Independent Baptist Connection
The Culprits of Perversion
It seems an impossible task to keep track of all the modern translations on the shelves of book stores. If you’ve already read our previous articles on this subject, you know that not all bibles say the same thing. Yet most of them tend to agree to disagree with the 1611 KJV. Have you ever wondered why?
Part of the reason is because there have always been people devoted to changing God’s Word to agree with their own private theology rather than changing their own theology to agree with God’s Word. These are the people that historical records (not just my opinions) reveal as men who proved themselves careless with the Word because they didn’t think it really came from God in the first place.
This is where it started…
God told Adam and Eve they could do whatever they wanted except for one thing. They were warned to not eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The account is given in Genesis 2:16 and 17.
Something happened in Genesis 3:1-3. Eve did two things with God’s Word that men still do today, but she was the first to do it. She changed God’s command and she added to God’s Word.
A question from Satan helped prompt this series of events. This was the question: “Hath God said?” Thousands of years later, modern versions of the bible ask the same question Satan asked. Did God really say this?
Questions and doubts about God and His Word find themselves asked in footnotes. The most ancient manuscripts supposedly say something else by adding or leaving out certain words. Now the seeds of doubt and confusion continue growing their weeds of perversion. Remember this: God is not the author of confusion or doubt.
This article will prove to you that a root of error and carelessness has woven itself throughout many bible versions that are widely accepted today. I’m not asking you to take my own word for it, though. Take the word of world renowned experts.
The Samaritan Pentateuch
This was an early corruption of the Old Testament possessed by the Samaritans. A quick look at history shows us that Orthodox Jews and the Samaritans were not the greatest of friends. Orthodox Judaism has always rejected the Samaritan Pentateuch because it was composed by men outside the ranks of truth seeking Jews.
The Septuagint
The Septuagint (LXX) came from the Samaritan Pentateuch and originally contained only the Pentateuch or the first five books of the Bible. In time, it grew to include the entire Old Testament.
Few Christians seem aware of what Smith’s Bible Dictionary says about the Septuagint. “The completed version was by no means a clear and satisfactory rendering of the Hebrew, as might well be expected from its having passed through so many hands. It shows many variations from the original, both in words and phrases, as well as some additions… Moreover, it has come down to us in a state of great corruption, which renders it difficult to ascertain what the first translators wrote.”
That information strongly indicates that no great concern for preservation of accuracy was displayed. Already we can see the threads reaching back to Satan, along with the question he asked about scriptural accuracy.
Problems since New Testament Times
In the days of Paul, men were already twisting the scriptures to say something contrary to God.
“For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 2:17
“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another, but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.” Galatians 1:6, 7
Men highly esteemed by their peers in the ministry as great scholars, sometimes proved themselves heretics in the court of history. We’ll examine a few of these men throughout the rest of this article. Please be aware that some of the information you’ll read is no small cause for anger as it should be. There are many names, but we have room for only a few and only a brief comment about what these people really did that certain forces want to keep hidden from public view. Are you ready?
Marcion….120 A.D. to 160 A.D.
The historian, Ireaneus, said Marcion was a heretic. He produced a heretical gospel who took it upon himself to mutilating the scriptures by curtailing the gospel of Luke and the epistles of Paul. This man also changed the gospel to agree with his own theology instead of changing his theology to agree with the bible.
Tatian…175 A.D.
This man wrote a harmony of the gospel that was so corrupt, a Bishop of Syria threw out of his churches 200 copies. What was behind this effort? The Bishop didn’t want Tatian’s gospel confused with the real gospel.
Origen…184 A.D. to 254 A.D.
Origen was considered one of the greatest bible scholars of all time. He led a life of strong devotion that showed a real dedication to his cause. Dare we look beneath the surface?
This great scholar was actually declared a heretic by two separate church councils. What led them to take such drastic action? Among many strange beliefs, including his conviction that the Devil would be reconciled with God, was a disturbing revelation. Origen did not believe in the physical resurrection of Christ.
Even in his day, Romans 10:9-10 was still true. This means that Origen must have had no spiritual understanding because he had no spiritual life. That’s not my opinion. That is what God says in the Bible. That also means that Origen, no matter how great a bible “scholar”, did not believe the gospel. 1 Corinthians 15:3,4
“The Scriptures are of little use to those who understand them as they are written.” So said Origen.
