Which Bible can we Trust
by Les Garrett
First Edition November 1997
Copyright
Used by permission.
No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any way without written permission, except in the case of quotations for articles and reviews. Permission may be obtained by writing to the following address: Voice of Thanksgiving, P.0. Box 7759, Gold Coast Mail Centre, QLD, Australia 9726
AcknowledgmentsThe author of this book has spoken many times to Gail Riplinger and we have shared information. I would like to thank Gail Riplinger for permission to use numerous quotations from her excellent book New Age Bible Versions. Gail has B.A., M.A., and M.F.A. degrees and has done additional postgraduate study at Harvard and Cornell Universities. As a university professor, Gail taught seventeen different courses, authored six college textbooks and was selected for the Honor Society's teaching award and membership in a national Education Honorary. As one of fifty educators world-wide selected to be in an international edition of Who's Who, Gail was invited by the President's Citizen Ambassador Program to be a representative to Russia. A Big thanks Gail for the truth you have given to the church to open people's eyes so they can have a love for the TRUTH. The author of this book and Which Bible can we Trust is thankful to the Lord that he has been able to talk many times with Dr David Otis Fuller, Dr Frank Logsdon and Dr Edward F. Hills while they walked this earth and receive from them a wealth of information and help. JER 9:3 ... not valiant for the truth upon the earth;...But thank God there are some in the past and in this day and we pray in the future that will be VALIANT FOR THE TRUTH. Join with us and help to fight truth decay.
Dr. Henry MorrisSaid of Gail Riplingers book: An outstanding work...The author has certainly done an amazing job of research. It is hard to believe one person could do all this research. I certainly appreciate this book. it is indeed quite remarkable. Dr. Henry Morris has written over 35 books including , Christian Education for the Real World, Battle For Creation, Bible and Modern Science, The Bible has the Answer and Explore the Word.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Author of this book recommends that to get the full picture you read his other book Which Bible can we Trust with 332 Pages including 26 charts and pictures and a 60 pages concordance with all major changes that will shock you. Plus his 3 hour teaching Video on The Bible. Dr. Frank Logsdon Audio Tape. Also highly recommend is Gail Riplinger book New Age Bible Versions. An exhaustive documentation on the Men, the Message and the Manuscripts 690 pages. If you read these three books you will have a very full picture of what the attack on God's word is all about and you to can be VALIANT FOR THE TRUTH. Write to Address on previous page for these books
PrefaceIn these days of open attack upon the Word of God we need to get back to a LOVE and Belief in the inspired word of God. Billly Graham prayed: "Father, I cannot understand many things in this book I cannot come intellectually all the way; but I ACCEPT IT by faith to be the AUTHORITATIVE INSPIRED WORD OF THE LIVING GOD." Wally Criswell said: "The preacher who starts with the word of God in HIS HANDS stands upon an invincible, impregnable ROCK....when you come to my church, it will be a message from THE BOOK....The BIBLE is the infallible word of God....GOD WRITES IT DOWN and we can OPEN THE SACRED BOOK and READ ITS holy words." The Bible is INSPIRED, AUTHORITATIVE and INFALLIBLE but the sad thing is that today we have corrupted Bibles (2 COR 2:17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God) .In the Bibles today that come from the Westcott and Hort text given to us in 1881, taken from texts in Alexandria EGYPT, we have a different Bible to the one used for over 1,800 years, from the early church, through to the reformation, up till about 124 Years ago when we were moved from the Majority Text to a NEW GREEK TEXT.
What this new Greek text does is that it takes out INSPIRED words, well over 620 words spoken by Jesus (Red Letter Bible), the Name of Jesus out 87 times, Christ out 52 times, Lord out 39 times and references to God taken out 48 times. Plus it takes out large parts of well over 900 verses in the New Testament and if that is not enough it then takes out over 17 whole verses (Acts 8:37 example) and then it gets worse because it takes away the Deity of Jesus in well over 40 Places in the New Testament and even in the Old Testament (Daniel 3:25 example) and then it goes on to change the New Testament in over 8000 places. (GAL 1:7... there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.) (REV 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book....)
So, what has taken place is, that from Matt to Rev the Word of God has been changed and taken away from. Should we not take a stand against this? Truman Dollar said: " We will not be a friend to this world, as we are true to THIS BOOK....I want to lace my sermons with the Word of God: PREACH IT: DON'T CHANGE IT." ( Fires from many Altars, Pages 226,232) Another well known preacher said: "No human being has the right to CHANGE WHAT GOD SAID ...our faith...our ministry as a New Testament church finds its premise in THIS BOOK [He holds up the KJV]....Whenever you are reading something besides THIS Book be sure it agrees with THIS BOOK or it isn't worth your reading time." ( Fires from many Altars, Page 292) The problem is in our age we have been influenced by textual criticism, we have their comments in the margins of some Bibles (not find in the oldest MSS etc) Edward F. Hills, ThD said: "We must be alert to the dangers of naturalistic New Testament textual criticism. For this is naturalistic Bible study of the most insidious sort. It begins by persuading an unsuspecting Christian to ignore God's providential preservation of the Scriptures and leads him on to ignore other divine aspects of the Bible until almost before he knows it, he finds himself bereft of faith and almost completely modernistic in outlook." R.A. Torrey went on to say: "I was brought up to believe that THE BIBLE was the word of God...in early life I accepted it on the authority of my parents...later in my life, my faith in THE BIBLE was shattered through the influence of the writings of very celebrated, scholarly, and brilliant textual critics.....but....the Holy Spirit sets His seal in the soul of every believer to the divine AUTHORITY OF THE BIBLE .... the nearer he gets to God, the nearer he gets to THE BIBLE. When we get to where God is, we and THE BIBLE meet....in other words, THE BIBLE is written from God's standpoint." (Torrey's defense of the KJV in "Our Bible," by Moody Press, 1898 page 114 and 130) Make no mistake about what we are dealing with: the issue is FINAL AUTHORITY. The subject of the Bible is God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Rebels and Critics are never subject to any final authority that is higher than their own opinion (1 Sam. 15:22,23.)
VERY IMPORTANTI want you to take notice as you read this book the many times that Westcott and Hort said they same things as Mme Blavatsky, this is because they read the same mystic writers and they went to the same seance meetings, also they drank of the same spirit from the same corrupt fountains of Platonism.
By Pastor Les Garrett 1997
CHAPTER & PAGE NUMBER
PREFACE 2
INTRODUCTIONS 4
FORWARD 14
ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA 15
1 WESTCOTT & HORT THE OCCULT & SEANCES 24
2 MADAME BLAVATSKY & NEW VERSIONS 44
3 SHEPHERD OF HERMAS, EPISTLE OF BARNABAS 68
4 WORLD GOVERNMENT AND NEW AGE 75
5 THE MAJORITY TEXT 92
6 HITLER, THE NAZI & BLAVATSKY 98
7 MISCELLANEOUS 107
8 CONCORDANCE 125
9 APPENDIX A CHRIST FROM JESUS 133
10 APPENDIX B WESTCOTT & HORT LETTERS 136
11 APPENDIX C SPURGEON'S LAST WORDS 140
12 APPENDIX D CONCLUSION 149
Introductions
From C.H. Spurgeon’s ‘Final Manifesto’ Against the Westcott and Hort New Greek Text
Given to his students at his Baptist College, April 1891.
C.H. Spurgeon went home to be with the Lord January 31st, 1892.
The first is our armoury, which is the inspired Word. In a word in our warfare we shall keep to the old weapon of the sword of the Spirit. "There is none like that; give it me." We have even wondered at the sacred results of the old gospel. Though we are accustomed often -times to see it, it never loses its charm. In reading books of the new order, though no palpable falsehood may appear, you are conscious of a twist being given you, and of a sinking in the tone of your spirit; therefore be on your guard. Our warfare is with men who are giving up the atoning sacrifice, denying the inspiration of Holy Scripture and casting slurs upon justification by faith.....the truth of God versus the inventions of men. ...In fact, the "wine on the lees well refined" was so mixed with the muddy water of human speculation, that it was no longer wine at all.
Yet, surely there is a remnant of faithful ones, and these will be stirred to action and will cry mightily unto God that the plague may be stayed. The gospel is too precious for us to be indifferent to its adulteration. By the love we bear to the Lord Jesus we are bound to defend the treasure with which he has put us in trust.
We live in perilous times: we are passing through a most eventful period; the Christian world is convulsed; there is a mighty upheaval of the old foundations of faith; a great overhauling of old teaching. The Bible is made to speak today in a language which to our fathers would be an unknown tongue.
With those who treat the Bible as waste paper, and regard the death of Christ as no substitution, we have no desire for fellowship. After the gospel has been found effectual in the eternal salvation of untold multitudes, it seems rather late in the day to alter it; and , since it is the revelation of the all-wise and unchanging God, it appears somewhat audacious to attempt its improvement. When we call up before our mind's eye the gentlemen who have set themselves this presumptuous task..... Their gigantic intellects are to hatch out the meanings of the Infinite. Hitherto they have not hatched out much worth reading. Their chickens are so much of the Roman breed, that we sometimes seriously suspect that, after all, Jesuitical craft may be at the bottom of this "modern thought".
I should like to have a catalogue of conversions wrought by modern theology: Conversions through the doctrines of universal restitution! Conversions through the doctrines of doubtful inspiration! Conversions by a gospel out of which all the gospel has been drained out.
The prince of the power of the air is loosed in an extraordinary manner for a season, misleading even the godly, and triumphing greatly in those whose willing minds yield full assent to his deceitful teachings. The substitutionary sacrifice and the Trinity were quickly disposed of, and the penknife was set to work. Almost whole chapters were cut out of the Bible; we were told that certain books of it ought never to have been written. Verbal inspiration was utter rubbish, and ought never to be tolerated. It is with the utmost pain that we mention such instances, but there are still some who are bold enough to deny that there are any departures from the faith, or so very few that they are not worth mentioning. ... But their ommissions is producing the saddest results. ou cannot leave out that part of the truth which is so dark and so solemn without weaking the force of all the other truths. Brethren leave out nothing. The evil which we may do by adding to, or taking from the Word of the Lord, may not happen in our own days; but if it should come to ripeness in another generation we shall be equally guilty. ...I have no doubt that the omissions of certain truths led afterwards to serious error. Remember, you will have to give an account, and that account will not be with joy if you have played false with God's truth. HOW WILL YOU ANSWER FOR IT "IN THAT DAY", IF YOU HAVE ADDED TO, OR TAKEN FROM THE WORD OF THE LORD.
Why would any man propose to add to the sacred Word. ...It is better to be silent before the Lord, than to dream of supplementing what he has spoken. Keep within the covers of the sacred book. Try not to cast anything forth from the perfect volume. If you find it there, there let it stand. ... "By every word of the Lord doth man live." "Every word of God is pure. From this Book not one verse ommitted-from the first page of Genesis to the last page of Revelation."... The gentleman who see errors in Scripture may think themselves competent to amend the language of the Lord of host; but we who believe God, and accept the very words he uses, may not make so presumptuous an attempt. Our own words are mere paper pellets compared with the rifle shot of the Word. The scripture is the conclusion of the whole matter. Ther is no arguing after we find that "it is written." "Thus saith the Lord" is the end of discussion. ... It shall be "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth". or none at all. We will never attempt to save half the truth by casting any part of it away. We will stand by all or none. We will have a whole Bible or no Bible. We shall with the sword of the Spirit maitain the whole truth as ours, and shall not accept a part of it as a grant from the enemies of God. The truth of God we will maintain as the truth of God. God being with us we shall not cease from this glorying, but will hold the whole of revealed truth, even to the end. We would not wilfully leave out any portion of whole revelation of God, but we long to be able to say at the last, "We have not shunned to decalre unto you the whole counsel of God." What mischief may come of leaving out any portion of the truth.
When you have read your Bible, and have enjoyed its precious promises, you will have, tomorrow morning, to go down the street to ask the scholarly men whether this portion of the Scripture belongs to the inspired part of the Word or whether it is of dubious authority. ... We are fully asssured that our own old English version of the Scriptures is sufficient for plain men for all purposes of life, salvation and godliness.
(The above extracts taken from C.H.Spurgeon ‘Final Manifesto’ Given to his students at his Baptist College, April 1891. C.H. Spurgeon went home to be with the Lord January 31st, 1892
"It is sadly, common among ministers to add a word or subtract a word from the passage, or in some way debase the language of sacred writ.... Our reverence for the Great Author of Scripture should forbid all mauling of his Words...
No alteration of Scripture can by any possibility be an improvement...Today it is still the self-same mighty Word of God that it was in the hands of our Lord Jesus...
If this Book be not infallible, where shall we find infallibility? We have given up the Pope, for he has blundered often and terrible, but we shall set up instead of him a horde of little popelings.
Are these correctors of scripture infallible? Is it certain that our Bibles are not right? But that the critics must be so?... But where shall infallibility be found? 'The depth saith, it is not in me' yet those who have no depth at all would have us imagine that it is in them, or else by perpetual change they may hope to hit upon it
All possibility of certainty is transferred from the spiritual man to a class of persons whose scholarship is pretentious, but who do not even pretend to spirituality. We shall gradually be so bedoubted and becriticized that only a few of the most profound will know what is Bible and what is not, and they will dictate to all the rest of us. I have no more faith in their mercy than their accuracy.
They will rob us of all that we hold most dear, and glory in the cruel deed. This same 'reign of terror' we will not endure, for we still believe that God reveals Himself rather to babes than to the wise and prudent... We do not despise learning, but we will never say of culture or criticism, 'These be Thy gods, O Israel.'"
Do you see WHY [Westcott & Hort] would lower the degree of inspiration in Holy writ, and would fain reduce it to an infinitesimal quantity? It is because the truth of God is to be supplanted... whenever a man begins to lower your view of inspiration, it is because he has a trick to play, which is not easily performed in the light. ... He would hold a seance of evil spirits, and therefore he cries, "Let the lights be lowered. To these who belittle inspiration and inerrancy will we give place by subjection, no, not for an hour
This proclaimed 10 years after the Revised Version was published in 1881, engineered, domineered and dominated by Westcott and Hort whose Greek texts and theory ("the oldest is the best") has proven to be the worst imaginable).
Spurgeon on 1 Timothy 3:16
Look at the damage done to 1 Timothy 3:16 "God was manifest in the flesh" changed to; "He was manifest". What an attack on the deity of Christ! C. H. Spurgeon said of this verse in his sermon 'God was manifest in the flesh'. I believe that our version is the correct one, but the fiercest battlings have been held over this sentence. It is asserted that the word 'Theos' is a corruption of 'os'; so that instead of reading, 'God was manifest in the flesh', we should read 'who was manifest in the flesh'. There is very little occasion for fighting about this matter, for if the text does not say 'God was manifest in the flesh' who does it say was manifest in the flesh? Either a man, or an angel, or the devil. Does it tell us that a man was manifest in the flesh? Assuredly that cannot be its teaching, for every man is manifest in the flesh, and there is no sense in making such a statement concerning any mere man, and then calling it a mystery. Was it an angel then? But what angel was ever manifest in the flesh? And if he were, would it be at all a mystery that he should be 'seen of angels'. Is it a wonder for an angel to see an angel? Can it be that the devil was manifest in the flesh? If so he has been 'received up into glory', which, let us hope, is not the case. Well, if it was neither a man, nor an angel, nor a devil, who was manifest in the flesh, surely he must have been God; and so if the word be not there, the sense must be there, or else nonsense. We believe that, if criticism should grind the text in a mill, it would get out of it no more and no less than the sense expressed by our grand old version. God himself was manifest in the flesh; What a mystery is this! a mystery of mysteries! God the invisible was manifest; God the spiritual dwelt in flesh; God the infinite, uncontained, boundless, was manifest in the flesh. What infinite leagues our thought must traverse between Godhead self- existent, and therefore, full of power and self sufficiency, before we have descended to the far down level of poor flesh, which is as grass at its best, and dust in its essence! Where find we a greater contrast than between God and flesh, and yet the two are blended in the incarnation of the Saviour... matchless truth, let the Church never fail to set it forth, for it is essential to the world's salvation that this doctrine of the incarnation be made fully known. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 227)
C.H. Spurgeon said: There can be no Christianity without an inspired and Authoritative Bible. "The turning point of the battle between those who hold 'the faith once delivered to the saints' and their opponents, lies in the true and real inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. This is the Thermopylae of Christendom. If we have in the Word of God no infallible standard of truth, we are at sea without a compass, and no danger from rough weather without, can be equal to the loss within. 'If the foundation be removed, what can the righteous do?" And this is the foundation loss of the worst kind.. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett, Page 7)
Charles Haddon Spurgeon said: "The Bible is God's word, and when I SEE IT, I seem to hear a voice saying, `I AM THE BOOK OF GOD, man, read me; I am GOD'S WRITING: open my leaves, for I was PENNED BY GOD' ...I plead with you, I beg of you, respect YOUR BIBLES and search them out. Go home and read your Bibles... O BOOK of books! And wast thou written by my God? Then I will BOW BEFORE THEE, THOU BOOK OF VAST AUTHORITY! for He has written THIS BOOK Himself...let us love it, let us count it more precious than fine gold!"
PSA 138:2.... thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
PSA 56:4 In God I will praise his word, in God....
PSA 56:10 In God will I praise [his] word: in the LORD will I praise [his] word.
MAT 5:18, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
MAT 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
JOHN CALVIN
John Calvin and other Protestants strongly supported the text as we have it in our Authorized Version; see for example Calvin's Commentary on first Timothy from which the following quotation is made:- "He could not have spoken more appropriately about the person of Christ than in these words, 'God manifest in the flesh'. First, we have here an express testimony of both natures: for he declares at the same time that Christ is true God and true man. Secondly, he points out the distinction between the two natures, when on the one hand he calls him God, and on the other, expresses his 'manifestation in the flesh'. Thirdly, he asserts the unity of the person, when he declares, that it is one in the same who was God, and who has been manifests in the flesh." He went on to say: "There is nothing in the Bible which is unimportant, there is nothing in the Bible which should not be there."
MARTIN LUTHER
"No greater mischief can happen to a Christian people than to have God's Word taken from them or falsified, so that they no longer have it pure and clear. God grant that we and our descendants be not witnesses of such a calamity. Let us not lose the Bible, but with diligence, in fear and invocation of God, read and preach it."
JOHN WESLEY
"I build on no authority, ancient or modern, but the scripture. I want to know one thing, the way to heaven; how to land safe on that happy shore. God himself hath condescended to teach the way. he hath written it down in a book. Oh give me that Book! - at any price, give me that book of God! " Here I stand with my Bible! I will not, I dare not, vary from this book, either in great things or small. I have no power to dispense with one jot or title of what is contained therein. I am determined to be a Bible Christian, not almost, but altogether. Who will meet me on this ground? Join me on this, or not at all.
Canon Cook
Author of the Speakers Bible Commentary
"In the determination of disputed readings, these Critics avail themselves of so small a portion of existing materials, or allow so little weight to others, that the student who follows them has positively less ground for his convictions than former Scholars had at any period in the history of modern criticism.
DEAN JOHN BURGON
Dean of Westminster and preeminent Greek textual scholar of the day.Let us in contrast look at some extracts from Dean Burgon's book, The Revision Revised which has now been reprinted. His arguments against the Westcott and Hort theory and letters to Bishop Ellicott were a challenge in his day that they could not answer:
I set to work and during the long summer days of 1881 June to September the foremost of my three articles was elaborated. When the October number of 'the Quarterly' appeared, I comforted myself with the secret consciousness that enough was by this time on record, even had my life been suddenly brought to a close, to secure the ultimate rejection of the 'Revision' of 1881. I knew that the 'New Greek Text,' (and therefore the 'New English Version,)' had received its death blow, it might for a few years drag out a maimed existence; eagerly defended by some, timidly pleaded for by others. But such efforts could be of no avail. Its days were already numbered. The effect of more and yet more learned investigation, of more elaborate and more extended inquiry, must be to convince mankind more and yet more thoroughly that the principles on which it had been constructed were radically unsound. In the end, when partisanship had cooled down, and passion had evaporated, and prejudice had ceased to find and auditory, the 'Revision' of 1881 must come to be universally regarded as what it most certainly is, the most astonishing, as well as the most calamitous blunder of the age. Who could have anticipated that the opportunity would have been adroitly seized to inflict upon the Church the text of Westcott and Hort, in all its essential features, a text which, as will be found elsewhere largely explained, we hold to be the most vicious Recession of the original Greek in existence?
Even so, however, the whole amount of the mischief which has been effected by our Revisionist has not been stated. For the Greek Text which they have invented proves to be so hopelessly depraved throughout, that if it were to be thrust upon the Church's acceptance, we should be a thousand times worse off than we were with the Text which Erasmus and the Complutensian, Stephens, and Beza, and the Elzevirs, bequeathed to us upwards of three centuries ago. We appeal to the New Greek Texts of Drs. Westcott and Hort, which, beyond all controversy, is more hopelessly remote from the inspired Original than any which has yet appeared To speak plainly, the book has been made unreadable. It is already admitted on all hands that the Revision has been a prodigious blunder.
The task of laboriously collating the five 'old uncials' throughout the Gospels, occupied me for five and a half years, and taxed me severely. But I was rewarded. I rose from the investigation profoundly convinced, that however important they may be as instruments of criticism, Codex A B C D are among the most corrupt documents extant. My contention is, not that the Theory of Westcott and Hort rest on an insecure foundation, but that it rest on no foundation at all.
The Greek Text of the New Testament is not to be settled by Modern Opinion, but by Ancient Authority if they are so ill advised as to set themselves in battle array against that host of ancient man. Not only have they on countless occasions, thrust out words, clauses, entire sentences of genuine Scripture, but you have been careful that no trace shall survive of the fatal injury which you have inflicted upon the Word of God. Such a proceeding in a high degree is sinful. Has not the Spirit pronounced a tremendous doom against those who do such things?
It can only be spoken of at this time of day as a shapeless ruin. What I assert concerning those Critics is not that their superstructure rest upon an insecure foundation; but that it rest on no foundation at all. My complaint is, not that they are somewhat and frequently mistaken; but that they are mistaken entirely, and that they are mistaken throughout, your own work as Revisionist has been, to speak plainly, one gigantic blunder from end to end.
Our Revisionists, who under the plea of amending our English Authorized Version have (with the best intentions) falsified the Greek Text of the Gospels in countless places, often without notice and without apology. And if this procedure, repeated many hundreds of times, be not constructing a 'New Greek Text' of the New Testament, we have yet to learn what is. The Traditional Text has been departed from by them nearly 6000 times, almost invariably for the worst.
There well meant endeavors have provided an admirable text book for Teachers of Divinity, who will Henceforth instruct their pupils to beware of the Textual errors of the revisions of 1881. Dean Burgon also gave a warning of the consequences of this text being taught in Bible Schools, when he said :
"Who will venture to predict the amount of mischief which must follow, if the 'New Greek Text' which has been put forth by the men who were appointed to revise the English Authorized Version, should become used in our Schools and in our Colleges?"
It shocks us when we realize that the New Greek Text put forth by Westcott and Hort is really as the Apostle Paul said "another gospel.."
2CO 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or [if] ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, ....
GAL 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
GAL 1:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
2CO 2:17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God:...
2CO 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully....
MAR 4:15... Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word
JER 23:30 Therefore, behold, I [am] against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words....
It is a Known fact that in the first hundred years after the death of the apostles, Irenaeus said, "they mutilated the Scriptures." Those who were corrupting the Bible manuscripts of the Majority text said they were correcting them. Corrupted copies were so prevalent, that agreement between them was hopeless. The Bishop of Syria was compelled one hundred and twenty-five years after Christ to throw out of his church two hundred copies of corrupted manuscript, [Another Gospel] because the church members were taking it for the true gospel. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 63)
R. L. DABNEYLiving in the United States in an age which possessed outstanding teachers of evangelical Christianity, Robert L Dabney (1820 - 1898) was second to none as an exponent of the theology. In the opinion of the eminent Archibald Alexander of Princeton, Dabney was "the best teacher of theology in the United States, if not in the world," while T.C. Johnson, who issued the Life and Letters of Robert Lewis Dabney in 1903, went further and regarded him as entitled "to the first place, among the theological thinkers and writers of his century." The minimum which can be said is that he was, as two continental theologians, Bavinck and Lecerf, have recognized, one of the leading theologians of America. There is a strength and liveliness in his writings which sets him in the front rank of American theologians of the Nineteenth century .
These extracts on "The Revised Version of the New Testament," are not merely example of a certain stage in 19th - century textual criticism, but deals with issues which are very much a part of the present ferment over new Bible versions.
The Revised Version Of The New Testament
This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for July, 1881 reviewing the Revised Version of the New Testament.
On the 20th of May last, the curiosity of the English speaking people as to the final result of the revision of the New Testament, raised to a high tension by delay, received its gratification. Thomas Nelson and Sons, on behalf of the English University presses, began at one o'clock A. M. the promised sales. In four days, amidst scenes of unwanted excitement, sale was made of four hundred thousand copies. The ocean telegraph states that one million copies were sold in London in about the same time.
These so-called American Revisers were not allowed coordinate authority with the British committee. It appears that they were allowed to suggest criticisms, which the British committee rejected or adopted as to them seemed good, while the American committee had no power to reject the British decision. Consequently, a large part - perhaps the most, if secrets were divulged - of the suggestions of the Americans appear only in the form of an appendix. The committee's have taken in hand the first of these tasks with vigor. They give us a text which boldly departs from the Majority Text
This journal, foreseeing the danger of too rash an innovation in our received text, foreshadowed by the spirit of the Revisers, endeavored to sound a note of caution in its number for April, 1871, in a discussion of Tischendorf's Sinai Codex.
But the biblical critics who guided the revisers to make these innovations in the text are not popes. The rest of us Bible readers have not lost the right of private judgment as to this or any other point. That text is the umpire, and the reader can compare with it the old translation and the new, and judge for himself which is the more faithful. But upon the plan pursued by these Revisers the church would have no textus receptus of the Greek Text.
But perhaps the most lamentable change is that of 2 Timothy 3:16. "All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable," the enemies of the Bible have long sought to defraud us of this evidence of full inspiration by making it read : "Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable," The poisonous suggestion intended is that, Among parts of the 'Scripture' some are inspired and some are not.
In conclusion, the revisers have evidently yielded to much to the desire for change.There is a multitude of needless emendations, of which the least that can be said is, that they are no improvements. The changes have been calculated to average two for each verse of the Gospels and Acts, and three for each verse of the Epistles and revelation. Is this a revision or a new version?
The Doctrinal various readings of the New Testament Greek
By R.L.Dabney
This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review, April 1871.
As more numerous collations of ancient documents are made the number of various readings is, of course greatly increased; but yet the effect of these comparisons is, on the whole, to confirm the substantial correctness of the majority text more and more.
No respectable critic would now hazard his credit by proposing as many emendations as Griesbach; and is said that Tischendorf, in his latest edition, restores a number of the received readings which he had himself criticized in his earlier ones.
Dr. Scholtz devoted the best years of his live exclusively to travels, collation of manuscripts, and similar critical labors, in the course of which he examined and compared six hundred and thirty manuscripts. The result of this immense labour was to reinstate the credit of the majority text in a multitude of places where Griesbach had assailed it, and to show that it presents the most trustworthy text extant.
Lachmann, whose critical edition of the Greek New Testament was published in Berlin in 1832 and 1850. Among the Father's, he relies chiefly upon the quotations of Origen.
This method, substantially adopted by Tischendorf and by Alford, no longer retains the majority text as a common basis for emendation, or standard of comparisons, or even as our mere cord upon which to string the proposed corrections, but proceeds to construct a text just as though it never existed. It is this objectionable and mischievous feature of the later criticism which, as we believe, especially demands the notice of biblical scholars at this time. Its natural result will be, that the Church of God will finally have no New Testament at all. It should be remembered that the majority text is that which is now actually in the hands of the laity, in the popular versions of King James, of Luther,and those of the other European languages. Does anyone suppose that the labors of any learned critic will persuade any of these nations to surrender its version for a new one? It is very clear that, practically, the people must either trust the Bibles they have, or believe in none.
Tregelles has published a vast list, covering ninety - four octavo pages, of the departures of the four leading editors whom he admires, Griesbach, Scholz, Lachmann, and Tischendorf, from the majority text. Their number is more than nine thousand. That is, there are so many places in which one or more of these critics differs from the majority text. Hence it appears manifestly, that if the latter is expelled from the use and confidence of the Church, the latter will practically be left with no New Testament.
I believe [R.L.Dabney] the MAJORITY TEXT HOLDS ITS DOMINATE POSITION BY PROVIDENCE. The majority text should still be retained by all. The practical difference, and which would result from the method which we resist would be only this, that the church would no longer have a Bible in common; and nothing would ever compensate for this immense loss.
Dr. Tischendorf would affirm that his St Petersburg folio is a fac simile of the Sinai manuscript; that this is of the 4th century; that is one of the veritable fifty of Eusebius Caesariensis, transcribed by order of the Emperor Constantine; that the copy which was immediate parent to that was of Origins editing; and that this was separated by very few transcriptions from the Apostles. There were the churches for whose use Luke, with Paul's guidance, and Mark, with Peter's guidance, and John the beloved apostle, prepared three out of the four Gospels. It was at Ephesus that the Apostle John, in his last days, recognized and codified the four Gospels, including Matthew's. There chiefly labored nearly all the apostles who have wielded the pen of inspiration. There was the canon closed, by the Revelation of John, first published in the home of is old age, Ephesus. In a word, the soil of the Greek Church is the native birthplace of the New Testament canon.
