grace bible college 2016 fall semester difficult...

Grace Bible College 2016 Fall Semester

Dif f ic u lt Q u e s t ion s5 Lessons on Difficult Questions From the Bible

Lesson October Topic ROOM

1 1st

The Gospel. What will happen to people who have never heard the Gospel? What about babies that die or mentally challenged people who can’t understand the Gospel? What essential truths must be believed? Are there “nonessential” truths?

Fellowship Hall

2 8th

Bible Translations. Which translations are good, which are not? What are the King James only arguments? What manuscripts are behind each translation? Are there other books that should be in the Bible? How were the books chosen?

Fellowship Hall

3 15th

Heaven & Hell. Are Heaven and Hell real places? What will Heaven be like? Will we recognize each other in Heaven? What will Hell be like? Could a loving God send a person to Hell for eternity? Are there degrees of reward and punishment?

Sanctuary

4 22nd

End Times. Are we in the last days? What is the mark of the beast? Will Christians go through the great tribulation? Who or what is the antichrist? When, where, and what is the battle of Armageddon? Is the lake of fire the same as hell?

Fellowship Hall

5 29th

Open Forum. Participants are encouraged to bring their questions about God, Christianity, life, etc. No topics are off-limits! Personal opinions will be avoided, as we will attempt to answer all questions using the only the Word of God.

Fellowship Hall

E quipping God’s people for ministry in the church and

mission to the world.

SATURDAYS, 8:30-10:00 AM

GRACE BIBLE COLLEGEA Ministry of Grace Community Church

872 Clearfield Ave, Chesapeake VA [email protected], (757) 549-2228

Lesson 2

Bible Translations

GRACE BIBLE COLLEGE Bible-Based • Christ-Centered • Reformed Foundation

A Ministry of Grace Community Church, 872 Clearfield Ave, Chesapeake VA 23320 • [email protected] • (757) 549-2228

Septuagint (250 BC)

• Greek King of Egypt, Ptolemy II (309-246 BC), commissioned 72 Jewish scholars to translate the Torah (Five Books of Moses) from Hebrew into Greek, for inclusion in the Library of Alexandria. Septuagint means "translation of the seventy,” referring to the seventy Jewish translators. The other Old Testament books were translated over the next two centuries. The Septuagint represents the first major effort at translating a significant religious text from one language into another.

Latin Vulgate (382 AD).

• Pope Damasus I commissioned Jerome to revise the Vetus Latina ("Old Latin") collection of biblical texts then in use by the church. The Vulgate is usually credited as being the first translation of the Old Testament into Latin directly from the Hebrew Tanakh, rather than the Greek Septuagint. In 1456, it was the first Bible to be printed on a printing press, known by the Gutenberg Bible. The Catholic Church affirmed it as its official Latin Bible at the Council of Trent (1545-63 AD).

Alexandrian Text Type.

• The Alexandrian text-type comprise the earliest surviving documents of the Greek New Testament. Up until the 9th century, Greek texts were written entirely in upper case letters, referred to as Uncials. Alexandrian readings tend to be shorter and are commonly regarded as having a lower tendency to expand or paraphrase. Most textual critics of the New Testament favor the Alexandrian text-type as the closest representative of the autographs because the Alexandrian manuscripts are the oldest found and some of the earliest church fathers used readings found in the Alexandrian text. Called “Alexandrian” because of the church leaders in Alexandria, Egypt who quoted Scripture from this text type (e.g. Clement, Origen, Ahtanasius, Cyril).

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Ancient Bible Translations

Papyrus - A thick type of paper made from the pith of the papyrus plant, soaked, pressed, and dried, used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. Papyrus was first manufactured in Egypt as far back as the fourth millennium BC

Vellum - Calfskin, lambskin treated for use as a writing surface.

Uncials - A script written entirely in capital letters commonly used from the 4th to 8th centuries AD by Latin and Greek scribes. Most scholars view uncial text as the most accurate.

Minuscules - A small cursive script developed in the 7th century AD from the uncial, which it afterward superseded.

mailto:[email protected]




Western Text Type.

• The Western text-type is one of several text-types used to describe and group Greek New Testament manuscripts. It is the predominant form of the New Testament text witnessed in the Old Latin and Peshitta translations from the Greek, and also in quotations from certain 2nd and 3rd-century Christian writers, including Cyprian, Tertullian and Irenaeus. The Western text had a large number of characteristic features which appeared in text of the Gospels, Acts, and in Pauline epistles. It was named "Western" by Semmler (1725–1791), having originated in early centers of Christianity in the Western Roman Empire. The main characteristic of the Western text is the use of paraphrase. Words and even clauses are changed, omitted, and inserted with surprising freedom, wherever it seemed that the meaning could be brought out with greater force and definiteness. More peculiar to the Western text is the readiness to adopt alterations or additions from sources outside of the Bible. For these reasons manuscripts in this text type often present longer variants of the biblical text.

