TEXTUS RECEPTUS…THE MAJORITY TEXT


Before we consider the King James Version (KJV) and a few of the modern translations in use today, let us first consider certain Greek texts from which all New Testament translations are derived. Foremost amongst these is the Traditional Received Text (Textus Receptus), also called the Byzantine Text or the Majority Text because it is based on the vast majority of manuscripts still in existence. These extant manuscripts (MSS) were brought together by various editors such as Lucian (AD 250-312), Erasmus, Stephanus, Beza and the Elzevir brothers to form the text known as Textus Receptus, the name given to the Majority Text in the 17th century. The most notable editor of all was Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) one of the greatest scholars the world has ever known. When the early Protestant Reformers of the 16th and 17th centuries decided to translate the Scriptures directly from Greek into the languages of Europe, they selected Textus Receptus as their foundation Greek document. It is vitally important to understand why they did so.

Wilkinson writes in his book Truth Triumphant:
Quote: "The Protestant denominations are built upon that manuscript of the Greek New Testament sometimes called Textus Receptus, or the Received Text. It is that Greek New Testament from which the writings of the apostles in Greek have been translated into English, German, Dutch and other languages. During the dark ages the Received Text was practically unknown outside the Greek Church. It was restored to Christendom by the labours of that great scholar Erasmus. It is altogether too little known that the real editor of the Received Text was Lucian. None of Lucian's enemies fails to credit him with this work. Neither Lucian nor Erasmus, but rather the apostles, wrote the Greek New Testament. However, Lucian's day was an age of apostasy when a flood of depravations was systematically attempting to devastate both the Bible manuscripts and Bible theology. Origen, of the Alexandrian college, made his editions and commentaries of the Bible a secure retreat for all errors, and deformed them with philosophical speculations introducing casuistry and lying. Lucian's unrivalled success in verifying, safeguarding, and transmitting those divine writings left a heritage for which all generations should be thankful." (Ref: J2)

Two Bibles

In his book Which Bible? David Otis Fuller says this about Textus Receptus. Carefully note Fuller's first point that all churches (we could now add all Bible students) fall into one of two basic study categories:

Fuller writes :
Quote: "First of all, the Textus Receptus was the Bible of early Eastern Christianity. Later it was adopted as the official text of the Greek Catholic Church. There were local reasons which contributed to this result. But, probably, far greater reasons will be found in the fact that the Received Text had authority enough to become, either in itself or by its translation, the Bible of the great Syrian Church; of the Waldensian Church of northern Italy; of the Gallic Church in southern France; and of the Celtic Church in Scotland and Ireland; as well as the official Bible of the Greek Catholic Church.
All these churches, some earlier, some later, were in opposition to the Church of Rome and at a time when the Received Text and these Bibles of the Constantine type were rivals. They, as represented in their descendants, are rivals to this day. The Church of Rome built on the Eusebio-Origen type of Bible; these others built on the Received Text. Therefore, because they themselves believed that the Received Text was the true apostolic Bible, and further, because the Church of Rome arrogated to itself the power to choose a Bible which bore the marks of systematic depravation, we have the testimony of these five churches to the authenticity and the apostolicity of the Received Text." ( Ref: F1)

Why did the early churches of the 2nd and 3rd centuries and all the Protestant Reformers of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries choose Textus Receptus in preference to the Minority Text? The answer is because:

Reverend Gipp comments further:
Quote: "The Majority Text has been known throughout history by several names. It has been known as the Byzantine text, the Imperial Text, the Traditional Text and the Reformation Text as well as the Majority Text. This text culminates in the TEXTUS RECEPTUS or Received Text which is the basis for the King James Bible, which we know also as the Authorized Version....We describe this text with the term "Universal," because it represents the majority of extant MSS which represent the original autographs. Professor Hodges of Dallas Theological Seminary explains, "The manuscript of an ancient book will, under any but the most exceptional conditions, multiply in a reasonable regular fashion with the result that the copies nearest the autograph will normally have the largest number of descendants." (Ref:B3)

Continuing from page 66 in Gipp's book:
Quote: "Professor Hodges concludes, 'Thus the Majority text, upon which the King James Version is based, has in reality the strongest claim possible to be regarded as an authentic representation of the original text. This claim is quite independent of any shifting consensus of scholarly judgment about its readings and is based on the objective reality of its dominance in the transmissional history of the New Testament text.' " (Ref:B4)