If the reader will look into the lists of variations in the New Greek Text, he will find that in every case, the doctrinal effect of the departure from the majority text is to obscure or suppress some testimony for the Divinity of the Saviour. Things do not happen again and again regularly without a cause The curious coincidence, we repeat, that only one vital doctrine should be touched in any of its supposed testimonies, by all the myriads of variations, almost irresistibly impels the mind to the conclusion, that it is not the chance errors of transcribers, but some deliberate hand has been at work in these instances. This stands out as one of their most prominent characteristics, that they agree with each other in omitting these striking testimonies to the Divinity of Christ; and that they also agree, in the main, in all the other extensive omissions, implicating matters of gospel fact and practice.
These variations are too numerous, and too significant in their effect on the one doctrine, to be ascribed to chance. In support of this conclusion, we remark, first, that there are strong probable grounds to conclude that the text of the Scriptures current in the East received a mischievous modification at the hands of famous Origen.
In a word Origen was, during the times of the Sabellian and Arian controversies, the Magnus Apollo of oriental biblical scholars and his critical opinions were regarded by them as almost infallible. Now, what manner of man was Origen? He is described by Mosheim (in his Com.de Rebus Christ, volume Two, page 144) as "a compound of contraries, wise and unwise, the patron of superstition, the corrupter of Christianity, and the one to whom the Bible suffered much." The disgraceful story that his condemnation by his bishop, Demetrius, and his flight from Alexandria, were caused by his apostasy to Paganism under the impulse of fear, is not only detailed by Epiphanius, the great enemy of Origenism, but by Cedremus and Suidas. As the controversialist, he was wholly unscrupulous. His reputation as the great introducer of mysticism, allegory, and Neo - Platonism in the Christian church is too well known to need recital. Those who are best acquainted with the history of Christian opinion know best that Origen was the great corrupter and the source, or at least earliest channel, of nearly all the speculative errors which plagued the Church in after ages. This general character is enough to excite well grounded suspicion. But these statisticians are confirmed when we examine the particular traits of his system. He was strictly Rationalist. He disbelieved in the full inspiration and infallibility of the Scriptures. His philosophy was that of Ammonius, who asserted a common religion in all the schemes of philosophy, including the Bible. The key-note of all Origen's labors was the effort to reconcile Christianity and this electic Pagan philosophy into a substantial unity. That the mere words are, accordingly, of no importance. He expressly denied the consubstantial unity of the Persons and the proper incarnation of the God head.Nolan charges that Origens method of citing the Scriptures is inconsistent and vacillating; that he often cites from heretical codices and readings; that he often proposes to correct the text of the New Testament by the supposed indications of the Septuagint, As he had labored to supersede the authorized version of the Old Testament, he contributed to weaken the authority of the received text of the New. Some difficulties which he found himself unable to solve in the evangelists he undertook to remove, by expressing his doubts of the integrity of the text.
The commentaries of Origen, abound in quotations drawn from heretical revisals of Scripture. The facilities of correcting this text from Origen's writings, and the blind reverence in which that ancient father was held in the School of Caesarea, seem to have rendered the corruption of this text unavoidable. There appears a strong probability, then, that "the learned Origen" is least of all entitled to that authority which the recent critics claim for him as a witness to the state of the genuine readings; but that, if the whole truth could be recovered, he would be found the original corrupter of the text. The secular clergy usually condemned his sentiments and influence; and it was by a Byzantine council of such clergy that his name was finally fixed (where it belongs) in the list of heretics.
We shall be prepared to believe that the Western early version, where Origenism had then no currency, reflects the original purity of the text, even more truly than the Greek manuscript prevalent after Origen's day in Palestine and Egypt. The testimony of the old Italic in favour of 1 John 5:7 is therefore more weighty than at first appeared. We shall find in Eusebiusa of Caesarea another probable source of mutilation of the original texts. He was a blind admirer of Origen, and constantly made tacit pretensions of being, through Pamphilus, the lineal successor to his fame and influence. Origen and his school deteriorated the correctness of the text, it is to the same extent clear that Eusebius accepted and perpetuated that injury. His employment by the Emperor Constantine to edit fifty complete codices of the Scriptures, as detailed in his life of that Prince, may be received as being as authentic as any part of the history. Now we are not left wholly in dark as to the character of this edition. The Eusebian Canons, as they are called, have come down to us; and they disclose the fact that this father excluded Mark 15:9 to end from the text. We must remember their temporary triumph in the East under Constantine's successors; their reckless and unprincipled persecuting spirit; the villainous means to which they are known to have resorted to gain their ends, fraud, lying, subornation (as in the case of the venerable Bishop Athanasius and Eustathius of Antioch), and violence, and the charges of mutilating the sacred books made against them by the orthodox. Athanasius, for instance, in his first Encyclical Letter against the Arians to the bishops of Egypt and Lybia, charges it upon them, as one of their customary tricks to deceive the unwary, that they advanced deceitful readings of the Scripture. We know from their extant writings the Arians were wont to urge against the proper divinity of Christ. The Arians were notoriously unscrupulous. They were openly charged with corrupting the texts for polemical purposes.
DR FRANK LOGSDON
Just as those involved with the translation of 1881 were perturbed, had doubts and even withdrew from being associated with it, so too it was with the N.A.S.V. When , Mr. F. Lockman who was the founder of the Lockman Foundation and was responsible for the publishing of the N.A.S.V realized that he could pick up the copyrights on the 1901 American Standard Version, he asked his close friend Dr. Frank Logsdon to come and stay in his home and do a feasibility study on whether they could bring out a new translation based on the 1901 version. This would be called the New American Standard Bible. After doing the feasibility study, Dr. Frank Logsdon advised him to go ahead with it. In fact without Dr Frank Logsdon encouragement the N.A.S.V would never have come into existence. This was back in 1957. In his own words Dr. Frank Logsdon said, "At that time I thought that the Westcott and Hort text was correct, but I had not gone into it, as many others have not. Dr. Frank Logsdon wrote the format to the N.A.S.V. He helped interview the translators, sat with the translators and also wrote the preface. When you pick up the N.A.S.V and read the preface, they are his words. Because of his deep involvement with the publication of the N.A.S.V. he received number 7 of the 50 deluxe copies that were printed. It was soon after this that Dr. David Otis Fuller, a close friend of Dr. Frank Logsdon for thirty five years, pointed out to him some of the errors and deletions. His first reaction was; "Now let us not go overboard; let us not be too critical," as he tried to justify himself at the last moment. But after this he said to his wife Anne, "I am afraid I am in trouble with the Lord. I cannot refute these arguments. IT IS WRONG. IT IS TERRIBLY WRONG. IT IS FRIGHTFULLY WRONG and I do not know what I am going to do about it." He went through four months of real soul searching before he sat down and wrote the most difficult letter of his life to F.Lockman saying, "You will always be my friend but I can no longer ignore the criticisms. I cannot refute them, and dear brother I have not a thing against you, but the only thing I can do under God is to renounce every attachment to the New American Standard Bible." Lockman answered his letter and in it he stated that he was bowled over and shocked beyond words and he said that that was putting it mildly. He went on to say that he would write to him in about three weeks, he never had this opportunity, as soon after he died.
Back in 1974 at a Bible teaching conference, Dr. Frank Logsdon said that the New American Standard Bible deleted references to Christ over 14 times. In my verse for verse study and checking of the New Testament, I discovered that in fact Christ has been deleted 52 times.
Dr. Frank Logsdon stated at a conference that the many modern versions, paraphrase and translations of the Bible...
1. Cause wide - spread confusion
2. Discourage memorization - Who is going to memorize when each one has a different Bible or translation?
3. Discourage the use of the concordance, because there would need to be a different one for each translation.
4. Provide opportunity for perverting the truth by giving different slants of meaning of verses. A marvelous opportunity for the devil to slip in and pervert the Word.
5. Make teaching of the Bible difficult. - How could a Mathematics Professor or instructor teach a certain particular problem in a class if the class has about six or eight textbooks?
Incur an enormous waste of the Lord's money. One in just two years brought in 22 million dollars. That could have sent out a lot of missionaries.
FORWARD
DAVID OTIS FULLER, D.D.
David Otis Fuller was born in Brooklyn, New York, graduated from Wheaton Academy and College, and Princeton Seminary. He first pastored in the Chelsea Baptist Church in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for 5 years and then 40 years in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the Wealthy Street Baptist Church. He served in the U. S. Navy in World War 11 as a chaplain overseas and at shore base. He helped begin the Baptist Bible College and Seminary in 1941, in Grand Rapids, and also the Children's Bible Hour in 1942, for which he served as chairman for 33 years. It is on nearly 600 stations and its rally every year brings out some 10,000 on a Sunday afternoon. It was his privilege to be a trustee of Wheaton College for 40 years. He has been on the Board of Association of Baptists for World Evangelism since 1930, and has published 20 books.
"My hope and prayer is that this book will have a wide circulation, to give factual evidence to a multitude of layman who are in utter darkness as to what this war against God's Holy Word is all about".
Brother Garrett's book is desperately needed in this battle for the Bible. It is the Spirit who has given us this Book through "holy men of old who spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit"; it is the Holy Spirit who has been grieved again and again by multitudes of Christians as they have made light of this question of Bible versions.
We face as of now the most vicious and malicious attempted assassination of the Character, the Name, the Word of God ever attempted on planet earth since those blasphemous words were uttered in Eden "Yea Hath God Said?" I have documented evidence that the King James Version is by far the nearest to the originals and the most accurate and authoritative of all the other versions combined. May God Himself cause brother Garrett's book to be read by multiplied hundreds of Christians to see for themselves how clever and subtle and Satanic is the adversary of our souls. May we be set on fire with the same Divine flame as the apostle Paul, "This one thing I do" to broadcast this tremendously important Truth for the world, as well as born again Christians, to see an believe and proclaim to this fast closing age, reeling and staggering in sin and despair.
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon
Baptist minister and celebrated preacher whose sermons, which were often spiced with humour, were widely translated and extremely successful in sales. Reared a Congregationalist, Spurgeon became a Baptist in 1850 and, the same year, at 16, preached his first sermon. In 1852 he became minister at Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, and in 1854 minister of New Park Street Chapel in Southwark, London.Within a year a new structure had to be built to accommodate his following, and almost immediately an even larger church was required. From the opening in 1861 of the tabernacle, which held 6,000, until his death, he continued to draw large congregations. The editor of a monthly magazine, Spurgeon also founded a ministerial college (in 1856) and an orphanage (1867). His sermons, which he published weekly, ultimately filled more than 50 volumes in the collected edition. An ardent Fundamentalist, he distrusted the scientific methods and philological approach of modern biblical criticism [Westcott and Hort] and in 1887 left the increasingly liberal Baptist Union. (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserved)
Tischendorf, Konstantin von
in full LOBE\\]]GOTT FRIEDRICH KONSTANTIN VON TISCHENDORF (b. Jan. 18, 1815, Lengefeld, Saxony [Germany]--d. Dec. 7, 1874, Leipzig), German biblical critic,.. famous for his discovery of the Codex Sinaiticus,... These manuscripts date probably from the latter half of the 4th century, were probably written in Egypt, and include most of the Old Testament and the entire New Testament, as well as the Letter of Barnabas and part of the Shepherd of Hermas. (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserved)
Shepherd of Hermas
A 2nd-century Christian writing that is one of the works representing the Apostolic Fathers, Greek Christian writers of the late 1st and early 2nd centuries. The author, Hermas, is known only through the autobiographical details given in the Shepherd. A Christian slave who was given his freedom,... He stated that he was a contemporary of Clement of Rome. However, the Muratorian Canon, the oldest (c. 180) extant list of New Testament writings, asserts that he was a brother of Pope Pius I (d. 155), and internal evidence in the Shepherd seems to support the later date.... It was regarded as scripture by Clement of Alexandria and Origen, but the Muratorian Canon denied that it was inspired, and St. Jerome stated that it was known very little in the Western Church. Much more popular in the Eastern Church, the work is contained in the 4th-century Codex Sinaiticus (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserved)
Septuagint
The text of the Septuagint is contained in a few early, but not necessarily reliable, manuscripts. The best known of these are the Codex Vaticanus (B) and the Codex Sinaiticus (S), both dating from the 4th century AD, and the Codex Alexandrinus (A) from the 5th century
. (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserved)
The story of the Greek translation of the Pentateuch is told in the Letter of Aristeas, which purports to be a contemporary document written by Aristeas, a Greek official at the Egyptian court of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 BCE). It recounts how the law of the Jews was translated into Greek by Jewish scholars sent from Jerusalem at the request of the king. This narrative, repeated in one form or another by Philolato and rabbinic sources, is full of inaccuracies that prove that the author was an Alexandrian Jew writing well after the events he described had taken place. The Septuagint Pentateuch,... was probably first translated as a unit by a company of scholars in Alexandria about the middle of the 3rd century The Septuagint, as the entire Greek Bible came to be called, has a long and complex history and took well over a century to be completed. It is for this reason not a unified or consistent translation.... In addition, the emergence of a single authoritative text type after the destruction of the Temple made... the Septuagint increasingly intolerable, and the need for a Greek translation based upon the current Hebrew text in circulation was felt. (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserved)
About 130 CE, Aquila, a convert to Judaism from Pontus in Asia Minor, translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek under the supervision of Rabbi Akiba. ... Little of it has survived, however, except in quotations, fragments of the Hexapla (see Origen's Hexapla, below), and palimpsests (parchments erased and used again) from the Cairo Geniza. (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserved)
A second revision of the Greek text was made by Theodotion late in the 2nd century, (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserved)
Still another Greek translation was made toward the end of the same century by Symmachus. His influence was small Jerome did utilize Symmachus for his Vulgate, but other than that, his translation is known largely through fragments of the Hexapla.(Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica,
.
Origen, working at Caesarea between 230 and 240 CE, on his Hexapla ("six-fold") he presented, in parallel vertical columns, the Hebrew text, the same in Greek letters, and the versions of Aquila, Symmachus, the Septuagint, and Theodotion, in that order. In the case of some books, Psalms for instance, three more columns were added. The main interest of Origen lay in the fifth column, the Septuagint, which he edited on the basis of the Hebrew. The Hexapla was a work of such magnitude that it is unlikely to have been copied as a whole. Origen himself produced an abbreviated edition, the Tetrapla, containing only the last four columns. The original manuscript of the Hexapla is known to have been extant as late as c. 600 CE. Today it survives only in fragments. (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserved)
Saénce
(French: "sitting"), in occultism, meeting centred on a medium, who seeks to communicate with spirits of the dead. Because strong light is said to hinder communication, a séance usually takes place in darkness or subdued light. It generally involves six or eight persons, who normally form a circle and hold hands.Believers assert that communication has been established when a disembodied voice is heard, or a voice speaks through the medium, [Channeling] or a ghostly apparition appears. Sometimes music of unknown source seems to fill the room, objects appear to move for unnatural reasons, or a hand, a limb, or an entire body may take shape from ectoplasma; a peculiar viscous substance said to issue from the medium's body). Other means of communication include automatic writing, trance speaking, (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserved)
Blavatsky
: Quotes Samuel to prove channeling: "The spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man." 1 Sam 10:6 (Isis Unveiled, Vol. 1 P. 494)Blavatsky said
: A medium must be passive; and if a firm believer in his "spirit-guide" he will allow himself to be ruled by the latter. ....Isis Unveiled was written when She was controled by the spirit world: Henry Olcott said in the summer of 1875, H.P.B. showed me some sheets of manuscript which she had written, and said: 'I wrote this last night "by order", Isis Unveiled was a production in collaboration between H.P. Blavatsky herself and several Initiates or Adepts of the Occult Brotherhood, dictated to her by one or another Initiate, for whom she served as an amanuensis, along lines of clairaudient communication. Other portions were written when one or another of these Initiates temporarily overshadowed her outer form and used it. And there were also portions which were precipitated for her, in her own handwriting, while she was asleep. Dr. Alexander Wilder said: Whence did H.P.B. draw the materials which compose Isis and which cannot be traced to accessible literary sources of quotation? From the Astral light,and, by her soul-senses, from her Teachers-the 'Brothers,' 'Adepts,' 'Sages,' 'Masters,' as they have been variously called. How do I know it? By working two years with her on Isis and many more years on other literary work. ...Most perfect of all were the manuscripts which were written for her while she was sleeping. The beginning of the chapter on the civilisation of Ancient Egypt (Vol. 1, chap. xiv) is an illustration ...As she was cotrolled by the spirit world each one had a very different command over her temper; which, at its sunniest, was almost angelic, at its worst, the opposite. ... as Blavatsky said herself: I simply sit down and write.Why? Because He who knows all simply dictates to me...My Master. (Isis Unveiled, By H.P. Blavatsky Vol. 2 page 118 and Vol. 1 introductory page 4,1,17,20 and 23)In Blavatsky last article published (before her death) in Lucifer, entitled "My Books," she wrote: A Theosophist, Mr. R-, ...when he visited our London Headquarters. ...He asked Mdme. Blavatsky what were the best Theosophical works for him to read, and had declared his intention of procuring Isis Unveiled, when to his astonishment she replied, 'Don't read it, it is all trash.' In fact as late as Oct. 28, 1885, H.P.B. wrote to Col. Olcott about her desire to write a new work and to take from Isis only facts, leaving out everything in the in the shape of dissertations, attacks on Christianty and Science-in short, all the useless stuff. [she never wrote this new book before her death just over 5 years later] (Isis Unveiled, By H.P. Blavatsky Vol. 2 page 34,55)
At the end of Voltaire life he concludes by saying: "I have consumed forty years of my pilgrimage seeking the philosoper's stone called truth. I have consulted the adept of antiquity Plato and still remain in igorance. All that I have been able to obtain by comparing and combining the system of Plato, and the Ortiental, is this:Chance is a word void of sense; nothing can exit without a cause. The world is arranged according to mathematical laws; hence it is arranged by an intelligence." ( Voltaire, Dictionnaire philosophique: s.v. "Philosophie.")
Schaff, Philip
(b. Jan. 1, 1819, Chur, Switz.--d. Oct. 20, 1893, New York City), Swiss-born U.S. ecumenical leader and theologian ... Schaff was educated at the universities of Tübingen, Halle, and Berlin and was made a lecturer in 1842 at Berlin,. Schaff emigrated to the United States in 1844, and in the same year became professor of church history and biblical literature at the Theological Seminary of the German Reformed Church at Mercersburg, Pa. On his installation he delivered a controversial address, published as The Principle of Protestantism, in which he expressed his view that the positive values of both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism would eventually be blended in an ecumenical, evangelical Catholicism. The address provoked criticism and charges of heresy. ...The so-called Mercersburg Theology, formulated by Schaff and his theological colleague John W. Nevin (1803-86), implemented some of the themes and principles elucidated in his speech at Mercersburg and generated equal controversy. It resisted revivalist theology, which stressed the life of the individual, in favour of an affirmation of the institutional church ). Schaff participated in the preparation of the Revised Version of the Bible. (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserved)
19th-century efforts.
In the 19th century a worldwide movement of evangelical fervour and renewal, noted for its emphasis on personal conversion and missionary expansion, stirred new impulses for Christian unity.. This was followed, 40 years later, by the founding of two important Christian organizations in England: the Young Men's Christian Association (1844) and the Young Women's Christian Association (1855). Their international bodies, the World Alliance of YMCAs and the World YWCA, were established in 1855 and 1894, respectively. .. Also pivotal in the 19th century were advocates for the visible unity of the church. In the United States, where the most articulate 19th-century unity movements were heard, the witness to the unity and union was led by three traditions. Among Lutherans, Samuel Simon Schmucker and Philip Schaff pleaded for "catholic union on apostolic principles." [Two forces of] Ecumenism was enflamed in the hearts of 19th-century Christians and in the next century began to shape the churches as never before. (
Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserved)
MarcioniteAny member of a Gnostic sect that flourished in the 2nd century AD. The name derives from Marcion of Asia Minor who, sometime after his arrival in Rome, fell under the influence of Cerdo, a Gnostic Christian,, Marcion was expelled from the church in 144 as a heretic, but the movement he headed became both widespread and powerful. The basis of Marcionite theology was that there were two cosmic gods. .. striking departure from the usual Gnostic thesis that only man's body is part of creation, that his soul is a spark from the true but unknown superior God, and that the world creator is a demonic power...The Marcionites were considered the most dangerous of the Gnostics by the established church. When Polycarp met Marcion at Rome he is said to have identified Marcion as "the firstborn of Satan." Marcion is perhaps best known for his treatment of Scripture. Though he rejected the Old Testament as the work of the creator God,...He rejected attempts to harmonize Jewish biblical traditions with Christian ones as impossible. He accepted as authentic all of the Pauline Letters and the Gospel According to Luke (after he had expurgated them of Judaizing elements). His treatment of Christian literature was significant, for it forced the early church to fix an approved canon of theologically acceptable texts.
(Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserved)Blavatsky: Such, and far more elavating, were the ideas of Marcion. He came to Rome from A.D. 139-142, according to Westcott and many others. Tertullian and Epiphanius - were on their theological ground, may be inferred from the curious fact that they both vehemently reproach "the beast' (Marcion) "with erasing passages from the Gospel of Luke, which never were in Luke at all." We will now proceed to state what were the views of Marcion, whom Tertullian desired to annihilate as the most dangerous heretic of his day. Marrcion, who recognized no other Gospels than (Luke) and a few Epistles of Paul, who rejected totally the Old Testament. Who viewed Jesus neither as a King, Messiah of the Jews, nor the son of David, who was in any way connected with the law or prophets, "but a divine being sent to reveal to man a wholly new spiritual religion, and a hitherto unknown God. The "Lord God" of the Jews in his eyes, was totally different and distinct from the Deity who sent Jesus.Marcion accepted Paul as the only apostle preacing the pure gospel of truth. Finally we may add that modern Biblical criticism, [Westcott and Hort] now generally admits that Marcion's text of the only gospel he knew anything about - that of Luke , is far superior and far more correct. "We are, therefore, indebted to Marcion for the correct version even of 'the Lord's Prayer'." (Isis Unveiled, by H.P.Blavatsky Vol 2 Page 160,161,162 & 168)
text
Masoretic(from Hebrew masoreth, "tradition"), traditional Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible, meticulously assembled and codified, and supplied with diacritical marks to enable correct pronunciation. This monumental work was an effort to reproduce, the original text of the Hebrew Old Testament. Their intention was not to interpret the meaning of the Scriptures but to transmit to future generations the authentic Word of God. The Masoretic text that resulted from their work shows that every word and every letter was checked with care. The Masoretes not only counted and noted down the total number of verses, words, and letters in the text but further indicated which verse, which word, and which letter marked the centre of the text. In this way any future emendation could be detected. The rigorous care given the Masoretic text in its preparation is credited for the remarkable consistency found in Old Testament Hebrew texts since that time. ...The Masoretic text is universally accepted as the authentic Hebrew Bible. (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserved)
AlexandriaThe early Ptolemies successfully blended the religions of ancient Greece and Egypt in the cult of Sarapis and presided over Alexandria's golden age. Alexandria became, within a century of its founding, the greatest city in the world and a centre of Greek scholarship and science. . in Alexandria the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek was produced. In Alexandria the stage was set for schisms within the church. The first conflict that split the early church was between two Alexandrian prelates, Athanasius and Arius, over the nature of Christ's divinity. Arianism--the belief that Christ was lower than God--as heresy. Arianism, however, had many imperial champions, and this sharpened the conflict between the Alexandrian church and the state. In 391 Christians destroyed the Sarapeum, sanctum of the Ptolemaic cult and what Cleopatra had saved of the great Mouseion library. In 415 a Christian faction killed the Neoplatonist philosopher Hypatia, and Greek culture in Alexandria quickly declined.
Alexandria, School of
The first Christian institution of higher learning, founded in the mid - 2nd century AD in Alexandria, Egypt. Under its earliest known leaders (Pantaenus, Clement, and Origen), it became a leading centre of the allegorical method of biblical interpretation, espoused a rapprochement between Greek culture and Christian faith, and attempted to assert orthodox Christian teachings against heterodox views in an era of doctrinal flux. Opposing the School of Alexandria was the School of Antioch, which emphasized the literal interpretation of the Bible. (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserve
Antioch
, School ofChristian theological institution in Syria, traditionally founded in about AD 200, that stressed the literal interpretation of the Bible and the completeness of Christ's humanity, in opposition to the School of Alexandria which emphasized the allegorical interpretation of the Bible. Flourishing in the 4th-6th century, the School of Antioch produced several significant theologians,. (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserved)
Antioch, like Alexandria, was a renowned intellectual centre, and a distinctive school of Christian theology flourished there and in the surrounding region throughout the 4th and the first half of the 5th century. In contrast to the Alexandrian school, it was characterized by a litera list exegesis and a concern for the completeness of Christ's manhood. Little is known of its traditional founder, the martyr-priest Lucian (d. 312), except that he was a learned biblical scholar also Eustathius of Antioch, the champion of Nicene orthodoxy, is probably more representative of the school, with his antipathy to what he regarded as Origen's excessive allegorism and his recognition, as against the Arians, of the presence of a human soul in the incarnate Christ. It was, however, much later in the 4th century, in the person of Diodore of Tarsus (c. 330-c. 390), that the School of Antioch began to reach the height of its fame. Diodore courageously defended Christ's divinity against Julian the Apostate, the Roman emperor who attempted to revive paganism, and in his lifetime was regarded as a pillar of orthodoxy. and he not only strenuously opposed Alexandrian allegorism The last noteworthy Antiochene,Theodoret of Cyrrhus (c. 393-c. 458), in Syria, was also an elegant stylist. His writings were encyclopaedic in range, but the most memorable perhaps are his Remedy for Greek Maladies, the last of ancient apologies against paganism; and his Ecclesiastical History, continuing Eusebius' work down to 428. His controversial treatises are also important, for he skillfully defended the Antiochene Christology against the orthodox Bishop Cyril of Alexandria and was instrumental in getting its more valuable features recognized at the Council of Chalcedon. He was a scholar with a comprehensive and eclectic mind, and his large correspondence testifies to his learning.
Luther was anti-Alexandrian and pro-Antiochan, according to his biographers (The Romance of Bible Scripts and Scholars, John Reumann, Prentice-Hall, 1965, page 78 taken from The Christian's Handbook of Biblical Scholarship page 110) The Author of this book believes that we should trust the Majority Text used in Antioch and not the Text that came out of Egypt, we need to come out of Egypt for our text:
MAT 2:15.... Out of Egypt have I called my son.
God called Jesus out of Egypt
Jacob out of Egypt Gen 49:29,30
Israel out of Egypt EXO 13:3 Moses said,... Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt,
Joseph out of Egypt Gen 13:19. In Fact 183 times the Bible says OUT OF EGYPT
Lucian OF ANTIOCH, SAINT
(b. c. 240, Samosata, Commagene, Syria [now Samsat, Tur.]--d. Jan. 7, 312, Nicomedia, Bithynia, Asia Minor [now Izmit, Tur.]), Christian theologian-martyr who originated a theological tradition at Antioch that was noted for biblical linguistic scholarship. In his principal work, Lucian analyzed the Greek text of both the Old and New Testaments, creating a tradition of manuscripts known as the Lucianic Byzantine, or Syrian, text. Until the development of [Westcott & Hort] 19th-century biblical criticism, its clarity made it the common text. By comparative study of the Greek and Hebrew grammatical styles in their Semitic background, Lucian proposed to limit the symbolical interpretation characteristic of the Alexandrian (Egyptian) allegorical tradition by emphasizing the primacy of the literal sense, Such analytical methods influenced Antiochene theological formulations by Lucian's students and colleagues relative to doctrines on Christ and the divine Trinity. In 341 at a church council in Antioch. Lucian's influence permanently oriented Christian theology toward a historical realist approach in its debate with classical non-Christian thought. Lucian's martyrdom by torture and starvation for refusing to eat meat ritually offered to the Roman gods during the early-4th-century persecution of the Roman emperor(Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, )
(b. May 31, 1838, Skipton, Yorkshire, Eng.--d. Aug. 29, 1900, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire), English philosopher and author remembered for his forthright ethical theory based on Utilitarianism and his Methods of Ethics (1874), his wife, Eleanor Balfour, became principal in 1892. A member of the Metaphysical Society, he was also interested in psychical phenomena and was a founder and first president of the Society for Psychical Research in 1882. In philosophy Sidgwick followed the Utilitarianism of John Stuart Mill (1806-73
) (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.)Philo JUDAEUS
Works.
A defense of the Jews against anti-Semitic charges to which Josephus' treatise Against Apion bears many similarities; A number of works ascribed to Philo are almost certainly spurious. Most important of these is Biblical Antiquities, an imaginative reconstruction of Jewish history from Adam to the death of Saul, the first king of Israel. Philo's works are rambling, having little sense of form; repetitious; artificially rhetorical; and almost devoid of a sense of humour. His style is generally involved, allusive, strongly tinged with mysticism, and often obscure; this may be a result of a deliberate attempt on his part to discourage all but the initiated few.
Originality of his thought.