Byzantine Text (Majority Text).

• Also known as the Syrian Text, The Byzantine manuscripts, though very numerous, did not become the "majority" text until the ninth century, and though outnumbering Alexandrian manuscripts by more than 10:1, are also very much later in time, most being 1,000 years or more removed from the originals.

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Textus Receptus (1516 AD).

• This translation of the Greek New Testament was published by Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536), a Dutch humanist, and Catholic priest who had only six Greek manuscripts immediately accessible to him in Basel (Switzerland) which all dated from the 12th century or later, and only one came from outside the mainstream Byzantine tradition. Erasmus also lacked a complete copy of the book of Revelation and translated the last six verses back into Greek from the Latin Vulgate in order to finish his edition. The Textus Receptus was republished in 1519, 1527, 1535, and 1633 to remove numerous errors.

• Though the terms Textus Receptus and Majority Text are frequently used as though they were synonymous, they by no means mean the same thing. In fact, the reading of the majority of Greek manuscripts differs from the Textus Receptus in 1,838 places.

• The idea that the majority of existing Greek manuscripts (i.e. the numerous medieval copies) somehow represent the original text better than any of the oldest manuscripts known to us is an idea that is very hard to defend intellectually. One would suppose, even on common-sense grounds, that a consensus of the earlier copies is likely to be closer to the original text.

• Against this, it is said that perhaps all of the early manuscripts known to us have derived from a deviant kind of text which gained currency only in the area around Alexandria, where these very old manuscripts were preserved on account of the dry climate. But this hypothesis fails to account for the readings of the ancient versions (e.g. Latin and Syriac) which frequently agree with the older Greek copies against the later ones. We cannot reasonably suppose that the Latin and Syriac versions were based upon manuscripts that were not circulating in Italy and Syria.

• Then there are the scripture quotations from ecclesiastical writers who lived outside of Egypt, which likewise often support the earlier manuscripts. It is very hard for a Majority Text advocate to overcome this evidence, and certainly it cannot all be brushed aside with an hypothesis about "Alexandrian" deviations. For this reason, very few scholars have argued in favor of the Majority Text.

• The King James Version (1611) New Testament is based on the Textus Receptus.

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Wescott - Hort (1881) - A Greek version of the New Testament published in 1881, named after its editors Brooke Westcott ( 1 8 2 5 - 1 9 0 1 ) a n d F e n t o n H o r t (1828-1892). It is compiled from some of the oldest New Testament fragments and texts that had been discovered at the time. The two editors worked together for 28 years.

Nestle (1898) - Aland (1952) - Novum Testamentum Graece refers to the Nestle-Aland editions, named after the scholars who led the critical editing work. The text is currently in its 28th edition, abbreviated NA28. The Nestle-Aland text is the primary source for most contemporary New Testament translations. The Nestle-Aland text is also the standard for academic work in New Testament studies.





Personal Preference.• This group simply regards the KJV as a very good

translation and prefers it over other translations because they prefer its style or the church they attend uses it.

Textual Reasons.

• This group believes that the KJV's Hebrew and Greek textual base is more accurate than the alternate texts used by newer translations. Many in this group might accept a modern Bible version based on the same Greek and Hebrew manuscripts used for the KJV.

Textus Receptus Only (TRO).• This group holds that the Textus Receptus was

supernaturally preserved and that other Greek manuscripts not used in this compilation are flawed. But it is also believed that other translations based on these texts have the potential to be of equal quality. The views of the Trinitarian Bible Society fit into this TRO division. The Trinitarian Bible Society does not believe that the Authorized Version (KJV) is a perfect translation, only that it is the best available translation in the English language. The Society believes the twelfth century texts behind the Textus Receptus were superior to the texts used by other Bible publishers, some going back to the early 2nd century.

The Inspired KJV Group.

• This faction believes that the KJV itself was divinely inspired. They view the translation to be an English preservation of the very words of God and that they are as accurate as the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts found in its underlying texts. Often this group excludes other English versions based on the same manuscripts, claiming that the KJV is the only English Bible sanctioned by God. They believe that this English translation should never be changed.

The KJV As New Revelation. • This group claims that the KJV is a "new revelation" or

"advanced revelation" from God, and it should be the standard from which all other translations originate. Adherents to this belief also believe that the original languages, Hebrew and Greek, can be corrected by the KJV. This view is often called "Ruckmanism" after Peter Ruckman, a staunch advocate of this view.