After being proclaimed a heretic, Origen spent the rest of his life teaching at a theological school and doing translation work. It was this translation work that transformed itself into what is used as the Septuagint today. He also added matters of the Apocrypha to the Bible. Is this the kind of scholar we want working on an accurate translation of the Bible?
Origen was no doubt sincere, but he was sincerely wrong. If this concerns you, read on. It gets worse.
Eusebius…260 A.D. to 340 A.D.
This is another highly esteemed scholar of the past. It’s interesting to note that Eusebius was a great admirer of Origen. An understanding of history is essential to grasp what Eusebius really did.
Constantine was Emperor of a fragmented Roman Empire that faced internal religious war. On one side were the pagans. The other side was made up of true Christians. The Emperor knew that the only way to unite his kingdom was to stop the conflict between these two religious factions. How could he do that?
Eusebius was hired by the Emperor to make 50 copies of a bible by hand, with ornate decorations. They were masterpieces of craftsmanship. Each bible was to contain just enough paganism to appeal to the pagans and just enough truth to appeal to the Christians. On the surface, this doesn’t sound like a matter of great concern. However, it’s what happened several years later that still has a powerful impact today.
Jerome
Each language presents a barrier for which there are no equivalent words and even some thoughts become difficult to translate. Jerome attempted an accurate translation from the Hebrew and Greek into Latin. His work became the standard for many centuries. Part of his work, however, came from the earlier works of Origen and Eusebius.
He once said of Origen, “I love…the name of Origen..I will not listen to the notion that so great a soul was lost.”
Does that mean he trusted his own judgment more than the revealed word of God about salvation?
As part of the church of Rome, Jerome found himself employed as the secretary to Pope Damasus. That fact brings up another point of interest. According to Wendell Rone’s “The Baptist Faith and Roman Catholicism”, “When you accept the Bible as the Word of God, you are obliged to receive it on the authority of the Catholic Church, who was the sole guardian of the Scriptures for fifteen hundred years.”
The Catholic church has not been the sole guardian of the Scriptures at any time, according to the record of history, and the church knows it. Jerome’s belief that the scriptures alone don’t contain all the truths necessary to salvation made him careless in his treatment of the Bible. If God’s Word isn’t enough, then there must be liberty to add to it or take away from it whatever you wish. Don’t forget Revelation 22:18-19.
Not only are true bible believers not obliged to accept the position of the Roman church on the Bible, neither are they expected by God to receive the authority of God’s Word through the edict of any religious organization.
The Vaticanus
In the 14th century a text was found on the shelf of the Vatican library that later became known as the Vaticanus. It essentially agrees with Origen’s earlier work. Efforts to study or copy it were interfered with and discouraged by the Vatican. It’s interesting to note the text is missing Mark 16:9-20 and Hebrews 9:14 to the end of Revelation and perhaps more. It was a masterpiece of craftsmanship and researchers learned it was written sometime around 330 year after Christ. Can you remember what else happened about that time? Yes, the author of the Vaticanus was Eusebius. It was one of his 50 copies made for Constantine.
The Alexandrianus
Another text that contributes to modern versions of the bible is the Alexandrianus. This document captured attention in 1627 when it was donated to the British government by Cyril Lucar, the head of the Greek Catholic Church.
Its forerunner was the Septuagint. Parts of both the Old Testament and the New Testament are missing. Are you starting to see the truth that error plus error equals more error?
The Sinaiticus
The Sinaiticus was found in 1844 in a trash pile at St. Catherine’s Monastery near Mount Sinai. Though it is hailed as one of the greatest bible discoveries of all time, there is a reason it was found in a pile of trash. Bible scholar A.T. Robertson concluded that this document, written around 330 A.D., was another of the 50 bibles Eusebius put together for Constantine.
Many religious leaders have forgotten that it contains only about half of the Old Testament and parts of the New Testament. Among the missing verses are Mark 16:9-20 and John 7:58-8:11.
When bibles claim that certain words or phrases are not found in the most ancient manuscripts, they refer primarily to the Vaticanus and the Sinaiticus. Note carefully the events of 330 A.D. and how they continue causing confusion even today.
The Untold Story
The Vaticanus and Sinaiticus contradict each other many times! They don’t make the same changes. Some scholars claim they are the oldest manuscripts but the testimony of history proves otherwise. It’s not hard to see the stream of error reaching all the way back to Satan and flowing into the present. The worst perversion, however, was yet to come.