In his book God Wrote Only One Bible, Jasper J Ray pens the following testimony about Textus Receptus:

Quote: "Wonder of wonders, in the midst of all the present confusion regarding manuscripts, we still have a Bible we can trust. The writing of the word of God by inspiration is no greater miracle than the miracle of its preservation in the Textus Receptus. All criticism of this text from which was translated the King James Bible, is based upon an unproved hypothesis: i.e. that there are older and more dependable copies of the original Bible manuscripts. No one in nineteen hundred years, has been able to prove that one jot or tittle has been inserted or taken out." (Ref:D3)

In his book Final Authority, William P Grady provides further interesting details about Textus Receptus, the Received Text:
Quote: "For instance, over 5,000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament exist today ranging from small fragments containing two or three verses to nearly entire Bibles. Their ages vary from the second to the sixteenth century; the manuscripts are ending with the arrival of printing. By comparison, there exist only ten quality manuscripts of Caesar's Gallic War composed between 58-50BC… "Once again, the outstanding features of the Received Text is its high percentage of agreement among so many thousands of independent witnesses. This agreement is often placed at about 90 percent; in other words, 90 percent of all existing manuscripts agree with one another so miraculously that they are able to form their own unique text…
If the critic of your King James Bible is correct in his rejection of the underlying Textus Receptus, then he is also under the greatest pressure to account for its existence. To complain of fabrication is one thing, but to account for its universal prevalence is quite another. Whenever a large body of ancient documents are seen to be in agreement, this inexplicable harmony becomes their greatest evidence for legitimacy. Simple arithmetic confirms that the nearer a particular reading is to the original, the longer the time span will be for descendants to follow. The longer the family is, the older the original source must be." (Ref: E1)




RETURN TO THE OLD PATHS  

GREEK NUGGETS or FOOL'S GOLD?  

GOT MORALS ?  

LUCIFER: ANGEL OF LIGHT - FATHER OF LIES  

KING JAMES VERSION BIBLE FACTS  

ANOTHER BIBLE - ANOTHER GOSPEL  

KJV 1611 - THE MYTH OF EARLY REVISIONS  

KING JAMES VERSION "ERRORS"  

1 JOHN 5:7 - KJV "ERRORS"  

SPIRITUAL   ADULTERY  

DEEDS AND DOCTRINE OF THE NICOLAITANS  

THE CATHOLIC PRIESTHOOD (by a former priest)  

VIDEO ABOUT THE CATHOLIC INQUISITION  

FOLLOW THE LAMB OR FOLLOW THE MAN  

IN DEFENSE OF ERASMUS  

THE MINORITY TEXTS
   
KING JAMES AUTHORIZED VERSION: VIDEO  

QUESTIONS FOR THE KJV CRITICS  

GNOSTICISM and CHRISTIANITY  

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS  

APOCRYPHA  

SEPTUAGINT  

IN AWE OF THY WORD  

NEW AGE BIBLE VERSIONS  

THE SEVEN SEALS OF THE HOLY BIBLE  

BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS  

ONE BAPTISM, ONE GOD  

HOLY BIBLE TITLE PAGES (& 1611 KJV Gothic print)  

THE NAME OF GOD — Jehovah or Yahweh ?  

FOXE's BOOK of MARTYRS  

WHAT LAW WAS NAILED TO THE CROSS?  

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED ?
 


AUTHENTIC KING JAMES VERSION HOLY BIBLES PRINTED BETWEEN 1611 and 2004
Comparing the Texts of these early KJV Bibles with a modern un-corrupt KJV shows that the Authorized Version of 1611 has
never gone through a single Textual Revision and proves that God has indeed kept his promise to preserve his pure word.

THE HOLY BIBLE, Printed in 1611
Seeing its readings proves to cynics that the KJV's text has never been "revised" and is identical to that used today
(except for the rare 1611 typographical slips which were shortly thereafter fixed by King James translators themselves).

