possibilities of LITERAL TRUTH in every word of the Bible. They often times hold on with such intensity that they give a death grip to the awesome power of the marvelous meanings that our Bible shares with us. They also give undue credence to reasoned arguments by Christianity's detractors against the conversion of contemporary humanity.
These self-proclaimed defenders of the throne of grace apparently are unaware of the damage to the FAITH they are actually causing. They continue to provide false-evidence to the unbelieving world that Christianity, as it is slowly becoming recognized as being, is utter nonsense. It is very important to understand that just because someone believes something "sincerely" doesn't make it true. Just because a preacher slams his/her hand down on the pulpit and shouts with fervor doesn't mean that they are honestly reflecting what the Christian message is meant to be about; no matter how much they believe it.
Even though it is essential to know what the Bible says... it is far more important to know what it means... and then how it applies in the lives of those who are to be touched by its genius.
It is important that as you grow in the knowledge of: what the Bible is; what the Bible represents; what it’s core messages are; and what it isn’t; that you remember that we do not need to hide in some “cloud of confusion” over the beautiful and direct messages that are located in The Bible. That would be a terrible error. I want you to think about the “standard” philosophy concerning the Bible’s “divinely inspired” nature. However, there must be an accurate understanding of what that means and how it is to be effectively shared with others. We need to discard this ridiculous man-made mythology concerning its origin and get to the heart of The Bible’s CORE MEANINGS. That is where the powerful truth lies. That is where God's scriptures meet our hearts. That is where God's Holy Word changes lives... changes families... changes churches... and changes communities.
How To Interpret The Bible's New Testament:
There are generally two ways at looking at references to Jesus within the New Testament. One is he represents the fulfillment of Old Testament Prophetic Preaching (Prophecy), or the other is that those in the New Testament world believed him to be the promised Messiah and Son of God so profoundly that as they wrote about their's and other's experiences with Jesus they expressed their belief in him in something called a Midrashic style.
In both cases the conclusions reached are basically the same, that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Son of God and God Incarnate. The difference is how they explained those professed beliefs.
In general terms, PROPHESY predicts through the preaching process the future occurrence.
MIDRASH, on the other hand, relates the current circumstance to former happenings to show their sacred importance. Midrash is defined in the Jewish Encyclopedia as “the attempt to penetrate into the spirit of the text, to examine the text from all sides, to derive interpretations not immediately obvious, to illuminate the future (or present) by appealing to the past”. There are three forms of Midrash. Each are distinct from the other.
They are:
HALAKAH interpretation of the law, or the TORAH (first 5 books)
HAGGADAH relating an event or story to another earlier event or story so as to justify its relevance in sacred history.
PESIQTA is similar to Haggadah except it is in sermon form and by its nature tries to reveal some theme to be perceived as reasonable and applicable to the present circumstance.
Relative to our studies here I will only be dealing with the Midrashic writing style and tradition known as HAGGADAH. (pronounced Hah-God-dah, similar to “I gotta”)
In Jewish traditional writings midrash was a way of demonstrating that whatever event or person that was in our present time must be important because it somehow can be related to something or someone in our sacred past.
Haggadah midrash was
THE WAY that Jewish writers
justified current events to
their readers!
The following are just a few examples of Haggadah Midrashic writing styles that are obvious within our Bibles.
Biblical Historical Item:
The power of God allowed Moses to part the
Midrashic Tradition of Justifying Importance
After Moses had died Joshua became the leader. To validate the presence of God within their new leader (as with Moses) the ancient writers had God's validation of Joshua to occur when the waters of the Jordan River were parted… instead of the
Another Example of the Midrashic Tradition of Justifying the Importance of the "current" by defining the "current" by the sacred events of the "past"......
The midrashic tradition continued in the time of Elijah when he also was said to have parted the
Another Example of the Midrashic Tradition of Justifying the Importance of the "current" by defining the "current" by the sacred events of the "past"......
Moses being taken away as a baby to protect him from certain death at the hands of the Egyptian King….Jesus being taken away from certain death at the hands of the evil King Herod. Jesus in this story is depicted as the NEW Moses. The question is not whether it was literally TRUE it is MORE IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND from the writer’s perspective what they were trying to convey about this JESUS. He was the new SAVIOR…he was the new way being DELIVERED out of the desert of despair and oppression. Jesus, like Moses, was COMPLETELY ABLE to guide and lead and directly commune with God FACE TO FACE. Whether or not the story depicted was LITERALLY FACTUAL OR NOT is irrelevant to the MESSAGE BEING DELIVERED through the Biblical script.