The key influences on Philo's philosophy were Plato, Aristotle, the Neo-Pythagoreans, the Cynics, and the Stoics. Philo's basic philosophic outlook is Platonic, so much so that Jerome and other Church Fathers quote the apparently widespread saying: "Either Plato philonizes or Philo platonizes." Philo's reverence for Plato, particularly for the Symposium and the Timaeus, is such that he never took open issue with him, as he did with the Stoics and other philosophers. To the Neo-Pythagoreans, who had grown in importance during the century before Philo, he was particularly indebted for his views on the mystic significance of numbers, especially the number seven, and the scheme of a peculiar, self-disciplined way of life as a preparation for immortality. As a Creator, God made use of assistants: hence the plural "Let us make man" in Genesis, chapter 1. Philo did not reject the Platonic view of a preexistent matter but insisted that this matter too was created. Similarly, Philo reconciled his Jewish theology with Plato's theory of Ideas in an original way: he posited the Ideas as God's eternal thoughts, which God then created as real beings before he created the world Philo saw the cosmos as a great chain of being presided over by the Logos, a term going back to pre-Socratic philosophy,...Philo used the terminology of the pagan religions and mystery cults, including the term enthousiasmos ("having God within one"). The influence of the mystic notions of Platonism, especially of the Symposium, and of the popular mystery cults on Philo's attempt to present Judaism as the one true mystery is hardly superficial; indeed, Philo is a major source of knowledge of the doctrines of these mystery cults... The purpose of what Philo called mystic "sober intoxication" was to lead one out of the material into the eternal world. Like Plato, Philo regarded the body as the prison house of the soul, and in his dualism of body and soul,.... he anticipated much of Gnosticism, a dualistic religion that became important in the 2nd century BC
(Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.)Plato and Platonism
PLATONISM FROM THE RENAISSANCE TO MODERN TIMES
From the 15th century onward the dialogues of Plato and a large number of Middle Platonist and Neoplatonist works, Platonism was regarded with profound suspicion by the Byzantine Church. The suspicion reflected its association in the Byzantine ecclesiastical mind with the militant paganism of the Athenian Neoplatonists In the following century Eustratius, metropolitan of Nicaea, and Michael of Ephesus continued the tradition of writing Neoplatonic commentary on Aristotle, plugging some of the gaps left by the Alexandrian commentators. In the 15th century the last known Byzantine philosopher, George Gemistus Plethon, a passionate pagan Platonist in the manner of Proclus, traveled to Italy (1438-39) and persuaded Cosimo de' Medici to sponsor a Platonic Academy at Florence, of which the greatest figures to emerge were its founder, Marsilio Ficino (1433-99), who translated all of Plato and Plotinus into Latin, the first complete version of either in a Western language, and the humanist Pico della Mirandola (1463-94), author of the influential Oration on the Dignity of Man. Ficino's Platonic Theology: On the Immortality of Souls contains not only Platonic and Neoplatonic philosophy but also elements drawn from medieval Aristotelianism, Cicero, Augustine, and Italian humanist writers. . This was probably at least partly due to the influence in Italy of Nicholas of Cusa (1401-64), who worked out his own very original version of Christian Platonism, influenced by the Pseudo-Dionysius, Erigena, and the German mystical tradition(as in Meister Eckehart) Perhaps the most impressive developmentof this post-Renaissance movement lay in the works of the Cambridge Platonists (late 19th century). Since their time [Westcott and Hort] a tradition of liberal Christian Platonism has persisted in England. The influence of the sort of Christian Platonism mentioned in English literature, and especially in English poetry, has been wide and deep. But there has also been a strongly anti-Christian Neoplatonic influence, that of Thomas Taylor "the Platonist" (1758-1835), who published translations of Plato. (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.)
A SMALL EXTRACT OF PLATO DIALOGUES
The world soul was placed in the circles of the heavenly bodies, and the circles were animated with movements. Subsequently the various subordinate gods and the immortal and rational element in the human soul were formed. The human body and the lower components of its soul were generated through the intermediacy of the "created gods" (i.e., the stars). Among the important features of the dialogue are its introduction of God as the "demiurge"--the intelligent cause of all order and structure in the world of becoming. The details of Plato's cosmology, physiology, and psychophysics are of great importance for the history of science but metaphysically of secondary interest. (In the Republic the guardian class enters into temporary unions or "sacred marriages," with a community of wives and children, to foster a concern for the common good.). His refutation of atheism turns on the identification of the soul with the "movement which can move itself." Thus all motion throughout the universe is ultimately initiated by souls. It is then inferred from the regular character of the great cosmic motions and their systematic unity that the souls which originate them form a hierarchy with a best soul, God, at their head. Since some motions are disorderly, there must be one soul that is not the best, and there may be more. (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.)
Kepler
Sustained by a vision of mathematical harmonies in the skies, a vision he derived from the philosophy of Plato and the mathematics of the Pythagoreans, Kepler tried to relate planetary orbits with geometrical figures. His deep feeling for the harmony of the universe included a belief in the harmony between the universe and the individual, and his skill in astrological prediction was much in demand.
(Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, )Josephus, Flavius
As a historian, Josephus analyses are superficial, his chronology faulty, his facts exaggerated, his speeches contrived. He is especially tendentious when his own reputation is at stake. His Greek style, when it is truly his, does not earn for him the epithet "the Greek Livy" that often is attached to his name. Personally, Josephus was vain, callous, and self-seeking. There was not a shred of heroism in his character, and for his toadyism he well deserved the scorn heaped upon him by his countrymen. But it may be said in his defense that he remained true to his Pharisee beliefs
Antiquities of the Jews,
Latin ANTIQUITATES JUDAICAE, an account of Jewish history from its early beginnings to the revolt against Rome in AD 66, written in Greek in about AD 93 by Flavius Josephus, a general in the Jewish army who defected to Rome. His writings are not always accepted as totally reliable.
(Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.)
Darwin worked alone at home, leading the life of an independent scientist (a privileged existence open to a fortunate few in Victorian England). Money from Robert Darwin made it unnecessary for Charles to seek employment. After his return from a voyage Darwin knew he would never become a clergyman like his mentor, Henslow. After drawing up lists of the benefits and drawbacks of marriage, he proposed to his first cousin Emma Wedgwood, whom he married on Jan. 29, 1839. Darwin noted in The Descent that the young of both sexes resemble the adult female in most species and reasoned that males are more evolutionarily advanced than females. His attitude toward women coloured his scientific insights. "The female is less eager than the male," he wrote, "She is coy," and when she takes part in choosing a mate, she chooses "not the male which is most attractive to her, but the one which is least distasteful." Comfortable in English society, Darwin treasured his place and feared alienating those who he knew would be offended by his theory. He was a beneficiary of this conservative English society, and his fear of ostracism was one of the forces that prevented him from publishing his theory sooner. He also dreaded the hurt he knew that his ideas would inflict on his close friend Henslow and especially on Emma, both devout Christians, for whom his theory was heresy. The conflict between his science and his realization of what publication would imply for the society he was so much a part of manifested itself in physical pain. The once adventurous young naturalist was a semi-invalid before his 40th year. Darwin's illness has been the subject of extensive speculation. Some of the symptoms, painful flatulence, vomiting, insomnia, palpitations appeared in force as soon as he began his first transmutation notebook on evolution in 1837. A careful analysis of the attacks in the context of his activities points to psychogenic origins. Throughout the next decades Darwin's maladies waxed and waned. But during the last decade of his life, when he concentrated on botanical research and no longer speculated about evolution, he experienced the best health since his years at Cambridge. He participated in church functions that were part of village life. Darwin died at Down House on April 19, 1882 His work remains central to modern evolutionary theory
. (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.)
ARYANSDuring the 19th century there arose a notion of a "Aryan race," those who spoke Indo-European languages, who were considered to be responsible for all the progress that mankind had made and who were also morally superior to "Semites," "yellows," and "blacks." The Nordic, or Germanic, peoples came to be regarded as the purest "Aryans." This notion, which had been repudiated by anthropologists by the second quarter of the 20th century, was seized upon by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis and made the basis of the German government policy of exterminating Jews, Gypsies, and other "non-Aryans."
. (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.)
(fl. 1st century AD, Tyana, Cappadocia), a Neo-Pythagorean who became a mythical hero during the time of the Roman Empire. Empress Julia Domna instructed the writer Philostratus to write a biography of Apollonius, and it is speculated that her motive for doing so stemmed from her desire to counteract the influence of Christianity on Roman civilization. The biography portrays a figure much like Christ in temperament and power and claims that Apollonius performed certain miracles. It is believed that most of the biography is based more on fiction than fact. Many of the pagans in the Roman Empire believed what was said in this work, and it kindled religious feeling in many of them. To honour and worship Apollonius, they erected shrines and other memorials. (Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.)
Murdoch, Rupert,
In full KEITH RUPERT MURDOCH (b. March 11, 1931, Melbourne, Vic., Australia), Australian-born newspaper publisher and media entrepreneur. the Sunday Mail and The News, both of Adelaide; he quickly converted the latter into a paper dominated by news of Sex and scandal, The News's circulation soared, and he then went about instituting similar changes in papers that he bought in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, and Brisbane. By the time that Murdoch acquired his first British newspaper in 1969--the News of the World of London--he had put together a proven formula for boosting circulation, which entailed an emphasis on crime, sex, scandal, the News of the World and The Sun, a London daily that he acquired the following year. In 1973 Murdoch entered the American newspaper business by purchasing two San Antonio, Texas, dailies, one of which--the San Antonio News (later the Express-News)--he transformed into a sex-and-scandal sheet that soon dominated the city's afternoon market. He thereafter purchased a number of book-publishing companies--including, in the United States, the prestigious Harper & Row Publishers (1987), the religious publisher Zondervan (1988), he seemed on the way to creating one of the world's first global broadcasting, publishing, and entertainment operations
.(Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannic, )
WESTCOTT AND HORT
THE OCCULT
AND SEANCES
THINK ABOUT THIS VERSE AS YOU READ THIS CHAPTER
1TIM 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Nowhere in all literature can we find a more perfectly clear self-revelation of Fenton John Anthony Hort than in the "Life and letters of Fenton John Anthony Hort" published in 1896 by his son, Arthur Fenton Hort. Hort was brought up by a well taught Bible-believing Evangelical mother. She recognized the fact that her son had departed from the faith "once delivered to the saints", and was saddened thereby. The followers of Westcott and Hort are following the lead of men who have departed from the faith and have given themselves over to a strictly forbidden prying into the occult. They had received from the world of spirits a hatred for the true Word of God. After we learn that Hort describes the sacred text as "being that vile Textus Receptus", we read Hort’s words, "Westcott, Gorham, C.B.Scott, Benson, Bradshaw, Laurd and I have started a society for the investigation of ghosts, and all supernatural appearances, and effects, being all disposed to believe that such things really exist, and ought to be discriminated from hoaxes and mere subjective delusions; we shall be happy to obtain any good accounts well authenticated with Names. Our own temporary name is the Ghostly Guild" (The Life and Letters of Fenton John Anthony Hort Vol. 1 Page 211 and Which Bible can we Trust, Page 238, by Les Garrett.)
What does the Bible say we should do with man like
Westcott and Hort:
DEU 18:10 There shall not be found among you [any one]...that useth divination, [or] an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
DEU 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
DEU 18:14 For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so [to do].
LEV 19:31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I [am] the LORD your God.
LEV 20:6 And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off
1SA 28:3... And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards,...
ISA 8:19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? [Should they seek or consult the dead or find out the future from the dead on behalf of the living]
ISA 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them.
PSA 58:3,4 The wicked... go astray... speaking lies...Their poison [is] like the poison of a serpent: [they are] like the deaf adder [that] stoppeth her ear;
1SA 15:23 For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, .... Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee...
2KI 17:17... used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
2KI 21:6 .... observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke [him] to anger.
2KI 23:24 Moreover the [workers with] familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law ....
2CH 33:6 ... also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
ISA 19:3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; .... and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.
Roman Emperor Hadrian said
after a visit to Egypt:There is at Alexadrian no ruler of the Synagogue among the Jews, no Samaritan, no Christian who is not also an astrologer or soothsayer. [Westcott and Hort took their text from Alexandria in Egypt.]
JER 27:9 Therefore hearken not ye ... to your diviners, .... nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers,
MIC 5:12 [God says in the last days he will] .... I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no [more] soothsayers:
ACS 8:9...there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
ACS 8:10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.
ACS 8:11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
ACS 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
ACS 13:6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name [was] Bar-jesus:
ACS 13:7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
ACS 13:8 But Flymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
ACS 13:9 Then Saul, (who also [is called] Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
ACS 13:10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, [thou] child of the devil, [thou] enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
ACS 16:16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
ACS 16:18 ... But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
ACS 19:19 Many of them also which used curious arts [ practiced Sorcery, Black Magic, Magical arts] brought their books together, and burned them before all [men]: and they counted the price of them, and found [it] fifty thousand [pieces] of silver.
MAGIC, SORCERY, AND DIVINATION
Occult practices, such as fortune-telling and witchcraft, which were common among the pagan nations of the ancient world. But such attempts to control evil spirits were expressly forbidden to the Hebrew people. Witchcraft the practice of witchcraft, or divination, was a means for extracting information or guidance. All these forms of superstition, were forbidden among the Hebrew people.
Soothsaying:
Soothsaying is a relatively rare word in the Bible which describes some form of divination, the practitioner of which is also described by the KJV as "observer of times" This may have been similar to tea leaf reading or astrology, which is a reading of the stars.
Blavatsky:
The chief features of one's life are always in accordance with the " Constellation" one is born under, or,we should say with the characteristics of its animating principle or the deity that presides over it. ...Yes; "our destiny is written in the stars!" Only, the closer the union between the mortal reflection man and his celestial prototype, the less dangerous the external conditions and subsequent reincarnations (The Secret Doctrine, Vol 1 Page 638,639)Interpreting Omens
:Behind this phrase, also rendered as enchantments (KJV), lie four different Hebrew words.. Another of the words used for the practice seems to mean "whisper," and it may indicate the way the enchanter lowered his voice. In Ecclesiastes 10:11 interpreting omens is connected with snake charming.
Sorcery:
Sorcery or witchcraft is forbidden in the law of Moses Sorcery was apparently practiced by the worst of the kings of Israel and Judah. Still another New Testament word translated sorcery comes from the same Greek word as our English word, pharmacy. Quite obviously this has to do with drugs; a more relevant and contemporary application could hardly be found. The denunciations contained in Revelation 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; and 22:15 apply to those who use drugs to bring on trances during which they claim to have supernatural knowledge or power. (From Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
SORCERY ( Nouns):1. pharmakia (or-- eia) 5331 (Eng., "pharmacy," etc.) primarily signified "the use of medicine, drugs, spells"; then, "poisoning"; then, "sorcery," Gal. 5:20, "sorcery" (KJV,"witchcraft"),
mentioned as one of "the works of the flesh." See also Rev. 9:21; 18:23, In "sorcery," the use of drugs, whether simple or potent, was generally accompanied by incantations and appeals to occult powers, with the provision of various charms, amulets, etc. (From Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright (C) 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
The use of mind altering drugs is not reserved to our generation. At this juncture in his life, Hort developed a passion for Coleridge, an opium addict. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 402)
Westcott and Hort used drugs and chloroform to help reach into the spirit realm:
Edmond Gurney wrote for the Society, phantasm of Living, enumerating the "various psychological states that favour supernormal experiences." One such 'state', chloroform induced mediumship, caused his untimely death by overdose (Founders of Psychical Research, Page 123)
A clue to the mind-set of Westcott's cohorts is seen in a letter written by Westcott to 'Frederic'. The note indicates Westcott knew Frederic was not at home because he did not smell cannabis, marijuana or hashish on the premise: (He) certainly carried you off in fairy-like fashion. I am not quite sure that I will pardon you until I have a full account of the 'supernatural phenomenon' which may have accompanied your evanishment. It is but to say that I did not smell the odor of hemp seed in the house.(Life of Westcott, Vol. 1, P 230
.)Blavatsky:
American Albert Pawson met her in Cairo 1850 smoking pot and she was taking lessons from Sheik Yusef Ben Makekzi, the chief of Serpent charmers ( Man Myth and Magic, Page 244)Blavatsky:
Science is slowly but as surely approaching our domains of the Occult. It is forced by its own discoveries to adopt our phraseology and symbols. Chemical Science is now compelled, by the very force of things, to accept even our illustration of the evolution of the gods, so suggestively and undeniably figured in the caduceus of Mercury. [Caduceus a Occult symbol from ancient Greece; the attribute of Mercury as messenger of the gods, represented as a winged rod entwined with two serpents. Author: Taken from Collins Dictionary] Blavatsky continues: The two Serpents, the ever-living and its illusion (spirit and matter) whose two heads grow from the one head between the wings, desend along the trunk, interlaced in close embrace. The two tails join on earth the manifested Universe) into one, and this is the great illusion, O Lanoo! Every one knows what the caduceus is, already modified by the Greeks. the original symbol with the triple head of the serpent became altered into a rod with a knob, and the two lower heads were separated, thus disfiguring somewhat the original meaning. yet it is as good an illustraion as can be for our purpose, this laya rod entwined by two serpents. Verily the wonderful powers of the magic caduceus were sung by all the ancient poets, with a very good reason for those who understood the secret meaning. [This occult symbol is used by chemist and the medical provision much to Blavatsky delight] (The Secret Doctrine, Vol 1 Page 549,550 by H.P.Blavatsky)The above symbol of the caduceus taken from The Secret Doctrine, By H.P. Balvatsky Vol. 1 Page 550)
Conjuring Spells
:This phrase, also translated as charm, appears in Deuteronomy 18:11, once in the Psalms 58:5, and twice in Isaiah 47:9,12. Sometimes it is rendered as enchantments. A different Hebrew word lies behind this translation in Isaiah 19:3. Because it is related to a word for bind, it may mean casting a spell ("spell-binding").
Consulting Mediums
:This phrase may refer to the same thing as practicing wizardry. The word describes the witch to conduct a seance and bring up the dead.
Spiritism
:The word for spiritist always appears with witch. In the Bible it is always a forbidden thing, a kind of black magic.
Fortune-teller:
Or sorcerer Calling Up the Dead. Necromancy is another word used for this practice. The Bible gives us no indication that we can expect to talk with people who have died.
Magic:
The Hebrew word translated as magic appears only in connection with Egyptian and Babylonian magicians. Magic actually comes from a Greek word which appears several times in the New Testament. Simon the sorcerer is one example Acts 8:9-25. And Elymas the sorcerer is another Acts 13:6-8. (From Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
In conclusion please think about the above scripture because as you will see in the following extracts Westcott and Hort were involved in all of the things mentioned, and these were the men that gave us the New Greek Text that modern Bible versions are based on. Would you have somebody in your Church to preach that was into the Occult? Why then should we use their Greek Text? The Apostle Paul would call Westcott and Hort a child of the devil Acts 13:10 because they were both involved in SORCERY that is Calling Up the Dead. Necromancy is another word used for this practice.
ACS 13:8,10 But Elymas the sorcerer...[And Paul said to him],... O full of all subtilty and all mischief, [thou] child of the devil, [thou] enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord GAL 1:7 and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
2TH 2:9,10,11 [Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,... [and] because they received not the love of the truth. .... And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
ISA 8:20 ... if they speak not according to this word, [there is] no light in them.
1SA 15:23 For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, .... Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD,
OCCULT TECHNIQUES
Affirmation, Imaging, Meditation
Affirmation:
For Personal Power...release the power of the unconscious through affirmation. We all have powers within us. These powers, put everything we need within our reach
Active Imagination:
Healing through imagery... guided imagery. Beyond Imaging
.Meditation:
New Age notion that the world is a female goddess of which we are part. We need to begin to see the Earth as the revelations of God. Guided meditation using feminine imagery of God...."OUR MOTHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN". (New Age Bible Version By Gail Riplinger page 137)
Westcott's years of association with the esoteric world led him to call "faith" a "power" we can "use."
Shirley Maclaine: "I am God...Everyone is God."
Lola Davis We need a World Religion...based on Divine Essence in each person. Peace can only come when we recognize the divinity in each person .
Shirley Maclaine: The knowingness of our divinity is the highest intelligence...You know you are divine. But you must continually remember your Divinity...we had all forgotten we were each divine (Out on a Limb Page 209-347)
New Age: "The Christ nature is in every Human being."
Westcott: The revelation of the Divine in man...Man is divine. (Historic Faith page 1110
Blavatsky: The individual spirits of men, erroneously called the souls. They are the divine sons of God, of which some only overshadow mortal men - but these the majority; some remain forever planetary spirits, and some - the smaller and rare minority; - unite themselves during life with some men. Such Godlike beings as Gautama Buddha, Jesus, Lao-Tse,Krishna, and a few others had united themselves with their spirits permanently - hence, they became gods on earth. Moses, Pythagoras, Apollonius, Plotinus, Confucius, Plato, have taken rank in history as demi-gods and leaders of mankind. (Isis Unveiled, By H.P. Blavatsky Vol 2 Page 159)
Rev 16:9 they repented not to GIVE HIM GLORY. Rom 1:21,25 When they knew God, they Glorified him not..
DNL 11:37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
GEN 3:5 .... your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
2TH 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
"Christ was and is perfectly man." "He never spoke directly of himself as God." "He does not expressly affirm the identification of the Word with Jesus Christ." B.F. Westcott ( Historic Faith, Page 62.)
Blavatsky:
We were one day inquiring of a Brahman of the pagoda of Chidambaram, whether he believed in the existence of God, He answered us, smiling: 'I am myself a god'. 'What do you mean by that?' "'I mean that every being on earth, however humble, is an immortal portion of the immortal matter'." Every man is a god on earth. ... Origen writes that the Brahmans were always famous for the wonderful cures which they performed by certain words. ...The worshippers of Buddha know that they "are gods." (Isis Unveiled, By H.P. Blavatsky Vol 2 Page 262,263,288 and Vol 1 page 444)"
The divine anointing or Christhood...the prophet, the people...and the dimly seen Head...are all partakers of the divine anointing and messiahship." F.J.A. Hort (New Age Bible Version By Gail Riplinger page 304)Under the century old spell of Westcott and Hort Greek Text, NIV editor Edwin Palmer comes to his chilling theological conclusion!: There are few clear and decisive text that declare Jesus is God. ( The NIV: The Making of a Contemporary Translation, Page 143.)
Palmer should qualify his statement noting, "In the new versions, there are few clear and decisive text that declare Jesus is God." New Age Bible Versions Page 305 By Gail Riplinger.)
Edwin Palmer: Was the "Coordinater of all work on the NIV" and "selected all of the personnel of the initial translation committee." He also edited the NIV Study Bible which Zondervan says includes the "liberal position." His scandalous and sacrilegious statement will stun and shock the reader. In one of his books he quotes a verse from his NIV, then says: This [his NIV] shows the great error that is so prevalent today in some orthodox Protestant circles, namely that regeneration depends upon faith...and that in order to be born again man must first accept Jesus as his Savior ( The NIV: The Making of a Contemporary Translation, Page 13,48. also Words about the Word, Page 161. and The Holy Spirit by Edwin Palmer Page 83.)
Blavatsky echoes Palmer and Wescott:
There is not a word in so called sacred scriptures to show that Jesus was actually regarded as God by his disciples. Neither before nor after his death did they pay him divine honours...there is not a single act of adoration recorded on their part. ... We do not accept Jesus as God, we revere him as a man. ...The present volumes have been written to small purpose if they have not shown, that Jesus, the Christ-God , is a myth (Isis Unveiled, Vol. 2 Page 193, 530,544)
How can anyone imagine that Paul identified the Son with the Father, when he tells us that God made Jesus " a little lower than the angels" ... Paul never considered Christ more than a man. (Isis Unveiled, Vol. 2 Page 37.) Please read Appendix A page 134
Josh McDowell
The Jesus of the cults is always someone less than the Bible’s eternal God. Understanding The Cults, P. 23.)
Westcott writes of initiation in the Mysteries...deep in mystic rites.. purified with holiest water. ( The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Page 314 see also Religious Thought in the West, Page 115-118 and The Life of Westcott Vol. 1 Page 160.)
And now hear what Canon Cook has to say about Origen
The tendency to mystic interpretations common in his own language, but in no other writer so fully developed or pushed to the same extremes. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett page 190)
Here also Bishop Marsh on the same subject (Lecture 2 edition 1838, page 482) "Whenever therefore grammatical interpretation produced a sense which in Origen's opinion was irrational or impossible, in other words irrational or impossible according to the philosophy which Origen had learnt at Alexandria, he then departed from the literal sense." (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett page 190)
Balvatsky:
Origen was well versed in Pagan symbology, having begun his career as a philosopher (Isis Unveiled, Vol. 1 Page 298 By H.P. Blavatsky)New Age Blavatsky: "Neither the form of man...has ever been created...it commenced becoming...Matter is the vehicle...of becoming...Nature was a perpetual becoming."(The Secret Doctrine, Vol. 1 Page 278,301.)
Westcott: A Christian never "is" but always "is becoming." "The universe develops in successive stages...each man is...a new power in the evolution of the race." (B.F. Westcott, The Gospel According to St John)
Metaphysical Bible Dictionary: "The evolutionary process is part of a spiritual plan for the redemption of the human race." (The Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, Page 347)
Television series, The Power of Myth. In it, Joseph Campbell reveals: The Being of all being is the serpent father...creator of everlasting becoming (New Age Lies to Women, Page 156).
President Gerald Ford's education consultant boasted, "The psychology of becoming has to be smuggled into our schools." ( New Genesis: Shaping a Global Spirituality, Page 179
OCCULT
Westcott and Hort, according to numerous historians and New Age researchers, appear to be among the Fathers of the modern channeling movement. The Fox sisters along with H.P. Blavatsky were the ‘Mothers’. The group referred to by James Webb as an element in the Occult Underground was ‘The Ghost Club’ or ‘Ghostly Guild’ launched in 1850’s by Wescott, Hort and Benson (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 404)
Webb discloses:
Ghost Society was founded by no less a person than Edward White Benson, the future Bishop of Canterbury. As A.C. Benson writes in his father’s biography, the Archbishop was always more interested in psychic phenomena than he cared to admit. Two members of the Ghost Club became Bishops [Benson and Westcott] and one a Professor of Divinity [Hort]. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 405)Please read top of page 149 in this book on the two Bishops.
Pogo sticking through the index of The Founders of Psychical Research reveals the following 'company' in which our esteemed bible revisers find themselves.
Automatic Writing, Benson,
Biblical Criticism, Mme H.P. Blavatsky,
Clairvoyance, Control' Spirit, Crystal-gazing, Charles Darwin, Sigmond Freud,
GHOST CLUB, F.J.A.HORT, Hypnotism,
'INSPIRATIONAL' WRITING AND SPEAKING IN BRITISH SPIRITUALISM, C.G. Jung,
Levitation, J.B. LIGHTFOOT,
Mediumship, Mesmerism, Multiple Personality, Plato, Society for Psychical Research, Spiritualism, Swedenborne Society, Synthetic Society, Telepathy, Trance Medium, B.F.
Westcott and Horts friend in the Seance meetings was Charles Darwin
Hort writes to Reverend John Ellerton, April 3, 1860
"But the book which has most engaged me is Darwin. Whatever may be thought of it, it is a book that one is proud to be contemporary with... my feeling is strong that the theory [on evolution] is unanswerable. If so, it opens up a new period."( Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 229)
Westcott writes to the Archbishop of Canterbury on Old Testament criticism, March 4, 1890
"No one now, I suppose, holds that the first three chapters of Genesis, for example, give a literal history - I could never understand how any one reading them with open eyes could think they did." ( Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 229)
Blavatsky:
But for Chistians who very unwisely accept the Bible narratives as literal history. ...The introductory chapters of Genesis were never meant to present even a remote allegory of the creation of our earth. Creation is an incorrect word to use, as no religion, not even the sect of the Visishta Adwaitees in India-believes in creation out of nihil as Christians and Jews do, but in evolution out of preexisting materials. ...How comes our physical body to the state of perfection it is found in now? Through millions of years of evolution, of course. ... Creation or Origin, in the Christain sense of the term, is absolutely unthinkable. ...The well-known Kabalistic aphorism runs :- "A stone becomes a plant, a plant, a beast; the beast, a man; a man a spirit; and the spirit a god."....We must remember that because we cannot recognise consciousness in stones, we have no right to say that no consciousness exist there. ...The whole order of nature evinces a progessive march towards a higher life. the whole process of evolution with its endless adaptions is a proof of this-all are working toward the grand end. ...Therefore, man's outward shell passed through every vegetable and animal body before it assumed the human shape. ...Yet although the scientific minds in our century are as far from the true and correct doctrine of Evolution as ever, there may be still some hope . In an article in Popular Science Review Vol. 14 p. 252 Mr H.J. Slack,F.C.S., says: "There is an evident convergence of all sciences, from physics to chemistry and physiology, toward some doctrine of evolution and developments, of which the facts of Darwinism will form part". This is a happy forecast indeed. the day may come,then when the "Natural Selection," as taught by Darwin will form only a part, in its ultimate modification, of Eastern doctrine of Evolution. ...If we accept Darwin's theory of the development of species, we find that his starting point is placed in front of an open door. We are at liberty with him to either remain within, or cross the threshold beyond. ...The development of animals out of frogs which came to land, and of man out of the animals, was held by Anaximenes in the sixth century before Christ. (Isis Unveiled H.P. Blavatsky Vol. 2 P. 420 plus Vol. 1 Page 14, 238,555 & The Secret Doctrine, Vol 1 Page 211,232 ,246,257,274,277 and 600)
Hort writes to Mr. John Ellerton
" I am inclined to think that no such state as 'Eden' (I mean the popular notion) ever existed, and that Adam's fall in no degree differed from the fall of each of his descendants. (Which Bible , by Les Garrett, Page 229)
Blavatsky:
In the "fall of of Adam" we must see, not the personal transgression of man. ...Philo represents the story of the Fall as symbolical, and Origen regarded it as an allegory. (Isis Unveiled, by H.P. Blavatsky Vol. 2 Page 277,546)New Versions (and the 'new' church they are producing) owe their occult bend to their underlying Greek text, produced By B.F. Westcott, a London Spiritualist. Secular historians and numerous occult books see him as the Father of the current channeling phenomenon. His British Ghostly Guild became the training grounds for much hand holding between his students and London's Madame Helena P. Blavatsky, another Spiritualist and then editor of Lucifer magazine, (The Lucifer Connection, Page 16)
She was to become, as Los Angeles Times magazine says, "godmother of the New Age movement.
(Understanding the New Age Page 47)The editor of the New Age Dictionary calls her the midwife of the New Age
New Age leader Vera Alder says:
H.P. Blavatsky was one of the foremost to resurrect the ancient Mystery Teachings and interpret them for our time in a set of books which have become the bibles, as it were of the modern Occultism.
