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DECEMBER 1, 1971

"A CHRISTIAN APPROACH TO THE EVALUATION OF
ENGLISH VERSIONS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT"

By

Mr. Everett W. Fowler [o.k. if KJV]

President, TRINITARIAN BIBLE SOCIETY (U.S.A.)

 

Edited By:

Rev. D. A. Waite, Th.D., Ph.D.

Director, THE BIBLE FOR TODAY, INCORPORATED

Collingswood, New Jersey 08108

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[CHM note: pp. 14 & 20: EWF denies perfection towards the KJV.
pp. 14 & 24: EWF at times prefers the New Scofield Ref. Bible.]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION                                                                                       PAGE

CHAPTER I
TWO VIEWS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT TEXT   7
  1. THE CHRISTIAN VIEW OF THE NEW TESTAMENT TEXT   7
    1. The New Testament Claims To Be Inspired Of God   7
    2. The New Testament Writers Themselves Claimed Their Words Were Inspired   7
      1. Luke's Claim For Divine Authority   7
      2. Paul's Claim For Divine Authority   7
      3. Peter's Claim For Divine Authority   7
      4. John's Claim For Divine Authority   7
    3. The Preservation Of the New Testament Was Promised By God   7
    4. Translators And Greek Textual Critics Cannot Keep Their Theological Views
      Out Of Their Work   7
    5. Unregenerated Translators Or Greek Textual Critics Cannot Be Trusted   8
    6. The Christian View Of The New Testament Scriptures Summarized   8

  2. THE NATURALISTIC VIEW OF THE NEW TESTAMENT TEXT   8
    1. The Assumption That The New Testament Is Like Any Other Ancient Book   8
    2. The Assumption That Early Christians Were Uneducated And Careless In
      Copying   8
    3. The Assumption That It Is Impossible To Determine The Original Text
      Now   8
    4. The Assumption Of Three Rules Of Textual Criticism   8
    5. The Assumption Of The Naturalistic View Is Contrary To The Bible And
      Should Be Rejected By Christians   9

CHAPTER II
THE MANUSCRIPT BASIS AND PRINTED GREEK TEXTS   9
  1. THE MANUSCRIPT BASIS FOR THE NEW TESTAMENT   9
    1. Types of Manuscripts Forming The Basis of the New Testament   9
    2. The Quantity of Manuscripts Forming The Basis of the New Testament   9
    3. The New Testament Better Attested By Numbers of Manuscripts Than Any
      Other Ancient Book!   9
    4. The Three Major Classes of New Testament Greek Manuscripts   9
      1. The Western Text.   9
      2. The Alexandrian Text   9
      3. The Byzantine Text   10
    5. Byzantine Manuscripts Were Not Copies One Of Another, But Each Descended
      From Its Own Ancestor   10
    6. Codex D or Beza--A Western Family Text   10
    7. Codex Aleph Or Sinaiticus--An Alexandrian Family Text   10
    8. Codex B or Vaticanus--An Alexandrian Family Text   10
    9. Variations Among the More Than 5,000 Greek New Testament Manuscripts   10
      1. Omissions Are The Most Important Variation   10
      2. The Variations From The Byzantine Text Do Bear On Doctrinal Mat-
        ters   11
      3. Variations On The 12 Verses Omitted From Mark 16:9-20 and John 7:
        53--8:11   11
        a. Mark 16:9-20 Upheld   11
        b. John 7:53--8:11 Upheld   11
           (1) Liberals Reject These Verses   11
           (2) A Summary of Evidence In Favor of John 7:53--8:11   11
    10. Variations In Greek New Testament Manuscripts Illustrates The Battle Be-
      tween Satan and Our God   11

  1. THE PRINTED GREEK TEXTS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT   11
    1. The Text of Erasmus in 1516   11
    2. The Texts Leading Up To The Received Text Or Textus Receptus   11
    3. The Received Text's Long Accepted Authoritative Position   12
    4. Printed Greek New Testament Texts Which Departed From The Received
      Text's Readings   12
      1. Westcott & Hort's Greek Text of 1881   12
      2. Eberhard & Erwin Nestle's Greek Text of 1898   12
      3. The United Bible Societies Greek Text of 1966   12
      1. The U. B. S. Text Described   12
      2. Other Deficiencies Of The U. B. S.' Text   13
      3. The U. B. S.' Text Required of Mies. to
        Use In Translating the New Testament Into New Languages   13

CHAPTER III
THE KING JAMES VERSION VERSUS THE AMERICAN REVISED VERSION AND
OTHER ENGLISH VERSIONS   13
  1. THE KING JAMES VERSION OF 1611   13
    1. The Reason for the King James Version   13
    2. The Greek Text for the King James Version Was Largely Byzantine   13
    3. The King James Version Preface Shows Clearly That The Translators
      Held The Christian View of the Scriptures   13
    4. Revisions of the King James Version Since Published In 1611   14
    5. Present-Day [omit]   14

