Our Authorized Bible Vindicated
Encyclopedia
Our Authorized Bible Vindicated is a book written by Seventh-day Adventist
scholar Dr. Benjamin G. Wilkinson
advocating the King James Only
(KJO) position, published in 1930. While King-James-Only advocacy existed prior to the writing of this book, many of the arguments in the book have since become set talking-points of many who support the belief, thanks in large part to Baptist
Fundamentalist preacher David Otis Fuller
, who adopted them into much of his own material, such as the book, Which Bible?.
and Fenton Hort
, arguments that corruptions were introduced into the Septuagint by Origen
, a belief in two textual streams (the "pure" Antiochian (Byzantine) text
, and the "bad" Alexandrian text
), a belief in the superiority of the Textus Receptus
for the New Testament and the Masoretic Text
for the Old Testament, and so on.
Those who preferred not to use the Textus Receptus, such as Westcott and Hort, used what Wilkinson claimed were corrupted manuscripts and which other authorities on the textual issue such as John Burgon
, called it a "fabricated text", and "among the most corrupt documents extant" and likens the manuscripts used as to the "two false witnesses" of Matthew 26:60.
the Codex Vaticanus
and the Codex Sinaiticus
. The Codex Vaticanus that has come down to us had portions which have been collated and changed or edited by several scribes over the centuries, with many exclusions and errors that were intended to be corrections made in the process, while the Codex Sinaiticus
has known textual variants in its text and exclusions.
As can be seen in the book, Wilkinson claims that the Old Latin version
, instead of the Vulgate
, was the Bible of the medieval Waldensians
and that the Old Latin corresponds textually with the Greek
Textus Receptus
. The Textus Receptus constituted the translation base for the original German
Luther Bible
, for the translation of the New Testament into English
by William Tyndale
, the King James Version, and for most other Reformation-era
New Testament translations throughout Western and Central Europe
.
Articles critical of the book:
Articles supportive of the book:
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
scholar Dr. Benjamin G. Wilkinson
Benjamin G. Wilkinson
Dr. Benjamin George Wilkinson was a Seventh-day Adventist missionary, educator, theologian and the Dean of Theology at the Seventh-day Adventist Washington Missionary College which is located in Takoma Park, Maryland, near Washington, D.C.-Biography:Wilkinson is an obscure figure today, and is...
advocating the King James Only
King-James-Only Movement
The "King James Only movement" advocates the superiority of the Authorized King James Version of the Protestant Bible. The topic increased in newsworthiness in 2011, the 400th anniversary of the translation's 1611 initial publication....
(KJO) position, published in 1930. While King-James-Only advocacy existed prior to the writing of this book, many of the arguments in the book have since become set talking-points of many who support the belief, thanks in large part to Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Fundamentalist preacher David Otis Fuller
David Otis Fuller
David Otis Fuller was a graduate of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois and Princeton Theological Seminary...
, who adopted them into much of his own material, such as the book, Which Bible?.
Arguments made in the book
Among the assertions the book helped propagate in support of the Authorized King James Version were arguments against Brooke WestcottBrooke Foss Westcott
Brooke Foss Westcott was a British bishop, Biblical scholar and theologian, serving as Bishop of Durham from 1890 until his death.-Early life and education:...
and Fenton Hort
Fenton John Anthony Hort
Fenton John Anthony Hort was an Irish theologian and editor, with Brooke Westcott of a critical edition of The New Testament in the Original Greek.-Life:...
, arguments that corruptions were introduced into the Septuagint by Origen
Origen
Origen , or Origen Adamantius, 184/5–253/4, was an early Christian Alexandrian scholar and theologian, and one of the most distinguished writers of the early Church. As early as the fourth century, his orthodoxy was suspect, in part because he believed in the pre-existence of souls...
, a belief in two textual streams (the "pure" Antiochian (Byzantine) text
Byzantine text-type
The Byzantine text-type is one of several text-types used in textual criticism to describe the textual character of Greek New Testament manuscripts. It is the form found in the largest number of surviving manuscripts, though not in the oldest...
, and the "bad" Alexandrian text
Alexandrian text-type
The Alexandrian text-type , associated with Alexandria, is one of several text-types used in New Testament textual criticism to describe and group the textual character of biblical manuscripts...
), a belief in the superiority of the Textus Receptus
Textus Receptus
Textus Receptus is the name subsequently given to the succession of printed Greek texts of the New Testament which constituted the translation base for the original German Luther Bible, the translation of the New Testament into English by William Tyndale, the King James Version, and for most other...
for the New Testament and the Masoretic Text
Masoretic Text
The Masoretic Text is the authoritative Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible and is regarded as Judaism's official version of the Tanakh. While the Masoretic Text defines the books of the Jewish canon, it also defines the precise letter-text of these biblical books, with their vocalization and...
for the Old Testament, and so on.
