Textual Criticism. THE DEAD HAND OF FENTON JOHN ANTHONY HORT LIES HEAVY UPON US. The World English Bible (WEB) is a Public Domain (no copyright) Modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The fact is that the Westcott-Hort text represents the first widely-accepted departure from the Received Text in the post-Reformation era, and the modern English versions descend directly from the W-H text. Jun 29, 2006. That means that you may freely copy it in any form, including electronic and print formats. Released into the public domain by Rainbow Missions, Inc. (nonprofit corporation). To learn more about Bible versions and the many problems with modern translations, consider the following: David Otis Fuller, D. D. Which Bible Grand Rapids International Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49501, David Otis Fuller, D. D. Counterfeit Or Genuine Mark 16? 68 days ago. Borderland. Brooke Foss Westcott (1825-1903) and Fenton John Anthony Hort (1828-1892) have been highly controversial figures in biblical history. Updated September 20, 2004 (first published March 7, 2000), David Cloud, Way of Life Literature, P.O. This argument is simply the weakest and most desperate that this author has ever heard. References in parentheses are to sections of HortsIntroduction, from which the principles have been extracted. Over the next four centuries or so, the Byzantine Empire and the Greek-speaking church were the dominant factors as to why this area saw their text becoming the standard. The KJV was a superb translation for its day. Westcott and Hort were spiritualists. In fact they had no Greek at all for part of the book of Revelation so they had to conjecturally amend (make a best guess) what the section actually said. Things that we encourage you to share include the audio sermons, O Timothy magazine, FBIS articles, and the free eVideos and free eBooks. You are also welcome to use excerpts from the articles in your writings, in sermons, in church bulletins, etc. I, p.119), There are several problems with the claim as made by Chick and Riplinger. (3) How many textual errors (differences) are in the handful of Byzantine manuscripts used to make the Textus Receptus, which is behind the KJV? . in front of those who oppose historic Christianity and know the facts. Other items we sell to help fund our expensive literature and foreign church planting ministries. HE DETHRONED THE TEXTUS RECEPTUS. Over 5,800 New Testament manuscripts have been classified into four groups by text type. 2.5-6, 31), Readings are approved or rejected by reason of the quality, and not the number, of their supporting witnesses. They also developed a theory of textual criticism which underlay their Greek NT and several other Greek NT since (such as . Brooke Foss Westcott (1825-1901), and Fenton J A Hort (1828-1892) were two renowned Anglican scholars at Cambridge University. The consensus however is they favored the Aleph and B text more than the others. To refute this, we can go back to our patristic quotations, which reveal the Alexandrian text-type as earlier than the Byzantine text-type. The New International Version (NIV) first published in 1978. claims to be based on the Nestle-Aland Greek Text, which is similar to. They will leave discussions with us knowing we will not face up to the facts available in the manuscripts. If Westcott and Hort were the only textual scholars to endorse, defend, recommend, validate their critical text, we might be more critical of them and theyre younger days; however, their work has been reviewed or about 140 years now and literally hundreds upon hundreds of textual and translation scholars have adopted their scholarship, their work, and their product as the foundation for their translation: NIV, TEV, NASB, CEV, NLT, ESV, CSB, UASV, HCSB, and on and on. They assume some are just more easy to read than others. Throw away the bones.. Westcott & Hort were the dominant forces on the Revision Committee. Revision of the Revised Standard Version. To ignore these developments is to switch off our brains; now, we dont want to do that do we? Book Submission for Christian Publishing House, https://www.logos.com/product/46572/studies-in-the-theory-and-method-of-new-test, View all posts by Christian Publishing House. For example, the witness Codex Vatican B (one of the five), a Greek manuscript of the New While Karl Lachmann was the one to overthrow the Textus Receptus, it would be B. F. Westcott and F. J. This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. Brooke FossWestcott(18251901) and Fenton John AnthonyHort(18281892) are mentioned regularly in relation to the Greek text of the NT. This Bible is in the public domain in the United States. After this bracket in the NIV they then list verses 9-20 (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids Michigan, Copyright 1986, 1992, pg 1104). A textual critic sets himself up as judge over Gods Word, when no man has such a right. The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. He picks and chooses what belongs in the Bible and what doesnt, based upon his education, beliefs, and ideals. In 1892, a revised