Can We Trust Our English Bible Versions? Part 1

Introduction

Well, good morning, class. I want to say a couple of things before we begin the lesson itself. One is this is a part, it’s a two-part lesson. And that’s important because I’m going to end this lesson this morning on time. That’s one of the challenges with this time frame. I got to stop on time. And I will not have finished. So you understand? That means you have to come back for part two. And this church has planned part two for what? 2 30 today. It’s part two. So that’s my first advertisement for 2 30. And I don’t like leaving things hanging, but that’s necessary in this case. You simply can’t talk about everything in one lesson. So accept my apologies for that if you can’t be back.

I’m presuming these are going to be recorded. So you need to promise me that if you can’t be here, you’ll listen to part two, because that’s needed to put a ribbon around this lesson. So thank you for being here. And the other thing I want to say to you is it’s such a pleasure to get to be back here. This has many memories for me. Some of you are old enough to know that my father also preached here a number of times. And dad passed away in 2015 at the age of 102. I have some of his genes. I’m 80. And hopefully, I have a lot of them so I can be around a while longer. But it’s a great pleasure to be here in his footsteps also.

And the other thing is I like to bring Marilyn with me to these kinds of series, my wife Marilyn. She’s just not up to it this time. So I bring her love and uh greetings to you. And understand that the only negative thing about this week at all is that Marilyn can’t be here with me. But it’s a blessing to be here. So, class, are you ready? I want to start this way. I want you to hold up your Bibles, everybody. Hold up your Bible. Everybody look around. I think everybody has one. All right. And I assume all of those are English Bibles.

Well, we may have some Spanish or some other version. Is yours something else? No, okay. Well, you all know, I hope, that the Bible is translated into more languages than any other book by far. And in spite of that, there’s still hundreds of languages into which the Bible has yet to be translated. And dialects of various kinds. So it’s a huge project. But it’s been done for more languages than any other book by far. There’s no comparison. I had you do that for a reason. The Council of Toulouse was conducted in AD 1229. You probably are aware that in the Western world at that time, the Roman Catholic Church dominated. Not only the religious scene, but also the political scene. They had tremendous power in those days.

Powers of life and death. And one of the things that was happening in the 1200s in Toulouse, France, was that people were getting access to copies of the Bible in their language. And the Roman Catholic Church was looking upon that as extremely dangerous. And so one of the purposes for this council was to call together the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church of that part of the world and to take care of the problem of heresy. Here’s a picture of France, and you’ll see down at the bottom, there’s the city of Toulouse. I have a circle around it. Right here. Well, in that region of France, there were many people getting access to copies of the Bible in their own language. And the Council of Toulouse was established specifically to extinct, to make extinct the heresies that were arising because of that.

So they passed 45 canons. Now this is a class, so you’re allowed to answer. A canon is not something that goes boom. What’s a canon in this case?

They passed 45 laws that at that council over a period of weeks.

Who’s the laity class? How about that’s us? And of course, there was already a very clear distinction between the laity and the what? The clergy. And the clergy would have access to things to which the laity could not have access. In this instance, they wanted the laity not to have access to any portion of the scripture. Let me read canon number 14 to you in English. We also forbid the laity to possess any of the books of the old or new testaments, except perhaps the Psalter. What do you think that is? The book of Psalms? Or the abbreviary for the divine offices? What in the world is that? Is that in your Bible? It isn’t in mine either. But that was something else the Roman Catholic Church had available to people.

Or the hours of the Blessed Virgin. Is that in your Bible? No, but it was available to Roman Catholics, but they weren’t allowed to have a copy of their own, except those, maybe, which some out of devotion wish to have, but having any of these books translated into the vulgar tongue, we strictly forbid. Vulgar does not mean profane, it means what? Common. Or the language everybody spoke.