The Ultimate Perversion
From about 1611 until the late 1800’s, the King James Version proved itself the most reliable English bible in print. Sometime around 1881, the public reportedly felt the language of the 1611 KJV needed revising. Does that sound familiar? People are saying the same thing today.
A revision committee was put together in the 1870’s. While they said they were revising the “archaic” English of the 1611 KJV, this committee lied about its work, its intentions, its real goals, and the results of its work. Error was still producing error.
Two men were placed in charge of the revision committee. One was B.F. Westcott and the other was Fenton Hort.
What was wrong with their work? The man sources for their text were the Vaticanus and the Sinaiticus. Once again, error led to more error and confusion led to more confusion. The committee and its members met together secretly for ten years as the work progressed. What was the mystery?
Westcott’s Theology
Westcott felt that evangelicals were both dangerous and unsound in their theology. He also admitted he should have been proclaimed a heretic. This bible “scholar” rejected the infallibility of the Scriptures. Perhaps most disturbing of all was his belief that, “Our Bible as well as our faith is a mere compromise.”
Guess whose work was close to Westcott’s heart. He also loved Origen. Can you see the one at work here? Accuracy means little to one who feels the bible is little more than a compromise. Much more could be said about Westcott, but space is limited. Both Westcott and Hort were deeply involved in the occult. That may help explain why their treatment of God’s word wasn’t careful.
Hort’s Theology
Hort once wrote, “I have been persuaded for many years that Mary-worship and Jesus-worship have very much in common in their causes and their results.”
“We dare not forsake the sacraments or God will forsake us.”
What more can be said? Mary is dead and buried and her remains rest in a tomb somewhere. Not so with Jesus, because the Christian serves a risen savior!
Sacraments are vehicles that create a relationship with God that wasn’t present until the keeping of the sacraments. Independent Baptists do not believe in or adhere to sacraments. Neither does any other Baptist that I know of. They do, however, observe ordinances. This is not to obtain grace from God but is a matter of obedience to God because the relationship of salvation already exists.
Therefore, one cannot believe the bible and the ordinances of God and sacraments at the same time. The two terms are contradictory to each other! For more information about this topic, wait until our series on baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the two ordinances observed by Baptist churches the world over.
Hort didn’t feel members of the English clergy were compelled to maintain the absolute infallibility of the bible. Again, we see that Hort apparently didn’t feel he was dealing with the holy Word of God. The error continued.
Was it a revision or a new translation?
Doctor Ellicott, who worked on the revision committee with Westcott and Hort, said they made eight or nine changes in every five verses in the Old Testament. They rejected 19 out of 20 manuscripts of the New Testament. The result was not a revision of the errors of the Vaticanus and Sinaiticus which were not used in the 1611 KJV, but a new translation of the bible. Not only that, but this was a new translation based on a totally different text than the 1611 KJV. How, then, was it a revision of the 1611 KJV?
It had been changed to agree with the faulty theology of both Westcott and Hort. This brought the world the Revised Standard Version of 1881. It also brought into existence a “standard” Greek text that is used for nearly every modern version of the bible today, the Westcott and Hort Greek text.
Can you see it, now? The roots of error reach all the way back to the Garden of Eden and they stretch all the way to the present. Despite this root, God has still preserved the accuracy of His word. Now we have to make a choice.
It’s not just a matter of preference. This is a decision we must make based on our own desire for an accurate bible, one we can rely on. Just as the roots of evil stretch back to Eden, a stream of truth has also flowed from the beginning of time. We’ll look at that next time.
The evidence is clear. Many bibles contain the truth, but most Christians have no way of knowing which part is true and which part isn’t. Who knows what parts were left out or added? Let God be true but every man a liar! We have looked at a few of the liars and it’s time for us to look at the truth-seekers. Hath God said?
I know this is not the popular notion of bible history. The historical record often reveals truths we don’t want to think about or even admit but we must accept the record or we must rewrite history. Did you know there was a time when the introductions to many “modern” bible versions contained a brief history of how the bible came into existence, as well as the work that went into the translation itself? In many cases, that information has either been removed from these same bibles or has been so edited that those seeking the truth can no longer find it without extensive research somewhere else! Why hide this information unless there is something they don’t want us to know?
