Different bibles should have been against the law!!?

Question

The original bible should have been the only bible allowed by law! With all of these different versions of the bible, it makes it hard for anyone to believe any of it.

If I can write a book, then smo joe could take my book and "translate" it into his own terms, etc...., 1,000 years from now, who's book do you believe to be true??

I believe there is a god, but I'm getting more and more away from religion. Everything just seems so corrupt!

Answer 1

This is an odd question, and some history would be helpful.

What do you think the "original" Bible looked like? It was a loose collection of Jewish Canon and various letters, gospels and epistles as circulated around the early Christian churches. These were written in Aramaic, Greek, Coptic and Latin. Some were copies of others (incomplete and with changes), some were complete forgeries.

This situation led to confusion and the proliferation of heresies, leading to a need to determine what was and was not authentic Scripture.

In 382 A.D., Pope Damasus I convened the Council of Rome to determine what was authoritative and divinely inspired. He commissioned Jerome (later Saint Jerome) to read the original Greek and Aramaic and translate them into Latin, which was the language of the educated persons in Europe at the time, and formed a common ground.

Thus translation was necessary - priests and lay persons in Iberia may have spoken Latin but they had no knowledge of Greek or Aramaic, and so to preach Scripture they needed to be able to read it. You could say this was the "Original Bible" insofar as it was the first time any sort of Christian Canon (accepted set of divinely-inspired books) was brought together. You can still buy a copy of the Latin Vulgate, as it was called, in Latin and read it for yourself.

While you and I today take foreign language education for granted (indeed it is required in many schools), such a feat was impossible for the common person for many centuries. Even before the advent of the printing press and a rising middle class allowed the possibility of mass literacy, reading the Bible in the original was reserved for the wealthy and for the clergy. It simply wasn't possible any other way.

Adding to the difficulty of discerning the "Original Bible" is that of the texts still surviving (a miracle indeed, for such to survive 2,000 years or longer), some show discrepancies, missing passages, or changes in wording. None of these are serious, mind you, but they do reflect the process of copying and transcription. This was necessary - there were no printing presses, much less Xerox machines, to promulgate a message, such as a letter to the Corinthians in which Paul addressed some serious issues that were pertinent to the other churches as well.

I'm sorry to hear you're getting distressed over religion. Remember we believe in a perfect God, but we fall far short.

If it helps any, when I study Scripture, I open four translations (KJV, NIV, TEV, NASB) and my Strong's Concordance, and read each carefully to understand as much of it as I can. The differences tend to wash away.

Answer 2

No way. The Bible was written long ago in multiple languages by a multitude of authors and compiled by teams of godly men who understood the original languages and who wanted everyone to benefit from the wisdom in the writings. Just as Shakespeares plays have been rewritten so we can understand them, so the Bible has been updated to reflect the changes in the language. So many words used in the KJV have changed in meaning that is was necessary to reproduce the KJV several times before other popular versions were also translated. If you were to obtain an original copy of the King James Version, you would not be able to understand it. English has changed that much! Just because you are not a scholar, and just because so many ignorant fools put down the various versions, does not mean they are invalid. Each has a purpose. Some are written at a 5th grade reading level for children to understand. Some are just corrections of older versions. They will have to continue updating it so that 1000 years from now, others will still be able to comprehend the truths of the gospel story.

I agree with your desire to get away from religion. Religion is man's attempt to reach God. You need a relationship instead of religion. Get to know the God of the Bible through its pages and you will discover He wants to be your best friend. Don't get stuck on the differences in what other people believe. Read the book and as the Holy Spirit to lead you to the truth for yourself. He will!

Answer 3

"The original bible" was written in four different languages. How many of those languages can you understand?

I have six different english translations, and I compare them every time that I read a passage. I haven't found a single time that a different translation radically changed any part of the message.

The far more interesting comparison is between the gospels, especially Matthew and Mark. Read both of those at once, then you'll be screaming. In Nazereth, did Jesus' powers depend on belief in his audience (Mark), or did he refuse to perform miracles for the unbelievers (Matthew)? Did Mary know that Jesus was the Son of God (Matthew), or did she think that he was a little crazy (Mark)? With the Fig Tree miracle, did Jesus forget what season figs ripen (Mark) or did he find a non-productive tree (Matthew)? And how long did it take for the tree to wither and die?

Answer 4

'Different Bibles' --or, rather, 'modified' Bibles-- ARE against 'the law'. The principle is stated at
Rev 22:18,19 :

"I am bearing witness to everyone that hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone makes an addition to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this scroll; and if anyone takes anything away from the words of the scroll of this prophecy, God will take his portion away from the trees of life ..."

However, many of the very early manuscripts still exist, & have been relied on to produce copies of the New World Translation, for instance. Most of the 'meddlind' was done well after these were coppied. Those men who were the copiests took their jobs very seriously. If one tiny mistake was made, they would redo the entire page. This would be repeated as often as necessary. Also --with the diversity of languages-- there is a huge need for translation of the Bible.