The Encyclopedia of the Unexplained says Blavatsky exhumed her Luciferian doctrines from Philo's School in Alexandria, Egypt. This same school also produced manuscripts of the Old and New Testament altered to conform to their teachings. New versions mimic the new Age because they both made their debut on the same stage-at Philo’s School. (The Encyclopedia of the Unexplained. Chap "Theosophy")
Blavatsky's book Holy Satan joins Westcott in sounding the death bell for the KJV- the real Bible. She blows Westcotts spiritualist trumpet saying:
That which for nearly 1500 years was imposed on Christendom as a book, of which every word was written under the direct supervision of the Holy Ghost, of which not one syllable nor comma could be changed without sacrilege, is now being retranslated, revised and corrected and clipped of whole verse, in some cases of entire chapters [by Westcott and Hort.]... And as soon as the new edition is out, its doctors [Westcott and Hort] would have us accept it as a new "Revelation" of the nineteenth century... And King James translators have made such a jumble of it that no one but a kabalist can restore the Bible to its original form. Truly, unless we read the Old Testament Kabalistically and comprehend the hidden meaning thereof, there is very little we can learn from it...No one has the right to enforce upon so-called "Christians" that the author of it was the "Holy Ghost". (.H.P. Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled, Vol 2 Page 125,252,362 and 471)
James Webb, Author of The Occult Underground and The Occult Establishment is among a string of historians tying Wescott's work to the "Occult Revival":
It is to restate a truism that what is avant-garde for one generation is taught to the next in the schools [seminaries]. By the third generation, it has become an accepted part of the unperceived assumptions on which everyday life is based. (James Webb, The Occult Establishment Page 472)
Westcott's son writes of his father's lifelong "faith in what for lack of a better name, one must call Spiritualism..." The subject was, he notes, "unintelligible and alarming to the general." In response to public disfavor regarding his esotericism and liberalism and in light of his position in the 'religious' community, Westcott determined that public involvement in the Ghostly Guild "led to no good." In 1860 and 1861 Hort wrote to Westcott of their mutual concern in this regard
:(T)his may sound cowardice - I have a craving that our Text ('New' Greek New Testament) should be cast upon the world before we deal with matters likely to brand us with suspicion. I mean a text issued by men who are already known for what will undoubtedly be treated as DANGEROUS HERESY will have great difficulty in finding its way to regions which it might otherwise hope to reach and whence it would not be easily banished by subsequent alarms... If only we speak our minds, we shall not be able to avoid giving grave offence to the miscalled orthodoxy of the day. (Life of Hort, Vol. 1, P.421, 445,)
Author of The Fabians, a history of communism and socialism in England writes:
In this same period a group of young dons [Westcott and Hort] from Trinity College, Cambridge, were also turning to psychic research as a substitute for their lost evangelical faith... spiritism as a substitute for Orthodox Christian faith. ( The Fabians, Page 18)
The Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology lists 'the Ghostly Guild Club' as one in which "members relate personal experiences concerned with ghosts". The snake uncoiled as the S.P.R. embraced "haunted houses... the divining rod... automatic handwriting and trance speaking... mediumship and communication with the dead. (The Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, Page 372,847)
Westcott and Hort list their interests as "telepathy, pure clairvoyance, communication from 'some spirit' in our out of the body... (The Society for Psychical Research, Page 5,6,13,41)
Westcott and Hort had a number of sittings in the early part of 1874 mostly in private circles composed of their friends although occasionally with paid mediums. (The Society for Psychical Research, Page 104,107)
For example, Sidgwick's fiancé, Eleanor sister of England's Prime Minister-to-be, did not list her name on the active S.P.R. roll "for fear apparently that an open connection with so unorthodox a venture might prejudice" the professional position held. . (The Society for Psychical Research, Page 14)
Edmond Gurney wrote for the Society, phantasm of Living, enumerating the "various psychological states that favour supernormal experiences." One such 'state', chloroform induced mediumship, caused his untimely death by overdose (Founders of Psychical Research, Page 123)
E.W.Benson (Ghostly Guild). Sidgwick, a man considerably "impressed" with an open Luciferian and himself experimenting with "automatic handwriting", was invited by both Westcott and Hort to join two other 'secret societies'. These societies were so exclusive that they both limited their membership to twelve. The first group, "The Apostles", is listed in the index of The Founders of Psychical Research as "extremely select". Hort joined in 1851. His son writes:
(I)n June (he) joined the mysterious company of the Apostles ....(H)e was mainly responsible for the oath which binds members to a conspiracy of silence.( Life of Hort, Vol. 1, Page 170,171,198)
In a letter to Rev. John Ellenton, Hort himself admits the questionable character of the group. He wrote, "I fear you scarcely tolerate my having joined the 'Apostles'." The letter further quips that 'one of the members does not believe IN MATTER'. Sidgwick was elected to membership in 1857; The Founders of Psychical Research cite this membership as the cause of his rejection of his Christian upbringing. He describes the intensity of the group as "the strongest corporate bond I have known in my life." The spirit of the society gradually came to absorb and dominate Sidgwick completely and to influence the whole direction of his life. (Founders of Psychical Research, Page 48)
Another member, F.D.Maurice, admits ' the Apostles ' "determined the course of his whole life also." This 'course' caused him to be expelled from his professorship because of 'heresy' discovered in written correspondence between he and Hort. The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics' entry on "Alexandrian esotercism." It cites Maurice, Hort and Westcott as prime examples of "philosophical mysticism." ( The Life of Hort , Vol. 1, Page 196)
The original idea was the present Bishop of Durham's (Westcott); its members met regularly. Hort's room hosted the meetings during 1877. During this period the 1870's) Sidgwick was actively involved in seances at "Balfour's townhouse." These seances "composed of their friends" appear to be the same "group of intimate friends" described as the membership of ' the Apostles '. (The life of Westcott, Vol. 1, Page 385. and (Founders of Psychical Research, Page 104,105)
This trial marriage of religion and government took place between Westcott, Hort and Lightfoot, as ‘helpmeets’ - and their consort in the Eranus Club, Arthur Balfour, upcoming Prime Minister of Great Britain. Balfour, "inspired by reports of human levitation" went on to take the leadership role in the Ghostly Guild's baby, the S.P.R. Page 418
To fulfill this requisite - "worship me," Balfour not only headed the S.P.R., holding the seances at his home, but initiated a group called "The Synthetic Society' whose goal was to create a 'one world religion'. He invited Frederic Myers of the S.P.R. to join and together they created "The preamble of all religions". It included the dogma "departed spirits can communicate." Rather than "resort to a small group of persons called mediums" they "sought to educe supernormal faculties among members" by "thought- transference, table tilting and automatic writing." (Founders of Psychical Research, Page 305-307)
Sleeping by the fire was Westcott's dog who he named "Mephistopheles." The name is that of 'the devil' in the literature of necromancy and magic of the late middle ages. Roget's Thesaurus lists it among the few synonyms for 'the devil'. Westcott had written to his son, "The dog is far more to me, he is a symbol..."( The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ, Page 261. and Historic Faith, Page 40)
Westcott presented a speech on "The Communion of the Saints" as late as 1880, the final year of his lifelong work on the 'New' bible. Describing his belief in the potential for intercourse with the dead, he "chatters," It is independent of limitations of space and time. We are learning with the help of many teachers (i.e. Blavatsky.) the extent and the authority of the dominion which the dead have over us... It is becoming clear to us that we are literally parts of others and they of us... We are bidden to enter the unseen... There are many worlds... There is one life which finds expression in many forms... Individual fellowship with the spiritual world is quickened and guided on... All Saints Day. And there is no limit to this inspiring communion. it encompasses the living and the dead. It acknowledges no saddest necessity of outward separation as reaching the region in which it is... All that is personal is gathered up without loss of personality in One... (Historic Faith, Page 258-259)
New Age esoteric leader, Dominican priest an gay activist Matthew Fox chants, "I don't believe in the Communion of the Saints I KNOW it." He is referring to his 'communion' with dead occultist Meister Eckhart. (Dark Secrets of the New Age, Page 77.)
However in his biography Ring of Truth: A Translators Testimony Phillips brags:
Many of us who believe in what is technically known as the Communion of Saints must have experienced the sense of nearness, for a fairly short time, of those we love soon after they have died. This has certainly happened to me several times. But the late C.S. Lewis whom I did not know very well and had seen in the flesh once, but with whom I had corresponded a fair amount, gave me an unusual experience. A few days after his death, while I was watching television, he 'appeared' sitting in a chair within a few feet of me and spoke a few words which were particularly relevant to the difficult circumstances through which I was passing. He was ruddier in complexion than ever, grinning all over his face and as the old fashioned saying has it, positively glowing in health. The interesting thing to me was that I had not been surprised... He was just there. . .larger than life and twice as natural. A week later, this time when I was in bed, reading before going to sleep, he appeared again, even more rosily radiant than before and reported to me the same message which was very important to me at the time. I was a little puzzled and mentioned it to a saintly Bishop... His reply was, 'My dear J.B., this sort of thing is happening all the time.( Ring of Truth, Page 119.)
The message 'C.S. Lewis' gave to Phillips was identical that given by all New Age channelers today. Elliot Miller reminds "Despite the tremendous diversity of these entities, there is a striking unanimity to their message.'( A Crash Course on the New Age, Page 156)
Symptoms of possession are shown in the New Testament. These include:
1. Profession (Imitation)
2. Obsession
3. Regression
4. Depression (Deliration)
These four evidences of 'influence' by spirits are manifested in the lives of the 'scribes' under investigation.
IMITATION
: They may know and proclaim Christian doctrine.(T)wo possessed with devils... (said) Jesus, thou Son of God Matthew 8:28,29
(A) certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination... (said) 'These men are the servants of the most high God and shew unto us the way of salvation.' Acts 16:16,17
(A) man with an unclean spirit... ran and worshipped him Mark 5:2-6 (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 444)
New version editor B.F.Wescott described as a 'spiritualist' by his son, echoes these 'unclean spirits' in his books.
1. The redemptive power of Jesus Christ... Historic Faith
2. The Fatherhood
3. Religious Thought in the West 3. "(T)he reality of the law of progress... and fellowship with the spiritual world." The Historic Faith "Progress available to souls after death" Commentary on St. John's Gospel
These books were written before, during and after his tenure on the Bible Revision Committee. His Introduction to the Study of the Gospels was written THE year he started the Ghostly Guild.
Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of Light. Therefore it is no great thing if HIS ministers also be transformed as the MINISTERS
OF RIGHTEOUSNESS; whose end shall be according to their works. II Corinthians 11:14,15.
(New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 445)
OBSESSION:
A second manifestation of possession is a fixation with the dead. This was manifest in the demoniacs in Matthew 8:28 and Mark 5:2-17... there met him two possessed with devils coming out of the tombs. ..there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit who had his dwelling among the tombs..Westcott's Ghostly Guild and his writing which includes comments referring to "the dominion which the dead have over us" as well as Philip's conversations with C.S.Lewis, "after his death' are symptomatic of an overall spiritual condition.
A peculiar phenomenon kept surfacing during my research into the life of these 'scribes'. God apparently 'cut off' their power to speak.
REGRESSION:
A third symptom which accompanies spirit possession in the bible is the inability to speak. It is called a 'dumb spirit' in Mark 9:17,25 and Matthew 9:32, 33, 12:22, 15:30,31. Those verses disclose the corresponding "frog" in the throat (Revelation 16:13) that accompanies unclean spirits of this kind.(H)e was casting out a devil and it was dumb... when the devil as gone out, the dumb spake... Luke 11:14
THE LIVING BIBLE: Kenneth Taylor
The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things. Psalms 12:3
(New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 446)
The popular press has made note of author, Kenneth Taylor's loss of ability to talk. Time Magazine, July 1972 states:
Mysteriously half way through the paraphrase Taylor lost his voice and still speaks in a hoarse whisper. A psychiatrist who examined him suggested that the voice failure was Taylor's psychological self-punishment for tampering with what he believed to be the Word of God.
At least thirty million LIVING BIBLES are in print, many now in the hands of children. Even the Introduction to the Catholic edition warns:
(T)his translation cannot be used as a basis for Doctrinal or traditional disputes... People from various Doctrinal traditions may...be chagrined at the particular translations found within this volume.
Even 'new bible' protagonist D.A. Carson says "I distrust its looseness and dislike its theological slanting of the evidence.
NEW AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION
Let the lying lips be put to silence. Psalm 31:18
Also silenced was Philip Schaff, collaborator on the 'New' Greek Committee and director of the American Standard Version, which formed the foundation of the New American Standard and The Living Bible. Paralleling Taylor's pathology, Schaff's son finds the same 'frog' in Philip Schaff's throat. Even as early at 1854, the warning was given, "his voice so affected that he could not speak in public so as to be heard. " Finally by 1892...The power of articulated speech was gone.
A friend corresponds to Schaff, "It is with great sorrow that I have learned of the affliction which has befallen you." This malady followed his activity with Westcott and Hort on the RV committee and his American Standard Version. Still in 1893 his pathoses "deprived him of the power of speech."
(New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 447)
NEW GREEK TEXT: Tregelles
Schaff himself writes of S.P.Tregelles, author of a 'New' Greek Text which preceded and strongly influenced the Westcott and Hort revision. Of Tregelles Schaff writes, he was 'scarcely able to speak audibly."
WESTCOTT AND HORT GREEK TEXT: (RV, NRSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, New Century Version, Good News for Modern Man, Jehovah Witness Bible, The Book, The Everyday Bible, All Catholic bibles et al.) Westcott's biographer cites that in 1858 "he was quite inaudible" and by 1870 "His voice reached few and was understood by still fewer."
The New Testament in Modern English:
J.B.PHILLIPS
The froward tongue shall be cut out. Proverbs 10:31
J.B.Phillips tells in his own autobiography, "I was still doing a fair measure of speaking in schools and churches until the late summer of 1961. And then quite suddenly my speaking, writing and communication powers stopped. I was not in panic but I was certainly alarmed, and when a few weeks rest brought no improvement I cancelled all speaking engagements for the rest of the year (age 55). The Price of Success, the title of his autobiography, is apropos. The speechless sphinx syndrome can even happen to a believer as it did to Zacharias, And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak,..., because thou believest not my words" (Luke 1:20) (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 448
What has thou to do to declare my statutes or that thou shouldest take thy covenant in thy mouth? Seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my words behind thee. Psalm 50:16-20
DELIRATION:
He is lunatic... And Jesus rebuked the devil and he departed out of him (Mark 9:17 adds that this was a 'dumb spirit' also).
The ‘dumb spirit’ may plague its host with an accompanying ‘lunacy’. J.B.Phillips, necromancy and the ‘dumb spirit’ it generated harassed Phillips with lifelong bouts of insanity. (Yet author of the NIV Concordance and Interlinear Hebrew Text, John R. Kohlenberger, strongly endorses the J.B.Phillips' New Testament in Modern English calling it, "certainly the most respected and arguably the best individual translation of the New Testament...") His mental illness is chronicled in his autobiography, The Price of Success. It began as what he calls a "nervous illness" after his ordination to the priesthood of the Church of England. He resigned a pastor's assistant job after a friend decided:
(T)hat my trouble must be psychological and arranged for me to see the best psychologist I have ever met... He was a personal friend of Jung... Following the Jungian techniques I lay on a couch... (and) came to see for myself that the seeds of my present distress were sown in early childhood. Phillips describes his "clinical depression" in detail:
I found the mental pain more than I could bear and I went as a voluntary patient to a psychiatric clinic. I was at the point of breakdown... which in popular parlance is called a nervous breakdown... The hardest thing of all to bear is what I can only describe as a nameless mental pain, which is, as far as I know, beyond the reach of any drug and which I have tried in vain to describe to anyone. One of the psychiatrists asked me to write down as far as I could the nature of the almost intolerable pain. He was a distinguished man in his field and was about to visit a number of mental hospitals in a south London group. (Phillips lists his condition as follows: (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 449)
1. There is a slow but inevitable diminution of the self and it is apparently leading to self-extinction.
2. Familiar things become somehow touched with horror... (T)he sense of alienation means that one is not in one's own country or has strayed into a strange country by mistake.
3. (A) roaring galloping
torrent of condemnation (is) directed against the self's achievements.
With remorseless energy this particular 'demon' rushes to and fro up and
down in one's mind and with savage cruelty exposes everything that the
self has done as being useless and worthless.
He elsewhere writes:
(D)emon... the hellish torments of mind... utter despair... frightening experiences... seized by irrational panic... despite the use of drugs... the fears of childhood reappear with monstrous force... the experiences are really evil and they sometimes are terrifyingly so... (Y)ou may ask where does the Christian faith come in all this. The answer is that probably emotionally it is of little help at all... God himself appears to be far away. (He writes of)... praying to an empty heaven... I do not believe that there is any substitute for the long unhurried conversations between the sufferer and a compassionate trained psychiatrist... I set myself down for what must be a long siege and so it has proved... I never thought for example, that I should ever know the type of despair that leads people to self-destruction. I know it now.
Phillip's own instructions to "EMPTY the mind of the ....Authorized Version" left him with the "hellish torments of the mind" brought by the "demon" disguised as C.S.Lewis. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 450)
When he is come he findeth it EMPTY, swept and garnished. Then goeth he and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself and they enter in and dwell there and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Matthew 12:43-45
The Jungian analysis on which Phillips relied can be as occult as his encounter with 'the dead'. Jungian analysis can include the use of spirit guides. Phillip's use of the word 'demon' to describe the source of his psychosis is confirmed by Jung himself. Jung's Collected Letters Vol. I records his discussion with the president of the American S.P.R., William James. He admits, spirits, not the unconscious, were the source of the psychic phenomenon he had experienced since he was three years old and living with his father, a medium and a minister. Jung's experiences ranged from a six-year mental breakdown during which a spirit entity named Philemon began to channel writings through him, to seeing "the head of an old woman on the bed next to him when he opened his eyes. "'Psychotic' is found near 'psychic', not only in the dictionary, but in the lives of the scribes. Phillips' autobiography refers to his E.S.P. so often the topic is listed in his index. (the term E.S.P. was coined by Westcott's offshoots in the American S.P.R.) (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 451)
His substitution of Jung for Jesus, the TV for the KJV and the 'spirit' of C.S.Lewis for the Holy Spirit makes him an apt translator for a generation of Christians who are unwarily following in his footsteps, leading as they do to mental problems. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 452)
HERMES
As a Cambridge undergraduate, Westcott organized a club and chose for its name 'Hermes'. The designation is derived from "the god of magic... and occult wisdom, the conductor of Souls to Hades... Lord of Death... cunning and trickery." ( Life and Letters of Brooke Foss Wescott, Vol. 1 Page 47)
In her secret Doctrine, Luciferian H.P. Blavatsky identifies Hermes as satan. Satan or Hermes are all one...He is called the Dragon of wisdom...the serpent...identical with the god of Hermes. ...inventor of the first initiation of men into magic...the author of serpent worship.( H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, Vol 2 Page 30,381,472,473,558,660)
Blavatsky's Theosophical Glossary's entry on Hermes' (which interestingly was written by 'Westcott') reveals him to be "the sacred SCRIBE of the gods." ( H.P. Blavatsky, The Theosophical Glossary, Page 140; see also preface; originally published in 1892)
Author of the Occult Underground cites Hermes as the entry point of scholars and philosophers into the occult. Westcott's 'Hermes' club met weekly. ( Life of Westcott, Vol. 1 Page 47)
Hermes was also the original 'hermaphrodite', the fusion of sexes in one person. Priests of Hermes wore artificial breasts and female garments. ( The Woman’s Encylopedia of Myths and Secrets, Page 395)
Even thirty five years after his institution of this club, Westcott still presents this age concept of androgyny. There are differences between male and female character under which, we divine that there lies a real identity, and consequent tendency to fusion in the ultimate ideal.( B.F. Westcott, The Historic Faith, Macmillan and Co., 1885 Page 234)
Blavatsky:
Jehovah or Jod-he-vau-he is androgyne, or both male and female. Finally St. John's vision in Revelation,...of Jesus is hermaphrodite, for he is described as having female breast. The earliest manifested Logos was female everwhere-the mother of the seven planetary powers. (The Secret Doctrine, By H.P. Blavatsky Vol. 1 page 60,72)One secular historian cites
letters between members of Westcott's clubs [Apostle's and Ghostly
Guild] and refers to the "intensity" of a "homosexual"
relationship between members (i.e. Arthur Sidgwick, Frederic Myers); he
comments, "I think that homosexuality is not rare among us." ( The
Founders of Psychical Research, Page 322.)
Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy
Plato's sexual orientation (like that of many of his Athenian contemporaries) is clearly homosexual, and he values the moral growth that can occur when one man is physically attracted to another man. (The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy page 621)
Westcott Calls Plato a "prophet" whose works are a "treasure" "in some danger of being forgotten
Westcott thinks Plato has a clear source of "truth," which for us is "blurred and dim." He writes that this "truth" stems from Plato's communion with a divine and super-sensuous world...The appearance of this Platonic dialogue in the Westcott and Hort 'New' Greek Text came from their use of the two Alexandrian manuscripts. It can further be explained by unfolding
Hort's letter Mr. A. MacMillan, the publisher. In it he announces that Plato was "the center of my reading" while creating the New Greek text. (The Life of Hort, Vol. 1, Page 97, Vol. 2, Page 69,79.)BLAVATSKY
Who ever read Plato can doubt that Jesus was a disciple of the same secret doctrine which had instructed the great philosopher? For, as we have shown before now, Plato never claimed to be the inventor of all that he wrote, but gave credit for it to Pythagoras, who in his turn, pointed to the remote East as the source. Plato confesses it in his epistles, and says that he has taken his teaching from ancient and sacred doctrines. Plato shrouds his philosophy in the profoundest darkness. His Timaeus is so confused that no one but an initiate can understand the secret meaning. This kabalistic conception is thus proved identical with that of the Hindu philosophy. Whoever reads Plato and his dialogue Timaeus, will find these ideas as faithfully re-echoed by the Greek philosopher. Moreover, the injunction of secrecy was as strict with the kabalists, as with the initiates of the Hindu Yogis. (Isis Unveiled, Vol. 2 Page 39,40.)
The school of Hermes is today listed as a New Age organization in the English New Age Network magazine. Benjamin Creme, when identifying the New Age 'Christ' christens him 'Hermes' as does Blavatsky.(The Infiltration of the New Age, Page 115, also see footnote 10.)
A clue to the mind-set of Westcott's cohorts is seen in a letter written by Westcott to 'Frederic'. The note indicates Westcott knew Frederic was not at home because he did not smell cannabis, marijuana or hashish on the premise:
(He) certainly carried you off in fairy-like fashion. I am not quite sure that I will pardon you until I have a full account of the 'supernatural phenomenon' which may have accompanied your evanishment. It is but to say that I did not smell the odor of hemp seed in the house.( Life of Westcott, Vol. 1, Page 230.)
The use of mind altering drugs is not reserved to our generation. At this juncture in his life, Hort developed a passion for Coleridge, an opium addict. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 402)
In tracing the recent revival of channeling, scores of history books, as we shall see, point to one origin: Westcott and Hort. these new versions authors did not stop with their Hermes Club, but went on to engage in spiritualism and to organize a society called the Ghostly Guild. ( New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 402)
James Webb's classic The Occult Underground. This secular history unearths the roots of the New Age movement in the nineteenth century occult revival. In his opening chapter entitled "The Necromancers," he exhumes the sarcophagus of Westcott and Hort, still haunted by their 'Ghostly Guild'. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 403)
C.H. Spurgeon
Are these [Westcott & Hort] correctors of scripture
infallible? All possibility of certainty is transferred from the spiritual man to a class of persons whose scholarship is pretentious, but who do not even pretend to spirituality. They will rob us of all that we hold most dear, and glory in the cruel deed. (From C.H. Spurgeon’s ‘Final Manifesto,' given to his students at his Baptist College, April 1891,against the Westcott and Hort New Greek. Text C.H. Spurgeon went home to be with the Lord January 31st, 1892)
DEVIL
Blavatsky in the Theosophical Glossary, used as a major resource of dogma by the New Age we read:
The Christian savior is made to say of himself in Revelation 16:22 I am the bright morning star or Lucifer The Devil is a metaphysical abstraction. "There have never been any Devils or disobedient angels" (Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled, The Secret Doctrine
Both Westcott and Hort assert that the devil is not a person but a general "power of evil. (The Revision Revised page 214; Westcott's Commentary on 1:3 John Page 106; Horts commentary on Revelation Page 27.)
H.P. Blavatsky book Holy Satan says that the father of the New Age is, as she puts it "Holy Father of evil, Sainted Satan.
B.F. Westcott, editor of the ‘New’ Greek text underlying the NIV,NASB and all new versions, agrees with Blavatsky that visions of ‘the Virgin’ are merely ‘God’ changing "form." He expresses this in a letter to a member from his seance club, written while pursuing apparitions of the Virgin in France. He says, as far as I could judge, the idea of La Salette was that of God revealing himself now, and not in one form but in many. After spending time with close friend Lady Emily Lutyens (who writes in her autobiography of her Luciferian connections with directions to "revive the idea of our Lady" and legalize prostitution) and Westcott's penchant for "the idea of the divine motherhood" and enthusiasm for 'visions' he felt led to write an article. (21) His son Notes: On his return to England ...He had fully intended to publish this article but was refrained from doing so by Dr Lightfoot's advice. The professor feared that the publication might expose the author to charges of Mariolotry and prejudice his chances of election to a Divinity Professorship at Cambridge. (The Life of Westcott Vol. 1 Page 251, 255 and Religious Thought in the West Page 337)
With jaded joy, Blavatsky boasts that this 'Fathers' version has stepped into the new bible versions cradled by her second century mentor Marcion, then carried to the twentieth century by bible critic B.F,Westcott. We are, therefore, indebted to Marcion for the correct version of the Lord's Prayer.(New Age Bible Versions By Gail Riplinger Page 58)
Metaphysica Bible Dictionary: Day-star (Lucifer)...The passage in Isaiah regarding the day-star or Lucifer is supposed to be Satan.. This is a mistake; the text has no such inference 2 Peter 1;19 DAY-STAR is symbolic of the Christ lights springing up in individual consciousness.(Metaphysical Bible Dictionary By Charles Filmore)
Blavatsky:
The devil is now called Darkness by the Church, whereas, in the Bible he is called the "Son of God" ( see Job). ...The Devil is to this day no worse an entity than the opposite aspect in the dual nature of the so called Creator. ...The great Serpent of the garden of Eden and the "Lord God" are identical. ...Thus (according to the Kabalists) Jehovah assumes the shape of the tempting Serpent in the Garden of Eden ( The Secret Doctrine, By H.P. Blavatsky Vol. 1 Page 70, 413,414 and 422)Albert Pike issued the following instructions to the Masons. Yes, Lucifer is God..The doctrine of Satanism is a heresy; and the true and pure philosophic religion is the belief in Lucifer...you may repeat it to the Brethren of the 32nd, 31st, and 30th degrees: The Masonic religion should be..maintaned in the purity of the Luciferian doctrine. (Livesey, Understanding the New Age Page 71.)
Blavatsky:
Let it not be imagined that we are influenced by personal feeling in any of our reflections upon Masonry. So far from this being the case, we unhesitatingly proclaim our highest respect for the original purpose of the Order and some of our most valued friends are within its membership. ...We are glad to know that there are some loyal and respected as any in Masonry who support our views....High Masons will understand what we mean. ( Isis Unveiled, Vol 2 page 375, 379, 398, H.P. Balvatsky)How shocked all true believers were to read that Dr Ramsey, when Archbishop of Cambridge, answered Cambridge undergraduates' question about Satan, he said, "I do not draw from the bible the inference that there is an individual monarch of evil (The Archbishop of Canterbury, ecclesiastical head of the Church of England cannot find the Devil in his bible.( All the Doctrines of the Bible by Herbert Lockyer Page 133,135)
David Spangler, contributing editor of New Age Journal assents:
Lucifer is an angel of God's love...the angel of man's inner evolution. He prepares man in all ways for the experience of Christhood. Christ is the same force as Lucifer.(Reflections on Christ, D. Spangler P 36 to 39)
Vaulting themselves into unparalleled profanity New Agers like Benjamin Creme address Lucifer as, "the sacrificial lamb." (Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow by Constance Cumby Page 95)
Channeller J.Z. Knight transmits, "In Lucifer lies Divinity." (Mystery Mark of the New Age by Texe Marrs P 209)
Alice Bailey concurs, "Lucifer is the Ruler of Humanity." (Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow by C Cumby P. 143)
PLEASE READ APPENDIX D CONCLUSION FOR MORE ABOUT OCCULT
MADAME BLAVATSKY
AND
NEW VERSIONS BASED ON
NEW GREEK TEXT
The Founders of Psychical Research reports, "The Sidgwick group had at first been rather impressed with Madame Blavatsky." She was, as documented in other sections of this book, an open satanist. Her track record at that point (1884) included the occult tome Isis Unveiled, the institution of the Theosophical Society in 1875 and the editorship of its newsletter, Lucifer. (The Founders of Psychical Research, Page 203.)
