Response:

I do not believe that the KJV is better than the "original". While there is a segment of fundamentalism that believes this, most do not. God originally spoke His Word in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, undoubtably because in His perfect Wisdom, He knew that this was best. Therefore, no translation can be superior to the original language. However, not only do we not have the originals (although I believe, because of the Bible's promises, that we do have perfectly preserved copies of the originals), but most of the world, including the English speaking world, can not read Greek and Hebrew. Thus, the Bible must be translated into the common tongue of the people. While the KJV is not superior to the originals, it is an accurate, literal translation from preserved copies of the orginals, and therefore carries the authority of Scripture. As we have shown in other "Ask the Pastor" answers, other English versions of the Bible are based on different Greek and Hebrew manuscripts, which I believe are not accurate copies of the originals. Therefore, if these translations are based upon faulty manuscripts, then they can not be superior versions. In addition, some versions, such as the NIV, are not literal translations, but follow a format called Dynamic Equivilency. This removes the importance of the words, and and places importance on ideas. While ideas are obviously important, the Bible does say that "Every WORD of God is pure", not every idea. Christ Himself said that neither a jot (the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet) nor a tittle (the smallest part of a Hebrew letter) would pass from the law. If letters and parts are that important, the words they form are even more so. And, of course, ideas are presented by words. When you change the words, you may be changing the idea.

As far as a brief history of the Bible is concerned, God inspired men to write His Word exactly as He wanted it given. These originals were circulated, and copied. In the Old Testament in particular, great care was given to accuracy by the Masoretes, who were Jewish scholars whose life's work involved copying the Scriptures. They were active from about 500-1000 A.D. It is the Masoretic Text of the Old Testament that is the basis for the King James Version. In actuality, there is very little debate over the Old Testament manuscripts. Most of the difficulty comes with the New Testament.

The New Testamant "originals" were completed, and being circulated, by about 100 A.D. While we do not have originals, we do have copies dating back as far as the second century. The vast majority of these manuscripts and copies support the text that is the basis for the KJV. It was these manuscripts that formed the basis of ancient Bibles that were translated into other languages. Beginning with John Wycliffe's English translation in 1380, all English translations were based upon this text. In the early 1500's, Erasmus colated this text type into what we know today as the Textus Receptus. The TR was the basis for the Tyndale, Coverdale, Matthews, Great, and Geneva Bibles, and ultimately, in 1611, the King James Version. From that time until late 1800's, there were no major attempts to translate the Bible into English. The KJV had done the job of acurrately translating the preserved Word of God into the English language.

In the mid 1800's some very ancient, and apparently unused and rejected, Greek manuscripts were discovered, which had numerous differences from those which made up the Textus Receptus. Certain men of a liberal bent, who rejected the doctrine of preservation, decided that these manuscripts should be followed rather than those that the church had been using for 1700 years. These manuscripts form the basis of the Westcott/Hort text, or the Eclectic Text. Since 1881, all modern English versions (Revised Version, American Standard, Revised Standard, New American Standard, New International, even parts of the New King James) have been based upon these manuscripts.

Obviously, to use one of the modern translations, you are forced to believe that God kept His Word from His followers for hundreds of years, and allowed them to follow an impure Bible, before finally re-giving the world His Scriptures in the mid 1800's. This certainly does not fulfill God's promises of preservation. It should also be clear that in comparison to the originals the KJV is "recent", but the text upon which it is based was the text of Christianity for 1800 years before the Westcott/Hort text showed up.

By Dr Mark Montgomery Ambassador Baptist Church 1926 Babcock Blvd Pittsburgh, PA 15209 (412)477-3210