The King James Version of the Bible: Difference between revisions

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[[Cloverdale Bibleway|Cloverdale Bible Way]] has translated the KJV into Chinese because they believe that the KJV best reflects the doctrines of [[The Message|the Message of William Branham]].  Rather than going to the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts, they used an archaic English translation that is over 500 years old.  How does that even make sense?
[[Cloverdale Bibleway|Cloverdale Bible Way]] has translated the KJV into Chinese because they believe that the KJV best reflects the doctrines of [[The Message|the Message of William Branham]].  Rather than going to the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts, they used an archaic English translation that is over 500 years old.  How does that even make sense?


==Original Language of the New Testament==
=Original Language of the New Testament=


The New Testament was originally written in Koiné Greek (from κοινή, meaning "common").  Koiné Greek arose as a common dialect within the armies of Alexander the Great and was the common Greek dialect spoken in the eastern half of the Roman Empire at the time of Christ.  
The New Testament was originally written in Koiné Greek (from κοινή, meaning "common").  Koiné Greek arose as a common dialect within the armies of Alexander the Great and was the common Greek dialect spoken in the eastern half of the Roman Empire at the time of Christ.  


==Original Language of the Old Testament==
=Original Language of the Old Testament=


What Christians refer as the Old Testament, is what Jews refer to as the '''Tanahk'''.  This was originally written in Hebrew on scrolls.  The Tanahk was carefully translated into Koiné by Jewish scholars long before Jesus’ birth, for the benefit of the Jews who had scattered from Judea.  The Greek version of the Tanahk is called the '''Septuagint''' or the '''LXX''', which refers to the legendary seventy Jewish scholars that completed the translation as early as the late 2nd century BC.
What Christians refer as the Old Testament, is what Jews refer to as the '''Tanahk'''.  This was originally written in Hebrew on scrolls.  The Tanahk was carefully translated into Koiné by Jewish scholars long before Jesus’ birth, for the benefit of the Jews who had scattered from Judea.  The Greek version of the Tanahk is called the '''Septuagint''' or the '''LXX''', which refers to the legendary seventy Jewish scholars that completed the translation as early as the late 2nd century BC.
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The Textus Receptus came from the work of Erasmus, a Catholic priest, who compiled five or six very late Greek manuscripts dating from the tenth to the thirteenth centuries.  Earlier, more accurate, manuscripts had not yet been discovered.  The completed translation was first published in 1611, and became the third official translation into English.  By the mid-18th century, this Authorized Version was the undisputed leading English version of the Bible.  It underwent a revision in 1769, resulting in the text that is commonly referred to as the King James Version, even today.
The Textus Receptus came from the work of Erasmus, a Catholic priest, who compiled five or six very late Greek manuscripts dating from the tenth to the thirteenth centuries.  Earlier, more accurate, manuscripts had not yet been discovered.  The completed translation was first published in 1611, and became the third official translation into English.  By the mid-18th century, this Authorized Version was the undisputed leading English version of the Bible.  It underwent a revision in 1769, resulting in the text that is commonly referred to as the King James Version, even today.


=Manuscript discoveries since the Textus Receptus=
==Manuscript discoveries since the Textus Receptus==


Over the last few centuries, since the publication of the original King James Version, many Greek manuscripts from as early as the second and third century have surfaced, showing the improved consistency and accuracy one would expect from much older manuscripts.  In fact, it is widely believed amongst Bible scholars that this compilation of manuscripts is far superior, both in reliability and accuracy, to the Textus Receptus.  Most translations completed in the last 100 years have made full use of the superior Greek texts, for both the Old and New testaments, and often use a hundred or more scholars, from many different church backgrounds, to ensure that the original meaning is faithfully transferred into the current English language.   
Over the last few centuries, since the publication of the original King James Version, many Greek manuscripts from as early as the second and third century have surfaced, showing the improved consistency and accuracy one would expect from much older manuscripts.  In fact, it is widely believed amongst Bible scholars that this compilation of manuscripts is far superior, both in reliability and accuracy, to the Textus Receptus.  Most translations completed in the last 100 years have made full use of the superior Greek texts, for both the Old and New testaments, and often use a hundred or more scholars, from many different church backgrounds, to ensure that the original meaning is faithfully transferred into the current English language.