Was it in the language of the common people? It was in the language of the common people. But by this time, what was the language acceptable to the Roman Catholic Church for the Bible to be used in? Anyone know? Primarily Latin. Did God deliver the Bible to us in Latin? No, he did not. It had already been translated into different languages. But they didn’t want the common man having access to that. So I can assure you, if it were 1229 in Toulouse, France, and I asked you to raise up your copy of the Bible, none of you would have done it. Because what do you think was the punishment for having such a thing in your possession? Say it louder. Death. And by the way, of those 45 canons, if you’re interested, you can look it up.

You ought to go read them. About half of them was the things that gave the right of that group of men to go in and search your houses and your barns and whatever other places you had to find out if you had some of these things hidden. So the contraband was not drugs in those days, it was copies of the Bible in your language so you could actually read it for yourself.

In the first case, a lot of people couldn’t read.

And by the way, in what form was the Bible passed on in those early days? I mean, how did they make Bibles? How did they do it? They did it by hand, people. Every copy that was available to anybody up until what century? Anyone know? When we first had a printing press. Close. It was in the 1400s that the printing press was invented. Prior to 1400s, every book was handwritten. You aware of this? So God’s word was passed on to people in handwritten form. And in 1229, you better not have one of your own. So my question in this lesson and the one this afternoon is can we be confident in our English Bibles? You do know, don’t you, that you’re blessed to have been raised to speak a language that most people on earth want to speak?

English is the language of politics, it’s the language of business. And most everybody where I’ve been, I’ve been in 28 countries. And people in those countries want to speak English as well as their language. That’s the truth. So you’re blessed. But God did not give us his Bible in English, folks. Sorry, it’s an important language of our time, but that’s not what God used. So my question is we have the Bible in English. Can we trust it to be carefully done and be a transmission of what God wanted us to know? That’s what we’re going to talk about in this series. I say that’s a good question given how much time has passed, how many things have happened over those centuries, and the difficulty of translating text from one language to another.

Now, how many in this class have studied more than English? Raise your hand.

1. Absolutely Not, in Some Cases

There are people that know one language and they don’t know it very well. And they’re terrible at history and geography. That’s generally the reputation we have. So I’m glad as many of you in this class have studied at least another language to some degree, and then you know there’s some challenges when you’re trying to translate from one language to another. That’s a good question, I say. Can we trust our English versions? And I think it’s important for Christians to have studied that topic. And I hope by the time I get finished, you will see why that’s the case. But you have to hear part two as well. So you ask me that question, and my first answer is, can we trust our English versions? And I would say, absolutely not, in some cases.

For example, the New World translation. I would say to you, do not trust your soul’s salvation to the new world translation. Anyone know what group of people translated that one? Say it out loud. The Jehovah’s Witness. That was translated by the Jehovah’s Witness Organization, and thus it contains their bias. And I want to give you an illustration. Everybody has your Bible, right? I had you show them to me. I want you using your Bible. So open it up, please, to the Gospel of John, chapter one. This is probably a verse you’ve already memorized. But I want to show you what the New World Translation says in the Gospel of John, chapter one. And everybody there. Can I just throw in something personal here? I love it when people have a book in their hands, not a telephone or an iPad.

Look, I’m not against electronics. I use them all the time. And they’re important and they do wonderful things for you. But I want my grandchildren to see me opening this book. When I have a telephone in my hand, they don’t know what I’m doing. Could be bad stuff. Not when you’re opening this book. Anyway, that’s just a personal bias. And the other thing I like about it is when you’re teaching a class, people’s pages rustle when they turn their Bibles, and I will know if you’ve gotten to the passage. And by the way, can I throw in something else? My wife said the other day she was in a class, ladies were teaching, and the kids didn’t know how to use their Bible. All they knew how to do was click through the phone.

And they couldn’t find the book of Job in their Bible. This is not good. I’m just preaching to the choir here, probably. So I don’t hear any pages rustling. So you’re there, right? Here is what the New World Translation says in John 1 1. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was a God. Is that what yours says? So what’s different? The little word A has been added, hasn’t it? And the word God is small case. I must tell you, class, that in the original documents that we have available to us of the Bible of the Gospel of John, there were no distinctions between capital letters and small case letters in those ancient documents, many of them. As you’ll see as we go through this lesson.