When correctly interpreting the Holy Scriptures it can be safely stated that it is not an essential question to ask whether it actually happened or not, but rather what was the... central theme within the story being related. Whether it actually or literally happened or not is far more important in a Western or European “mind-set” than it was for the ancient writers of Scripture. Western Culture as a long history concerning its unbending belief which revolves around “if it doesn’t fit within our guidelines its wrong” OR “we’ll change it to make it more culturally acceptable”.
The proper question to ask, as it relates to midrashic interpretation, is rather what was the event or experience that made, or even DEMANDED, the ancient writer to include this moment.
The term; The Bible, in our culture has grown into the meaning of ONE book. The assumption associated with being ONE Bible may be more than a little misleading. It tends to be misleading because it encompasses hundreds of translations. These translations of existing and newly discovered ancient source material, which directly relate to the times surrounding the early Christian revolution, are continually bringing into light a clearer understanding of God’s Holy Word and mission to this world.
The most recognized Bible currently is the King James Version, better known as the KJV. However, it is only one of many, and even with all its beauty, power and authority, like other translations, still has its short-comings related to human interpretation.
One of the interesting facts concerning the KJV is that just one of the major Bible Societies (American Bible Society) has distributed over 500,000,000 copies since 1816 when they were originally formed. The Bible, in its whole form or in part, has been translated into more than 1,100 languages. Another version of Scripture called the Revised Standard Version (RSV) was originally published in 1952. During its first seven years in print it sold over 7,000,000 copies. Other popular versions are the New International Version (NIV), The Living Bible, The Life Application Bible, The Jerusalem Bible, plus many, many more.
One of the first collection of scriptures to be distributed in an organized form was a Latin version translated by a man named JEROME in the year 404. This version had been distributed in
I think it is important to note that the “BIBLE” (or Scriptures) that Jesus and his disciples were using was the
HEBREW Old Testament.
The Hebrew Scriptures, or what we recognize currently as the Old Testament, was written over many centuries and by many authors. Probably the oldest section in the Old Testament is found in the 5th chapter of the Book of Judges and is entitled THE SONG OF DEBORAH. Many of the other sections of Hebrew Scriptures were written not long before Jesus’ earthly time.
The NEW TESTAMENT, as we know it, didn’t become an “authoritative collection” of scripture until approximately 200 CE, or about 170 years after the death of Christ.
James was named King of Scotland when he was at the age of one because his mother abdicated her throne. His official title was King James the IV of
It is safe to say that to the extent that a man of his character could be, he was a Protestant at heart; however his pathological vanity was constantly leading him to the conclusion that not only was he ABOVE all religious groups of people he was also ABOVE all religious principles.
In 1604 a man named John Reynolds, a very well known member of the PURITAN PARTY (who were not friendly to the new King) purposed the possibility of having an AUTHORIZED ENGLISH VERSION of the Bible. At the time the Bishop’s Bible was “authorized” however it was anything but universally accepted. Another Bible called the Geneva Bible was widely accepted by the Puritan Party but was not the AUTHORIZED version.
Despite the fact that the idea came from the Puritans James liked the idea immensely. It immediately appealed to his literary tastes. To have a guiding and authoritative hand in what was to be a huge and historical effort in an authorized translation of the Bible would have had to guarantee his involvement and sponsorship.
It is important to note that the KJV was NOT a new translation. It was a revised version of the Bishop’s Bible and therefore came with very specific instructions of what was able to be changed and what was not able to be changed. When it came time to actually put together the group of people who would be performing this task, James sectioned off the scholars into committees with very specific duties. The names of these translators were submitted to King James in 1604, however the actual work did not begin until 1607. The number of men who actually participated in this project were 47, although several of them died before the project was completed.
The 47 were divided into 6 committees.
2 committees met at
2 committees met at
2 committees met at
To each committee was assigned a portion of the work to be completed. Eventually 12 delegates (2 from each committee) met together daily for 9 months at another site, as a revision committee. After all this there was a FINAL REVISION COMMITTEE of 2 people; Miles Smith and Thomas Bilson.