THE HOLY BIBLE, Printed in 1637  

THE HOLY BIBLE, Printed in 1772  

THE HOLY BIBLE, Printed in 1787
  THE HOLY BIBLE, Printed in 1829  

THE HOLY BIBLE, Printed in 1872  

THE HOLY BIBLE, Printed in 1903
 
THE HOLY BIBLE, Printed in 2004

You can now purchase a 1611 King James Version 400th Anniversary Edition at a very low price. Published by Zondervan this is an exact, page-by-page, digitally re-mastered replica of the original 1611 printing, re-sized to a convenient 8.1 x 5.7 x 3 inches, and contains the original Old English Black Letter font. Click Here
 
Compare these scripture verses, John 14:16, John 16:7, I Corinthians 1:18, II Corinthians 2:15, Revelation 1:18 and Revelation 20:13,14, in modern bible versions such as the NIV and the NKJV and you will see that the KJV's superior "Comforter" has been replaced by a subordinate "helper"; and the assurance of our present salvation here and now where we "are saved" by grace through faith has been replaced by a works-based salvation where we are in the process of "being saved" by our own good works; and the word "hell" has been omitted thereby obscuring its philological meaning.  

It is no coincident that new bible versions often agree with the Jehovah Witnesses New World Translation and the Roman Catholic New American Bible. For those who take the time to “[search] the scriptures daily” to “[p]rove all things”, and “search out a matter” to “try the spirits” and do their own research (Acts 17:11; I Thess. 5:21; Prov. 25:2; I John 4:1), the serpent's signature can be seen subtly weaved into the pages of new bible versions. There is overwhelming evidence exposing the nature of the unholy omissions, additions and substitutions and the spiritual forces responsible for the changes (Isa. 14:14; II Cor. 2:17; 11:14,15; Eph. 6:12; II Thess. 2:3,11; I Tim. 4:1; Rev. 13:8).

RONALD REAGAN AND THE KING JAMES BIBLE  

ROME'S CHALLENGE - WHY DO PROTESTANTS KEEP SUNDAY?  

HISTORICAL BOOKS & DOCUMENTATION OF FACTS


“In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” (Matt. 18:16; II Cor. 13:1)

Recommended Reading

 
Most of the books listed above are available at AV Publications, Corp.


————————— Articles and Books by Various Authors —————————

1 JOHN 5:7 - KJV "ERRORS"  

ABORTION FACTS  

ALLEGED KJV ERRORS: Easter/Passover  

AMERICA: REPENT OR PERISH!  

ANOTHER BIBLE - ANOTHER GOSPEL  

APOCRYPHA  

ARE YOU A MORMON ?  

BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS  

BIBLE VERSIONS - WHICH IS THE REAL WORD OF GOD?  

CHRIST'S MASS - HISTORY REVEALS THE TRUTH  

CHRISTMAS 2000 Years Before Christ  

CORRUPT LEXICONS AND DICTIONARIES  

COULD THIS BE THE MARK OF THE BEAST ?  

FOX's BOOK of MARTYRS  

FREE MASONRY EXPOSED  

GOD and AMERICA  

GOT MORALS ?  

HISTORY OF BAPTISM  

HISTORY OF THE RED LETTER EDITION  

IMPORTANT NEWS ARTICLES  

IN AWE OF THY WORD  

IN DEFENSE OF ERASMUS  

IS SUNDAY SACRED AND HOLY ?  

JESUS' BIRTH - THE UNTOLD STORY  

KING JAMES VERSION BIBLE FACTS  

KJV 1611 - THE MYTH OF EARLY REVISIONS
  LUCIFER: ANGEL OF LIGHT - FATHER OF LIES  

NEW AGE BIBLE VERSIONS  

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS  

ONLY ONE GOD  

PROPHECIES OF THE MESSIAH FULFILLED IN JESUS CHRIST  

REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY  

RETURN TO THE OLD PATHS -- EXCERPT FROM THE MORNING STARS  

ROMAN CATHOLIC AND PROTESTANT CONFESSIONS ABOUT SUNDAY  

SCRIPTURES FROM THE HOLY BIBLE  

SEPTUAGINT  

SPIRITUAL   ADULTERY  

THE 1611 KJV DEDICATORY  

THE BIG BANG  

THE CATHOLIC PRIESTHOOD (by a former priest)  

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND  

THE GOD OF HEAVEN OR THE god OF THIS WORLD ?  

THE ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT  

THE SEVEN SEALS OF THE HOLY BIBLE  

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS  

THE TRUE SABBATH  

WHAT'S WRONG WITH HALLOWEEN  

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED ?  

WHO IS KING JAMES ?  

WICCA/PAGAN — SATANIC TIES  

WORLD RELIGIONS  

WORLD  RELIGIONS  -  Article 2


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