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What Are The King James Only Arguments





The Old Testament.A. Josephus, the noted Jewish historian (c. AD 95),

testified that Ezra gathered the books of the Old Testament canon together during the reign of Artaxerxes Longimanus (~400  BC). 10

B. The Dead Sea Scrolls (c.  200-100 BC) discovered in 1947 in Qumran, northwest of the Dead Sea, gave us 100 fragments from every book of the Old Testament except Esther.

The New Testament.A. The books of the New Testament were recognized as

inspired Scripture upon receipt.

• 1 Thessalonians 2:13 - “And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”

• 2 Peter 3:15-16 - “… our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.”

B. John, the last living apostle, finished the Book of Revelation at the end of the first century A.D. and by the beginning of the second century efforts were underway to gather the 27 books of the New Testament together.

The “Canon” of Scripture.A. The term canon is derived from the Greek word meaning

“measuring stick”. The 66 books of the Bible “are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life” 9

• Old Testament = 39 books

• New Testament = 22 books

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How Were The Books Of The Bible Chosen?

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“Scripture occupies for us an exclusive place and performs an exclusive function as the only extant mode of revelation … it is a closed canon. … This is what the finality of Scripture means for us; it is the only extant revelatory Word of God.”

John Murray (1898-1975)





Church Fathers, Councils & Caesar. A. Church councils merely recognized the authority

inherent in the books of the Bible. Though a few books were doubted by a minority, there was great unity among the early churches as to which books were inspired. Moreover, no book whose authenticity was doubted by any large number of churches was later accepted.

B. AD 240 - Origen stated that the four Gospels, Acts, thirteen epistles of Paul, 1 Peter, 1 John, and Revelation were acknowledged by all, but that Hebrews, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, James and Jude were disputed by some.

C. AD 313 - Christianity was legalized by Roman Emperor Constantine at the Edict of Milan. (Note: Christianity was illegal before this and so Church councils were unable to meet).

D. AD 330 - Eusebius mentioned that all the books of the New Testament were accepted, except James, 2nd Peter, 2nd and 3rd John, and Jude which were disputed by some, but recognized by the majority.

E. AD 367 - Athanasius set forth the 27 books of the New Testament as alone canonical.

F. AD 397 - The Council of Carthage formalized Athanasius’ list, acknowledging what was already in general practice in the overwhelming majority of Christian churches.

Three General Tests for Canonicity. A. Apostolic Authority / Acceptance.

Old Testament books had to be written by a recognized prophet/leader of Israel and New Testament books had to be written or backed by an apostle, e.g. Mark was written under the influence of Peter, and the gospel of Luke, Acts and Hebrews under the tutelage of Paul.

B. Continuity With the Rest of Scripture.

Each book had to give some internal evidence of  its inspiration, authority, and harmony with the rest of Scripture.

C. Early and Wide Acceptance.

Each book had to have both early and wide acceptance by the early church.

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STOP & THINK If a genuine apostolic writing were discovered

today, like Paul’s letter to Laodicean (Col. 4:16), should it be included in the Bible?

Why or why not?





Extra Books in the Catholic Bible.

• The collection of writings commonly called the Apocrypha (from Greek apokryphos, “hidden”), written between 200 B.C. and A.D. 100., are accepted by the Roman Catholic Church, but rejected by Jewish and Protestant people. Catholic Bibles (e.g. The New Jerusalem Bible) contain 46 Old Testament books, rather than the accepted 39: Tobit, Judith, 1 & 2 Maccabees are placed after the book of Nehemiah; the Wisdom of Solomon and Ecclesiasticus follow the Song of Solomon; and Baruch follows Lamentations. In addition, more material is added at the end of Esther; and The Song of the Three Hebrew Children (AKA The Song of Azariah), the History of Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon have been added to Daniel.

Opponents of the Apocrypha.

• A few noteworthy individuals who rejected the inspiration and canonicity of the Apocrypha include: the noted Jewish historian Josephus (A.D. 37‑100); Tertullian, the outstanding scholar of the early third century (A.D.  160‑230); Athanasius, champion of orthodoxy at the Council of Nicea (A.D.  293‑373); and Jerome, translator of the Latin Vulgate which became the authorized version of the Roman Catholic Church (A.D. 347‑419).

Problems With the Apocrypha.

• The New Testament contains some 260 direct quotations and 370 allusions to passages in the Old Testament made by Christ and His apostles, but not a single reference to the Apocrypha.

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Are There Other (Apocryphal) Books That Should Be In The Bible?