edition was released by F. C. The result of it all is a methodological quagmire where objective controls on the conclusions of critics are nearly nonexistent. B. F. Westcott wrote, A corrupted Bible is a sign of a corrupt church, a Bible mutilated or imperfect, a sign of a church not yet raised to complete perfection of the truth. (The Bible in the Church, 1864, 1875) The reader can determine for himself or herself if it is mere coincidence that as the church grew corrupt, the most corrupt manuscript of all grew right along with it for a thousand years. Now, over 100 years later, the KJV and its Textus Receptus stand nearly alone against the The men produced The New Testament in the Original Greek in 1881, advancing the belief that centuries of translation work did extremely little to change the Bible. . Can his verdict be true? When the modern Bible reader is asked if they are familiar with the two Textual Bible Critics, Westcott and Hort, most have never heard of them. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. Ps. So here is the dilemma when it comes to the witness of the Greek manuscripts. He has been a financial adviser for over 30 years. Bible scholar David Fuller brings us the first argument in his book, Which Bible, where he writes, Burgon regarded the good state of preservation of B (CodexVaticanus) and ALEPH (Codex Sinaiticus) in spite of their exceptional age as proof not of their goodness but of their badness. The links below give us plenty of information to add detail to my brief comments. THE DEAD HAND OF FENTON JOHN ANTHONY HORT LIES HEAVY UPON US. He has been working in the apologetic area since his teens. #3. We dont even know what part of which text they used and where! (2.20), The reading is to be preferred that most fitly explains the existence of the others. The new Bible versions are not based on Erasmus' Textus Receptus. However, Westcott and Hort's work was not perfect. There are quite a number of conservative Bible scholars who might disagree with the Greek text of Westcott and Hort and there favoring the Alexandrian family of Greek texts. The 1881 British Revised Version (RV), also known as the English Revised Version (ERV) of the King James Version, and the 1881 New Testament Greek text of Westcott and Hort did not sit well with the King-James-Version-Only[3] advocate John William Burgon (18131888), E. H. A. Scrivener (18131891), and Edward Miller (18251901), the latter authoring A Guide to the Textual Criticismof the New Testament (1886). [citation needed], The edition of Westcott and Hort began a new epoch in the history of textual criticism. Certainly nothing could be more unscriptural than the modern limiting of Christs bearing our sins and sufferings to his death; but indeed that is only one aspect of an almost universal heresy. 4) Hort 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. Westcott found a statue of Mary and a crucified Christ in a remote chapel and wrote, Had I been alone, I could have knelt there for hours.. The text produced by Westcott and Hort is still to this day, even with so many more manuscript discoveries, a very close reproduction of the primitive text of the New Testament. We have nothing to fear from new manuscript discoveries and the advancement of linguistic knowledge. Versions / 1881 Westcott-Hort New Testament (WHNU) Publisher: Public Domain. We can conclude that any modern translation that uses majestic, literary or grand language is not generally reflecting the text and style of the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Informally referred to as WH they produced the WH text of the New Testament. It wasonly in the first part of the nineteenth century (1831) that a German classical scholar, Karl Lachmann, ventured to apply to the New Testament the criteria that he had used in editing texts of the classics. White and others attempting to discredit the defense of the King James Bible claim that Westcott and Hort are not important because (they say) the modern versions (NASV and NIV) are not based on the Alexandrian text or on the Westcott and Hort text. Any man who discounts the continuing significance of Westcott-Hort in the field of Bible texts and versions is probably trying to throw up a smoke screen to hide something. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. For those books, C. D. Ginsburgs Hebrew text was used. Masoretic Text, various critical editions of the Greek text (i.a. Brooke Foss Westcott (an Anglican bishop and professor at Cambridge University) and Fenton John Anthony Hort (also an ordained priest and professor at Cambridge) produced a Greek New Testament in 1881 based on the findings of Tischendorf. However, they were not thoughtlessly bound to the Vaticanus manuscript as some scholars have claimed, for by assessing all the elements they frequently concluded that certain minor interpolations had crept into the neutral text that was not found in the group more given to interpolations and paraphrasing, i.e. Westcott and Hort believed the Greek text which underlies the KJV was perverse and corrupt. Of course, the motivation behind the King James Version Onlyist would certainly argue otherwise. I observe, then, that while spiritual ministries are constantly recorded in the Bible, there is not the faintest encouragement to seek them. Revised Version: RV: Modern English: 1885: Revision of the King James Version, but with a critical New Testament text: Westcott and Hort 1881 and Tregelles 1857 BibleGateway+ is less than $5/mo. It goes without saying that no Bible-believing Christian who is willing to extend the implications of his faith to textual matters can have the slightest grounds for confidence in contemporary critical texts (emphasis added) (Zane C. Hodges, Rationalism and Contemporary New Testament Textual Criticism, Bibliotheca Sacra, January 1971, p. 35). Some things most people do not know about the KJV. Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, Masoretic Text (Biblia Hebraica), Textus Receptus Greek text, Popular Messianic Translation by the Institute for Scripture Research, This version is based on a limited 3000 word vocabulary and everyday sentence structure it is also known as the Plain English Bible, the International English Bible, and the God Chasers Extreme New Testament. Since the original books of the Bible do not exist anymore, it becomes necessary to translate the Bible from copies of the original. Our understanding of Hebrew and Greek has astronomically improved since 1611. The translation now is a literary masterpiece. We still observe people using 1 John 5:7 to prove the Trinity. Before delving into whether Westcott and Hort were Occultists or unbelievers, let us look at their work first. Certainty is increased if such a better manuscript is found also to be an older manuscript (2.32-33) and if such a manuscript habitually contains reading that prove themselves antecedent to mixture and independent of external contamination by other, inferior texts (2.150-51). Ed.) Once we understand that we become aware of some of the shortcomings of the KJV. When voices started saying that the Gospel of John was a much later invention (as late as 200AD) we discovered papyrus fragment p.52 dated at probably 115AD from almost as soon as the ink was dry on the original!! In the early years of this century Kirsopp Lake described Horts work as a failure, though a glorious one. In his excellent history of the KJV, Gordon Campbell points out that the Geneva Bible, which preceded the KJV was used long after the KJV had been published by such notaries as Lancelot Andrewes, Richard Hooker, John Whitgift, and William Laud (Bible, p. 27, Oxford University Press, 2010). We can trust these, understand and appreciate the differences, but we would be foolish to ignore them or condemn the translators as the spawn of Satan or Lucifers dupes as I have read on occasion. The Response to the Appeal. Tanakh (Old Testament), Masoretic Text (Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 1983), Textus Receptus, Maintains Jewish context of the entire Bible, using Hebrew names for God and Jesus, and translating Hebrew names of people and places. The following are quotes of Westcott and Hort, found in Riplingers book. It is their position that the King James Version of the Bible is superior to all other English translations and that all English translations based on the Westcott and Hort text of 1881 (foundation text of UBS5 and NA28) are corrupt due to the influence of the Alexandrian Greek manuscripts. Restored Greek syntax. They started the Ghostly Guild in 1851 and before that the Hermes Club in 1845. Brother Cloud lives in South Asia where he has been a church planting missionary since 1979. Once we understand that we become aware of some of the shortcomings of the KJV. How Reliable Are the Early Texts of the New Testament? Westcott and the Ghostly Guild. They were known to be the chief architects of the critical theory which resulted in the revised Greek Testament which has replaced the Textus Receptus (TR) or Received Text. . Many modern versions like the New International Version (450 million copies worldwide), English Standard Version, Holman Christian Standard Bible, New Living Translation, New Century Version, Amplified Bible, New English Translation and New American Standard Bible have been produced by the finest Bible believing scholars in the world. Established in 1974, Way of Life Literature is a fundamental Baptist preaching and publishing ministry based in Bethel Baptist Church, London, Ontario, of which Wilbert Unger is the founding Pastor. Naturally so because they were Greek textual scholars. Modern English (GW) & Early Modern English (KJV). We trust that your Christian honesty will preserve the integrity of this policy. You are teaching doctrines of devils. The Old Testament translation is based on the Hebrew Masoretic text. The KJV is a translation like all others. (London; New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), xx, xxv. There is no historical evidence i am aware of of a forced standardizing of the text. Even the casual reader of the Bible, if he were to compare a modern translation (NIV) with the KJV, will easily find numerous differences between the two (Consider Revelation 1:11, Heb. Many