Preface: Were it possible, we would keep this work out of the hands of many Christians whom its perusal would not benefit, and for whom it was not written. We allude to those whose faith in their respective churches is pure and sincere. An analysis of religious beliefs in general, this volume is in particular directed against theological Christianity, the chief opponent of free thought. Every Christian Dogma has its origin in a heathen rite. ...The Christian who says: "God is living Fire," and speaks of the Pentecostal "Tongues of Fire" and of the "burning bush" of Moses, is as much a fire worshipper as any other "heathen." We will not even stop to consider the alleged millions of Spiritualists; for the majority lack the courage to break away from their respective religious denominations... And yet the protestant clergy are so furious in their common hatred toward spiritualism.(Isis Unveiled, By H.P. Blavatsky Preface to Vol 2 & p 2 & 4 The Secret Doctrine, Vol. 1. Page 121 By H.P. Blavatsky )
Blavatsky driven, as she acknowledges, by spirit entity called Koot Hoomi Lal Sing. ( New Age Bible Versions Page 218 by Gail Riplinger)
She had genuine occult powers for she exercised an enormous influence over some of the most talented individuals of her time. In this respect she was the forerunner of the famous secret society the Golden Dawn. (Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology, Page 162)
Towards the end 19th century the eccentric and extraordinary Mme Blavatsky, founder of the Theosophical Society, dominated the occult scene in a career which moved from Spiritualism to an attempt to unite the Eastern and Western magical traditions, (Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology, Page 124)
Her masterpiece was the Secret Doctrine, 1888, in which she attempted to reconcile and unite the Eastern and Western occult traditions and to bridge the gap which had opened between religion and science in the West. Both her occult synthesis itself and her claim to be guided by superhuman adepts have powerfully influenced twentieth century occultism. (Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology, Page 55)
Occult adepts who are supposed to have reached a superhuman stage but elected to remain on earth and guide seekers after wisdom. Masters or Mahatmas living in remote Tibetan fastnesses.
Mme Blavatsky had the power to cause raps. And once, in New York, Col. Olcott claimed that he witnessed the materialization of a Mahatma from a mist rising from her shoulders. As a rule the Mahatmas were not supposed to depend upon Mme. Blavatsky's organism for appearance, Isis Unveiled and the Secret Doctrine were claimed to have been produced under such control. (Occultism & Parapsychology, Page 161)
Raps on furniture or on walls were common in her presence. While in India during a Government dinner party she even produced raps on the bald heads of high Government officials, she was the talk of India. (Man Myth and Magic, Page 245)
She professed to expound the esoteric tradition of Buddhism and aimed at forming a universal brotherhood of man, studying and making known the ancient religions, philosophies and sciences, and investigating the laws of nature and developing the divine powers latent in man. She claimed to be directed by secret Mahatmas or Masters of Wisdom. (Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology, Page 160)
The religion which the primitive teaching of the early few apostles most resembled - a religion as taught by Jesus himself....is Buddhism. The latter as taught in its primitive purity, and carried to perfection by the last of the Buddhas .(Isis Unveiled, By H.P. Blavatsky Vol 2 page 124)
American Albert Pawson met her in Cairo 1850 smoking pot and she was taking lessons from Sheik Yusef Ben Makekzi, the chief of Serpent charmers ( Man Myth and Magic, Page 244)
The idea of "crystalline life," now familiar to science, would have been scouted half a century ago. Science will some day have to turn to occult teachings.(The Secret Doctrine ,By H.P. Blavatsky Vol. 1 P 49,506)
Blavatsky and Moses:
And whatever Moses is now believed to have been, we will demonstrate that he was an initiate. The Mosaic religion was at best a sun-and-serpent worship. ... In short, Exodus was never written by Moses, but re-fabricated from old materials. ... The Mosaic Books are found full of purely occult and priceless knowledge. ...Christains forget, apparently, that Moses was also a magican, and Daniel, "Master of the magicans, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers."...In the book of Numbers we see the sun-and-serpent worship is as plainly traceable as in any Pagen story. The tale of the fiery serpents and the command of the "Lord" to Moses to hang the heads of the people "before the Lord against the sun. ... The Seraphim (fiery winged serpents) are no doubt connected with, and inseparable from, the idea "of the serpent of eternity God." ... There is not a word contained in the books of Moses or the prophets which taken literally, implies the spirit's immortality. ...Such is the ideal of the Supreme in the mind of every Hindu philosopher. "Of all the duties, the principal one is to acquire the knowledge of the supreme soul [the spirit]; it is the first of all sciences, for it alone confers on man immortality." ...All the birds and animals now held "unclean" in the [books of Moses] had been the symbols of Deity in days of old. It was because they were too sacred that a mask of uncleanness was placed over them, in order to preserve them from destruction. (Isis Unveiled, By H.P. Blavatsky Vol 2 page 116,117 & 129 also The Secret Doctrine, Vol. 1 P. 320 355,364 by H.P. Blavatsky)
Blavatsky and Apostle Paul:
Moreover, they all had good reasons to suspect occult symbolism....although as none of them-Paul excepted, perhaps-had been initiated . that Paul had been, partially at least, if not completely, initiated into the theurgic mysteries, admits of little doubt. His language, the phraseology so peculiar to the Greek philosophers, certain expressions used but by initiates, are so many sure earmarks to that supposition. Our suspicion has been strengthened by an able article in one of the New York periodicals, entitled "Paul and Plato in which the author A. Wilder , editor of The Eleusinian and Bacchic Mysteries puts forward one remarkable and, for us, very precious observation. In his Epistles to the Corinthians he shows Paul abounding with "expressions suggested by the initiations of Sabazius and Eleusis, and the lectures of the [Greek] philosophers Another proof that Paul belonged to the circle of the " Initiates" lies in the following fact. The Apostle had his head shorn at Cenchrea (where Lucius Apuleius was initiated) because "he has a vow" and sacrificed it on the altar of initiation. And we can show that Jesus belonged to this class. ...And also Paul declares that: "According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise Master-builder, I have laid the foundation." This expression, master builder, used only once in the whole Bible, and by Paul, may be considered as a whole revelation....In substance it means that stage of divine claivoyance when everything pertaining to this earth disappears, and earthly sight is pralayzed, and the soul is united free and pure with its Spirit. Also used for a master builder. The title of master-mason, in Freemasonry, is derived from this, in the sense used in the Mysteries. Therefore, when Paul entitles himself a 'master-builder," he is using a word pre-eminently kabalistic, theurgic, and masonic, and one which no other apostle uses. He thus declares himself an Adept, having the right to initiate others. 'We speak wisdom', says Paul, 'among them that are perfect' (or initiated). What Paul preached was preached by every other mystic philosopher. ... As we have eleswhere shown, the primitive Christian community was composed of small groups scattered about and organized in secret societies, with passwords, grips and signs. ...Also Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and others of the fathers drank deeply from the fountains of philosophy.(Isis Unveiled, By H.P.Blavatsky Vol 2 page 84,85,89,90,91,111,145and 335)
And now the Apostle Paul
:COL 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy... and not after Christ.
COL 2:18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
1TI 6:20 ... avoiding profane [and] vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:
ACS 17:18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks,encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. [The Epicureans and Stoicks were the two opposite schools of philosophy. Stoicism taught that the soul was a part of the general soul of the world and that each man was God the same as Blavatsky, Plato and Westcott. Also Blavatsky spoke much on the UNKNOWN GOD. Epicureans believed the world came by chance and that if it feels good do it, no absolute truth.]
ACS 17:22,23 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, [Ye] men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
Buddha is based upon the uncreated substance of the "Unknown,". Each immortal spirit that sheds its radiance upon a human being is a god - the Microcosmos of the Macrocosmos, part and parcel of the Unknown God, the First Cause of which it is a direct emanation. It will reign supreme and universal only on that day when the whole of humanity recognizes but one father - the UNKNOWN ONE above - and one brother - the whole of mankind below.Alone the highest and invisible originals emanted from the thought of the Unknown are real and permanent beings, forms and ideas; on earth, we see but their reflections, more or less correct, and ever dependent on the physical and mental organization of the person who beholds them. The Gnostic: The Unknown Deity with them had no name....The Hindus, adored the Supreme and Unknown God in the sacred silence of their sanctuaries. ...The Hellenes alone had dared to raise an altar to the UNKNOWN GOD. Whatever Paul had in his mind when declaring to the Athenians that this "unknown," was the true God announced by himself-that Deity was not "Jehovah" nor was he "The Maker of the world." For it is not the "God of Israel" but the "Unknown" of the ancient and modern Pantheist. (Isis Unveiled, By H.P.Blavatsky Vol 2 page 150,153 ,156, 158,169 and 269 also The Secret Doctrine, Vol 1 Page 327 by H.P. Blavatsky)
Her final words on Paul: In Romans Pauls says "Let us do evil, that good may come!" This is a confession which we are asked to believe as having been a direct inspiration from God! It explains, if it does not excuse, the maxim adopted later by the Church that "it is an act of virtue to deceive and lie, when by such means the interests of the Church might be promated. (Isis Unveiled, By H.P.Blavatsky Vol 2 page 303)
The Bible says: ROM 3:8 And not [rather], (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just. [What text did she read]
Blavatsky often makes false quotes from the Bible and other people in Isis Unveiled. A few examples on page 440 Vol. 2 the references to Chronicles is erroneous, and the reference to Proverbs is not borne out by the text itself. On Page 335 Vol. 2 Blavatsky says that Philo lived all the while in Palestine while Jesus preached all over the country and yet he never heard of Jesus.This is a erroneous statement, Philo Judaeus resided at Alexandria, and on one occasion he visted Jerusalem (The Works of Philo Judaeus, Preface). On Page 239 Vol. 2 Blavatsky quotes Dr. Priestley, no actual wording as quoted by Blavatsky can be found in his works treating the subject of early Christianity read (General History of the Christian Church 1790) or his other works and you will not find her quote, [read page 153 in this book for her quote]...She says the King James is a bad bible (The Secret Doctrine Vol. 1 page 128) because only three of the 47 translators understood Hebrew and she went on to say that no reliance can be placed on this version . The fact is: (1) Dr. Adrian Saravia, Professor of Divinity at Leyden University in 1582 was proficient in Hebrew. (2) William Bedwell, M.A., St. John's College,Cambridge a a scholar in Hebrew,Syriac,Chaldee and Arabic. (3) Dr. John Reynolds, Merton College,Oxford. His reputation as a Hebrew and Greek was sufficient warrant for his inclusion among the translators. (4) Dr. Richard Kilby , Lincoln College, Oxford, B.A.,M.A. B.D. & D.D., he was a excellent Hebrew scholar and Professor of this language in the university (5) Dr Miles Smith, M.A., D.D. he had Hebrew at his fingers ends. (6) Dr. Richard Brett, Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, D.D., well versed in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Chaldee, Arabic and Ethiopic. (7) Edward Liveley, Trinity College, Cambridge, B.A., M.A., Professor of Hebrew, enjoyed the reputation of acquaintance with Herbrew unequalled at that period. (8) Dr. Laurence Chaderton, Fellow of Christ's College He acquired a great reputation as a Latin, Greek and Hebrew scholar and was also proficient in French,Spanish and Italian. Among the treasures of Emmanuel College is a Hebrew Bible with his annotations, prividing evidence of his rabbinical learning. For fifty years he was Afternoon Lecturer at St. Clement's Cambridge, and forty of the clergy said they owed their conversion to his preaching. This faithful preacher lived to be 104 and almost to the time of his death he was able to read his small type Greek New Testament (9) Dr. Thomas Harrison, St John's College, Cambridge, B.A., D.D. noted Hebraist and chief examiner in Hebrew he was also credited with an excellent knowledge of Greek. (10) Professor Robert Spalding, Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge Professor of Hebrew (11) Lancelot Andrewes B.A. M..D. His knowledge in Latin, Greek,Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac and Arabic, besides fifteen modern languages was so advanced that he may be ranked as one of the rarest linguists in Christendom. And five more. Blavatsky not only misquotes the Bible but other writings as well. She makes a good friend to Westcott and Hort with their deception the New Greek Text )
Blavatsky and Apostle Peter
:Peter unequivocally denies that Paul, whom he calls Simon the Magician, has ever had a vision of Christ, and calls him "an enemy." Canon Westcott says: "There can be no doubt that St. Paul is referred to as 'the enemy'" Hist. of the Canon, Page 252.
(Isis Unveiled, By H.P.Blavatsky Vol 2 page 161)Blavatsky and
JESUS:If we take the gospels as a standard of truth, Christ was a metempsychosist or reincarnationist - again like these same Essenes, whom we see were Pythagoreans in all their doctrines and habits. The accusations against Jesus of practicing the magic of Egypt were numerous and at one time universal, in the towns where he was known. St. Augustine asserted that it was generally believed that [Jesus] had been initiated in Egypt, and that he wrote books concerning magic, which he delivered to John. There was a work called Magia Jesu Christi, which was attributed to Jesus himself. In the Clementine Recognitions the charge is brought against Jesus that he did not perform his miracles as a Jewish prophet, but as a magician, an initiate of the 'HEATHEN " temples. We see that the Golden Rule was not original with Jesus; that its birthplace was India. In seeking a model for his system of ethics, why should Jesus have gone to the foot of the Himalayas rather than to the foot of Sinai....What the Homilies do prove, ia again our assertion that there was a secret doctrine preached by Jesus....It was the doctrine of old India that Jesus held to when preaching : I am the beginning and the middle, also the end of existing things, says Krishna to his disciple, in Bhagavad-Giti (ch. x). Jesus says the same in Rev 1:17...The letter Iota, mentioned by Jesus in Matthew (v, 18), indicated a secret doctrine in relation to the ten Aeons, it is sufficient to demonstrate to a kabalist that Jesus belonged to the Freemasonry of those days; ...it was among the Gnostics of those days. a password, meaning the SCEPTER of the FATHER, in Eastern brotherhoods which exist to this very day. ...If the students would but remember that at all ages the serpent was the symbol of divine wisdom, Jesus or Christos is born from a snake (divine wisdom, or Holy Ghost), he became a son of God through his initiation into the "Serpent Science."... From the remotest antiquity, the serpent was held by every people in the greatest veneration, as the embodiment of Divne wisdom and the symbol of spirit. ... Every tradition shows that Jesus was educated in Egypt and passed his infancy and youth with the Brotherhoods of the Essenes and other mystic communities
(Isis Unveiled, By H.P.Blavatsky Vol 2 page 145,147,148,164,191,324, 484, 489,548)Blavatsky refers to B.F. Westcott a number of times in her books, calling him "the best..the most erudite..such a learned commentator." ...Safer, and far more trustworthy translators. ...She quotes his book, On the Canon, to support her bizarre beliefs. Blavatsky's main source of reference for denying the tenets of the Christian faith was a book called Supernatural Religion. Its support in many cases is Dr. Westcott’s textual criticism (Supernatural Religion, Page 811,753,286,364. and Isis Unveiled Vol 2 page 243,417)
New Age leader Vera Alders says:
H.P. Blavatsky was one of the
foremost to resurrect the ancient Mystery Teachings and interpret them for our
time in a set of books which have become the Bibles, as it were, of the modern
metaphysician or occultist. (Vera Alder, When Humanity Comes of Age.
New York: Samuel Weiser, 1974 Page 11)
NEW VERSIONS
New versions have incited a shift in doctrine within some Christian circles that has not gone unnoticed by mystics and occultists. Starhawk, a self-proclaimed witch remarks: I am very glad to discover such movement within Christian churches that is sympathetic to the pagan spirit. (Dark Secrets of the New Age, Page 218)
One new version editor referred to his alterations of the articles of faith saying: The changes thus far...are in the right direction...and should contain the germs of a new theology. (The Life of Schaff, Page 427-428)
Blavatsky
"The King James Version; as it is translated has no resemblance whatever to the originals." ie Blavatsky calls the original the Alexandrian Text. ( The Secret Doctrine, Vol. 2 Page 504 by Blavatsky.)
Canon Cook
Meanwhile we would like to place on record again what Canon Cook had to say about the personality of Origen in connection with these matters, for that feature is of vital importance. The Church at large disagreed with Origen's conclusions. Westcott and Hort after nearly 1700 years merely wished to place us textually in the heart of an Alexandrian text. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett page 189)
In the Greek speaking East, the tradition of Christian Platonism reaches as far back as the second century. Its most distinguished early proponents, Clement of Alexandria and Origen. Clement and Origen represented a Platonist philosophical outlook. England was the scene of Platonist revivals in both the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. The school of the "Cambridge Platonists" [Westcott & Hort] of the mid nineteenth century, B.F.Westcott Platonic ideas influenced the development of English theology. ( Platonism, Page 360,362,363
)R.L.Dabney
In a word, Origen was, during
the times of the Sabellian and Arian controversies, the Magnus Apollo of
oriental biblical scholars, and his critical opinions were regarded by them as
almost infallible. Now, what manner of man was Origen? He is described by
Mosheim (in his Com.de Rebus Christ, volume Two, page 144) as "a compound
of contraries, wise and unwise, stupid, the patron of superstition, the
corrupter of Christianity, and the one to whom the Bible suffered much."
The disgraceful story that his condemnation by his bishop, Demetrius, and his
flight from Alexandria, were caused by his apostasy to Paganism under the
impulse of fear, is not only detailed by Epiphanius, the great enemy of
Origenism, but by Cedremus and Suidas. As the controversialist, he was wholly
unscrupulous. His reputation as the great introducer of mysticism, allegory,
and Neo - Platonism into the Christian church is too well known to need
recital. Those who are best acquainted with the history of Christian opinion
know best, that Origen was the great corrupter, and the source, or at least
earliest channel, of nearly all the speculative errors which plagued the Church
in after ages. This general character is enough to excite well grounded
suspicion. But these statisticians are confirmed when we examine the particular
traits of his system. He was strictly Rationalist. He disbelieved in the
full inspiration and infallibility of the Scriptures, His philosophy was
that of Ammonius, who asserted a common religion in all the schemes of
philosophy, including the Bible. The key-note of all Origen's labours was the
effort to reconcile Christianity and this electic Pagan philosophy into a
substantial unity. That the mere words are, accordingly, of no importance. He
expressly denied the consubstantial unity of the Persons and the proper
incarnation of the God head. (This article appeared in the Southern
Presbyterian Review for April, 1871)
BLAVATSKY
Never did the Neo-Platonic school reach such a height of philosophy as when nearest its end. Uniting the mystic theosophy of old Egypt with the refined philosophy of the Greeks; nearer to the ancient Mysteries of Thebes and Memphis than they had been centuries; versed in the science of soothsaying and divination. The new Platonic philosophy is conspicuous in the subsequent adoption of dogmas, the origin of which can be traced but too easily to that remarkable school. (Isis Unveiled, Vol. 2 Page 41)
Even the NIV Concordance editor concedes that this century's versions are a deviation from the text type used, as Blavatsky said, for nearly 1500 years. (The NIV: The Making of a Contemporary Translation. Page 37, By Kenneth L. Barker.)
Dr. Gordon Fee
Wheaton professor, Dr. Gordon Fee, comments on the "clipped" character of all versions except the Authorized Version (KJV): The contemporary translations as a group have one thing in common: they tend to agree against the KJV...in omitting hundreds of words, phrases and verses. ( Christianity Today: Let’s weigh the Evidence, Page 13)
Sidney Collett
Westcott and Hort being unable to reconcile certain parts of Scripture with their own idea of what inspired writings ought to be, even when no question is raised as to the accuracy of existing documents, would, nevertheless, have us strike out such passages as uninspired, leaving us with nothing but a fragmentary Bible, which might be suitably entitled, The Book of God revised and improved by man." (The Scripture of Truth, by Sidney Collett 1905
C.H. Spurgeon
"It is sadly, common among ministers to add a word or subtract a word from the passage, or in some way debase the language of sacred writ....Our reverence for the Great Author of Scripture should forbid all mauling of his Words...No alteration of Scripture can by any possibility be an improvement...Today it is still the self-same mighty Word of God that it was in the hands of our Lord Jesus... (From C.H. Spurgeon’s ‘Final Manifesto,' given to his students at his Baptist College, April 1891, against Westcott and Hort. C.H. Spurgeon went home to be with the Lord January 31st, 1892)
Sir George Smith addressing a great meeting in the Albert Hall London, on March 7th, 1904 drew attention to this remarkable fact in the following words: " History showed that the periods of reformation and revival synchronized with the increase of attention to the Word of God." (Times, March 8th, 1904 taken from The Scripture of Truth, by Sidney Collett 1905
)R.L.Dabney
But the biblical critics who guided the revisers to make these innovations in the text are not popes. The rest of us Bible readers have not lost the right of private judgment as to this or any other point. The text is the umpire, and the reader can compare with it the old translation and the new, and judge for himself which is the more faithful. But upon the plan pursued by these Revisers the church would have no textus receptus of the Greek Text. (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for July, 1881 reviewing the Revised Version of the New Testament.)
R.L.Dabney
In conclusion, the revisers have evidently yielded too much to the desire for change. There is a multitude of needless emendations, of which the least that can be said is, that they are no improvements. The changes have been calculated to average two for each verse of the Gospels and Acts, and three for each verse of the Epistles and revelation. Is this a revision or a new version? (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for July, 1881 reviewing the Revised Version of the New Testament.)
Canon Cook in his book on the "Revised Version of the First Three Gospels," says:
"By far the greatest number of innovations, including those which give the severest shocks to our minds, are adopted on the testimony of two manuscripts, or even of one manuscript, against the distinct testimony of all other manuscripts, uncial and cursive...(Which Bible can we Trust, By Les Garrett Page 160)
"JESUS" was omitted scores of places, such as Matt. 4:23, where its omission is based on only one manuscript; all other MSS have Jesus. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 496.)
NEW GREEK TEXT
The few Greek manuscripts underlying new versions contain yet unreleased material which is an exact blueprint for the antichrist’s One World Religion. A complete translation of these is being called for by new version editors and New Agers alike. This new version could be the final "universal bible" called for by U.N. Assistant Secretary General Robert Muller. (New Age Bible Versions, by Gail Riplinger Page 3.) ( Global Spirituality Page 183.)
The same Greek text-type was used in the translation of most English versions until the end of the nineteenth century, acknowledges John Ohlenberger III, co-author of the NIV Complete Concordance. He further concedes, "Because of numerical superiority, this text type is known as the Majority Text from which the KJV was translated. (Words About the Word, Page 42.)
This 'new' text had a sinister start. In 1851, the year Westcott, Hort, and Lightfoot began the Ghostly Guild, they set in motion their notion of a 'New' Greek Text. ( The Life of Hort, Page 211.)
Hort:
I am most anxious to provide something to replace them.( Life of Westcott, Vol. 1, Page 229.)
They had received from the world of spirits a hatred for the true Word of God. After setting up the Ghostly Guild, Hort decribes the sacred text as "being that vile Textus Receptus". ( Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 238)
Hort's son reveals:
About this time Mr. Daniel Macmillan the publisher suggested to him that he should take part in an interesting and comprehensive 'New Testament Scheme'. . .Hort was to edit the text with Mr. Westcott, the latter was to be responsible for a commentary and Lightfoot was to contribute a New Testament Grammar and Lexicon. (Life of Hort, Vol. 1, Page 241,250.)
(Dr. Newth); and as detailed by him it is certainly not calculated to inspire us with confidence in the results thereby arrived at. This was the mode: A passage being under consideration, the Chairman asks, "Are any Textuall changes proposed?" If a change be proposed then "the evidence for and against is briefly stated." This is done by "two members of the Company - Dr. Scrivener and Dr. Hort." And if those two members disagree "The vote of the Company is taken, and the proposed Reading accepted or rejected. The text being thus settled, the Chairman asks for proposals on the Rendering" (i.e., the Translation). Thus it appears that there was no attempt whatever on the part of the Revisionists to examine the evidence bearing upon the many disputed readings. They only listened to the views of two of their number (one of whom as we have seen, was fatally obsessed by a vicious theory) and thereupon, in summary fashion, they "settled" the Text by a majority vote. Can we possibly have any confidence in a Text that was "settled" by such a slap-dash method? (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 163)
The Chairman himself (Bishop Ellicott) is authority for the fact that Dr. Newth’s account of the method whereby the Greek Text was "settled" is quite correct. Sir Edmund Beckett has, we think, put the matter very well when he said that Dr. Newth’s account of the way the Committee on Revision "settled" the Greek Text "Is quite enough to ‘settle’ the Revised Version in a very different sense." For in the production of the "New Greek Text" the Revisers have departed from the Textus Receptus nearly 6,000 times. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 163)
Bishop Moberly of Salisbury was present on only 121 occasions; Bishop Wordsworth of St. Andrews on only 109; Archbishop Trench of Dublin on only 63; Bishop Wilberforce on only one and Scrivener was present on all occasions of the translation work. Of these man, Bishop Wordsworth of St. Andrews has long since, in the fullest manner, cleared himself from the suspicion of complicity in the errors of the work before us, as well in respect of the 'New Greek Text' as of the New English Version'... in the Charge which he delivered at his Diocesan Synod, 22nd September 1880, he openly stated that two years before the work was finally completed, he had felt obliged to address a printed circular to each member of the Company, in which he strongly remonstrated against the excess to which changes had been carried; and that, the remonstrance had been , for the most part, unheaded.
Dean Burgon goes on further to say: "Certain other excellent personages, (Scholars and Divines of the best type) were powerless to prevent the changes to the word of God. It is no secret that Dr.Lee, the learned Archdeacon of Dublin, (one of the few very competent members of the Revising body,) found himself perpetually in the minority. The same is to be recorded concerning Dr. Roberts. One famous scholar and excellent Divine, a Dean whom we forbear to name, with the modesty of real learning, often reveal (had he given it) what would have been an adverse vote. Another learned and accomplished Dean Dr. Merivale , after attending 19 meetings of the Revising body, withdrew in disgust from them entirely. He disapproved the method of his colleagues, and was determined to incur no share of responsibility for the probable results of their deliberations. As for Prebendary Scrivener, it is well known that he found himself perpetually out voted. It is no secret that, throughtout, Dr. Scrivener pleaded in vain for the general view we have ourselves advocated." (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett, Page 234)
Bishop Wilbforce, the Chairman of the Translating Committe, only attended one meeting and when he realized that they were going to change the Bible, he said, 'What can be done in this most miserable business?' And withdrew himself from the committee. Or as Dean Burgon said; having secured the precious advocacy of Bishop Wilberforce whose sentiments on the subject you had before adopted, you at once threw him and them overboard. ( Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett, Page 234)
Hort
Their correspondence: Strike blindly. . .much evil would result from the public discussion. I have a sort of craving that our text should be cast upon the world before we deal with matters likely to brand us with suspicion. I mean, a text, issued by men already known for what will undoubtedly be treated as dangerous heresy will have great difficulty finding its way to regions which it might otherwise hope to reach, and whence it would be banished by subsequent alarms. If only we speak our minds, we shall not be able to avoid giving grave offence to. . .the miscalled orthodoxy of the day. Evangelicals seem to me perverted. . .There are, I fear, still more serious differences between us on the subject of authority and especially the authority of the bible. At present very many orthodox but rational men are being unawares acted upon by influences which will assuredly bear good fruit in due time if the process is allowed to go on quietly; but I fear that a premature crises would frighten back many into the merest traditionalism. ( Life of Hort, Vol. 1, Page 229,445,421,400.)
Dr G. Vance Smith, a Unitarian who denied the deity Christ, the Trinity, and the inspiration of scripture, was invited to join Westcott and Hort in working on the revision. When furor arose regarding his participation, Westcott and Hort said they would resign if he was not included. Smith's book, Texts and Margins of the Revised New Testament, boasts of is strong influence upon the doctrinal changes in the 'New' text. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 432)
C.H. Spurgeon said:
There can be no Christianity without an inspired and Authoritative Bible. "The turning point of the battle between those who hold 'the faith once delivered to the saints' and their opponents, lies in the true and real inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. This is the Thermopylae of Christendom. If we have in the Word of God no infallible standard of truth, we are at sea without a compass, and no danger from rough weather without, can be equal to the loss within. 'If the foundation be removed, what can the righteous do?" And this is the foundation loss of the worst kind." (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett, Page 7)
Another man associated with the Revision was Dr. G. Vance Smith, the Unitarian Minister of St. Saviour's Gate Chapel, York, England. One who not only openly denied the eternal Godhead of our Lord, but in one of his publications wrote against that fundamental doctrine of Christianity as well as the inspiration of the Holy Scripture itself. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett, Page 234)
Dr. R.C. Foster, Professor of Greek and N.T. in Cincinnati Bible Seminary, Ohio:
His treatise was published in 1946 in the July issue of the "Church News Letter". After presenting a careful study of the numerous changes in the text, he wrote, "The Revised Standard Version is frankly Unitarian and offers a very subtle attack upon the deity of Christ...It is as if the scholars were saying - This stubborn and unscientific generation of the 20th century insists on maintaining that Jesus was God in the flesh, but by the use of a literary device we will put words into their mouths as they read this version so that they will consciously or unconsciously admit that Jesus is not God but man." (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 50)
R.L.Dabney
If the reader will look into the lists of variations in the New Greek Text, he will find that in every case, the doctrinal effect of the departure from the majority text is to obscure or suppress some testimony for the Divinity of the Saviour. Things do not happen again and again regularly without a cause. The curious coincidence, we repeat, that only one vital doctrine should be touched in any of its supposed testimonies, by all the myriads of variations, almost irresistibly impels the mind to the conclusion, that not the chance errors of transcribers, but some deliberate hand, has been at work in these instances. This stands out as one of their most prominent characteristics, that they agree with each other in omitting these striking testimonies to the Divinity of Christ; and that they also agree, in the main, in all the other extensive omissions, implicating matters of gospel fact and practice. (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for April, 1871)
PLEASE READ APPENDIX A
E.W. Colwell
Preeminent North American textual scholar and past president of the University of Chicago points out: The text thus constructed is not reconstructed, but constructed; it is an artificial entity that never existed.