Those who preferred not to use the Textus Receptus, such as Westcott and Hort, used what Wilkinson claimed were corrupted manuscripts and which other authorities on the textual issue such as John Burgon
John William Burgon
John William Burgon was an English Anglican divine who became the Dean of Chichester Cathedral in 1876. He is remembered for his passionate defence of the historicity and Mosaic authorship of Genesis and of Biblical inerrancy in general.-Biography:Burgon was born at Smyrna, the son of an English...
, called it a "fabricated text", and "among the most corrupt documents extant" and likens the manuscripts used as to the "two false witnesses" of Matthew 26:60.
the Codex Vaticanus
Codex Vaticanus
The Codex Vaticanus , is one of the oldest extant manuscripts of the Greek Bible , one of the four great uncial codices. The Codex is named for the residence in the Vatican Library, where it has been stored since at least the 15th century...
and the Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus is one of the four great uncial codices, an ancient, handwritten copy of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters on parchment. Current scholarship considers the Codex Sinaiticus to be one of the best Greek texts of...
. The Codex Vaticanus that has come down to us had portions which have been collated and changed or edited by several scribes over the centuries, with many exclusions and errors that were intended to be corrections made in the process, while the Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus is one of the four great uncial codices, an ancient, handwritten copy of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters on parchment. Current scholarship considers the Codex Sinaiticus to be one of the best Greek texts of...
has known textual variants in its text and exclusions.
As can be seen in the book, Wilkinson claims that the Old Latin version
Vetus Latina
Vetus Latina is a collective name given to the Biblical texts in Latin that were translated before St Jerome's Vulgate Bible became the standard Bible for Latin-speaking Western Christians. The phrase Vetus Latina is Latin for Old Latin, and the Vetus Latina is sometimes known as the Old Latin Bible...
, instead of the Vulgate
Vulgate
The Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
, was the Bible of the medieval Waldensians
Waldensians
Waldensians, Waldenses or Vaudois are names for a Christian movement of the later Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions, primarily in North-Western Italy. There is considerable uncertainty about the earlier history of the Waldenses because of a lack of extant source...
and that the Old Latin corresponds textually with the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
Textus Receptus
Textus Receptus
Textus Receptus is the name subsequently given to the succession of printed Greek texts of the New Testament which constituted the translation base for the original German Luther Bible, the translation of the New Testament into English by William Tyndale, the King James Version, and for most other...
. The Textus Receptus constituted the translation base for the original German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
Luther Bible
Luther Bible
The Luther Bible is a German Bible translation by Martin Luther, first printed with both testaments in 1534. This translation became a force in shaping the Modern High German language. The project absorbed Luther's later years. The new translation was very widely disseminated thanks to the printing...
, for the translation of the New Testament into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by William Tyndale
William Tyndale
William Tyndale was an English scholar and translator who became a leading figure in Protestant reformism towards the end of his life. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther...
, the King James Version, and for most other Reformation-era
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
New Testament translations throughout Western and Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
.
See also
- Bible version debateBible version debateThere have been various debates concerning the proper medium and translation of the Bible since the first translations of the Hebrew Bible into Greek and Aramaic...
- Dean Burgon SocietyDean Burgon SocietyThe Dean Burgon Society is an organization that promotes and defends the King James Bible and the underlying Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. It should not be confused with the academic Burgon Society. They are separate organizations....
- List of Bible verses not included in modern translations
- Modern English Bible translationsModern English Bible translationsMany attempts have been made to translate the Bible into modern English, which is defined as the form of English in use after 1800 . Since the early nineteenth century, there have been several translational responses to the rapid spread of Christianity throughout the world...
- Textual criticismTextual criticismTextual criticism is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts...
- Trinitarian Bible SocietyTrinitarian Bible SocietyThe Trinitarian Bible Society was founded in 1831 "to promote the Glory of God and the salvation of men by circulating, both at home and abroad, in dependence on the Divine blessing, the Holy Scriptures, which are given by inspiration of God and are able to make men wise unto salvation through...
External links
Our Authorized Bible Vindicated:Articles critical of the book:
- Watch Unto Prayer Traces origin of King James-Onlyism, viewing this book as a forerunner of the movement.
- Critique (RTFRich Text FormatThe Rich Text Format is a proprietary document file format with published specification developed by Microsoft Corporation since 1987 for Microsoft products and for cross-platform document interchange....
) by Alden ThompsonAlden ThompsonAlden Lloyd Thompson is a Seventh-day Adventist Christian theologian, author and popular speaker and seminar presenter. He is the professor of biblical studies at Walla Walla University in Washington, United States...
, March 24, 1995 - The Unlearned Men Article by Doug Kutilek
Articles supportive of the book: