Replies

Nevertheless, I thank both of you (Agrarian's post 6910), for elaborating and demonstrating the value of various English-language translations. Much obliged.

And it was, of course, the KJV that was carried and translated into so many other languages during the great missionary outreach of the West around the world. In that way, the received text was transmitted to many heathen nations. Again, it is a complex and interesting story. Just when Rome thought she had the East penned up, the scripture of the East went on a journey all over the world, bringing the light of scripture where before there was none.

The East did remarkably well in preserving their ancient trust of preserving scripture accurately. It's remarkable how little variation can be found in the thousands of ancient versions of it from all over the Roman empire.

The Alexandrian texts, Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, are very few in number, come from a hotbed of ancient heresy (Egypt), and bear many marks of alterations and poor scholarship. Even these modern bibles which use them are informed by the Majority Text in problematic passages.

Without the East's solid preservation of scripture, we really would not have a Bible we could trust. Rome proved itself incapable of preserving much more than thrones and tiaras.

Oh, dear. And I've been trying so hard to be more ecumenical. It's tough being a Baptist.