Actually, the publishers know they can’t sell bibles if they can’t be “trusted”. Therefore, if the information is left out, they can make more money from the well meaning people who don’t know any better.
Part of the reason is because there have always been people devoted to changing God’s Word to agree with their own private theology rather than changing their own theology to agree with God’s Word. These are the people that historical records (not just my opinions) reveal as men who proved themselves careless with the Word because they didn’t think it really came from God in the first place.
This is where it started…
God told Adam and Eve they could do whatever they wanted except for one thing. They were warned to not eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The account is given in Genesis 2:16 and 17.
Something happened in Genesis 3:1-3. Eve did two things with God’s Word that men still do today, but she was the first to do it. She changed God’s command and she added to God’s Word.
A question from Satan helped prompt this series of events. This was the question: “Hath God said?” Thousands of years later, modern versions of the bible ask the same question Satan asked. Did God really say this?
Questions and doubts about God and His Word find themselves asked in footnotes. The most ancient manuscripts supposedly say something else by adding or leaving out certain words. Now the seeds of doubt and confusion continue growing their weeds of perversion. Remember this: God is not the author of confusion or doubt.
This article will prove to you that a root of error and carelessness has woven itself throughout many bible versions that are widely accepted today. I’m not asking you to take my own word for it, though. Take the word of world renowned experts.
The Samaritan Pentateuch
This was an early corruption of the Old Testament possessed by the Samaritans. A quick look at history shows us that Orthodox Jews and the Samaritans were not the greatest of friends. Orthodox Judaism has always rejected the Samaritan Pentateuch because it was composed by men outside the ranks of truth seeking Jews.
The Septuagint
The Septuagint (LXX) came from the Samaritan Pentateuch and originally contained only the Pentateuch or the first five books of the Bible. In time, it grew to include the entire Old Testament.
Few Christians seem aware of what Smith’s Bible Dictionary says about the Septuagint. “The completed version was by no means a clear and satisfactory rendering of the Hebrew, as might well be expected from its having passed through so many hands. It shows many variations from the original, both in words and phrases, as well as some additions… Moreover, it has come down to us in a state of great corruption, which renders it difficult to ascertain what the first translators wrote.”
That information strongly indicates that no great concern for preservation of accuracy was displayed. Already we can see the threads reaching back to Satan, along with the question he asked about scriptural accuracy.
Problems since New Testament Times
In the days of Paul, men were already twisting the scriptures to say something contrary to God.
“For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 2:17
“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another, but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.” Galatians 1:6, 7
Men highly esteemed by their peers in the ministry as great scholars, sometimes proved themselves heretics in the court of history. We’ll examine a few of these men throughout the rest of this article. Please be aware that some of the information you’ll read is no small cause for anger as it should be. There are many names, but we have room for only a few and only a brief comment about what these people really did that certain forces want to keep hidden from public view. Are you ready?
Marcion….120 A.D. to 160 A.D.
The historian, Ireaneus, said Marcion was a heretic. He produced a heretical gospel who took it upon himself to mutilating the scriptures by curtailing the gospel of Luke and the epistles of Paul. This man also changed the gospel to agree with his own theology instead of changing his theology to agree with the bible.
Tatian…175 A.D.
This man wrote a harmony of the gospel that was so corrupt, a Bishop of Syria threw out of his churches 200 copies. What was behind this effort? The Bishop didn’t want Tatian’s gospel confused with the real gospel.
Origen…184 A.D. to 254 A.D.
Origen was considered one of the greatest bible scholars of all time. He led a life of strong devotion that showed a real dedication to his cause. Dare we look beneath the surface?
This great scholar was actually declared a heretic by two separate church councils. What led them to take such drastic action? Among many strange beliefs, including his conviction that the Devil would be reconciled with God, was a disturbing revelation. Origen did not believe in the physical resurrection of Christ.
Even in his day, Romans 10:9-10 was still true. This means that Origen must have had no spiritual understanding because he had no spiritual life. That’s not my opinion. That is what God says in the Bible. That also means that Origen, no matter how great a bible “scholar”, did not believe the gospel. 1 Corinthians 15:3,4
“The Scriptures are of little use to those who understand them as they are written.” So said Origen.
After being proclaimed a heretic, Origen spent the rest of his life teaching at a theological school and doing translation work. It was this translation work that transformed itself into what is used as the Septuagint today. He also added matters of the Apocrypha to the Bible. Is this the kind of scholar we want working on an accurate translation of the Bible?