Jehovah's Witnesses -- Latest Statistics :
- Membership - Worldwide Publishing and Translating
- Languages - Bibles - Internet - Magazines, Books
- Research Aids - Videos and Audiocassettes - etc...
http://www.jw-media.org/people/statistics.htm

God is not one to be mocked, however. The attempts to destroy all layman's copies of the Bible was & is being FOILED! Not once, but several times! This is but one more proof that God stands behind his word!

Most religion by far IS not in line with Scripture from Jehovah God. His kingdom is 'on the ready' to do its part in bringing about its demise. It is up to each of us to do Our part to be in Harmony with Scripture, so as to avoid going down with it:

The End of False Religion Is Near!
- What false religion is
- - How it will end
- - - How to identify true religion
http://www.watchtower.org/e/kn37/article_01.htm

NOTE:

"It Is The Best Interlinear New Testament Available",
by Dr. Jason BeDuhn, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, and Chair Department of Humanities, Arts, and Religion at Northern Arizona University


Review of
"The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures",
by Thomas Nelson Winter, University of Lincoln, Nebraska


"What Is the Best New Testament?",
written by Professor Ernest Cadman Colwell


"After being familiar with the NWT for 20 yrs and comparing it with some 55 English translations over that same period we can honestly say that it is our opinion this translation is indeed one of the major/main Bible translations of the 20th century, as Harper's Bible Dictionary (1985 ed. R.G.Bratcher, The English Bible. pp.266, 267) and The Lion Handbook to the Bible (Lion Publishing, 1976 reprint, p. 79) admits."

(Though the latter URLs aren't links, & don't fully show at first glance, they will when you run your cursor over them. Add, 'http://' , to their fronts, & they will become complete URLs.)

Answer 5

What, in God's name is "the original Bible"??

The OT was canonized by the Jews.....thereby - do you mean the original manuscripts, written by the hand of Moses and the Prophets (or the scribes) in Hebrew - which have never been found, nor could they be verified as such even if they were found.

Same thing goes for the NT. Canonized by the Church in the Fourth Century. Do you mean the original Greek manuscripts? Again - there is no verifiable way to determine if they are the original or not.

Answer 6

It usejd to be against the law, thats why the King James was called tha Standard version. It was only with the revival of literacy and freedom of press taht it became legal to translate the Bible however you want.

this is why I am considring Islam, The Quran has stayed in its original form since it was written. The Quran even says that the Bible has been corrutped and that it is now unreliable.

Answer 7

Jesus fulfilled the regulation. we are no longer stored by utilising the regulation, yet does that recommend we are to be disobedient to the regulation? There are the moral rules God supplies us, and there are the ordinances and sacrificially rules that we are no longer to any extent further under. you're talking with regard to the regulation that Christ did away with, however the moral regulation remains all throughout the recent testomony. study the e book of Romans, God nevertheless condemns homosexuality. The Bible consistently tells us that gay pastime is a sin (Genesis 19:a million-13; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans a million:26-27; a million Corinthians 6:9). Romans a million:26-27 teaches specially that homosexuality is a consequence of denying and disobeying God. whilst people proceed in sin and unbelief, God “supplies them over” to much extra wicked and wicked sin with the intention to coach them the futility and hopelessness of existence different than for God. a million Corinthians 6:9 declares that gay “offenders” won't inherit the dominion of God. God would not create a guy or woman with gay needs. The Bible tells us that folk grow to be homosexuals because of the fact of sin (Romans a million:24-27) and finally because of the fact of their very own determination. a guy or woman could be born with an greater susceptibility to homosexuality, basically as some persons are born with a tendency to violence and different sins. that would not excuse the guy’s picking to sin by utilising giving in to sinful needs. If a guy or woman is born with an greater susceptibility to anger/rage, does that make it right for him to furnish into those needs? of direction no longer! the comparable is genuine with homosexuality. besides the shown fact that, the Bible would not describe homosexuality as a “extra effective” sin than the different. All sin is offensive to God. Homosexuality is barely between the various stuff indexed in a million Corinthians 6:9-10 which will shop a guy or woman from the dominion of God. in accordance to the Bible, God’s forgiveness is basically as attainable to a gay as that's to an adulterer, idol worshipper, assassin, thief, etc. God additionally supplies you the capability for victory over sin, inclusive of homosexuality, to all people who will have self assurance in Jesus Christ for their salvation (a million Corinthians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 4:13).

Answer 8

If you have God in you, you could pick up any Bible and God will give you the understanding to get the message He wants you to have. He reveals His Word to you.

Answer 9

They didn't translate it into there own terms, but rather there own langauges. Many books mirror very closely to ancient scrolls when retranslated.