So the capitalization is not an issue you can solve with the ancient manuscripts. But in our language today, we capitalize G when we’re referring to the God, do we not? So what this implies in English for the Jehovah’s Witnesses is that Jesus is not God.

Which is what the next verse goes on to say, isn’t it? So class, with that little tiny change, they’ve changed the entire message of the gospel. You listening to me. Translations can make a huge difference.

And there is no text that can support that rendering. So why is it in there? Because that’s what they’ve come to believe, not because it’s what the text says. So are all English versions ones you can trust? The answer is no. How about this one? The Living Bible paraphrase by Ken Taylor. It’s translated by one human being. May I suggest to you, class, if you’re using an English version that was translated by one person, get you another one. Because it is too easy for one person to slip his bias into a translation by the way he translates it. That’s dangerous business. I don’t care if it’s Alexander Campbell. You should not be resting your soul salvation upon a translation in English done by one human being.

The problem is whose thoughts? His.

Example of what’s in Ken Taylor’s living Bible paraphrase. Folks, you don’t want to paraphrase the Bible upon which you rest your soul salvation. Paraphrase means I’m putting in it what I think it says. Alright, 1 Peter 3 21. I think everybody’s there. Here’s what it says in his translation. In baptism, we show that we have been saved. 1 Peter 3 21. Is that what yours says? That’s not what mine says either. I’m reading from the New King James. And verse 21 says there’s also an anti type which now saves us, namely baptism. Folks, this is exactly the opposite of what the passage says. So why does Ken Taylor put in that it shows we have been saved? You see, he believes the doctrine that you’re saved at the moment of faith, and you’re baptized to show you’re already saved.

That’s what he believes. So he sticks that into the translation of 1 Peter 3. This translation is not supported, class, by the text, but there it is.

2. Other Versions Should Be Used With Careful Judgment

So can English versions be trusted? Not at all in some cases. Because they twist what the Bible truly said. Other versions should be used with careful judgment because of the purpose of their translations. Whatever Bible you’re using in English, you should look at the foreword at the introduction. They will tell you all about what they did to make that translation. Several English versions were produced by committees of scholars. I recommend that. But their intent was meaning for meaning translation rather than word for word. I’ll say that again. Some translations will tell you our purpose was meaning for meaning rather than word for word. When you do that class, you introduce the possibility of putting your meaning on the meaning that’s there and then putting it in the translation.

It’s potentially dangerous. Now, can you always translate things word for word? No, you can’t very well. Let me give you an example. When I went to Romania and began preaching the gospel, I did not speak Romanian, so we use translators. And I used the old King James version of the Bible, and the translators were going crazy because they have a hard enough time with modern English, much less old English. So I had to change that.

So I was in a sermon one time, and I said these guys were just barking up the wrong tree. And the translator was trying to put that into Romanian. And if you translated that literally into the Romanian language, they would think you’re nuts. What in the world are you talking about? Now, does this audience know what I’m saying when I say you’re barking up the wrong tree? Somebody tell me what that means. Come on, I can’t wait very long. What does it mean? You’re in the wrong place, right? But what’s it referencing? What’s the idiom about? It’s about a dog, isn’t it? I mean, if you go hunting and you’re using a dog, he’s chasing what?

Raccoons typically, right? And they go up a tree, and he’s at the bottom of the tree barking, and the raccoon’s supposed to be up there, but if he’s barking up the wrong tree, there’s no coon. That’s an idiom class that makes sense in English, it makes no sense in Romanian. So sometimes you cannot go word for word. You have to translate what it means. I get that. But the primary purpose of a translation is to get everything that’s in this original into the new language. And these two examples, the New English Bible and the New International Version, are both meaning for meaning translations. That doesn’t make them terrible. But my recommendation to you is check it with some other translations. And be careful. Because that’s their purpose.