Even though the formation of this kind of extensive involvement was suppose to insure that no individual religious party would have control over the final translation, there are more than a few examples where their goal did not meet their expectations. Here are two examples;
1. The translators were told to make sure that the names of the Prophets were to be kept in their original form. Which on the surface sounded like a good idea, but in practical application did not work out that way. In the Old Testament (Hebrew) the prophet ELIJAH was the name used. In the New Testament (Greek) the name ELIAS was used to describe the SAME PERSON.
2. Because the Puritan Religious Party was in direct opposition to sustaining the ecclesiastical tradition (Bishops overseeing lower level clergy who in-turn oversee laity) the translators were instructed to make sure that the OLD ecclesiastical words were to be kept in the new translation regardless of there worthiness. This direction to the translators was completely politically motivated.
Previous versions of the English Bible were heavily furnished with commentaries placed in the margins of the pages. It was set forth early in this translation that THE WORDS SHOULD SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. The KJV is void of commentary. The only insertions to the re-translation and “improvement” of the Bishop’s Bible were those words or phrases printed in ITALICS. The words printed in ITALICS were inserted by the translators themselves and are not part of original scripture.
AMOS 1:6 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of
JOHN 3:25-26 Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying. And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond
There was also a regulation provided by King James that if any of the previous English translations, such as; Tyndale’s, Matthew’s, Coverdale’s, or The Geneva Bible were a better translation, then that version’s interpretation should be used rather than the Bishop’s Bible. The translators also were using Luther’s and Zwingli’s German translations. They had Spanish, Italian and Latin translations. The best available Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, as well as the Syriac New Testament and the Aramaic Targums were also used.
The first printing of the AUTHORIZED VERSION was 20,000 copies. A large number in that day. Even though it was called the AUTHORIZED VERSION it never actually had a ROYAL EDICT stating that or even an ACT OF PARLIAMENT acknowledging its status. The TERM “authorized” was a term that was associated with “popular acclamation”.
Many of us have the false idea that in 1611 when the first KJV was published it was the ONE & ONLY KJV. That is a LONG WAY from being true.
In fact, by 1613, only two years later, there had already been over 300 variations used from the original 1611 version. The number of different editions of the King James Version was enormous! Between 1611 and 1644 there were 182 editions. Between 1611 and 1800 the catalogue of British and Foreign Bible Society listed almost 1,000 different editions of the KJV.
Certain editions became so notorious for their printing errors they have become infamous to Bible collectors. In 1631, a version of the 10 Commandments was printed where the 7th commandment read; Thou SHALT commit adultery. In 1653, another version of the KJV printed 1 Corinthians 11:9 as reading; the UN-righteous shall inherit the
At the height of the PURITAN MOVEMENT in England they were attacking the KJV with such force that comments like; Theologically unsound Unfaithful to Hebrew text Too much dependence on the Greek Influenced openly by the superstitions of the King Translators were called blasphemous. But in spite of all the criticism, some valid others not, the KJV gained a tremendous following and eventually won the battle of public opinion.
The King James Version of the Bible is without question a unique and most powerful demonstration of inspired literary achievement. The Bible, regardless of its version, belongs to all people; of every language. The English-speaking King James Version has easily bestowed upon those who read it, those who realize its origins, and those fervently attempt to understand its meanings, a special privilege. The KJV was originally conceived as a revision not a new translation, however it became far more than just a revision. For so many people of the world it is THE Bible and they cherish its words and its meanings. Even though we should honor the scriptural version known as the King James , let us be careful that we do not turn it into some sort of "idol worship". There are many other versions with supportive qualities that also lend to helping others know God more fully.
Here's a Few Other Versions of Interest
Gutenberg Bible (GUT) 1456
Tyndale Bible (TYN) 1535
Webster Bible (WEB) 1833
English Revised Version (ERV) 1885
American Revised Standard (ASV) 1901
The Living Bible (LVB) 1911
Revised Standard Version (RSV) 1952, rv. ’71
Amplified Bible (AMP) 1964, rv. ’84
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 1995
New American Bible (NAB) 1970
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 1971, rv. ’96
New International Version (NIV) 1978
Simple English Version (SEV) 1980
New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) 1985
New King James Version (NKJV) 1982
New Living Translation (NLT) 1996
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 1990
There are new discoveries happening all the time concerning how to interpret Biblical text. There are incredible discoveries concerning new found scripture never before known that as of now are just being translated. There will be amazing discoveries happening over the next few decades. By limiting yourself to one version....in one language.....is not only dangerous but it shows an UNTRUSTING HEART, in that God has somehow stopped moving in our lives.