Inspired by Uncle Joe's Post "A Book Written By Men"
By DW Davis
@DWDavis (25797)
United States
March 7, 2017 7:58pm CST
@UncleJoe 's post (linked to below) brought to mind many of the discussions I've had with religious and non-religious folk alike about The Bible.
My concern with a lot of what people say The Bible says is we are not only trusting that the original authors were inspired by God, of which their is no proof other than tradition or their own say so, but that the English translations we rely on are accurate and agenda free.
It is understood by most theologians and historians that the original King James Version of the Bible was done with a political agenda to reinforce the idea that the King was chosen by Heaven to rule over the people, and to secure the ascendancy of the Church of England over any other Churches in England, as well as to bring the Puritans back into the fold of the Anglican Church.
When you go to buy a copy of The Bible you are inundated with so many translations, interpretations, versions, and editions that, should you look long and hard enough, you will find one that suits how you want God to be rather than one that will help you live as God wants you to.
Then you have the difference between the original Bible and the Protestant Bible. During the Reformation, the Protestants removed the Apocryphal books of the Old Testament from The Bible because those books supported the Catholic Churches position on dogma and the Sacraments that the Protestants chose to abandon. Since that time, many Protestant denominations have rewritten the Bible in the vernacular of the people who follow that particular denomination to reinforce that Churches precepts over others.
How then is one to decide which Bible is THE BIBLE, the TRUE and UNMISTAKABLE WORD OF GOD? How, among the more than 200 versions of The Bible thought to be in circulation today, is one to chose the right one?
It’s true! The Bible was written by men. It didn’t magically appear on it’s own. Yet there is something that makes if different than any other publication....
10 people like this
8 responses
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
8 Mar 17
@UncleJoe I'm not sure if you're responding to my comment about the Pastor being correct, or that I'm looking forward to your reply. If it is in reference to the Pastor, what I meant was that in modern times we have to rely on tradition and the historical record because, after so many translations and revisions, we cannot be sure what The Bible, especially the New Testament, which was passed down through oral tradition for decades before being committed to writing, did actually say. We have to read what is available to us, and, through prayer, seek God's guidance to understand what we've read. Perhaps, as you've intimated elsewhere, I have just answered my own question posed above. The version or translation we read isn't what's important, it is the true seeking Spirit of our own hearts to hear the Word that matters.
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
8 Mar 17
The consequences of the Protestant Reformation continue to reverberate through Christianity today, 500 years later, as church after church fractures when disagreements arise about dogma and worship and one group breaks with the faction to found their own church.
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@FourWalls (86713)
• United States
8 Mar 17
One thing I would like to point out regarding the "original Bible and the Protestant Bible" portion. The Jewish canon (the "Tanakh," or "Old Testament") was set before the Catholic canon of the "Old Testament," and the Jewish canon did not contain the Apocryphal books.
As for "what version," if you go to a multi-version site like Bible Gateway and look up a verse you'll fine very little difference in the translation, usually to make the wording more understandable.
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@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
8 Mar 17
The Jewish canon did not but the Greek Septuagint did include them. They were sort of in and out for centuries until around 1540, during the Reformation, when the Protestants removed them but the Catholics retained them. The history of all this makes fascinating reading. I wish I could devote more time to it.
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@Poppylicious (11134)
• United Kingdom
8 Mar 17
One day, when I have finally saved up for, applied for, been accepted on, and completed the Biblical Studies Masters degree I want to do, I'll come back here and give you a better response than this one I'm writing now!
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@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
8 Mar 17
Faith is powerful. My main Bible is King James. I've found with the other translations and paraphrases, they leave out some of the principle words in key verses, changing the meaning of the verse for me. I don't like reading between the lines or second guessing scripture. God's Word is a powerful two-edged sword dividing joint and marrow. It is only through daily study of God's Word can I even hope to glean a little bit of fruit from it for my daily living.
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@andriaperry (118793)
• Anniston, Alabama
8 Mar 17
I also seen where the women in Christs life wrote books too but they were omitted because they were women. IDK.
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@averygirl72 (38848)
• Philippines
8 Mar 17
Yes there are so many versions of the Bible. I find one's that are easy to understand some translation more difficult
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