3. The Most Trustworthy Modern English Versions

So, what are the most trustworthy modern English versions? I’m not going to get hung up on a particular one. I’m going to give you five that are translated by large committees from various backgrounds. Why is that important, class? Bias. I want folks who know both languages very well and who are careful. And if somebody’s got a bias, this group can check him and he can check them. And it helps to balance any bias that might be introduced. Secondly, they’re produced with the intent of giving the world an accurate word-for-word translation of the best available Greek and Hebrew text. That’s what you want, class. So here are examples. The old King James was that kind of a translation. So is the New King James. The American Standard, the New American Standard, and the New English, the English Standard Version is a very good version.

That’s its purpose. So I would tell you if you’re going to pick a version in English that you can trust, one of those five is a good one and use another one to check it out. Because even those five, they’re differences. But they’re based in the right place.

Complete equivalence seeks to preserve all the information in the text. That’s what I want. Isn’t that what you want? You want everything that was in the original Hebrew and Greek to come right over into English. And secondly, it’s appropriate that all participating scholars sign a statement affirming their belief in the verbal and plenary inspiration of Scripture and in the inerrancy of the original autographs. I want people translating the Bible for me who believe it’s God’s word. And that it is true and accurate in the original. That’s what everybody in that translating group had to sign. Are you aware, class, that there’s plenty of people translating the Bible who don’t believe it’s God’s word? I don’t want those translations. And here’s another statement from my the preface to my Bible.

The New King James Version follows the historic precedent of the authorized version. That’s an unfortunate name, by the way. Authorized. Who authorized the King James Version class? King James. I mean, that’s like who’s buried in Grant’s tomb. King James was not a nice person. And don’t think that he had volumes of great motives in what he did. He did that for political reasons, you can be assured. And the fact that he authorized it doesn’t make it the best. But I will tell you what that group of men wanted to do. They wanted to be very careful that the English transmitted what the original languages said. And they wanted it to be beautiful English. And it was.

4. Even These English Versions Present Differences

But even these English versions present the Bible student with differences. Those five that I said, you’ll find different readings in them. For example, anybody have an old King James with you. Do you? Amazing. Would you be willing to read one for me? All right, Philippians. Everybody go to Philippians.

And by the way, I’ve got to say something else. We used to have drills in our Bible classes of to how fast you could open your Bibles to Scriptures. That needs to be reinstituted. Philippians chapter 1. Verse 22. Can you speak nice and loud and clear? Oh, good. I want to hear verse 22. Loud and clear. But if I live in the flesh, it is the fruit of my labor. Yet what I shall choose, I want not. Oh, that was pretty good. Yet I shall what I shall choose, I wot not.

And I read that to most Americans, and they don’t have a clue what that means. I wot not. Do you ever say that? I wot not. No, that was 1611 English. What does yours say? Anybody just speak up? What does it say? Yeah. The New King James says, I cannot tell. Well, that’s better. Completely different words, though, for my what not. That’s what I wought not meant. It meant I really can’t make up my mind. I’m not certain about this. So there’s several ways to translate it, but one of them should not be in modern English, I walk not. But that’s what the old King James will give you, and there are numerous instances in the King James where it’s old English that we don’t use anymore.

Language evolves, doesn’t it? Okay, that’s one thing. There are also variations because of many recent discoveries of ancient manuscripts and other documents. Class, did you know that in 1611, those translators did not have access to the three most important copies of the Bible that exist in the world? I’m pausing to let that sink in. I’ll say it again. The 1611 translators of the King James Version did not have access to the three most important ancient copies of the Bible. They just didn’t have access to it. That’s all happened since 1611 and made available to people. Now, did that mean they couldn’t get the Bible translated properly? No, they did a good job with what they had. But there’s some ways we’ve improved some of that in recent years.

5. Different Texts in Different Versions

And the relative importance given to these documents by the committees of scholars sometimes affects the translation. So different texts in English are in different versions. And here’s my goal for the rest of our time. When do we have to stop? This class. When does it ring? The bell rings at 10 15. Okay, good. Alright. Everybody turn in your Bibles to Acts chapter 8, please. And I hope we have represented in this room several of those versions. And just in case I have one man here, Mr. Tom, who’s got the ones I want him to have. You’re ready, right? What version did I ask you to read from? The English Standard Version is what he’s reading from. Class in Acts chapter 8. The latter part of that chapter is the story of, say it.

The conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch. Amazing story, isn’t it? The man from Ethiopia had been all the way to Jerusalem to worship. He was most likely a Jewish proselyte from Ethiopia. Traveled hundreds of miles. And he was on his way home, wasn’t he? And God sent who? The evangelist Philip, specifically to catch up with that man. And he was riding in a Cadillac. No. He was riding in a chariot on his way home. And he was between Jerusalem and you hear it in the news all the time. Gaza on a deserted place. And Philip caught up with him. Have you ever used that example to teach someone the gospel? I have many times. Alright. I want to say to you, class, you need to be aware that there’s some challenges with a portion of this scripture.

So I’m going to have him read the ESV. You look at yours. We’re going to start in verse 36 of Acts 8. And I’ve asked Tom here to read it exactly as it is in the text of the Bible in the ESV. So please do that. And everybody look closely. Go ahead. And as they were going along the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, See, here is water. What prevents me from being baptized? And he commanded the chariot to stop. And they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. Now, Class, is that what yours reads? In some cases it is. Are you reading the ESV? Yeah. What happened here, Class? What’s missing? How about verse 37?

And Tom, what does it do with verse 37 there? There’s a footnote. Can you read that for us? Sure. He’s got to put on his magnifying glass. What’s the footnote say? Some manuscripts add all or most of verse 37. And Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, you may. And he replied, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. That’s in a footnote, not in the text of the ESV. Let me show you what some of the others do with that. The King James Version in verse 37 says, and Philip said, If thou believe it with all thine heart thou mayest, and he answered and said, I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And you would have no idea whatsoever there was any problem with verse 37.

Because the King James Version says nothing. I mean, just there it is. The new King James does this. You notice something here? See that little star? Then Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, and by the way, it changes thou to you. Class, you do know, don’t you, that in old English, you would be referred to as thou, not just God. Are you listening? I’ve had people tell me you have to say thou when you refer to God, because that’s what the Bible does. No. If thou believest, is that God? That’s any human being. The word thou was used for all people as well as for God. And it was capitalized when it referenced God. So that’s one thing. This changes the old language from thou and these to use.

Believe instead of believest with all thine heart or your heart, you may or mayest. And he answered and said, I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. But notice there’s a star right there. And it refers to a footnote in my Bible that says, N U and M omit verse 37. It is found in Western text, including the Latin tradition. And you say, What in the world is in you and M? And I say, come back at 2:30. I don’t have time to talk about that right now. But do you need to know that? Yes, you do. Because class, if you’re studying with somebody and they happen to be using the ESV and you’re using the New King James, your Bibles are different. Can that be a challenge?

It certainly can. And you need to know the answer. What’s going on here? And there is better now in the newer versions because they give you some information. And that’s what I want to talk to you about more this afternoon. The American Standard Version omits this verse in the text and puts this in a footnote. Some ancient authorities insert wholly or in part verse 37. Did you catch that, class? And then it quotes verse 37. It is true that you go back and look at the ancient texts of the Bible. Some of them have part of this verse, some of them have all of it. A lot of them don’t have it at all. That is the truth. So what does that mean? Come back at 2 30.

The new ASV puts brackets around it. You see that? And then has a little footnote one. Early MSS. What do you think that stands for, class? Manuscripts do not contain this verse. Well, that’s not as clear an explanation as the other one. At least you’re notified there’s some issue with verse 37. All right. I hope I made that clear to everybody. That’s why you need to know what we’re talking about in this particular situation. Now let’s go to 1 John 5. Everybody turn in your Bible to 1 John 5. And again, I’ve asked Tom up here to read that from the ESV. Let’s make sure everybody’s there. By the way, just for my information, how many of you in this room are using the ESV? Okay.

