The Story of Our King James Bible

The two major manuscript families

We have noted that textual critics are primarily concerned with 3 issues

1. The age of the texts: how old is the manuscript?

2. The geographical origin of the manuscripts: where did they come from?

3. The relationship of the texts to other texts: if manuscript “B” reads like manuscript “A” we assume that it came from “A”

Manuscripts that are closely related to each other are said to be in the same “family”1. There is the “Majority” text

family2. There is the “Alexandrian”

family of texts3. There is the “Western”

family of textsA. The basis of the older Latin NT

4. There is the “Caesarean” family of texts, only a few Gospels

The 2 most well known families of texts are

The Majority Text (Byzantine text)

• The Textus Receptus is a Byzantine text

• But is distinct from the “majority text”

• More of these exist, and more widespread, geographically

• It is called Byzantine because its writing is consistent with the style of writing found in Byzantium—the final capital of the Roman Empire

• Is the basis for the KJV and the NKJV

The Alexandrian Texts• Named for their similarity to

Alexandria, Egypt, style of writing

• Generally believed to have more older texts

• Although all of those come from one specific location: Egypt

• The basis for most other modern versions

• Is about 5% smaller (fewer) words, than the Byzantine

The discrepancies that exist within the families of texts are the source of most of the conflict among translators

And so the question becomes

• Are the differences so minor as to not really matter?

• This is what Westcott and Hort argued:

“…the amount of what can in any sense be called substantial variation is but a small fraction of the whole residuary variation, and can hardly form more than a thousandth part of the entire text.”

The New Testament in the Original Greek, 1882

• Or are the variations really significant?

• This is what Wilbur Pickering would argue:

“Even if we grant, for the sake of argument, that up to half of the differences between the Majority and eclectic texts could be termed “inconsequential,” that leaves some 25 pages worth of differences that are significant (in varying degrees).

In spite of these differences it is usually assumed that no cardinal Christian doctrine is at risk (though some, such as eternal judgment, the ascension and the deity of Jesus, are weakened. However, the most basic one of all, the divine inspiration of the text, is indeed under attack.”The Identity of the New Testament Text, III

All of that said, I prefer the Byzantine (Majority Text) because• The Bible itself provides for

the establishment of facts based on quantity. Deut. 17.6

• Not only are there more texts, they come from a wider geographical area

• I find it easier to think that people would miss words, rather than add words, and the Alexandrian text is shorter