What Today's Christian Needs to Know About the Authorised (King James)
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THE AUTHORISED VERSION What Today’s Christian needs to know about The Authorised (King James) Version THE AUTHORISED VERSION What Today’s Christian needs to know about The Authorised (King James) Version Product Code: A75 ISBN 978 1 86228 004 5 © Trinitarian Bible Society 1993, 2012 William Tyndale House, 29 Deer Park Road London SW19 3NN, England Registered Charity Number: 233082 (England) SC038379 (Scotland) www.tbsbibles.org THE AUTHORISED VERSION What Today’s Christian needs to know about The Authorised (King James) Version n 1978 a man walked into a the Authorised Version is technically Christian bookshop and asked for as well as spiritually superior to other a King James Version Bible. The translations; and convinced he is. Isalesman was reluctant to sell him one; nobody with any sense used the The Superiority of the Text antiquated King James Version. The salesman gave his sales pitch for the The first area in which the salesman modern versions, but the man remained needed convincing was that of the unconvinced. Finally the salesman superiority of the texts upon which the used his final tactic: ‘You wouldn’t wear Authorised Version is based. Modern four-hundred-year-old shoes, would scholars had told him that the Authorised you? Then why use a four-hundred- New Testament was translated from year-old Bible? Use one of these modern faulty Greek manuscripts. versions; let God speak to you in your own language.’ By the middle of the nineteenth century, the development of A number of years have passed, and Biblical studies and the discovery now that salesman uses the Authorised of many manuscripts more ancient (King James) Version. He has discovered, than those upon which the King as have many today, why after four James Version was based, made it hundred years the Authorised Version manifest, that these defects are so is still the most popular and revered many and so serious as to call for translation available in English, and why, revision of the English translation.1 even if it were not the most popular and most revered, it would be the translation F. F. Bruce is quoted as sharing this he would use and recommend. sentiment. Of course, the salesman did not ‘The principal defect of the change from his modern version to Authorised Version is one for which the Authorised Version simply because the translators cannot be held tradition dictated that he should, nor responsible. In the New Testament solely for seemingly ‘spiritual’ reasons. especially, the text they used was an Instead he had to be convinced that inferior one.’2 1 What Today’s Christian needs to know The New Testament did not bear this when men accepted the Bible as the testimony alone. The Old Testament of inspired, errorless Word of the living the Authorised Version, based upon the God; whether working on the Greek Hebrew Masoretic Text, was classified text itself, or translating that text into as inferior because it did not place English or any other language, they ancient translations of the Hebrew text, treated it as the very Word of God. They such as the Greek Septuagint and the appreciated that through this Book, Latin Vulgate, on the same level as the God was speaking to His people; thus Hebrew in translation. This the salesman they were careful not to allow theories believed; after all, scholarly men had outside the realm of Christianity to enter said it was so. into their work. In this day and age, even many who believe in the inerrancy of But then the salesman considered the Scriptures have accepted theories of the work of other modern scholars. textual criticism and translation that are Many modern scholars, it seems, have inconsistent with inerrancy. trouble accepting that what God said in His Word is true in all of its aspects. Principles of Translation Since science has ‘proved’ evolution, modern man has reinterpreted Genesis With this basis, the Authorised to include thousands of millions of Version translators entered into the years of time to incorporate evolution. work to which God, through King Since scholars have studied man James, had called them. Because they to understand how his mind and were translating the very Word of God, emotions function, modern man they translated as much as possible has warped Scripture to incorporate word-for-word, producing a literal modern psychology—a psychology rendition of the Greek. They based that denies the sinfulness of man and the English Old Testament upon the thus the need for the Saviour. Textual Hebrew Masoretic Text, using the criticism has suffered the same fate at ancient translations of the Hebrew as the hands of modern man. No longer aids when the Hebrew was obscure, is the Bible presumed to be correct but remembering that these were and inerrant in all its statements, even translations only, and not the language down to the individual words. Instead, into which God had given His Word the Bible is presumed to be just another to the people of Israel. The Authorised piece of literature, to be ‘corrected’ Version translators continued in the according to the standards held by textual tradition which the church current scholarship. had used and accepted for hundreds of years. In doing so, they continued On the other hand, the Greek the solidarity of both original language Received Text, upon which the New texts and also of earlier English Testament of the Authorised Version translations upon which they based is based, was produced at a time their work. 2 about the Authorised (King James) Version As careful as the Authorised Version more interested in themselves as translators were to translate word-for- individuals than in their place as part word, there were occasions in which of the body of Christ, that they view words had to be added in order to the pronoun ‘you’ as always speaking give clarity to the English translation. to themselves as individuals. Modern The translators did not just add words translators condemn the use of ‘thee’ and indiscriminately; these words were ‘thou’ as antiquated, but these pronouns implied by the Greek and Hebrew, more correctly render the Greek and although not found in their explicit Hebrew texts and help eliminate the forms. The translators took care to let individualism so fervently held by the reader of Scripture know that these modern man—and even modern words were added; they placed the Christians—in the last two centuries. words in italic script rather than in the (Note also in this regard the use of ‘you’ print of the regular text. Thus the reader plural in Philippians 2.5.) could be certain of what was before him in his Bible; he would know that The Authorised Version translators the words in italic script were, perhaps, were even concerned enough with open to interpretation. This upheld the rendering God’s Word faithfully that Reformation doctrine of the ‘priesthood they left some passages ambiguous. of all believers’; each believer-priest Some grammatical constructions, such has the right and privilege—and as the genitive case, could have two responsibility—of interpreting the different translations; is Ephesians 3.19 Scriptures for himself under the speaking of the Christian’s love for guidance of the Holy Spirit. Christ, or Christ’s for His people? This and other structures the Authorised The translators took further care in Version translators in many instances their rendering of the Word of God left purposefully ambiguous, because into English. The Hebrew and Greek God in the Greek and Hebrew had done use different pronouns to distinguish so. They left to the expositors the work between ‘you’ singular and ‘you’ plural. of interpretation according to sound ‘Thee’ and ‘thou’ were not in common principles of exposition, as well as to the usage in the 17th century, but found a individual reader of Scripture. place in the Authorised Version in order that the English reader of Scripture could know, as the Greek reader did, The Doctrinal Distinctiveness that Jesus in His conversation with Peter of the Authorised Version had said that Satan had demanded to sift the disciples (‘you’) like wheat, but that The Authorised Version translators Jesus had prayed specifically for Peter held to the doctrines of Scripture, and (‘thee’), so that he could strengthen his through them the Authorised Version, brethren (Luke 22.31-32). In this day, whether because of the Greek text used many Christians are so ego-centric, or the form of translation employed, 3 What Today’s Christian needs to know upholds many of the doctrines that changed the blood atonement from a modern versions in numerous places ‘propitiation’ (an appeasing of God’s miss. The Authorised Version gives the wrath against sin through Christ’s Lord Jesus His rightful place; both His vicarious sacrifice) to merely an ‘atoning Godhood and His manhood are upheld sacrifice’, as is seen in the way in which (Romans 9.5). It upholds the doctrine some versions render Romans 3.25. of inspiration which is substantially These problems were avoided in the weakened in modern versions (Hosea Authorised Version in that those outside 12.4; 2 Timothy 3.16). It supports the of orthodox Christianity were bypassed Virgin Birth of Jesus. It correctly defines when the translators were chosen. In and translates passages which teach this way the doctrinal purity of God’s justification by faith alone, one of the Word was safeguarded; of all the adverse most misinterpreted doctrines in all of comments that have been levelled the Scripture. These and many others against the Authorised Version, false the Authorised Version, as the basis for doctrine is omitted.