modern versions like the New International Version (450 million copies worldwide), English Standard Version, H, , New Living Translation, New Century Version, A, and New American Standard Bible have been produced by the finest Bible believing scholars in the world. In 1844 part of another old manuscript (Codex Sinaiticus) was found in a wastebasket in St. Catheriness monastery (the other part was found in 1859). The two scholars identified their favorite text type as "Neutral text", exemplified by two 4th-century manuscripts, the Codex Vaticanus (known to scholars since the 15th century), and the Codex Sinaiticus (discovered in 1859), both of which they relied on heavily (albeit not exclusively) for this edition. Burgon, Miller, and Scrivener in their third argument continued with the belief that it would be foolish to set aside thousands of manuscript witnesses (the Byzantine text-type) for a few supposedly early manuscript witnesses (the Alexandrian text-type). (Textual scholars use the abbreviation "WH".) This criticism aside, the Westcott and Hort text is extremely reliable. OFFERINGS can be mailed or made online with with Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or Paypal. (9) You say scribes/copyists do not make changes to the text intentionally and unintentionally, so how do you explain the copyists who write in the margins that a previous copyist made changes? This was an early Catholic attempt to translate the Bible into English from the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek languages instead of from the Latin Vulgate. Not one of these manuscripts is exactly the same in Greek content. For centuries, manuscripts were preserved, even when the Catholic priests could no longer understand them. This translation in many ways was the precursor to the modern Critical Text underlying most modern translations. [4] (Greenlee, Introduction to New Testament Textual Criticism 1995, 76-7). The whole problem with textual criticism is that man becomes the judge of what belongs in the Bible and what doesnt. A study Bible with a modern English translation of the Scriptures from their original languages. Textus Receptus, United Bible Society (UBS) Greek text,Nestle-Aland Text, Translated byJoseph Bryant Rotherhambased onThe New Testament in the Original GreekandChristian David Ginsburgs. Four volumes. This combination of claim and quote comes from the July/August 1993 issue of Battle Cry, the newspaper put out by Jack Chick. Brooke Foss Westcott (1825 1901) Christian Publishing House Blog, Fenton John Anthony Hort (1828 1892) Christian Publishing House Blog, CHOOSING THE BEST BIBLE TRANSLATION JUST GOT EASIER! [9] It was followed by an Introduction and Appendix by Hort appearing in a second volume in 1882. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible first published in 1901, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament. Revision of the New International Version. Brooke Foss Westcott (1825-1901) and Fenton John Anthony Hort (1828-1892) produced a Greek New Testament in 1881 based on the findings of Tischendorf. What I write here is not an attack on the KJV it is an attempt to show how God continues to give us more knowledge and information which we must value and appreciate. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! Therefore it is unwise for the sincere Christian to readily accept modern Bible translations assuming them to be accurate and faithful to the Word of God. This Greek NT was the basis for the Revised Version of that same year. Codex Vatican (B) The text produced by Westcott and Hort is still to this day, even with so many more manuscript discoveries, a very close reproduction of the primitive text of the New Testament. [8] What was the inerrant word of God in the second and third centuries AD before the development of the Byzantine text? 44262. There are various groupings of texts. It goes without saying that no Bible-believing Christian who is willing to extend the implications of his faith to textual matters can have the slightest grounds for confidence in contemporary critical texts (emphasis added) (Zane C. Hodges, Rationalism and Contemporary New Testament Textual Criticism, Bibliotheca Sacra, January 1971, p. 35).Zane Hodges is not a fundamental Baptist, but I believe he is more honest about the influence of Westcott and Hort upon modern textual scholarship than James White. I think his arguments are solid. A textual critic is one who picks and chooses what part of whose story they will believe to be true. The Westcott and Hort Greek text is now available to all Bible lovers in The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures. Much has happened since then, including the discovery of 5000+ Greek manuscripts of the New Testament and, of course, the Dead Sea Scrolls! God help you. It was a printed text, not a hand-copied manuscript, created in the 15th century to fill the need for a textually accurate Greek New Testament. An examination of the 16th century critical text the textus receptus v the Westcott and Hort 19th century Critical text.
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