R.L. Dabney
This method, substantially adopted by Tischendorf and by Alford, no longer retains the majority text as a common basis for emendation, or standard of comparisons, or even as our mere cord upon which to string the proposed corrections, but proceeds to construct a text just as though it never existed. It is this objectionable and mischievous feature of the later criticism which, as we believe, especially demands the notice of biblical scholars at this time. Its natural result will be, that the Church of God will finally have no New Testament at all. It should be remembered that the majority text is that which is now actually in the hands of the laity, in the popular versions of King James, of Luther, and those of the other European languages. Does anyone suppose that the labors of any learned critic will persuade any of these nations to surrender its version for a new one? It is very clear that, practically, the people must either trust the Bibles they have, or believe in none. (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for April, 1871)
John Burgon, Dean of Westminster and preeminent Greek textual scholar of the day, said
:For the Greek Text which they have invented proves to be hopelessly depraved throughout. ...It was deliberately invented...The underlying Greek...is an entirely new Greek Text. Who will venture to predict the amount of mischief which must follow if the 'New' Greek Text should become used. (Revision Revised , Page 114-122.)
C.H. Spurgeon
Are these correctors of scripture
infallible? It is certain that our Bibles are not right? But that the critics [Westcott and Hort] must be so?... But where shall infallibility be found? 'The depth saith, it is not in me' yet those who have no depth at all would have us imagine that it is in them, or else by perpetual change they may hope to hit upon it All possibility of certainty is transferred from the spiritual man to a class of persons whose scholarship is pretentious, but who do not even pretend to spirituality. We shall gradually be so bedoubted and becriticized that only a few of the most profound will know what is Bible and what is not, and they will dictate to all the rest of us. I have no more faith in their mercy than their accuracy. They will rob us of all that we hold most dear, and glory in the cruel deed. This same 'reign of terror' we will not endure, for we still believe that God reveals Himself rather to babes than to the wise and prudent... We do not despise learning, but we will never say of culture or criticism, 'These be Thy gods, O Israel.'" Do you see WHY [Westcott & Hort] would lower the degree of inspiration in Holy writ, and would fain reduce it to an infinitesimal quantity? It is because the truth of God is to be supplanted... whenever a man begins to lower your view of inspiration, it is because he has a trick to play, which is not easily performed in the light... To these who belittle inspiration and inerrancy we will give place by subjection, no, not for an hour (From C.H. Spurgeon’s ‘Final Manifesto,' given to his students at his Baptist College, April 1891, against Westcott and Hort. C.H. Spurgeon went home to be with the Lord January 31st, 1892)Les Garrett
This proclaimed by C.H. Spurgeon 10 years after the revised version was published in 1881, engineered, domineered and dominated by Westcott and Hort whose Greek texts and theory ("the oldest is the best") has proven to be the worst imaginable).( Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 240)
In 1871, the three Ghostly Guild 'medicine' men were invited by the Church of England to lead a committee for the revision of the King James Bible. Hort's son calls Westcott, Hort and Lightfoot, The Three; Hort writes to his wife of their invitation to join the Bible Revision Committee. Westcott... believes we ought to seize the opportunity, especially since we three Ghostly Guild members are on the list. "Each member of the company had been supplied with private copy of Westcott and Hort's Greek Text," writes Hort's son. The New Greek Text was marked 'Confidential'; members of the Revision Committee were all sworn to a pledge of secrecy. The committee met secretly for ten years from 1871-1881. "An iron rule of silence was imposed." A critic notes: The Revisors have ... silently adopted most of those wretched fabrications which are just now in favor with the German School. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 434
)Tregelles
Has published a vast list, covering ninety - four octavo pages, of the departures of the four leading editors whom he admires, Griesbach, Scholz, Lachmann, and Tischendorf, from the majority text. Their number is more than nine thousand. That is, there are so many places in which one or more of these critics differs from the majority text. Hence it appears manifestly, that if the latter is expelled from the use and confidence of the Church, the latter will practically be left with no New Testament. (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for April, 1871 by R.L. Dabney)
Westcott writes from France to his fiancee, 1847
"After leaving the monastery, we shaped our course to a little oratory which we discovered on the summit of a neighbouring hill.... Fortunately we found the door open. It is very small, with one kneeling - place; and behind a screen was a 'Pieta' the size of a life Virgin and dead Christ had I been alone I could have knelt there for hours." ( Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 229)
Drs. Moberly, Pusey and Newman were invited to join, all three emissaries of the Roman Catholic Church. Member Dean Stanley believed, as did Westcott and Hort, that the word of God was also in the books of the other world religions. The reputations of the committee members were so tainted that Queen Victoria and her chaplain F.C. Cook refused to give it the official sanction awarded by King James to the esteemed body. Half of the members of the Church of England at the time declined involvement, as did its American branch, the Episcopal Church.
Hort writes to Rev. John Ellerton, July 6, 1848
"The pure Romish view seems to me nearer, and more likely to lead to the truth than the Evangelical. We dare not forsake the sacraments [of the Catholic Church] or God will forsake us." (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett, Page 229)
Hort writes to Westcott, September 23 1864
"I remember shocking you and Lightfoot not so long ago by expressing a belief that 'Protestantism' is only parenthetical and temporary, perfect Catholicity has been nowhere since the Reformation." (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett, Page 229
)Hort writes to Westcott, October 17, 1865:
" I have been persuaded for many years that Mary - worship and 'Jesus' - worship have very much in common in their causes and their results." (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett, page 229
Dean Burgon writes of this disenchantment of the committee in general. We can sympathize also with the secret distress of certain of the body, who now, when it is all too late to remedy the mischief, begin to suspect that they have been led away-overpowered. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 435)
Philip Mauro, USA Supreme Court Lawyer
At the time Bishop Ellicott's defense of 1882 was prepared, Westcott and Hort had just published their new "Greek Text" and the supporting "theory;" so Bishop Ellicott sought to avail himself therof, and did so by the plea that those who objected to the Revised Version ought to meet that theory. He did not have to wait long, for Dean Burgon's smashing attack, strongly supported by the highest textual critic of the day Dr. Scrivener and others, appeared about the same time. To all this Bishop Ellicott made no response, [even after eight years no response,] even Westcott and Hort disdained to return any answer to Burgon's objection. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 181,201, Taken from Which Version ? Authorized or Revised?, by Philip Mauro USA Supreme Court Lawyer and one of the foremost patent lawyers of his day)
PLEASE NOTE BISHOP ELLICOTT'S DEFENSE OF 1882 WAS NOT PUBLISHED TILL AFTER DEAN BURGON AND DR. SCRIVENER DIED. BURGON PASSED AWAY 1888
They did not answer Burgon's challenge because they could not.
The public release of the 'New' Greek and Revision brought a public outcry from conservative and moderate Christians. Hort writes of:...the abuse we are receiving...The crisis is a very grave one and we ought...to resist the Moderates in their attempts to carry out the demands of a noisy public opinion. Upon the public release in 1881 of their 'New' Greek text' Revised Version, Hort says: The work which has gone on now for nearly thirty years was brought to a conclusion. Exactly thirty years earlier, in 1851, "the work" of the Ghostly Guild began. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger Page 436)
"Three and a half years ago (this was written in 1890) Hoskier was in Dean Burgon's study at Chichester. It was midnight and we mounted the stairs to retire to rest, His last words of the night have often rung in my ears since"... As surely as it is dark now, and as certainly as the sun will rise tomorrow morning, so surely will the Traditional Text be vindicated and the views I have striven to express be accepted. I may not live to see it. Most likely I shall not. But it will come." ( These words Burgon spoken just year and a half before his death)
BUT IT WILL COME
The Westcott-Hort campaign to reframe the Greek and English bible sent Schaff, armed with his poison pen, to the front lines, as President of the American Old and New Testament Committees. The press had often protested his position saying: We are at a loss to understand why such a man is permitted to be the big gun. (Pennsylvania Telegraph of Philadelphia, Sept. 1853)
"Shocked churchmen brought Schaff before the Pennsylvania Synod for heresy." notes one of his biographers. Schaff's own son admits "(T)he people associated all manner of doctrinal evil with (him)" and referred to him as a "traitor". (New Age Bible Versions, By Gail Riplinger Page 458.)
Referring to Schaff's theology, his son writes: (I)t was at that time considered by most (Christians) in the United States dangerous and by many heretical. ( The Life of Schaff, Page 117.)
The Living Bible and the 'New' American Standard Version, which "sought to preserve" the ASV, are among the convoy carrying Schaff's deadly cargo forward to this generation. They have taken custody of Schaff's 30,000 alterations to the text, each one a clang in his battle cry: (New Age Bible Versions, By Gail Riplinger Page 458.)
The church must adjust her...doctrinal statements...to natural science. (The Life of Schaff, Page 488.)
Schaff sought men, who shared what he called his "liberal outlook", for membership on his bible translation committee. His monopoly of the translation later led committee members to admit that the 30,000 changes from the KJV are "indebted to Philip Schaff more than all the others put together". (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 458.)
Wilbur Pickering, author of the Identity of the New Testament Text and recipient of a TH.M in Greek Exegesis from Dallas Theological Seminary and M.A. and Ph.D. Linguistics from the University of Toronto says:
The distressing realization is forced upon us that the 'progress' of the past hundred years has been precisely in the wrong direction - our modern versions and critical texts are found to differ from the Original in some six thousand places, many of them being serious differences. (The Identity of the New Testament Text, Page 149.)
The late E.W. Colwell, past president of the University of Chicago and the premier North American New Testament Greek scholar, authored scores of books, such as Studies in Methodology in Textual Criticism of the New Testament. He confesses his 'change of heart' concerning the reliability of readings in the new versions:
Scholars now believe that most errors were made deliberately...the variant readings in the New Testament were created for theological or dogmatic reasons. ( E.W. Colwell, What is the Best New Testament, Page 49,53.)
"Unscholarly", "incompetent" and far adrift from the realities of manuscript history. Even Hort, chief architect of their 'New' Greek text, admits in a letter to a friend: I am afraid I must have talked big and mislead you when you were here, for I really know very little of Church history.( The Life and Letters of Fenton John Anthony Hort, Vol. 1 Page 233.)
ALEXANDRIAN MANUSCRIPTS
Tertullian (A.D.160-220) writes of how Alexandrians corrupted manuscripts
It is a Known fact that in the first hundred years after the death of the apostles, Irenaeus said, "they mutilated the Scriptures." Those who were corrupting the Bible manuscripts of the Majority text said they were correcting them. Corrupted copies were so prevalent, that agreement between them was hopeless. The Bishop of Syria was compelled one hundred and twenty-five years after Christ to throw out of his church two hundred copies of corrupted manuscript, because the church members were taking it for the true gospel. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page
63)Robert Young
Author of Young's Analytical Concordance to the Holy Bible: Proved that there were eight thousand changes in the Westcott and Hort New Testament in his book ‘Concise Concordance of the Revised Testament.’ (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 63)
The beast, as he was called by second century Christians. Marcion's mischief was recorded by his contemporaries. Christian such as Tertullian, Epiphanius and Irenaeus. The latter said wherefore also Marcion and his followers have betaken themselves to mutilating the Scriptures, which they themselves shortened. (Anti-Nicene Fathers Vol. one page 434-435.)
Dr. Philip Comfort, author of Early Manuscripts and Modern Translations of the New Testament states:
(T)he early manuscripts exhibit some very significant differences in the wording of the New Testament, text-differences pertaining to the titles of the Lord Jesus Christ, Christian doctrine and church practice as well as significant word variations...(T)extual corruption happened at such an early date...Origen was the first New Testament critic. (New Age Bible Versions, By Gail Riplinger Page 530.)
Les Garrett
Origen, being a textual critic, is supposed to have corrected numerous portions of the sacred manuscripts. Evidence to the contrary shows he changed them to agree with his own human philosophy of mystical and allegorical idea. (Which Bible can we Trust, By Les Garrett Page 16)
R.L.Dabney
These variations are too numerous, and too significant in their effect on the one doctrine, to be ascribed to chance. In support of this conclusion, we remark, first, that there are strong probable grounds to conclude, that the text of the Scriptures current in the East received a mischievous modification at the hands of famous Origen. (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for April, 1871)
Dr. David Fuller, Princeton scholar:
Many of the important variations in the modern versions may be traced to the influence of Eusebius and Origen. ( Which Bible, Page 3.)
R.L.Dabney
We shall be prepared to believe that the Western early version, where Origenism had then no currency, reflects the original purity of the text, even more truly than the Greek manuscript prevalent after Origen's day in Palestine and Egypt. The testimony of the old Italic in favour of 1 John 5:7 is therefore more weighty than at first appeared. We shall find in Eusebiusa of Caesarea another probable source of mutilation of the original texts. He was a blind admirer of Origen, and constantly made tacit pretensions of being, through Pamphilus, the lineal successor to his fame and influence. Origen and his school deteriorated the correctness of the text, it is to the same extent clear that Eusebius accepted and perpetuated that injury. His employment by the Emperor Constantine to edit fifty complete codices of the Scriptures, as detailed in his life of that Prince, may be received as being as authentic as any part of the history. Now we are not left wholly in dark as to the character of this edition. The Eusebian Canons, as they are called, have come down to us; and they disclose the fact that this father excluded Mark 15:9 to end from the text. We must remember their temporary triumph in the East under Constantine's successors; their reckless and unprincipled persecuting spirit; the villainous means to which they are known to have resorted to gain their ends, fraud, lying, subornation (as in the case of the venerable Bishop Athanasius and Eustathius of Antioch), and violence, and the charges of mutilating the sacred books made against them by the orthodox. Athanasius, for instance, in his first Encyclical Letter against the Arians to the bishops of Egypt and Lybia, charges it upon them, as one of their customary tricks to deceive the unwary, that they advanced deceitful readings of the Scripture. We know from their extant writings the Arians were wont to urge against the proper divinity of Christ. The Arians were notoriously unscrupulous. They were openly charged with corrupting the texts for polemical purposes. (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for April, 1871)
Dr. Edward Hills, Harvard and Yale scholar:
Origen...was not content to abide by the text which he received but freely engaged in the boldest sort of conjectural emendations. And there were other critics at Alexandria...who deleted many readings of the original New Testament text and thus produced the abbreviated text found in the papyri and in the manuscripts Aleph and B (the Greek manuscripts used to create the recent new versions). (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 530.)
World renowned scholar Hermann Hoskier, (scholars say his collation of New Testament manuscripts is unsurpassed in quality and quantity) feels:
We do not necessarily recover Origen's manuscripts when we are inclined to follow Aleph and B (basis for new translations), but very likely Origen himself. He goes on to say: the text of Westcott and Hort is practically the text of Alep & B. (New Age Bible Versions, By Gail Riplinger Page 531,546.)
Westcott and Hort’s Introduction to the New Testament in the Original Greek affirms:
Readings of Aleph & Bshould be accepted as the true readings...[They] stand far above all documents [are] very pure...excellent...and immune from corruption.
Lewis Foster, member of both the New King James Committee and the NIV Committee says, " The most highly valued manuscripts...and the most dependable...are Codex Vaticanus [B] and the Sinaitius [Aleph]." ( Selecting a Translation of the Bible, Page 16.)
Mark 16:9-20
They are found in all the Greek manuscripts except Aleph and B and in all the Latin manuscripts except K. All the Syriac versions contain these verses, with the exception of the Sinaitic Syriac, and so does the Bohairic version. And, even more important, they were quoted as Scripture by early Church Fathers who lived one hundred and fifty years before B and Aleph were written, namely, Justin Martyr (c. 150), Tatian (c. 175), Irenaaeusss (c. 180), and Hippolytus (c. 200). (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 117)
Dean Burgon
The fact that the Revisers have discredited a passage so important as the ending of Marks Gospel is enough in itself to arouse suspicion as to their entire work, and to create a feeling of uncertainty as to their fitness for the great task entrusted to them. For the evidence in favour of the authenticity of that passage is simply overwhelming.
DeHoff's Bible Handbook by George W. DeHoff
Is Mark 16:16-20 Authentic?
False teachers who oppose what Jesus taught in Mark 16:16-20 sometimes insist that this last part of the chapter is not inspired. They urge that two old manuscripts the Vatican and the Sinaitic do not contain the passages. The truth is, all of the ancient versions and more than two thousand copies of manuscripts contain this passage. The authenticity of this passage has never been questioned by scholars. More than five hundred old manuscripts including the Alexandria contain this passage. The two manuscripts which leave out Mark 16:16-20, leave out other portions of the New Testament such as Revelation 20. The writer of the Hebrew letter quotes Mark 16 in Hebrews 2:5. One who denies that Mark 16:16-20 is part of the inspired Word of God is simply an infidel on this point. People who love the Lord should stand for the truthfulness of all of the Bible instead of attempting to cut out part of it. The only reason for rejecting Mark 16:16 - 20 is because certain people do not like what it teaches.
John Burgon, author of scores of scholarly books on the transmission and corruption of the original Greek manuscripts said:
I am of the opinion that such depravations of the text (as found in Aleph and B) were in the first instance intentional. Origen may be regarded as the prime offender. ..the author of all the mischief...(Clement used) ‘hopelessly’ corrupt' versions of the New Testament which there is in these last days an attempt to revive and palm off on an unlearned generation the old exploded errors. He went on to say: "We are assured without a particle of hesitation, that Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus manuscripts are of the most scandalously corrupt copies exant. They exhibit the most shamefully mutilated text which are anywhere to be met with, and have become the depositories of the largest amount of fabricated readings, ancient blunders, and intentional perversion of truth, which are discoverable in any known copies of the Word of God.( The Revision Revised, Page 336.)
Alfred Martin, former Vice-President of Moody Bible Institute calls Origen "aberrant" and says:
(H)e seems to have been so saturated with the strange speculations of the early heretics. It is manifest that Origen is not a safe guide in the textual criticism any more than in theology.( Which Bible, Page 164.)
R.L.Dabney
The commentaries of Origen, which abound in quotations drawn from heretical revisals of Scripture. The facilities of correcting this text from Origen's writings, and the blind reverence in which that ancient father was held in the School of Caesarea, seem to have rendered the corruption of this text unavoidable. There appears a strong probability, then, that "the learned Origen" is least of all entitled to that authority which the recent critics claim for him as a witness to the state of the genuine readings; but that, if the whole truth could be recovered, he would be found the original corrupter of the text. The secular clergy usually condemned his sentiments and influence; and it was by a Byzantine council of such clergy that his name was finally fixed (where it belongs) in the list of heretics. (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for April, 1871)
Gordon Fee asserts:
P66 "offers us firsthand evidence of a kind of official editorial activity going on in the church in Alexandria at the time of Clement." ( Greek Manuscript of the Ancient World, Page 108.)
Gordon Fee points out that they were copied from an altered papyrus much like P75; he brings us up to date and reveals the dilemma in which textual scholars find themselves today.
The recessional [altered] nature of 'B' has become a byword in NT textual criticism. The recent text-critical handbooks and NT introductions, as well as articles on 'trends' and on text-types, are almost unanimous in their concurrence with Kenyon's conclusion that the Egyptian text is now generally regarded as a text produced in Alexandria under editorial care...Hence our dilemma, for as long as our critical texts [Nestle's Greek, UBS Greek, etc.] continue to look much like a text that is generally acknowledged to be edited,. . .our dilemma seems to be that we know too much to believe the old. (New Dimensions in New Testament Study, Page 23.)
P66 AND P75 USED BY WESTCOTT AND HORT
The papyri that have been discovered are very unreliable as absolute sources of New Testament readings. C. H. Roberts notes, it was a Jewish custom to bury heretical scripture.
New age apocryphal material as the Gospel of Thomas and the sayings of Jesus. P46, used heavily for the readings of the NRSV and NEB, has such New Age readings as "if anyone loves, he is known," 'rather than the Majority text's,' 'But if any man love God, the same is known of him." I Corinthians 8:3 (New Age Bible Version By Gail Riplinger page 581)
P66: Contains portions of the Gospel of John
900 errors in John
200 nonsense readings
400 itacistic spellings
2l6 careless readings
482 singular reading
269 correctors
54 leaps forward; 22 backward
Pickering notes it has "Roughly two mistakes per verse."
P75: Contains portions of Luke and John
145 itacisms
257 singular readings
27 leaps forward; 10 backward
57 careless readings
Pickering notes, "scarcely a good copy."
Its Catholic 'tone' is evidenced by the fact that at Vatican Council ll, each bishop was given his own copy with an introduction by Jesuit priest, Carlo Martini. Protestant researchers have never been permitted to examine the actual manuscript and work only from copies provided by the Vatican.
Princeton Professor, Bruce Metzger's...
recent Manuscripts of the Greek Bible reveals: In the light of such carelessness in transcription it is not surprising that a good many correctors (as many as nine) have been at work on the manuscript... Tischendorfs edition of the manuscript enumerates some 14,800 places where some alteration has been made to the text...[With] more recent detailed scrutiny of the manuscript...by the use of ultra-violet lamp, Milne and Skeat discovered that the original reading in the manuscript was erased...in places. ( Manuscripts of the Greek Bible, Page 77.)
Harnack writes of the "yet to be published" papyri. Comfort hopes: It is my hope that future editions of the Greek text will incorporate even more of the readings found in, the early Papyri. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 582)
F.H.A. Scrivener’s Full Collation of the Codex Sinaiticus with the Received Text of the New Testament found:
There are about 9000 changes in this text from that of the Majority and Traditional Text, l,500 readings that appear in no other manuscript; this affects nearly 3000 words. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 552)
Kenneth W. Clark, noted textual scholar and author of "The Theological Relevance of Textual Variations in Current Criticism of the Greek New Testament" in the Journal of Biblical Literature, warns dabblers, as well as seasoned translators, of pursuing the retreating mirage of the Alexandrian Text type. ( K.W.Clark, Journal of Biblical Literature,LXXXV Page 15.)
Lachmann,
whose critical edition of the Greek New Testament was published in Berlin in 1832 and 1850. Among the Fathers, he lies chiefly upon the quotations of Origen (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for April, 1871)
PROVIDENTIAL
PRESERVATION
OF THE SCRIPTURES
Edward F. Hills Th.D
"We must be alert to the dangers of naturalistic New Testament textual criticism. For this is naturalistic Bible study of a most insidious sort. It begins by persuading an unsuspecting Christian to ignore God’s providential preservation of the Scriptures and then leads him on to ignore other divine aspects of the Bible until almost before he knows it, he finds himself bereft of faith and almost completely modernistic in outlook." (Which Bible can we Trust by Les Garrett Page 193)
Burton Goddard: NIV Editor. Notes that there are "mistakes in transmission." ( New Age Bible Versions, Page 262 By Gail Riplinger)
Ronald Youngblood: NIV Editor. The bible is the "words of men," a literary production." ( New Age Bible Versions, Page 262 By Gail Riplinger)
(B.F. Westcott) "It is not surprising that [one] should be startled when they are told abruptly how many points of contact in form or substance our scriptures have with other writing, how fragmentary they are how intensely human. We are coming to know the blessings which the withdrawal of old opinions disclose.. ( The Life of Westcott, Vol. 2.)
(F.J.A. Hort) He expressed "...doubts about infallibility" saying "I am also glad that you take the provisional ground as to infallibility that I do..( The Life of Hort, Vol. 1 Page 422,424.)
Blavatsky:
We need to escape from biblical bondage. (The Secret Doctrine, by H.P. Blavatsky Vol. p. 435)ORIGEN AND THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Septuagint (LXX), a Greek translation of the Old Testament, is used today by textual critics, in many instances, to determine the wording of new versions. It appears that Origen was the author of this A.D. document. The NIV translators admit they use the O.T. text which was "standardized early in the third century by Oregin". Hence, Oregin's six column Old Testament, the Hexapla, is used as the LXX today. It is freely drawn from by new translation editors to alter the Masoretic Hebrew Text. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 537.)
Nolan
Charges that Origen's method of citing the Scriptures is inconsistent and vacillating; that he often cites from heretical codices and readings; that he often proposes to correct the text of the New Testament by the supposed indications of the Septuagint, "As he had laboured to supersede the authorised version of the Old Testament, he contributed to weaken the authority of the received text of the New. Some difficulties which he found himself unable to solve in the evangelists he undertook to remove, by expressing his doubts of the integrity of the text." (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for April, 1871)
Septuagint, Encyclopaedia Britannica
LXX, the earliest extant Greek translation of the Old Testament from the original Hebrew, The name Septuagint (from the Latin septuaginta, "70") was derived later from the legend that there were 72 translators, 6 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, who worked in separate cells, translating the whole, and in the end all their versions were identical. In fact there are large differences in style and usage between the Septuagint's translation of the Torah and its translations of the later books in the Old Testament. A tradition that translators were sent to Alexandria by Eleazar, the chief priest at Jerusalem, at the request of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 BC), a patron of literature, first appeared in the Letter of Aristeas, an unreliable source.
Other scholars also consulted the Hebrew text in order to make the Septuagint text more accurate. ...The text of the Septuagint is contained in a few early, but not necessarily reliable, manuscripts. The best known of these are the Codex Vaticanus (B) and the Codex Sinaiticus (S), both dating from the 4th century AD, and the Codex Alexandrinus (A) from the 5th century. There are also numerous earlier papyrus fragments and many later manuscripts. The first printed copy of the Septuagint was in the Complutensian Polyglot (1514-22).
Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Gail Riplinger
The Septuagint (LXX) is freely drawn from by new translation editors to alter the Mosarectic Hebrew texts. (New Age Bible Versions, by Gail Riplinger Page 537)
Sidney Collett 1905
The Septuagint version
It is known as the Septuagint or Alexandrian version, Septuagint being a Latin word meaning seventy, it was said to have been the work of seventy scholars at Alexandria hence its title A measure of uncertainty exists as to the truth of this. I believe that Origen was the author. If as some say it was the work of Alexandrian Jewish scholars, they were anything but good scholars either of Hebrew or Greek. and, moreover, the work is quite unlike any other Jewish work connected with the Scriptures, for the following reasons:
1. The whole nature of an orthodox Jew would shrink from the mere thought of having their Scriptures-i.e., the Old Testament - in any other language at all than the sacred Hebrew. Dr.Ginsburg tells how, soon after the publication of the Septuagint, the Jewish authorities declared that the day on which it was made was as calamitous to Israel as the day on which the golden calf was substituted for the true God.
2. This Greek translation is a very free one, departing in many cases from the original Hebrew text, to which the Jew held so tenaciously and with such reverent awe.
We can only, therefore, conclude that if as some say it was written by these Alexandrian Jews then they must have become extraordinarily loose and unorthodox in their views, or such things could never have happened.
This Greek translation, which is faulty in many respects as compared with the original Hebrew. There is no evidence whatever that either Jesus or the apostle ever made use of it. It is true that Greek was then the common language of the Roman world in general; but the Jews continued to use the Aramaic language in all their dealings with one another except in the synagogues, where the rabbis invariably spoke and read in Hebrew, an interpreter standing by to translate what was said into Aramaic when there were any Jews present who did not understand pure Hebrew. It is most probable that our Lord, like other Jews spoke Aramaic, except, perhaps, when He addressed the Syro-Phoenician woman (Mark 7:26), when He would probably have spoken in Greek, otherwise she would not have understood Him. Indeed, the few words of His which have come down to us untranslated -i.e., exactly as he spoke them-are Aramaic-viz., " Talitha cumi " (Mark 5:41) and " Eloi Eloi lama sabacthani" (Mark 15:34). Septuagint version of the Old Testament however, formed the basis for many future translations (The Scripture of Truth, by Sidney Collett 1905)
Preface to first Edition of Sidney Collett book: The
Scripture of Truth
I HAVE so often been asked to put in print the substance of an address on the Bible which I delivered in the year 1904 on What was known as "Bible Sunday," that having felt led to comply with that request, I have amplified and arranged the matter in the form in which this book is now presented. I have, traced the history of the Bible from its very commencement and have dealt with such important themes as the canon that is, whether our Bible as we have it is absolutely complete and the inspiration of the Bible, Sidney Collett Born 1857 and died 1941, London
E. J. Poole-Connor
His reliance upon the promises of Scripture was deep and genuine; his conduct
was ordered according to its precepts; when, in his eighty-fourth year, his
home-call came, he was fully prepared. During his last hours he was in a
condition of a coma, with intermissions of murmured prayer; but as the end
approached, he said, in a loud, clear voice, "the chariots are getting
ready! " and so passed into the presence his Lord.
Even the edition of the Septuagint marketed today points out in its preface that
the stories surrounding its B.C. creation and existence are fables. All
of the LXX manuscripts cited in its concordance were written after A.D.200. (The
Septuagint, Zondervan Publishing Co. 1970)
The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics elaborates calling "the Letter of the pseudo-Aristeas, a manifest forgery and the fragments of Aristobulus, which have also been highly suspect. The existence of an entire Greek Old Testament predating the life of Christ has no extant documentation 'Alexandrianism' is evident throughout Origen's 'Septuagint' as the Encyclopedia's scholars note: the translators frequently modify the naive anthropomorphisms of the Old Testament, substituting, the power for the 'hand' of God and His 'glory' for his 'robe' in Isaiah 6:1. In Genesis 1:2 they seize the opportunity to introduce the Platonic distinction of matter and form and in Pslam 5:12 the Stoical [your spirit instead of God's spirit].. intrudes itself. The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, P. 309
Students of Gnosticism, Eastern mysticism and 'The Force' will recognise in the Encyclopedia's comments, the substitution, by the Septuagint, of a 'New Age god' for the God of the Old Testament. Numerous changes in the new visions are simply Origen's neo- Platonic 'corrections' of the true Old Testament. (New Age Bible Versions, by Gail Riplinger Page 538)
Blavatsky:
We have to revere the Septuagint Pentateuch, as the primitive Hebraic sacred records.