  2. THE AMERICAN REVISED VERSION OF 1901 (ALSO CALLED THE "AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION")
    1. The Background of the A. R. V. of 1901   14
      ...
    2. Reasons for A. R. V. Not Being Accepted As Widely As
      Anticipated   15
      1. The A. R. V. Used a Different Text Than The King
        James Version   15
      2. The A. R. V. Committee Had One Unitarian And Some
        Other Modernists On It   15
        ...
    3. The So-Called "Improvements" In The A. R. V. Examined   16
      ...
    4. Changes In The A. R. V. Which Downgrade The Lord Jesus
      Christ   16
      1. Changes In Matthew 19:16-17 and John 7:53--8:11   17
      2. The Doxology In Matthew 6:13 Is Omitted In The American Revised Ver-
        sion   17
        a. The Strong Manuscript Evidence For This Doxology   17
        b. The Explanation For Its Omission In A Few Old Manuscripts   17

      1. The A. R. V. Omitted Mark 15:28   17
        ...
      2. The A. R. V. Casts Doubt On The Virgin Birth of
        Christ In Luke 2:33   18
        a. The Problem Stated   18
        b. The Naturalistic View of the Problem   18
        c. In Defense of the Reading "Joseph" In Luke 2:33   18
      3. The A. R. V. Omits Part of John 16:16   18
      4. For Other Omissions And Changes Where The A. R. V.
        Downgrades the Lord Jesus Christ, See The Appendix   18
    1. Changes In The A. R. V. Which Improperly Quote Old Testa-
      ment Passages Found in the New Testament   18
      ...
    2. Changes in the A. R. V. Which Result In Awkward English   19
      ...
    3. Changes In The A. R. V. Which Improperly Translate
      The "Sabbath"   19
      ...
    4. Concluding Remarks About The American Revised Version of 1901   20
      1. The American Revised Version Introduces Many Faults Which Overbalance
        Its "Improvements"   20
      2. The American Revised Version Uses A Different And An Inferior Greek
        Text Compared To The King James Version   20
      3. ...   20
      4. ...   20

  1. DIFFERENCES AMONG VARIOUS ENGLISH VERSIONS   20
    1. Differences Between Various Versions And The King James Version Catalogued
      by Types   20
      1. Differences Which Result From Translation From A Different Greek Text
        And Reflect A Difference In The Greek   21
      2. Differences Which Result From The Translator's Choice of Different
        English Words To Express the Meaning of the Greek Text   21
      3. Differences Which Result From The Writer's Paraphrasing Instead of
        Translating   21
    2. Differences Among ... Based On A Different Greek
      Text, Illustrated By Matthew 19:16-17   21
      ...
    3. Differences Among ... Based On The Translator's
      Choice of Different English Words to Express The Greek Text   21

      1. The KJV's Rendering of John 1:5   21
      2. ...
    1. Differences Among Various English Versions Due To Unsaved Translators'
      Wrong Choices of English Words   22
      1. The Problem in Hebrews 1:8   22
      2. Hebrews 1:8 As Rendered By Moffatt, Goodspeed, And the R.S.V.   22
      3. The Loose View of Verbal Inspiration Held By Moffatt, Goodspeed, and
        The Translators of the R.S.V.   22
    2. Differences Among Various English Versions Resulting From The Translator's
      Paraphrasing Instead of Translating   22
      1. Colossians 1:17 in Phillips
      2. Colossians 1:17 in the KJV
      3. Colossians 1:17 in the Living New Testament of 1967
      4. Colossians 4:1 In Phillips
      5. Colossians 4:1 In The KJV
      6. Colossians 4:1 In The Living New Testament
      7. Colossians 4:5 in Phillips
      8. Colossians 4:5 In the KJV
      9. Colossians 4:5 in the Living New Testament
      10. Colossians 4:6 in the KJV
      11. Colossians 4:6 in The Living New Testament
      12. Colossians 4:6 in Phillips

CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSIONS   24
    1. Exact Translation of God's Precise Word Is Essential   24
    2. The Best Way To Compare Various Versions Is To Compare Them With The
      King James Version [omit]   24
    3. Virtually The Only Translation Around Today of the Received Greek Text
      Is The King James Version   24
    4. The Greek Received Text Is The Most Reliable Greek Text As Attested Clearly
      By Careful Review of the Evidence   24

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND ENDNOTES   25

APPENDIX I
CHANGES WHICH DOWNGRADE OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST   25

APPENDIX II
"JEHOVAH" VERSUS "LORD"   26

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APPENDIX III
FACTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR   29

APPENDIX IV
THE BIBLE FOR TODAY CATALOG AND ORDER BLANK   31