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Problems With the Apocrypha. (Cont’d) • The Apocryphal books contradict themselves, the Bible,

history and geography. For example, Tobit is said to have lived 158 years (Tobit 14:11), yet, supposedly, he was alive back when Jeroboam revolted against Jerusalem (931 B.C.), and still around when the Assyrians invaded Israel (722/21 B.C.), a span of some 210 years (Tobit 1:3-5). The book of 2 Maccabees says that Antiochus Epiphanes died by being “cut to pieces in the temple of Nanaea by the treachery of Nanaea’s priests” (2 Macc. 1:13‑16), but later says that Antiochus was “taken with a noisome sickness” and so “ended his life among the mountains by a most piteous fate in a strange land” (2 Macc. 9:19-29).

Catholic Doctrines Based on the Apocrypha.

• 2 Maccabees 12:43-45 - purgatory

• 2 Maccabees 12:44 - prayers for the dead

• Wisdom 8:19-20 - Immaculate conception of Mary(i.e. sinlessness of Mary)

• Ecclesiasticus 3:30 - salvation by giving alms (cf. Tobit 12:8-9, 17)

Other Odd Apocryphal Teachings.

• 2 Maccabees 14:42-46 - suicide called “manly”

• Tobit 6:1-17 - burning fish entrails to drive away demons.

The Council of Trent. • In 1546, the 53 bishops at the Roman Catholic Council

of Trent pronounced the Apocryphal books canonical, deserving “equal veneration” with the books of the Bible and declared anyone that disagreed “anathema”.

The Reformers. • The Reformers took the historic position that “the books

commonly called Apocryphal, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the Canon of Scripture; and therefore are of no authority in the Church of God, nor to be otherwise approved, or made use of, than other human writings.”

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Current Popular Bible Translations. A. New American Standard (1971, 1995).

• The New American Standard Bible is widely regarded as the most literally translated of major 20th-century English Bible translations. The translators sought to produce a contemporary English Bible while maintaining a word-for-word translation style. The Hebrew text used for this translation was the third edition of Rudolf Kittel's Biblia Hebraica as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls. Consideration was given to the latest available manuscripts with an emphasis on determining the best Greek text. Primarily, the 26th edition of Nestle-Aland’s Novum Testamentum Graece is closely followed. The NASB was first published in 1971 by the Lockman Foundation. The most recent edition of the NASB text was published in 1995.

B. English Standard Version (2001).

• The English Standard Version (ESV) is an English translation of the Christian Bible. It is a revision of the 1971 edition of the Revised Standard Version that employs an "essentially literal" translation philosophy. The ESV uses some gender-neutral language. (e.g. man - human being, people)

C. New King James Version (1982). - TR

• The aim of its translators was to update the vocabulary and grammar of the King James Version, while preserving the classic style and literary beauty of the original 1611 KJV. The New King James Version uses the Textus Receptus ("Received Text") for the New Testament, just as the original King James Version had used. Notes in the center column acknowledge variations from Novum Testamentum Graece (Nestle-Aland and United Bible Societies)

D. King James Version (1666). - TR

• The King James Version (KJV), also known as the Authorized Version (AV), is an English translation of the Bible for the Church of England begun in 1604 and completed in 1611. The translation was done by 47 scholars, all of whom were members of the Church of England. The New Testament is based on the Textus Receptus. The 1611 version contained the Apocrypha. The 1666 edition was the first edition of the KJV that did not include these extra books.

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What Translations Are Good And What Are Not?

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Formal Equivalence - Word-for-word translation.

Dynamic Equivalence - Thought for thought translation.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender-neutral_language




E. New International Version (1978, 1984, 2011).

• The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Protestant Bible. Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society) is the worldwide publisher and copyright holder of the NIV, and licenses commercial rights to Zondervan in the United States. Originally published in the 1970s, the NIV was updated in 1984 and 2011, and has become one of the most popular and best selling modern translations.

F. The Living Bible (1971).

• The Living Bible is an English version of the Bible created by Kenneth N. Taylor. Unlike most English Bibles, The Living Bible is a paraphrase. Like the Good News Bible, the preface of the NLT states that the translation was done in accordance with principles of 'dynamic equivalence.'

Poor Translations. A. New World Translation (1961).

• The New World Translation (NWT) is a translation of the Bible published by the Watch Tower Society and distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses. The “translators” had almost no training in Greek or Hebrew, and verses were intentionally mistranslated to agree with the Jehovah Witnesses false doctrines, such as their teaching that Jesus was a created angel rather than God the Son.

B. New Jerusalem Bible (1985).

• The New Jerusalem Bible is an English-language translation of the Bible published in 1985, approved for use by Roman Catholics, which includes the Apocrypha. The New Jerusalem Bible is an update to the Jerusalem Bible, translated from the French, possibly with occasional glances at the Hebrew or Greek.

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