.
Your “Westcott & Hort Museum of Biblical Blunders” is hilarious precisely because it exposes the core flaw of KJV‑only polemics, which is the belief that textual criticism is a morality play with heroes and villains rather than a discipline dealing with scribal habits, transmission history, and manuscript evidence;
How certainly I should have been proclaimed heretic! -
Life and Letters of Brooke Foss Westcott,
page 233.
We see the problem with man's textual criticism laid out before us in this thread. Many of you believe that God inspired men to write God's words and, therefore, 'we better make certain we have “scholars” and “credentialed” “EXPERTS” doing the writing.'
This is why there is the push for 'bigger and better bibles,' that appear "pleasing to the eyes" and "to make one wise," that come with the highest recommendations of the 'scholars' who offer periodic "updates" of their findings to their yes-men and other subscribers. It also explains why those modern versions
of the Holy Bible must be copyrighted -- they are not an inspired work of God but works of men who claim owner$hip of them.
We will speak casually for a moment. Let’s take a look at the relevant passage:
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture
is given by inspiration of God, and
is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Tim. 3:15-17 AV
Notice that even a
child understands the holy scriptures -- no middlemen wanna-be ‘scholars’ required!
Notice that it is
God who gives scripture -- not man. Man does not even feature in this verse.
Notice that the purpose of God giving to man God’s in
spired scripture is so “that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
Notice
how God gives scripture -- by in
spiration.
Nowhere does it say that God inspired men! “All scripture is given by in
spiration of God.” God’s
Spirit (i.e. in
spiration) is the vehicle with which God ‘gives all scripture’ -- God does not give scripture via any man, or by inspiring any man, or by any other means. Thus, God’s scripture has
life -- it is alive, it is
the living Spirit-filled words of God. Conversely, man does not have life; outside of God, man is dead. Yes, man has breath, but mere breath is not life;
God’s Spirit is life. The words of men are mere breaths; whereas God’s word is Life itself.
The reality of the inspiration of scripture has no connection with any efforts of man.
This living quality of scripture puzzles those who are not born again. It even puzzles those who
are born again but who have had their thought processes impaired by spiritual deception.
Don’t let the wanna-be scholars deceive you by their attempts to shift the in
spiration of God’s living Spirit-filled words to man’s mere breath. So the next time you hear, “only the ‘Hebrew and Greek’ is the inspired text,” you’ll know the truth of the matter.
God's pattern has always been the same: He gives the COMMON man the COMMON bible in the COMMON language of the day, to do one thing -- evangelize the world. Acts 2:6 says,
"Every man heard them speak in his own language." God has spoken to men around the world through a text like the KJV in the German Tepl Bible, the Italian Diodati Bible, the French Olivetan Bible, the Hungarian Erdosi Bible, the Spanish Valera Bible, the Polish Visoly Bible, the De Grave Bible in Holland, the Russian Holy Synodal Bible, the German Luther Bible, and the Gottshcalkson Bible of Iceland. These all agree with the King James Version. The King James Bible Society (527 Benjulyn Rd., Cantonment, Florida) keeps a list of good foreign Bibles and missionaries in agreement with the KJV. People looking around in their church think
everyone uses an NIV or another
new version. That may be true within the context of their limited vision, but when looking back at the history of the church around the world, you will see, for example, that those 64,000 missing words in the NIV have not been missing through the history of the church.
And ye shall be hated of
all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Mat. 10:22
And ye shall be hated of
all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Mark 13:13
And ye shall be hated of
all men for my name's sake. Luke 21:17
...textual criticism is...a discipline dealing with scribal habits, transmission history, and manuscript evidence
Yeah, right.
Westcott and Hort wrote the Greek text underlying the new versions. A look into their private thoughts, via their personal correspondence preserved in their biographies, reveals the thoughts and activities of these men.
Their activities described here were occurring while they were deciding what does and does not belong in the bible.
Let’s take a look, via a timeline, at some of their
New Age heresies (all emphasis mine).
1840
“...he took a strange interest in Mormonism...procuring and studying the Book of Mormon.”
(Westcott, Vol. I, p. 19.)
1842
“In the evening I go with Tom to the wizard; but he does not dare perform before us.”
(Westcott, Vol. I, p. 9.)
1845
Westcott, Hort, and Benson start the ‘Hermes’ Club.
1846
“...his diary tells of a walk to Girton with C. B. Scott in which metaphysics was discussed.”
(Westcott, Vol. I, p. 42.)
[R]efers to evangelicals as “dangerous” and “unsound.”
(Westcott, Vol. I, pp. 44-45.)
“New doubts and old superstitions and rationalism, all trouble me...I cannot determine how much we must believe; how much in fact is necessarily required of a member of the church.”
(Westcott, Vol. I, pp. 46-47.)
1847
“So wild, so skeptical am I; I cannot yield.”
(Westcott, Vol. I, p. 52.)
In speaking of heretic Dr. Hampden, he says, “If he be condemned, what will become of me?”
(Westcott, Vol. I, p. 52.)
1848
Hort refers to the “...fanaticism of bibliolaters.” He remarks, “The pure Romish view seems to me nearer and more likely to lead to truth than the evangelical.”
(Hort, Vol. I, pp. 76-77.)
“Protestantism is only parenthetical and temporary.”
(Hort, Vol II, p. 31.)
1850
Hort speaks of “...confused evangelical notions...” He says, “I spoke of the gloomy prospect should the Evangelicals carry on their present victory.”
(Hort, Vol. I, pp. 148, 160.)
Westcott was, “troubled in thought about this passage” (blasphemy against the Spirit).
(Westcott, Vol. I, p. 109.)
1851
Hort joins the ‘Philosophical Society’ and comments, “Maurice urged me to give the greatest attention to Plato and Aristotle and to make them the center point of my reading.”
(Hort, Vol. I, pp. 202, 93.)
Hort refers to, “the common orthodox heresy: inspiration.”
(Hort, Vol. I, p. 181.)
Westcott, Hort, and Benson start the ‘Ghostly Guild.’
Westcott was ordained a ‘priest’ in the Anglican church.
Hort also joins ‘the Apostles’, a secret club.
1852
Westcott and Hort distribute ‘Ghostly Guild’ literature.
Westcott, in speaking of Revelation, admits, “On this, my views are perhaps extreme.”
(Westcott, Vol. I, p. 225.)
Referring to the traditional Greek Text, then currently in use, Westcott says, “I am most anxious to provide something to replace them.” He admits the drastic changes he plans and calls it, “our proposed
recension of the New Testament.”
(Westcott, Vol. I, p. 229.)
1853
Hort “was diligently preparing for his ordination” into the Anglican priesthood. “It was during these weeks with Mr. Westcott, who had come to see him [Hort] at Umberslacle, that the plan of a joint
revision of the text
of the Greek Testament was first definitely agreed upon.”
(Hort, Vol. I, p. 240.)
“About this time Mr. Daniel Macmillan suggested to him [Hort] that he should take part in an interesting and comprehensive ‘New Testament
Scheme’. Hort was to edit the text in conjunction with Mr. Westcott, the latter was to be responsible for a commentary, and Lightfoot was to contribute a New Testament Grammar and Lexicon.” (Hort, Vol. I, p. 241.) “He and I are going to
edit a Greek text of the New Testament some two or three years hence if possible.” (Hort, Vol. I, p. 250.) “We came to a distinct and positive understanding about
our Greek Text and the details thereof. We still do not wish to be talked about but are going to work at once and hope we may have it out in a little more than a year. This of course gives good employment.”
(Hort, Vol. I, p. 264.)
...continued...
.