Origen was no doubt sincere, but he was sincerely wrong. If this concerns you, read on. It gets worse.
Eusebius…260 A.D. to 340 A.D.
This is another highly esteemed scholar of the past. It’s interesting to note that Eusebius was a great admirer of Origen. An understanding of history is essential to grasp what Eusebius really did.
Constantine was Emperor of a fragmented Roman Empire that faced internal religious war. On one side were the pagans. The other side was made up of true Christians. The Emperor knew that the only way to unite his kingdom was to stop the conflict between these two religious factions. How could he do that?
Eusebius was hired by the Emperor to make 50 copies of a bible by hand, with ornate decorations. They were masterpieces of craftsmanship. Each bible was to contain just enough paganism to appeal to the pagans and just enough truth to appeal to the Christians. On the surface, this doesn’t sound like a matter of great concern. However, it’s what happened several years later that still has a powerful impact today.
Jerome
Each language presents a barrier for which there are no equivalent words and even some thoughts become difficult to translate. Jerome attempted an accurate translation from the Hebrew and Greek into Latin. His work became the standard for many centuries. Part of his work, however, came from the earlier works of Origen and Eusebius.
He once said of Origen, “I love…the name of Origen..I will not listen to the notion that so great a soul was lost.”
Does that mean he trusted his own judgment more than the revealed word of God about salvation?
As part of the church of Rome, Jerome found himself employed as the secretary to Pope Damasus. That fact brings up another point of interest. According to Wendell Rone’s “The Baptist Faith and Roman Catholicism”, “When you accept the Bible as the Word of God, you are obliged to receive it on the authority of the Catholic Church, who was the sole guardian of the Scriptures for fifteen hundred years.”
The Catholic church has not been the sole guardian of the Scriptures at any time, according to the record of history, and the church knows it. Jerome’s belief that the scriptures alone don’t contain all the truths necessary to salvation made him careless in his treatment of the Bible. If God’s Word isn’t enough, then there must be liberty to add to it or take away from it whatever you wish. Don’t forget Revelation 22:18-19.
Not only are true bible believers not obliged to accept the position of the Roman church on the Bible, neither are they expected by God to receive the authority of God’s Word through the edict of any religious organization.
The Vaticanus
In the 14th century a text was found on the shelf of the Vatican library that later became known as the Vaticanus. It essentially agrees with Origen’s earlier work. Efforts to study or copy it were interfered with and discouraged by the Vatican. It’s interesting to note the text is missing Mark 16:9-20 and Hebrews 9:14 to the end of Revelation and perhaps more. It was a masterpiece of craftsmanship and researchers learned it was written sometime around 330 year after Christ. Can you remember what else happened about that time? Yes, the author of the Vaticanus was Eusebius. It was one of his 50 copies made for Constantine.
The Alexandrianus
Another text that contributes to modern versions of the bible is the Alexandrianus. This document captured attention in 1627 when it was donated to the British government by Cyril Lucar, the head of the Greek Catholic Church.
Its forerunner was the Septuagint. Parts of both the Old Testament and the New Testament are missing. Are you starting to see the truth that error plus error equals more error?
The Sinaiticus
The Sinaiticus was found in 1844 in a trash pile at St. Catherine’s Monastery near Mount Sinai. Though it is hailed as one of the greatest bible discoveries of all time, there is a reason it was found in a pile of trash. Bible scholar A.T. Robertson concluded that this document, written around 330 A.D., was another of the 50 bibles Eusebius put together for Constantine.
Many religious leaders have forgotten that it contains only about half of the Old Testament and parts of the New Testament. Among the missing verses are Mark 16:9-20 and John 7:58-8:11.
When bibles claim that certain words or phrases are not found in the most ancient manuscripts, they refer primarily to the Vaticanus and the Sinaiticus. Note carefully the events of 330 A.D. and how they continue causing confusion even today.
The Untold Story
The Vaticanus and Sinaiticus contradict each other many times! They don’t make the same changes. Some scholars claim they are the oldest manuscripts but the testimony of history proves otherwise. It’s not hard to see the stream of error reaching all the way back to Satan and flowing into the present. The worst perversion, however, was yet to come.