How many are using New King James? A majority are using that. How about the American Standard Version? How about the New American Standard? Okay. And then Old King James? We got one. Okay. Well, this is for today. I got it. And I know some of you could hold your phone up and I say, I have all of them. And 16 others. Right? I get that. And there’s some real value in that. I’m saying to you. I’m not fussing about that. But also use your book. All right. 1 John 5, 7 and 8. Listen to his reading in the ESV and look at yours. Starting in verse 7. Okay? For there are three that testify the Spirit and the water and the blood. And these three agree.

Folks, is that what yours says? Alright, let me show you what the King James says. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and these three agree in one. I mean, that’s a whole lot more words than he read. And is there a footnote in the ESV there at all? In verse 1 John 5, 7 and 8? No. There is no footnote class. May I say that again? The ESV in 1 John 5, 7 and 8, which reads like he read it, there is no footnote. And the King James is completely different from that. In the sense that it has additional words in there.

So what in the world’s going on here? Well, the new King James does this. It puts a star right there. And it says, in you and M omit the rest of verse 7, and through on the earth of verse 8, a passage found only in four or five very late Greek manuscripts. At least it identifies there’s a challenge here. That’s a good thing. The ASV reads very much like his with no footnote. And the NASV has no footnote. Now, there’s some NASVs that have a footnote, so there’s some variations there. But you have at least three versions that have a different rendering of 1 John 5, 7 and 8 with no footnotes. I say to your class, you need to know what you’re talking about when you come across something like that.

And I’m not going to ask you to raise your hands, but I wonder how many in this audience have ever looked at this before.

So come back at 2 30. Let’s try one more. Mark 16. Mark 16. Everybody go there.

Alright, my third example is Mark 16, verses 9 through 20. In my Bible, in the New King James, verse 8 ends, and they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. The New King James, or the old King James, goes from verse 9 to verse 20 with no reference whatsoever to any kind of issues, right, ma’am. Sister Rosotto. Yeah, it has no footnote, right? No reference to any challenge at all. Alright, the new King James, look at look at the screen class. The New King James has a little star right there. And it verses 9 through 20 are bracketed in NU as not original. They are lacking in Codex Sinaticus and Codex Vaticanus, although nearly all other MSS of Mark contain them.

So what in the world is Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus? And you know what I’m going to say. 230. I don’t have time to talk about that. But is that important? Yes, it is. So I repeat, you have promised me you’re going to listen to part two if you can’t come back. Because I do not like leaving this way. But I’ll tell you what, it gets your attention. Here’s what the ASV says. The marginal note, the two oldest Greek manuscripts, and some other authorities omit verse from verse 9 to the end. Some other authorities have a different ending to the gospel. Now, class, that is the truth. And you need to know what that is. Because, for all kinds of reasons, this is God’s word. And we have differences between the different versions in English and in other languages.

So we need to be aware of what’s going on. You’ll say, see that this one says the two oldest Greek manuscripts. That’s not exactly correct, but the most important by many people’s references, and the King James folks did not even have access to them.

So it identifies there’s some challenge. And might I say to you, if you’re studying with an intelligent, up-to-date, and thoughtful Baptist, and you quote Mark 16, 16. He who believes what class and is baptized shall be saved. He who does not believe shall be condemned. One of our favorite verses as we’re teaching somebody the gospel is in this section of scripture. And a knowledgeable Baptist would say, you need to quit quoting that verse because that’s a questionable passage. And you say, I don’t know what to say. Come back at 2 30. And you’ll know what to say if you listen. In our next lesson, we will focus on the New Testament as we deal with questions of variations in the text of our English versions of the Bible.

Conclusion

There are variations in the text of our English versions of the New Testament because there are variations in the extant. You know that word? Extant? What does it mean? Say it again. It means it’s available. It exists somewhere on earth. There are variations in the extant Greek manuscripts and versions of the New Testament, not just the English. There are fundamentals about this subject that every Christian should know. We will see you at the next lesson. Final advertisement. Thank you for your attention. And we’re taking a break now. Thank you, Tom.