In the second half of the 1800s, some textual critics were
wary of the momentum that was building in
Meanwhile in
But no one, generally speaking, was saying that
text-critical endeavors were not worthwhile.
No one opposed the Revised Version with more vigor than John Burgon, but
Burgon was not categorically opposed to revision. Burgon wrote (in Revision Revised, 1883, the following, in a footnote on p. 21:
“Once for all, we request it may be clearly understood
that we do not, by any means, claim perfection
for the Received Text. We entertain no
extravagant notions on this subject.
Again and again we shall have occasion to point out (e.g., at page 107) that the Textus Receptus needs correction. We do but insist (1) That it is an
incomparably better text than that which either Lachmann, or Tischendorf, or
Tregelles has produced : infinitely preferable to the ‘New Greek Text’ of the
Revisionists. And, (2) That to be
improved, the Textus Receptus will
have to be revised on entirely different ‘principles’ from those which are just
now in fashion. Men must begin by
unlearning the German prejudices of
the last fifty years; and address themselves, instead, to the stern logic of facts.”
Notice Burgon’s statement that “the Textus Receptus needs
correction.” Burgon argued, though,
that much more work needed to be done on the text before such a revision could
be successfully undertaken: in paragraph
23 (p. xxix) of the Preface to Revision
Revised, Burgon stated, “After many years it might be found practicable to
put forth by authority a carefully considered Revision of the commonly received
Greek text.” Burgon also wrote (Revision
Revised, p. 20), “Nothing may be rejected from the commonly received Text, except
on evidence which shall clearly
outweigh the evidence for retaining it.”
It is now 2022. Much
of the study and research that Burgon hoped would be undertaken – and more – has
been undertaken. The Byzantine Text has
been published, and is available to the public in the Robinson-Pierpont
Byzantine Textform and, with some differences, in Hodges & Farstad’s The Greek New Testament According to the
Majority Text.
Yet congregations have arisen in which the King
James Version’s base-text – the Textus
Receptus – is regarded as perfect and incapable of correction. The Textus
Receptus has even been treated as if it is immutable and authoritative by
“Confessional Bibliologists.” At least, I have never seen a “Confessional
Bibliologist” agree with Burgon that the Textus
Receptus needs correction, or say forthrightly that any reading anywhere in
the base-text of the KJV New Testament is not original.
Progress has been made since Burgon’s
time – but KJV-Onlyists have either not acknowledged it, or else regarded it as
unpalatable when served up on the same plate as the heavy pro-Alexandrian bias that
is on display in the Nestle-Aland and UBS compilations (the main base-text for
the NIV, ESV, CSB, NASB, NLT, and NRSV).
Some textual changes which impacted English Bibles in 1881 and more
recently (looking especially you, TNIV and NIV 2011) were steps backwards.
But today, let’s consider the points in the text of the Gospels where
definite progress has been made, away
from the compilations of the 1500s and early 1600s, toward the original text.
Specifically: look at these readings which are supported not
only by the Westcott-Hort compilation, and by the Nestle-Aland compilation, but
also by Hodges & Farstad’s Majority Text and by the Robinson-Pierpont
Byzantine Textform. In other words, look
at all the places in the text of the Gospels where the basis for what is read
in the KJV is NOT the majority
reading, and where the Textus Receptus
is not, and never has been, the “Antiochan line” that KJV-Onlyists routinely pretend that it is).
A very thorough list
of readings in the Textus Receptus that are not in the Majority Text has been
made available online by Michael Marlowe. Marlowe has presented detailed lists of such
readings found in Acts
1-14, Acts 15-28, Romans, First & Second Corinthians,
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First & Second
Thessalonians, First
& Second Timothy, Titus,
Philemon, Hebrews, James, First & Second Peter, First, Second, &
Third John, Jude, Revelation 1-11, and Revelation 12-22 (and he
has also made a collection of variations found in different
editions of the Textus Receptus that
were published in the 1500s).
Focusing on the Gospels, here are 100 readings
which everyone should acknowledge as improvements on the King James Version.
MATTHEW
4:18 – do not include the proper name “Jesus.”
5:27 – do not include “”by them of old time”
6:18 – do not include “openly”
7:2 – do not include “again”
8:5 – do not include the proper name “Jesus”
8:15 – replace “unto them” with “unto him”
8:23 – replace “a boat” with “the boat”
9:4 – replace “knowing” with “seeing”
9:36 – replace “weary” with “were harassed”
11:16 – read “others” instead of “fellows”
12:8 – do not include “even” after “Lord”
12:35 – omit “of the heart” after “treasure”
14:22 – replace “his disciples” with “the disciples”
14:22 – replace “a ship” with “the ship”
18:28 – replace “that” with “what”
18:29 – remove the word “all” at the end of the verse
19:9 – replace “except it be for fornication” with “except for fornication”
20:21 – replace “the left” with “your left”
20:26 – replace “let him be your servant” with “must be your servant”
24:17 – replace “any thing” with “things”
24:27 – remove the word “also”
25:44 – remove the word “him”
MARK
4:4 – remove “of the air”
4:9 – remove “unto them”
5:11 – replace “mountains” with “mountain”
6:15 – remove “or”
6:33 – replace “the people” with “they”
6:44 – remove “about”
7:3 – replace “oft” with “with the fist” or “ceremonially”
8:24 – add “I see them” between “I see men” and “as trees walking”
8:31 – include “of the” before “scribes”
9:7 – remove “saying”
10:2 – remove “the”
10:14 – remove “and” after “Me”
10:28 – remove “Then”
10:29 – include “sake” after “gospel’s” at the end of the verse
11:4 – replace “the” with “a”
12:20 – remove “Now” at the beginning of the verse
12:23 – remove “therefore”
12:32 – remove “God”
13:9 – replace “be brought” with “stand”
14:9 – include “And” at the beginning of the verse
15:3 – remove the words “but he answered nothing”
LUKE
2:21 – replace “the child” with “him”
2:22 – replace “her” with “their” (As far as I know, no Greek manuscript made before the time of Erasmus which reads “her”)
3:2 – replace “priests” with “priest”
3:19 – replace “his brother Philip’s” with “his brother’s”
4:8 – remove “for” before “it is written”
5:30 – include “the” before “publicans” (or “tax collectors”)
6:10 – replace “the man” with “him”
6:10 – remove “so”
6:26 – remove “unto you”
6:28 – remove “and” before “pray”
7:11 – replace “the day after” with “soon afterwards”
7:31 – remove “And the Lord said” at the beginning of the verse
8:3 – replace “him” with “them”
8:34 – remove “went and”
8:51 – replace “James and John” with “John and James”
10:6 – replace “the son” with “a son”
10:12 – remove “But”
10:20 – remove “rather”
11:54 – remove “and”
12:56 – replace “of the sky and of the earth” with “of the earth and of the sky”
13:15 – replacd “hypocrite” with “hypocrites’’
13:35 – remove “Verily”
16:25 – inclde “here” after “now”
17:6. Read “you have” instead of “you had”
17:9 – remove “him”
17:24 – remove “also”
19:23 – remove “the” before bank”
20:5 – remove “then” after “Why”
20:9 – remove “certain” before “man”
22:17 – remove “the” before “cup”
22:42 – . Read “willing to remove” instead of “willing, remove”
22:45 – replace “his” with “the”
23:25 – remove “to them”
23:55 – remove “also”
JOHN
1:28 – replace “Bethabara” with “
1:29 – replace “John” with “he”
1:39 – remove “for”
1:43 – remove “Jesus”
1:43 – add “Jesus”
2:22 – remove “unto them”
3:2 – remove “Jesus”
4:30 – remove “Then”
4:31 – remove “his”
6:24 – remove “also”
7:16 – include “Therefore” after “Jesus”
7:29 – remove “But”
7:33 – remove “unto them”
7:50 – remove “Jesus”
9:36 – include “And” before “Who”
10:16 – replace one fold” with “one flock”
13:25 – include “thus” after “lying”
14:23 – replace “words” with “word”
14:30 – remove “this”
16:3 – remove “unto you”
17:20 - replace “shall believe” with “believe”
20:29 – remove “Thomas”