Christian Handbook of Biblical Scholarship
Until Origen showed up "THE SEPTUAGINT" did not exit on the face of this earth. Origen and his three friends (Symmachs, Theodotian, and Aquilla) wrote the Septuagint. The first column of the Hexapla was a Hebrew Old Testament. The second column was a Greek transliteration . The third column was by Aquilla, and apostate Jew, who professed Christianity while retaining astrology. He turned against the Chistians and went back to a Rabbinical school. The fourth column was written by an Ebionite named Symmachus. An "Ebionite" is a man who believes all we have to do to get to heaven is to follow Christ's example. The Fifth column was by Origen (see The Believer's Commentary on Gennesis, 1969, Genesis 5:5 for a discussion of the number five.) The sixth column was by another Ebionite named Theodotian. Theodotian is the one who said that Joseph was Christ's father in Matt 1:16 Compare Luk. 2:33 ,Matt 2:43 in the new translations. They were just as corrupt as Westcott and Hort They used the New Testament Text to alter the Hebrew Old Testament to make them match the New Testament quotations. They pulled off the greatest gaffed act that was ever pulled off on the body of Christ. They manufactured a complete Greek Old Testament out of thin air after the New Testament was completed and then palmed it off as B.C. Septuagint with the aid of the writings of two apostate Jews: PHILO and JOSEPHUS. You say: "Where is the proof of all this. That is easy: reject it when you find One verse any Apostle quoted from the Old Testament written in Greek before Aquilla, Symmachus, Origen, and Theodotian. Just One will do fine. Please note that by inserting B.C. false writings into the A.D. "Septuagint," it would give the appearance of the existence of a Septuagint BEFORE the time of Christ. This desired effect was obtained by Origen and company when they put out the Hexapla, and it was reinforced when Eusebius and Pamphilus sent Constatine his fifty "fine parchments". To this day, no scholar on earth ever found one verse quoted in the New Testament that came from a B.C. manuscript writen in Greek. ( Christian's Handbook of Biblical Scholarship Page 92,93)
Dr. Peter S. Ruckman PhD President, Pensacola Bible Institute. "I have the Septuagint Concordance with all of the Sepuagint manuscripts listed in it. There isn't one that any Apostle even partially quoted." (see Matt. 8:17 and Rom. 1:17 , for example), with no Old Testament to match them. This led the Scholar's Union to the conclusion that sometimes the Apostles quoted the Septuagint, sometimes the HEBREW, and, at other times, they gave a free quotation from nothing. They could have saved themselves the trouble if they had remembered that they were dealing with God's Book and the Holy Spirit) .
Ira Price
The LXX comes from Origen's fifth column in the Hexapla. Origen's fifth column IS the LXX. it is the Greek Old Testament "Septuagint." ( The Ancestry of Our English Bible, by Ira Price Page 75)
Gleason Archer
When listing the contents of Origen's six-columned Hexapla, he calls the fifth column written by Origen the LXX. it is the fifth column that was copied out repeatedly after A.D. 254, according to Miller. (Survey of the Old Testament, by Gleason Archer Page 39-40)
Josh McDowell
Massoretic were well
disciplined, and they treated the text "with the greatest imaginable
reverence," and devised a complicated system of safeguards against scribal
slips. Sir Frederic Kenyon says: Beside recording varieties of reading,
tradition, or conjecture, the Massoretes undertook a number of calculations
which do not enter into the ordinary sphere of textual criticism. They numbered
the verses, words, and letters of every book. They calculated the middle word
and the middle letter of each. They enumerated verses which contained all the
letters of the alphabet, or a certain number of them; and so on. These
trivialities, as we may rightly consider them, had yet the effect of securing
minute attention to the precise transmission of the text; and they are but an
excessive manifestation of a respect for the sacred Scriptures which in itself
deserves nothing but praise. The
Massoretes were indeed anxious that not one jot nor tittle not one smallest
letter nor one tiny part of a letter of the Law should pass away or be lost.
The
witness of the Dead Sea Scrolls
to the Reliability of the Hebrew Scriptures
The big question was asked first by Sir Frederick Kenyon: "Does this Hebrew text, which we call Massoretic, and which we have shown to descend from a text drawn up about A.D. 100, faithfully represent the Hebrew Text as originally written by the authors of the Old Testament books?" The Dead Sea Scrolls give us an explicit and positive answer. The problem before the discovery of the Dead Sea Schools was: How accurate are the copies we have today compared to the text of the first century? Since the text has been copied over many times, can we trust it? One of the scrolls found was a complete manuscript of the Hebrew text of Isaiah. It is dated around 125 B.C. The impact of this discovery is in the exactness of the Isaiah scroll (125 B.C.) with the Massoretic text. of Isaiah. F.F. Bruce says, "An incomplete scroll of Isaiah, found along with the other in the first Qumran cave, and conveniently distinguished as 'Isaiah' B agrees even more closely with the Massorectic texts." (The Best of Josh McDowell A ready Defense Page 50,)
Lest someone tell you that the NIV, NASB, NRSV, etc. were translated using the eclectic method and not the text of Westcott and Hort, Gorden Fee points out:
The dilemma of contemporary NT textual criticism relates directly to the labors of Westcott and Hort. On the one hand, there has been an open disavowal-one might call it a debunking-of Westcott and Hort's methodology and textual theory, while at the same time critical texts issued since Westcott and Hort have generally continued to have a clearly ' Hortian' face. In fact the recent United Bible Society's Greek New Testament (VGT), which was produced by the so-called eclectic method, has moved even closer to Westcott and Hort than subsequent critical issues. (New Dimensions in New Testament Study, Page 19.)
Even KJV detractors, such as D.A.Carson admit, this text type (new versions) probably originated in Egypt and many have been brought to Caeserea by Origen. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 533.)
Herman C Hoskier
Nearly all revision appears to center in Egypt, and to suppose all the other documents wrong when opposed to these Egyptian documents is unsound and unscientific. Let somebody explain how B comes to oppose the sub-apostolic Fathers, deliberately. Those who accept the Westcott and Hort text are basing their accusations on untruth - according to the early Church Fathers judgment upon the Egyptian revision from 200 to 450 A.D. and abandoned between 500 to 1881. Merely revived in our day and stamped as genuine. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett page 191)
Philip Mauro
But not to dwell longer upon mere circumstances, the two MSS., when carefully examined, are found to bear upon their face clear evidences that they were derived from a common, and very corrupt, source. The late Dr. Edward Vining of Cambridge, Mass., has gone thoroughly into this, and has produced evidence to show that they were copies (and most carelessly made) of the original brought by Origen out of Egypt, where, as is well known, the Scriptures were corrupted almost from the beginning in the interest of the same ascetic practices as now characterize the church of Rome. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 159)
In A.D.331 Constantine asked Eusebius to create bibles which presented this somewhat de-deified Christ and ecumenical theology. Origen had much in his writings to suggest the subordination of the Son; his amalgamation of heathen and Christian doctrine - smoothing out differences thereby allowing for unity - was perfect for Constantine's purposes. So Constantine,...charged Eusebius with preparing fifty copies... written on prepared skins with the help of skillful artists. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 535.)
R.L.Dabney
Dr. Tischendorf would affirm that his St Petersburg folio is a fac simile of the Sinai manuscript; that this is of the 4th century; that is one of the veritable fifty of Eusebius Caesariensis, transcribed by order of the Emperor Constantine; that the copy which was immediate parent to that was of Origins editing; and that this was separated by very few transcriptions from the Apostles. (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for April, 1871)
The meandering of Eusebius, as recorded in The History of Heresy. Because of this he was cut from his leadership role, like those pandering 'his' bible version today. Corrupt bibles, with their loose doctrine, seem to create loose living in A.D.333 AND the 1990's (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 536)
The Roman Empire's persecution and suppression of the true text was only necessary until a 'NEW' text was in the making - its amalgamating powers foreseen. The Russian government's long-standing suppression of bibles remained in place until the demise of the true text and the dominance of the 'new' text was on the horizon. This allows the Antichrist's new versions to proliferate, preparing the way for his reign of 'peace' and destruction. (New Age Bible Versions, By Gail Riplinger Page 537.)
Dr. Wilbur Pickering's recent research of the ancient papyri revealed the superiority of the KJV text over the new versions. (John Wenham of the Evangelical Quarterly says of Pickering's book, "It is not often that one reads a book which reorients one's whole approach to a subject, but that is what this has done for me.") Pickering says Aleph, B and the new versions: To judge by the circumstances that codices like Aleph and B were not copied, to speak of, that the church by and large rejected their form of text, it seems they were not respected in their day...If readings...died out in the fourth or fifth century we have the verdict of history against it...They (Aleph & B] are remnants of the abnormal transmission of the text reflecting ancient aberrant forms. It is dependency upon such forms that distinguishes contemporary critical editions of the NT, Their respectability quotient hovers near zero...In particular, I fail to see how anyone can read Hoskier's Codex B and its Allies with attention and still retain respect for Aleph & B as witnesses to the New Testament...The modem critical and eclectic texts are based precisely on B and Aleph and other early manuscripts... They have been found wanting...The result will be the complete overthrow of the type of text currently in vogue. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 549.)
Dr. Herman C. Hoskier's extensive collation of Vatican (B), unsurpassed to this day, leads him to conclude that the new version editors are guilty of an"...incomplete examination of documentary evidence... [working] without due regard to scientific foundation."
My thesis is then that B (Vaticanus) and Aleph (Sinaiticus) and their forerunners, with Origen who revised the Antioch text [KJV], are Egyptian revisions current between A.D. 200-400 and abandoned between 500 and 1881, merely revived in our day.( Which Bible, Page 134-143.)
Harvard and Princeton textual scholar, Dr. Edward Hill summarizes:
Old corrupt manuscripts, which had been discarded by the God-guided usage of the believing church were brought out of their hiding place and re-instated....and today thousands of Bible-believing Christians are falling into this devils trap through their use of modern speech versions. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 550.)
The use of recent technology such as the vidicon camera which creates a digital form of faint writing, recording it on magnetic tape and reproducing it by an electro-optical process, reveals that B has been altered by at least two hands, one being as late as the twelfth century. Metzger admits, "A few passages therefore remain to show the original appearance of the first hand. "The corrector" omitted [things] he believed be incorrect." (Bruce Metzger, Manuscripts of the Greek Bible, Page 74.)
B agrees with the Textus Receptus only about 50% of the time. It differs from the Majority Greek in nearly 8000 places amounting to about one change per verse. It omits several thousand key words from the Gospels, nearly 1000 complete sentences, and 500 clauses. It adds approximately 500 words substitutes or modifies nearly 2000 and transposes word order in about 2000 places. It has nearly 600 readings that do not occur in any other manuscript. These affect almost 1000 words. Linguistic scholars have observed that B is reminiscent of classical and Platonic Greek, not the Koine Greek of the New Testament (see Adolf Deissman's Light of the Ancient East.) Nestle concedes he had to change his Greek text when using Aleph & B, to, make it 'appear' like Koine. In Job, for example, it has 400 'half-verses' of Theodotian, a follower of Blavatsky's friend Marcion. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 551.)
Metzger says that Sinaiticus and Vaticanus do not agree with the majority of manuscripts. Not only do they disagree with the Majority of manuscripts but they do not agree with each other, They disagree with each other a dozen times on every page. Colwell says they disagree 70% of the time and in almost every verse of the gospels. Burgon says, "It is easier to find two consecutive verses in which these manuscripts differ than two in which they agree. (New Age Bible Version By Gail Riplinger page 554)
FOR MANY
BARE FALSE WITNESS AGAINST HIM
BUT THEIR WITNESS AGREED NOT TOGETHER.
Mark 14:5
While Blavatsky was promoting Pope Pius IV's version, he was writing his Syllabis of Errors which condemned the study of the Protestant bible. Also to further promote Rome's 'version' of the facts, the Pope made the Vaticanus (B) manuscript available to a few select non-Catholic textual critics. Spiritualists Westcott and Hort saw in it the same 'kindred spirit' which Blavatsky recognized in Vaticanus' offspring's, the Vulgate and the Douay versions. Westcott and Hort then changed the traditional Majority Greek text until it mirrored the Vaticanus (B). When their grossly altered text finally matched that used by the Catholic church, Pope Pius XII [Hitler's friend] said: Translations could be produced in cooperation with separated brethren. (New Age Bible Version By Gail Riplinger page 141 source The Secret Doctrine, Vol. 1 page 152).
SHEPHERD OF HERMAS
THE EPISTLE OF BARNABAS
Part of SINAITCUS
Sinaiticus (Aleph) adds two books after Revelation, both written in the same handwriting as the remainder Hence this manuscript is guilty adding "unto these things." these two books, the Shepherd of Hermas and the Epistle of Barnabas, spell out in detail the entire New Age scenario, including commands to do the things God specifically forbids, such as:
I. Take 'the name' of the beast.
2. Give 'up to the beast'.
3. Form a one world government.
4. Kill those not receiving his 'name'.
5. Worship female virgins.
6. Receive 'another spirit'.
7. Seek power.
8. Believe that God is immanent in his creation, as a pantheistic monistic Hindu god.
9. Avoid marriage; permit fornication.
10. Abstain from fasting.
11. Subscribe to the New Age Root Race Theory.
12. Be saved by being baptized and keeping the twelve mandates of the Antichrist.' (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 557.)
Gail Riplinger
They are not alone, but are not in good company.The Ghostly Guild duo, Westcott and Lightfoot, and their specters from the past, Clement, Origen and Eusebius, called these added books, "divinely inspired and very useful," "remarkable" and "Theologically...of the highest value. Mme. Blavatsky, sees these added books as vehicles for her Luciferian doctrines. She snickers in her book, Isis Unveiled, of Westcott's ardor for this material, recognizing it as the domain of the occult world. She recognizes (the contents of The Shepherd of Hermas) as direct excerpts from pagan literature. She gives several pages of quotes showing the parallels between Aleph's apocryphal Shepherd of Hermas and occult writings (She not only shows these added books to be occultic, but throws in Lightfoot himself, who she quotes to support her views on magic: Lightfoot assures us that this voice [which] responded from the mercy-seat within the veil was indeed performed by magic art. ( New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 558.)
Blavatsky: Canon Westcott, quoting Hermas, shows him asking: "and why is the gate new, Lord? etc.
( Isis Unveiled, by H.P. Blavatsky Vol 2 Page 246)
A 1991 advertisement in a Christian bookseller's brochure called Lightfoot's translation of the Shepherd of Hermas "indispensable for a new generation. Professor Gaiser, Lutheran pastor, tells students in his 'Christian Bible' class at Kent State University that the Shepherd of Hermas should be in the bible. ( New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 559.)
R.L.Dabney
It contains the Epistle of Barnabas (so - called), and the Pastor Hermas, from which it is inferred that the copyist regarded these two spurious pieces as belonging to the Canon of Scripture. (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for April, 1871)
If, after reading the following pages, the reader finds manuscript Aleph to be most 'reliable', 'accurate', 'preferred', 'the most highly valued', and of 'preeminent excellence', as new version editors assert, then I've got a membership card for you in the Ghostly Guild too.(New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 559.)
The Shepherd of Hermas
And he took me away into Arcadia
(Arcadia is the home of Pan, the Greek god of flocks, a false shepherd. the root word of 'Arcadia' is 'arcane', which means 'secret'. Alice Bailey calls her teaching 'the Arcane School'. New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 559.)
The Shepherd of Hermas
To a certain rounded mountain and set me on the top of the mountain and shewed me twelve mountains a great white rock it could contain the whole world and the shepherd saith unto me.
Luke 4:5And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Jer 50:6 My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray,…on the mountains:
Jer 51:25 behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the Lord, which destroyest all the earth:
The Shepherd of Hermas
And there went up ten stones, The virgins laid the first ten stones that rose out of the deep. Those ten stones then were joined together.
Revelation 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit,
Revelation 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
The Shepherd of Hermas
And they covered the whole rock and these formed a foundation for the building of the tower. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 560.)
The Shepherd of Hermas
And so commencing first we began to inspect the black stones; and the shepherd ordered them to be removed from the tower. Many among them were found black. Then he began to inspect those that were half white and half black, and many of them were now found black; and he ordered those cast aside. But all the rest were found white, for being white they were fitted by them into the building. And she that seemed to be the chief of them began to kiss and embrace me and others seeing her embrace me, they too began to kiss me and to sport with me. and I stayed the night with them. ( New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 562.)
Rev 9:21 The great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication. and she repented not.
Blavatsky resurrected a 'Root Race Theory' from ancient occultism. It asserts that this current Piscean Age or Black Age is led by the Black Lodge (Christians, Jews and dark skinned people). She believed her occult White Lodge will prevail in the 'New Age'
The Shepherd of Hermas
And these virgins are holy spirits; and no man can otherwise be found in the kingdom of God, unless these shall clothe him with their garments; for if thou receive only the name, but receive not the garment from them, thou profitest nothing. For these virgins are powers of the Son of God if thou bear the name and bear not His power, thou shalt bear His name to none effect.
Those who are familiar with the obscene secret Mormon temple ceremonies will recognize this procedure. (New Age Bible Version By Gail Riplinger page 564.)
The Shepherd of Hermas
Wherefore, Sir, say I, did these COME UP FROM THE DEEP...It was necessary for them, saith he, to RISE up through WATER...(W)hen he received the seal, he layeth aside his deadness and RESUMED LIFE. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 565.) Rev. 13:1 records John saw, "a BEAST RISE up out of the SEA" and "the first beast whose DEADLY wound was HEALED." (Rev.13:12). Rev. 17:7,8 records, "I will tell thee the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carrieth her...The beast that thou sawest was and is not; and shall ASCEND out of the bottomless PIT to go into perdition". 2Thess. 2:3 says the antichrist is, "...the man of sin, the son of perdition." John 17:12 says, (Judas) "the son of perdition."
The Shepherd of Hermas
They had one understanding and one mind. were called by ONE NAME (27)...so having RECEIVED THE SEAL (28) they had ONE understanding and ONE MIND ...(29) and one faith...(T)hey BORE the spirits of the virgins along with THE NAME Rev. 17:13 referring to the followers of the Antichrist, says, "These have ONE MIND..."
The Shepherd of Hermas
For this cause also they are BLACK; for their RACE (30) is lawless...(B)ut some repented and BELIEVED (27) and submitted themselves to those that had understanding...but if not, ye shall be delivered unto him to be PUT TO DEATH. (31)
Jesus said the ANTICHRIST "shall cause them to be PUT TO DEATH' (Mark13:12) (New Age Bible Version By Gail Riplinger page 567
The Shepherd of Hermas
Blessed is this kind. But the other which....have NOT RECEIVED THE SEAL have been replaced...THEIR POSSESSIONS MUST BE CUT OFF (32) them. The Lord dwelleth in men that love PEACE, for Him PEACE (32) is dear, but from the contentious...this thy deed punish thee with DEATH. (33) (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 568.
The Shepherd of Hermas
Now while I prayed, the HEAVEN was opened and I see the LADY (2)....saying, 'Good Morning HERMAS. '(3) 'Did I not always regard thee as a GODDESS?.... she finished ...and departed toward the EAST. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 569.)
Fact SIBYL was a fortune teller of Greek and Roman mythology who gave oracles by which "a god or demon' revealed hidden knowledge". The Shepherd of Hermas was written during the life of CLEMENT of Alexandria.
The Shepherd of Hermas
I saw a vision...thought it was SIBYL (6)...(W)rite two little books, send one to CLEMENT (7)....(S)o Clement shall send to the foreign cities for this is his duty...Behold tribulation cometh...
The Shepherd of Hermas
The third vision.... and lifting up a certain GLISTENING ROD (8) she saith to me, (New Age Bible Version By Gail Riplinger page 570.
Fact
This is the 'magic wand' used in high magic and witchcraft
The Shepherd of Hermas
(I)t is strengthened by unseen power...'who are they, lady?' 'These are the holy ANGELS of God...unto whom the Lord DELIVERED (11) all His creation. By their hand therefore the building of the tower will be accomplished. Luke 4:6 reveals the fallen 'ANGEL' to whom the world was delivered: "(T)he devil said...that is DELIVERED unto me."
The Shepherd of Hermas
(W)hosoever therefore shall serve these WOMEN (15) ...shall have his dwelling in the tower... Isaiah 3:12 says "women rule over them."
The Shepherd of Hermas
ALWAYS AGREED (15) with one another, (T)hey both had PEACE (16) among themselves and listened to one another... (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 571.)
Dan. 8:25 cautions that the Antichrist "by peace shall destroy many".
The Shepherd of Hermas
They that are rich in this world, unless their riches be cut away, cannot become useful (17)
Facts
The plan of the New Age (see Lucis Trust literature) and international socialism is the 'even' distribution of wealth. In the Antichrist's cashless society, he controls all resources.
The Shepherd of Hermas
His great and glorious NAME ...sufficient for thee are these revelations...I see a cloud rising...I suspected that it was something supernatural...I see a huge BEAST (20) like some SEA MONSTER (21) and from its mouth fiery LOCUST issue forth...
Rev. 9:2-7 says "And he opened the bottomless pit...there came out of the smoke LOCUST.."
The Shepherd of Hermas
I took courage and GAVE MYSELF UP TO THE BEAST (22)
The Shepherd of Hermas
There is ONE who is able to give HEALING; (28)
Rev. 16 and 19 say, "they are the spirits of devils working MIRACLES" and "the false prophet that wrought MIRACLES...." 2 Thess. 2:9 says, "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and SIGNS and lying WONDERS...." Rev. 13:12 tells of the "beast whose deadly wound was HEALED..." (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 574.)
The Shepherd of Hermas
There are two angels with a man...the angel of wickedness...(brings) the DESIRE OF WOMEN (31 Dan.11:37 Neither shall he regard...the desire of women.
The Shepherd of Hermas
Thou shalt be POWERFUL, (32) thou shalt be master
ACTS 26:18 "The POWER of Satan"
Luke 4:6 "The devil said unto him, All this POWER will I give thee.." Rev. 13:2-4 "the dragon gave him his POWER ...the dragon which gave POWER unto the beast"
Fact
Faith is not 'a power' in the sense taught by some positive confession teachers. This concept that what you 'think' (mind power) or 'say' will come to pass is classical occultism. On the contrary, Lam. 3:37 says, "who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not."
The Shepherd of Hermas
Ask of the Lord and thou shalt receive all things...Faith...hath great power...(S)erve that faith which has power...(34)
The Shepherd of Hermas
By so fasting unto God thou shalt do nothing for righteousness ...eat.... (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 577.)
I Corinthians 7:5 Defraud ye not one the other, except [it be] with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.
The Shepherd of HermasThe Son is not represented in the guise of a servent, but is represented in great power and lordship.
Matthew 20:25-28 But Jesus called them [unto him], and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
The Shepherd of Hermas
He showed me a young man, a shepherd clothed in a light cloak of saffron
Fact
Saffron is an Indian plant used to make dye. It is seen in the saffron robes of the Hindu swamis.
Daniel 7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment [was] white as snow.
Mark 9:3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 578.)
THE EPISTLE OF BARNABAS
The epistle of Barnabas: This Apocryphal book sits between the book of revelation and the Shepherd of Hermas in manuscript Aleph (Sinaiticus). It is written in the same handwriting as the rest of Aleph, by someone who apparently believed it to be inspired. Lightfoot, makes the following comment regarding this 'epistle': "It was written in Alexandria...and cited by Origen and Clement." (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 579)
The Epistle of Barnabas
"Hoping to be saved" Thou shalt work with thy hands for a ransom for thy sins.
Doctrine of New Age and Apostate Christianity: Salvation by works.
The Epistle of Barnabas
Satan is Lord
I Timothy 6:15 Which in his times he shall shew, [who is] the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
The Epistle of Barnabas
When they shall see Him coming then they may be astonished at the likeness of the goat the type of Jesus. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 580)
Doctrine of New Age and Apostate Christianity
The lamb is a type of Christ; Satanist have adopted the goat as the type of Satan.
WORLD GOVERNMENT
NEW WORLD ORDER
AND
THE NEW
AGE
Westcott himself writes of his hopes for a 'New One World Government', (O)ur hearts are moved when statesmen or students speak with glowing hope of the coming union of nations... (Historic faith, Page 108.)`
This trial marriage of religion and government took place between Westcott, Hort and Lightfoot, as ‘helpmeets’ - and their consort in the Eranus Club, Arthur Balfour, upcoming Prime Minister of Great Britain. Balfour, "inspired by reports of human levitation" went on to take the leadership role in the Ghostly Guild's baby, the S.P.R. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 418)
Arhtur Balfour, who was a member of Hort's Apostles, Westcott's Eranus, as well as President of the S.P.R., soon became THE Prime Minister of England and instrumental in the first League of Nations. New Age planner Vera Alder writes recently:
The embryonic World Government is potentially already there founded essentially upon the League of Nations. (When Humanity Comes of Age, Page 24.)
Hort's crimson calligrapher's pen jabs of "My deep hatred of democracy in all its forms." "I have pretty well made up my mind to devote three or four years up here to the study of communism." Today New Ager Benjamin Creme predicts "....democracy will disappear." The dialectical dream, with its thesis, antithesis, and synthesis seems to be taking form today with the breakdown of pure communism and pure democracy into a common world socialism. Westcott's dreams, set forth in his book, Christian Socialism: What and Why, are coming true. (Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow Page 98 and Life of Hort, Vol., 1, Page 103.)
Conspiracy buffs will prick up their ears to hear, not only of Balfour's esoteric comradeship with Westcott and Hort, but of his membership, beginning in 1881, in another ‘secret society’ with Cecil Rhodes, multimillionaire and founder of the famous Rhodes scholarship. This society is said to be the germination for the C.F.R. (Council on Foreign Relations). This fetal C.F.R. had an inner circle of three, followed by another circle of three, and so on.The C.F.R. according to ‘conspiracy’ enthusiasts, blends politicians and international financiers in a brew which, though "reeling like a drunkard" at times, is propelling the nation states towards a one world government. (Bush is a member, as were half (28 of 59) of the major appointees of the Reegan administration. (Understanding the New Age, Page 146. and The Seduction of Christianity, Page 50.)
The pet name given this sphinx is the ‘New World Order’, a phrase which peppers our daily diet at increasing rates. President Bush's nationally televised speech before Congress on September 11, 1990 during the Iraq crisis, hailed "The dream of a new world order." (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 420)
The ‘religious’ community ‘faithfully’ traces the words of this slogan. Pope John Paul II's June, l 1990 speech in San Francisco booms this reprise, "Everything must change. Tolerance is the alpha and omega of a new world order." Frighteningly, the NIV changes the words in Hebrews 9:10 from "until the time of reformation" to: "until the time of the new order." NIV. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 421)
The U.N. Assistant Secretary General Muller said: The Holy See has become so close to the U.N. When I read documents emanating from the Pope...I sometimes have the impression that I’m reading U.N. documents. ( The new Genesis: Shaping a Global Spirituality Page 111,114)
Robert Muller, would suggest a meeting of the world’s religions... My great personal dream is to get a tremendous alliance between all major religions and the U.N...a completely new world in the making, a new age. Robert Muller U.N. Asst. Sec. General (Robert Muller, A New Genesis: Shaping A Global Spirituality Page 17,75)
General Robert Muller translates New Age philosophy into Antichrist politics: We are now entering a new age...we must pass from the national age to the planetary age.
ORIGEN AND THE NEW AGE
MONISM
Origen: "Sun, moon and stars are animated and rational, the temporary body of souls which shall hereafter be released from them and finally be brought into the great unity." "The individual...exists only as part of the cosmos." (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 539.)
OFFICE OF CHRIST
Origen: "(T)he Son is less than the Father". "In the incarnation, the son united Himself with a soul which had remained absolutely pure in its preexistent state."
New Age: Teach: (1) Christ is a creature, a begotten God, "ranked beneath God." (2) Separate 'the Christ' (the Logos) from Jesus, calling Christ consciousness "itself" not himself.
NEW AGE SPIRITUAL HIERARCHY
Origen: "Some by diligent obedience have been raised to the loftiest places in the celestial hierarchy."
(New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 540.)
New Age: Calls devils 'demons'. Presents a spiritual ranking system with Christ as the highest 'rank'. Teaches salvation by diligent "obedience". Says there is a plurality of "gods".
Origen: "Their variety tend to the one end of perfection." "All things were made for the sake of man." "The end of life then...is the progressive assimilation of man to God." (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 541)
Origen: Believed, "The position of each has been determined in accordance with previous conduct."
Blavatsky:
Origen held all the daemons which possessed the demoniacs mentioned in the New Testament to be human "spirits." (Isis Unveiled, Vol. 1 Page 353 H.P. Blavatsky)New Age: Teaches progressive evolution and reincarnation (NewAge Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 542.)
NEW AGE
Books exposing the New Age movement, like Larson's Book of Cults, Campus Crusade's Mystical Maze, Hunt's America: The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Chandler's Understanding the New Age, agree that Schaff's event, "The Parliament of the World Religions" set the New Age movement in motion. Larson calls it:
The first surge of what was to be a transcendental tidal wave. In praise of the Hindu concept of God, theosophists (Luciferians) and SWAMIS echoed the endorsement of the 19th century luminaries...American Protestantism was jolted by the message of delegates to the Parliament who declare, 'All is one. Man is divine.' ( Larson’s Book of Cults, Page 12.)
Schaff's "Parliament"
even called itself, Babel... "The Brotherhood of Man" (New
Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 459)
These were
the subjects covered in the
first Parliament of World Religions
in 1893
"Theosophy and Modern Social Problems" (Annie Besant)
"Idealism the New Religion" (Dr.Brodbeck)
"Worship of God in Man" (Elizabeth Stanton)
"Christian and Hindu Thought" (Rev. Hume)
"Only possible Method of Religious Unification" (Dr.A]lyer)
"Synthetic Religion" (Kinza Hirai)
"Sympathy of Religions" (T.W. Higginson)
"Brotherhood of Man" (Dr.Roberts)
"The Good in all Faiths" (Dr.Hugenholtz)
"Essential Oneness of Ethical ideas" (Rev. Hultin)
"Elements of Universal Religions" (Dr. Hissch)
"The Ultimate Religion" (Bishop Keane)
"Concessions to Native Religious ideas" (Rev.Slater)
"Swedenborg and Harmony of Religions" (Rev.Mercer)
"Sacred Books of the World" (Milton Terry)*
"Buddha, The World's Debt to" (H.Dharmapala)
"Ethics of Christian Science"
"Hindus, Religious Belief of" (Ni Dvivedi)
"Islam, The Spirit of (Mohammed Webb)
"Shinto" (Bishop of Japan)
(Neely’s History of the Parliament of Religions, Page 993-1000.)