The Ultimate Perversion
From about 1611 until the late 1800’s, the King James Version proved itself the most reliable English bible in print. Sometime around 1881, the public reportedly felt the language of the 1611 KJV needed revising. Does that sound familiar? People are saying the same thing today.
A revision committee was put together in the 1870’s. While they said they were revising the “archaic” English of the 1611 KJV, this committee lied about its work, its intentions, its real goals, and the results of its work. Error was still producing error.
Two men were placed in charge of the revision committee. One was B.F. Westcott and the other was Fenton Hort.
What was wrong with their work? The man sources for their text were the Vaticanus and the Sinaiticus. Once again, error led to more error and confusion led to more confusion. The committee and its members met together secretly for ten years as the work progressed. What was the mystery?
Westcott’s Theology
Westcott felt that evangelicals were both dangerous and unsound in their theology. He also admitted he should have been proclaimed a heretic. This bible “scholar” rejected the infallibility of the Scriptures. Perhaps most disturbing of all was his belief that, “Our Bible as well as our faith is a mere compromise.”
Guess whose work was close to Westcott’s heart. He also loved Origen. Can you see the one at work here? Accuracy means little to one who feels the bible is little more than a compromise. Much more could be said about Westcott, but space is limited. Both Westcott and Hort were deeply involved in the occult. That may help explain why their treatment of God’s word wasn’t careful.
Hort’s Theology
Hort once wrote, “I have been persuaded for many years that Mary-worship and Jesus-worship have very much in common in their causes and their results.”
“We dare not forsake the sacraments or God will forsake us.”
What more can be said? Mary is dead and buried and her remains rest in a tomb somewhere. Not so with Jesus, because the Christian serves a risen savior!
Sacraments are vehicles that create a relationship with God that wasn’t present until the keeping of the sacraments. Independent Baptists do not believe in or adhere to sacraments. Neither does any other Baptist that I know of. They do, however, observe ordinances. This is not to obtain grace from God but is a matter of obedience to God because the relationship of salvation already exists.
Therefore, one cannot believe the bible and the ordinances of God and sacraments at the same time. The two terms are contradictory to each other! For more information about this topic, wait until our series on baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the two ordinances observed by Baptist churches the world over.
Hort didn’t feel members of the English clergy were compelled to maintain the absolute infallibility of the bible. Again, we see that Hort apparently didn’t feel he was dealing with the holy Word of God. The error continued.
Was it a revision or a new translation?
Doctor Ellicott, who worked on the revision committee with Westcott and Hort, said they made eight or nine changes in every five verses in the Old Testament. They rejected 19 out of 20 manuscripts of the New Testament. The result was not a revision of the errors of the Vaticanus and Sinaiticus which were not used in the 1611 KJV, but a new translation of the bible. Not only that, but this was a new translation based on a totally different text than the 1611 KJV. How, then, was it a revision of the 1611 KJV?
It had been changed to agree with the faulty theology of both Westcott and Hort. This brought the world the Revised Standard Version of 1881. It also brought into existence a “standard” Greek text that is used for nearly every modern version of the bible today, the Westcott and Hort Greek text.
Can you see it, now? The roots of error reach all the way back to the Garden of Eden and they stretch all the way to the present. Despite this root, God has still preserved the accuracy of His word. Now we have to make a choice.
It’s not just a matter of preference. This is a decision we must make based on our own desire for an accurate bible, one we can rely on. Just as the roots of evil stretch back to Eden, a stream of truth has also flowed from the beginning of time. We’ll look at that next time.
The evidence is clear. Many bibles contain the truth, but most Christians have no way of knowing which part is true and which part isn’t. Who knows what parts were left out or added? Let God be true but every man a liar! We have looked at a few of the liars and it’s time for us to look at the truth-seekers. Hath God said?
I know this is not the popular notion of bible history. The historical record often reveals truths we don’t want to think about or even admit but we must accept the record or we must rewrite history. Did you know there was a time when the introductions to many “modern” bible versions contained a brief history of how the bible came into existence, as well as the work that went into the translation itself? In many cases, that information has either been removed from these same bibles or has been so edited that those seeking the truth can no longer find it without extensive research somewhere else! Why hide this information unless there is something they don’t want us to know?
Actually, the publishers know they can’t sell bibles if they can’t be “trusted”. Therefore, if the information is left out, they can make more money from the well meaning people who don’t know any better.