* Blavatsky: Let us begin by once more comparing the myths of the Bible with those of the sacred books of other nations, to see which is the original, which are copies. (Isis Unveiled Vol 2 Page 405, by H.P. Blavatsky)
The apostasy of this Chicago meeting is evidenced by conspicuous absence of Chicago's then leading Christian, D.L.Moody. Even the liberal Archbishop of Canterbury cautioned his clergy to avoid any involvement with the conference. (Neely’s History of the Parliament of Religions, Page 978.)Please note when D.L.Moody preached there were available to him 30 modern editions of Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, including the Revised Version But till his death he only used The Authorised Bible
Blavatsky on Moody: That this spirit has safely crossed nineteen centuries and rages now in America, is fully instanced in the case of the rabid Moody, the revivalist...It is the spirit of Loyola, gibbering in the nineteenth century, and prevented from lighting the fagot flame and heating red-hot the instruments of torture only by the arm of the law. ( Isis Unveiled By H.P. Blavatsky Vol 2 Page 250)
The Unitarian author announced to the Parliament, "I see in vision the next Parliament." "The sun of my life," as Schaff called a drama where "Christians of different denominations sat side by side with Chinese,Brahmans, and Buddhists,"was reenacted again 1993 at the "World Parliament of Religions". Its theme is "Religious Understanding and Cooperation in a Multicultural World.( The Life of Schaff, Page 486.)
The minds and momentum moving the 1993 meeting come into sharp focus with ALL CAP speech titles, reserved solely for the only participating organization which blatantly promotes the worship of Lucifer, Blavatsky's Theosophical Society. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 461.)
These were the subjects
covered in the 1993
Parliament of World Religions
"Vocabulary for the 21st Century"
"Language in Religion"
"World Scriptures: Learning from Other traditions"
"Sikh Scriptures for Universal text"
"THEOSOPHIC WORLD VIEW"
"The Problems & Hazards of Religious Pluralism"
"UFO Abduction Phenomenon: What Could It Mean for the Human Future"
"Journey From Fanaticism & Fundamentalism to Freedom"
"Christianity 'Born Again' for a New Age"
"Theosophical Perception in Christian Orthodoxy" "Establishing a Righteous Order Agreeable to All Religions"
"Reconnecting with the Divine in Yourself"
"The Witch as Shaman"
"Spiritual Initiation"
"Hindu Sanatana Dharma"
"Satanism in West Texas"
"The Viability of Pagan Theology"
"The Theology of Icons"
"The Christ for the 21st Century"
"The Past & Future Oneness: Great Principles Shared by All Religions"
(New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 461.)
The chambers of Congress cradled the sleeping souls of its members while the President babbled:
I am disposed to believe that the Author of the Universe is preparing the world to become a single nation, speaking the same language, which will hereafter render armies and navies superfluous. (Neely’s History of the Parliament of Religions, Page 629.)
HINDU SPEECH
"The world religions...come from the same truth adapting itself to the different circumstances..it is the same light coming through different colors"
LUCIFERIAN SPEECH
"All the saviors of the world were Christ's though known by different names."
SCHAFF'S SPEECH
"Unity in variety is the law of God...truth is many sided and all sided, and is reflected in different colors."
HINDU SPEECH
"Whatever comes to you is...the Blessed One NIV: Mark 14:61 The Son of the Blessed One
LUCIFERIAN
"The Blessed Ones have never failed to send their representatives
.(Neely’s History of the Parliament of Religions, Page 444, 713,714,927.)
Within the confines of just one chapter, the NASB lines up in queue with standard New Age teaching. Historians admit manuscript D was truncated by Marcion, Mme. Blavatsky's mentor, and has now been resurrected in the last days for the religion of the Antichrist (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 487.)
You'll now be in company with Madame Blavatsky, the senior New Age Luciferian, who thinks D should be followed, because it was sculpted by Marcion. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 488.)
New Age groups assign spiritual connotations to the terms 'black' and 'white'. Religious groups, such as born-again Christians, who do not subscribe to New Age assertions, are called 'The Black lodge' or Black Forces'. New Agers also call the period since the Birth of Christ 'the Black Age'. Vera Alder tells her readers; The black Age...the Piscean Age, as you know, last 2000 years or so. Its inception marked the beginning of the Christian era. It is passing out of manifestation now as the new Aquarian Age is coming in. (Mystery Mark of the New Age, Page 192 and The Initiation of the World Page 245)
Luciferian, Rudolf Steiner wrote that the 1890's were a turning point in the 'Black Age'. Alice Bailey said "the final break or division between the so-called black and white forces, for this particular world cycle, will take place during the period of the six root race. "New Agers believe this is imminent. New Agers christen their most highly developed members 'The Great white Brotherhood' (The Esoteric Basis of Christianity, Page 177 and Treatise on White Magic, Page 543-544)
Blavatsky's Theosophical Society and its spokesman Annie Besant continues the rhetoric:
Take any savage of the lowest type, the aborigines of Australia, the Veddhas of Ceylon, the hairy men of Borneo-these are scarcely human, yet they are human...he has practically no mind and no morals, only the germs of them. (Eastern Definitions, Page 377)
As New Age writer John Randolf Price boasts, New Agers are "part of a new race that will someday rule the planet." (The Superbeings Page 1)
Plato wrote much about the third Root-race, the Atlantians. Westcott picked up on it, writing in his books of scientific proof for the existence of Atlantis. He said the 'Lost Continent of Atlantis' was destroyed because, "the divine element within was overpowered by human passion."The divine element within and 'Atlantis' are two theories being promoted in New Age books such as the Golden Thread by Natalie Banks. Ramtha, an entity being channeled today, says he comes from Atlantis. It was also on Hilter's 'hit parade' of topics for discussion. Root-race rhetoric is evident in the writings of Origen, Westcott and Hort, showing further their sympathies with 'the tares' Origen wrote that the 'outer darkness' of which the bible speaks is a "black body of flesh" Knowing that Origen the Platonist wrote the first draft of Sinaiticus (Aleph) helps clarify the meaning of Hermas 'black ones'. Hort's hours spent in Plato give rise to his comment: The niggers themselves...they have surely shown themselves only as an immeasurably inferior race, just human and no more, their religion frothy and sensuous, their highest virtues those of a good Newfoundland dog. (B.F.Westcott, essays in the History of Religious Thought in the West, Page 25,211 and Origen, De Principis, Book 2 Ch. 11, and New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 589)
WESTCOTT
There was a time when it was usual to draw a sharp line between religious and worldly things. That time has happily gone by. ( Historic Faith Page 11)
Blavatsky:
The fruit of the Christian tree being no better than that of the tree of paganism, why should the former command more reverance than the latter. ....where, then shall we draw the line between Pagan and Christian. ... So far the "blessings of Christianity" do not seem to have made any appreciable advance on the morals of the converted Pagens. ...Christians are shown as immoral and wicked as the pagans ever were, what benefit has humanity derived from its change of gods and idols? (The Secret Doctrine, Vol. 1 Page 467,468,469 by H.P. Blavatsky)Jean Dixson, a popular seer, anticipates "the foundation of a New Christianity." (Larson’s Book of Cults Page 153)
NEW AGE CONNECTS
WITH
THE PAST
The 'New' versions agree in many particulars with the 'New' Age because they flow from the same source. We will examine the philosophies of six men: Saccas, Philo, Plato, Clement, Origen and Eusebius-to see why new versions have New Age leaven. We will trace the origin of the handful of ancient papyrus and uncial New Testament manuscripts which were altered to agree with the esoteric philosophies of these men. These manuscripts Aleph, B, D, P75, etc.) were resurrected by Westcott and Hort to 'correct' the Traditional Greek text. New versions are based on this corrupted Greek text. First we will look at these men and then their manuscripts. New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 516.)
Looking through the window of any city library in Small Town, U.S.A.will reveal the secular Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics. Our duo, Westcott and Hort, is found in it under "Alexandrian Theology." In tracing the history of the Mysticism of Alexandria, Egypt the Encyclopedia begins with a discussion of Philo, moves on to Clement and Origen, and ends with Westcott and Hort! They summarize this 'Theology' saying, those who would oust metaphysics from theology can have but scanty sympathy with the Alexandrian." On the next shelf, Man, Myth and Magic: An (Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural points to the same "Alexandria theology" as the source of the New Age! They begin with Philo an end with Blavatsky. At Alexandria the philosophies of Philo Judaeus joined the ideas of Plato with Judaism in a theosophic system. It persisted in the Cabala and Neo-Platonism-all taught the essential base of theosophy. In modern times the name is associated with the system set out in the nineteenth century in the book by H.P. Blavatsky. Occult feats made her salon a magnet for a wide variety of people. Blavatsky's Luciferian 'theosophy' is "Alexandria theology." The Theosophical Society's publication Theosophia Simplified reiterates the encyclopedia's remark. Saccas of Alexandrea coined the word Theosophia. Theosophy [was] first used by Saccas of Alexandria. We see from those two encyclopedias that 1.) Alexandria was a prime source for the philosophy of the New Age and 2.) Westcott, Hort and Blavatsky were its nineteenth century proponents We are beginning to uncover why there is concurrence between the New Age and the new versions. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 517.)
Blavatsky
Her main contribution to mystical thought was the manner in which she sought to synthesize east and west philosophy and religion, thereby providing a framework for understanding universal occult teaching. She said some things will never be solved till the day when scientists condesend to accept the Occult theories. (Dictionary of Mysticism, Page 35 and The Secret Doctrine, Vol 1 Page 222 by H.P. Blavatsky)
Westcott boasts
Alexandria was a meeting place of east and west... ideas were discussed, exchanged and combined. When the east and west enter a true union then the canon [New Testament] is found perfect.( B.F. Westcott, A General Survey of the History of the Canon of the New Testament, 1881, Page 396.)
Emperor Hadrian gives us a clearer picture and it was not 'perfect'.
There is [at Alexadrian] no ruler of the Synagogue among the Jews, no Samaritan, no Christian who is not also an astrologer, soothsayer. Hadrian's objectivity is missing from today's New Age movement. Their current preeminent monthly magazine is, in fact called the East West Journal. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 518.)
Hort's personal letters disclose his penchant for Philo. His biographer said, "There are no writers on whom Dr. Hort spent more time than Josephus and Philo. " Hort writes:
I'm glad you are working on philo's psychology...l lay on the sofa and read...Clement...wrote a piece of Introduction to the text (his 'New' Greek text)...took my manuscript book...and references from Philo...dinner came...with a good piece of Shakespeare...more Introduction... a little Philo at night and some Bible.( Life and Letters of Fenton John Anthony Hort, Vol. 2, Page 8,358,485.)
While Philo was influencing Hort's work on his 'New' Greek New Testament Text, Madame Blavatsky was penning quotes from Philo in her occult tome, The Secret Doctrine. There she cites Philo to explain her odd beliefs, like "Satan is a God, of whom even the Lord is in fear." In her Theosophical Glossary, she states that "Philo, was a great mystic and...in esoteric knowledge he had no rival." Not only did Philo's philosophy influence the revisers of the 'New' Greek, but his own codex was used to alter the Bible. ( H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, Vol. 2, Page 501.)
Man, Myth and Magic concluded that Blavatsky's nineteenth century New Age religion was a fusion of the philosophies of Philo of Alexandria Egypt and Plato of Greece; so also the Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics names Plato as the fountainhead for all of "Alexandrians" from Philo to Westcott. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 519.)
Blavatsky:
We also kinow that Plato learned more secrets in Egypt than he was allowed to mention. Plato having imparted the profound secrets he had learned from the priests of Egypt to his initiated disciples orally - who in their turn passed it from one generation to another of adepts - the latter know more of the occult powers of nature than our philosophers of the present day. "It was the dream of his life," says Champollion, [ Champollion - Figeac. Egypte ancienne,Page 139.] "to write a work and record in it in full the doctrines taught by the Egyptian hierophants; he often talked of it, but found himself compelled to abstain on account of the 'solemn oath.'" (Isis Unveiled, Vol. 1 Page 406,409 By H.P. Blavatsky)Christian Plantonism ,as developed at Alexandria...[has] three representative names...Philo, Clement, and Origen...Among later developments of Christian Plantonism...it is necessary to mention...the Cambridge Plantonists of the seveneeth century, and in our day the theology of F.D. Maurice [Hort’s ‘Apostle’]and Westcott...Alexandrianism has been revived by mordern thinkers. ...Westcott...Hort. ( The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Page 318,319.)
So we have Blavatsky resuscitating 'Alexandrianism' and Plato for the inner circle of New Agers and Westcott and Hort recasting the New Testament in light of Plato's "ideas" for the outer circle. Westcott Calls Plato a "prophet" whose works are a "treasure" "in some danger of being forgotten." Plato's ideas have rightly escaped the mind of most Christians but run into the waiting arms of Madame Blavatsky. She summoned him nearly one-hundred times in her writings to act as oracle for her New Age and Luciferian blasphemy. Westcott thinks Plato has a clear source of "truth," which for us is "blurred and dim." He writes that this "truth" stems from Plato's, communion with a divine and super-sensuous world,...with those beings who occupy a middle place between God and man...All fellowship which exists between heaven and earth is realized through this intermediate order...These spirits are many and manifold. Westcott's Ghostly Guild activities were no doubt aimed gathering 'truths' from this 'world'.The Encyclopedia cites a tendency of all of these 'Alexandrian' mystics to call in intermediate powers such as spirits. (Religious Thought in the West, Page 2,7,12,47. and The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, P. 309)
These authors find the Dialogues of Plato being promoted through New Age bookstores. New Age authors, like Lola Davis, cultivate interest in Plato citing his initiation into the Egyptian and Pythagorean mysteries. Plato is their hero because he broke his vow of secrecy to promote 'New Age' consciousness among the masses. In a typical New Age bookstore, Westcott and Hort and Schaffs grandchild, the NASB might be found alongside the Dialogues of Plato. The preface to the New Age Metaphiysical Bible Dictionary says, "This NASB version is used and recommended by the Unity School of Christianity."( Charles Filmore, The Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, Preface. and New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 521.)
Plato's Republic or Dialogue recommends,"All religion and religious doctrine is to be state controlled." Plato advocated that this dominion begin at birth so that "no parent is to know his own child." Westcott and Hort 'coenobium' was planned to be, as Hort wrote in 1869, "an artificial family as a substitute for a natural family." (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 521.)
The appearance of this Platonic dialogue in the Westcott and Hort 'New' Greek Text came from their use of the two Alexandrine manuscripts. It can further be explained by unfolding Hort's letter Mr. A. MacMillan, the publisher. In it he announces that Plato was "the center of my reading" while creating the New Greek text. His biography further speaks of his fascination "with Plato and Aristotle say nothing of more modem speculations." This led Hort to translate the whole works of Plato in 1857. He comments: ...the great Greeks. Sometimes I have a yearning to read nothing else and often think of assigning them a fixed number of hours per week...[M]y old fondness for philosophy makes me anxious to make it a serious and constant study. (The Life of Hort, Vol. 1, Page 97, Vol. 2, Page 69,79.)
[T]he danger was increased through the combination of Oriental forms of imagery with Greek Christian thoughts.Today the New Age still bombards the church with its Oriental and Greek philosophy. Paul warned the Colossian church most clearly:
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Colossians 2:8.
Hort disagreed holding, "Greek philosophy seems full of precious truths." The NIV agrees saying, "hollow philosophy" is to be avoided, not all philosophy. (Colossians 2:8) The NIV translators ignore the order of the Greek words here as they often do.( The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Page 615, and The Life of Hort, Vol. 1, Page 449.)
Westcott also chose to ignore the scriptural admonition against philosophy; he even wrote an entire book, Religious Thought in the West, showcasing Plato, Aeschylus, Euripides, Dionysius, Origen and others. This book was not written during a mental hiatus from his position in the Anglican church, but between 1866-1883 the very years in which his Revised Version was taking shape. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 524.)
The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethic follows the tracks of the wolf pack down to the twentieth century: Clement and Origen, by which...Platonism...was incorporated into Christianity...[M]odern thinkers, for example Westcott, are in sympathy with Clement and Origen. The Encyclopedia closes its article on 'Alexandrianism' citing Hort's opinion of Clement: 'In Clement, Christian theology, in some important respects, reaches its highest point...There was no one whose vision of what the faith of Jesus Christ was intended to do for mankind was so full and so true.' .(The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Page 318,319.)
The History of Heresy calls Origen a 'Christian Gnostic' who was pronounced a 'heretic' by a series of general synods.( David Christie-Murray, The History of Heresy, Page 6.)
The encyclopedia Man, Myth and magic list Ammonius Saccas of Alexandria as the foundation of the New Age philosophy. Wescott seems to share Blavatsky's ardour for Saccas when writing: His success shewed that he had some neglected forms of truth to make known; and Origen became one of his hearers..There can be no doubt that Origen was deeply influenced by the new philosophy.
Blavatsky summonses Origen dozens of times in her Isis Unveiled to pander her occult doctrines. (Religious Thought in the West, Page 207, and New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 526.)
Blavatsky:
It is maintained, on purely historical grounds, that Origen and even Clemens Alexandrinus, had been themselves initiated into the mysteries.(The Secret Doctrine,Vol. 1 Page xliv Introductory by H.P.BlavatskyThe McClintock and Strong Encyclopedia records Origen: saying, "[T]he scriptures are of little use to those who understand them as they are written. "Hidden Wisdom vaults Origen's allegorical method of bible interpretation saying: Disciples of Saccas and the neo-platonists of Alexandria and their successors [Clement and Origen] down to this present day [Westcott, Hort, and Blavatsky] have all regarded world scripture as being largely, but not entirely allegorical. The hidden sense lies concealed. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 527 and The Esoteric Basis of Christianity, Page 149.)
New Age books like The Hidden Wisdom in the Holy Bible, quote Origen at length with such blasphemies as, "[T]he law of men appear more excellent and reasonable than the laws of God.
Shirley MacLaine's "We are not under the law of God. We are the law of God." (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger p. 507.)
H.P.Blavatsky
"It is well known that Origen, and Clement.confessed that the Bible is a veiled and secret book"
( The Secret Doctrine, Page 100,565,)
Corrine Heline author of New Age Bible Interpretation:
Cites Origen and his belief that "The entire bible is written so that it has one meaning for the masses of the people and another for occult students." (New Age Bible Interpretation, Page 32.)
Westcott repeats the New Age Bible Interpretation's view:
It must be remembered that the book (Origen's on First Principle) was not for simple believers but for scholars for those who were familiar with the teachings of Gnosticism and Platonism...question which...become urgent when men have risen to a wide view of Nature and life. He aimed at presenting the higher knowledge. (Religious Thought in the West, Page 225.)
Westcott's son tells us that
:For many years the works of Origen were close to his (Westcott's) hand and he turned to them at every opportunity." For this reason Westcott was selected to write the section on Origen in the Dictionary of Christian Biography. ( New Directions in New Testament Study, Page
277.)In the nineteenth
century the so-called Broad Church school in the Church of England ....owed a good deal to the platonic tradition, and B.F. Westcott (1825-1901), bishop of Darham, was an admiring student of Origen. More recently, W.R. Inge (1860-1954 dean of St Paul's, was a profound student of Plotinus, whose deep influence is to be seen in the mystical emphasis in his theology. In the philosophical milieu of Alexandria there grew up the Christian Platonist school whose most important represntatives were Clement and Origen. Origen barrowed from the platonic tradition the doctrines, sharply at variance with the general tradition of Christiaqnty, Of the soul's pre-existance, of a cosmic Fall, and of reincarnation. ( The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Vol. 6 Page 338,339)Moody's Alfred Martin agrees:
"Origen's influence in promoting the spiritualizing method of Bible interpretation has done untold damage. Hort relied on him perhaps more than any Father. (David Otis Fuller, Which Bible, Page 146.)
The church declared Origen a heretic because he held the following beliefs:
1. The Logos is subordinate to the Father and has characteristics similar to the Logos of the Gnostics.
2. The soul is preexistent; Jesus took on some preexistent human soul. #
3. There was no physical resurrection of Christ nor will there be a second coming. Man will not have a physical resurrection.
4. Hell is nonexistent; purgatory, of which Paul and Peter must partake, does exist.
5. All, including the devil, will be reconciled to God.*
6. The sun, moon and stars are living creatures +
7. Emasculation, of which
he partook, is called for males.
Blavatsky
:* Origen maintains that not only men, but even devils ( by which term he meant disembodied human sinners), after a certain duration of punishment shall be pardoned and finally restored to heaven (Isis Unveiled , by H.P. Blavatsky Vol 2 Page 13)
# Plato. Anaxagoras, Pythagoras, the Eleatic schools of Greece, as well as the old Chaldean colleges, all taught the doctrine of the transmigration of souls referring only to the the progress of man from world to world, after death here. Every philosophy worthy of the name, taught that the spirit of man, if not the soul, was pre-existent. "The Essenes," says Josephus, "believed that souls were immortal, and that they desended from the ethereal spaces to be chained to bodies." Philo says the "air is full of them [of souls]; those which are nearest the earth, desending to be tied to mortal bodies." Even the Apostle Paul said: 1 Cor 15: 47 The first man is of the earth earthy, the second man from heaven . [Authors note:] Blavatsky is quoting Westcott and Horts New Greek Text, see page 125 concordance in this book.
+
And of these souls the moon is the element, because souls resolve into her, as the bodies of the deceased do into the earth. ... Blavatsky said that Kepler the forerunner of Newton shared the kabalistic belief that the spirits of the stars are so many "intelligences." He firmly believes that each planet is the seat of an intelligent principle, and that they are all inhabited by spiritual beings, who exercise influences over other beings inhabitng more gross and material spheres than their own and especially over our earth. ...Kepler, the eminent astronomer, fully credited the idea that the stars and all heavenly bodies, even our earth, are endowed with living and thinking souls.(Isis Unveiled , by H.P. Blavatsky Vol 2 P. 280,282 & 285 & Vol 1 P. 208, 253)
R.L. Dabney
REV 2:6
... thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans,
which I also
hate.
The sect of Nicolaitanes is identified with the Gnostic Docetae, who denied that the Aion Christ had a real body, ascribing to him only a seeming or phantasmal body and blood. It can scarcely be doubted that these are the errors against which John is here fortifying the faith of his "children." He then refutes the Nicolaitanes, declaring the proper humanity of Jesus. Now, when we hear the Apostle John tell his "children," in his own Epistle, that the two heresies against whose seductions he designed by this writing to guard them where these, the denial of Christ's Sonship to God and the denial of his incarnation and when we see him in his closing testimony exclude precisely these two errors, there is a coherency in the whole which presents a very strong internal evidence for the genuineness of the received text. Paul uttered the discourse of Acts 20 to the elders of this same Ephesian church, in which John almost certainly wrote this epistle. The former there forewarns the elders of the coming Cerinthians and Nicolaitanes under the name of "grievous wolves." Paul wrote the first Epistle to Timothy when he placed him as evangelist in this same Ephesian church, and he advertises him in it of the presence of this "Gnosis.". We are thus led to see how Paul and John make common cause against these hated errors. John testifies that the Father, the Word, and the Spirit are one, and that the humanity was as real as the divinity. (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for April, 1871)
ACTS 20:2...after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
1TI 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh,
1JO 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, ....
1JO 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, ...
NICOLAITANS
[nick oh LAY ih tuns]-- an early Christian heretical sect made up of followers of Nicolas, who was possibly the deacon of Acts 6:5. The group is mentioned explicitly only in Rev. 2:6, 14-15, Early church leaders believed the Nicolaitans later became a GNOSTIC sect. (from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
NICOLAS
[NICK oh lus] (conqueror of the people)-- one of the seven men chosen as DEACONS to serve tables in the church at Jerusalem. Nicolas is called "a proselyte from Antioch" Acts 6:3,5 This means he was a Gentile who had converted to Judaism before becoming a Christian. The church fathers accused) Nicolas of denying the Christian faith and founding the heretical sect known as the NICOLAITANS Rev. 2:6, 15. (from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers
Church fathers Tertullian and Irenaeus, explain followers of Nicolas one of the seven deacons in Acts 6,3,5, [who departed from the faith] from which came the later Gnostics. Epiphanius represents him as sinking into corrupt doctrine and practice. As there was a Judas among the twelve so also with the seven deacons ( Fausset;s Bible Dictionary, Page 509)
REV 2:15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
REV 2:16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. I will come and fight against them (Greek "war with them",) with the Nicolaitanes (Faussets Commentary, Page 1534)
The editor of the Christian Research Journal observes: For scholars agree that it was exactly this error, (separating the man Jesus from the divine Christ), as promulgated by early Gnostics that the apostle John was indicating when he coined the term antichrist. (I John 2:18- 23). (Crash Course on the New Age, Page 29.)
Westcott stands at odds with the
church saying. [Origen] conclusions remain unshaken." (New Age Bible
Version, By Gail Riplinger page 529.)
ONE BIG FAMILY
Think what a difference it would make if the majority of mankind, including decision makers, believed the teaching of a World Religion for the New Age that all people are brothers because they are children of God." (Lola Davis) ( Toward a World Religion for a New Age, Page 10.)
"Let us drop our...religious differences and think in terms of one family." (Foster Bailey) ( Things to Come,)
"All men are the children of God."( Toward a World Religion for a New Age, Page 125.)
Cults
"All men and women are sons of God." (Edgar Cayenne) ( Reincarnation, Page 27,28.)
"God says...every person is his child. (Emile Cady) (Lessons in Truth, Page 37-39.)
Westcott
"The universal fatherhood of God.. a brotherhood of men, but also a brotherhood of nations...is the destiny of mankind." (B.F. Westcott) ( The Life of Wescott, Page 22.)
New World Order
"World government will not be imposed on mankind but will be the result of the manifested brotherhood." (Benjamin Creme) ( Reappearance of the Christ, Page 32.)
New Version Editor
"The fruit of his work is universal...the redemption of the world. (B.F.Westcott.)
"Westcott and others believe that the gospel is telling people that they are saved....the Gospel proclaims that we are members of one another." ( Historic Faith, Page 8.)
WHAT SAITH THE BIBLE:
Gal. 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
JOH 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:
ACS 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
ROM 9:8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these [are] not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
1JO 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
WESTCOTT
"Each new element returns to its source...as the great cycle finds fulfillment."
"So things come into existence and then are dissolved as the great cycle proceeds."
"All things come from God and go to God...From God to God...Worlds grow out of worlds directs the cyclic periods." B.F.Westcott. ( The Life of Westcott , Vol. 2 page 110, Historic Faith , Page 152 and Religious Thought in the West, Page 232,346.)
NEW AGE
"All shall be absorbed at the end of the great cycle." (Blavatsky)
( H.P.Blavatsky, The Keys to
Theosophy, Page 63.)
JESUS IS NOT CHRIST
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist...I John 2:22
The editor of the Christian Research Journal observes: For scholars agree that it was exactly this error, (separating the man Jesus from the divine Christ), as promulgated by early Gnostics that the apostle John was indicating when he coined the term antichrist. (I John 2:18- 23). (Crash Course on the New Age, Page 29.)
Please look at Appendix A
WESTCOTT
"The Son of man was not necessarily identified with the Christ." "It is not said that Jesus glorified not himself, but the Christ. He never speaks directly of himself as God. (Historic, Page 47. Westcott.)
Blavatsky
"In the idea of Christians Christ is but another name for Jesus...The Christ with the Gnostics meant the Impersonal Principle...not Jesus...Jesus, the Christ-God is a myth."...In early work of the apostles, there is nothing to that any of his friends and follwers regarded Jesus as anything more than a prophet. ...Note well, "Christos" with the Gnostics meant the impersonal principle, the atman of the Universe, and the Atma within every man's soul-not Jesus (
Blavatsky: The Secret Doctrine, Vol. 1 & 2 Page 157 and 194 and Secret Doctrine Vol 1 by H.P. Blavatsky page 132)NEW AGE
"The revelation of the Christ is not limited to Jesus of Nazareth. (The Esoteric Basis of Christianity, Page 53.)
"Christ...used for three years the human body of Jesus (Annie Besant: The Esoteric Christianity, Page 96.)
CULTS
"Jesus was one manifestation of Christ; there were many others (Edgar Cayce: Reincarnation 3
..P. 18.) The Christ is not Jesus. In the history of all races the Cosmic Christ has; incarnated in ... Buddha, Moses, Elijah and in many other leaders; in this New Age the Cosmic Christ will come. (The Bible Unveiled, P.158,158 )Blavatsky
The Essenes ....were the converts of Buddist missionaries who had overrun Egypt, Greece and Judaea. It is evidently to the Essenes that belongs the honor of having had the Nazarene refomer Jesus as a pupil. Moreover, we find the talmudists holding that Jesus was inspired by the genius of Mercury. But what is self-evident is that he preached the philosophy of Buddha. Plato confirms our belief that the Mysteries of the ancients were identical with the Initiations, as practiced now among the Buddhist and Hindu adepts If Jesus knew the secret meaning of the title bestowed by him on Simon, then he must have been initiated....The doctrine taught by him was but a portion of the "Secret Doctrine" taught by the Pagen hieophants to the few select adepts admitted within the sacred adyta. ...Buddha is mirrored in the precepts of Christ; Paul and Philo are faitful echoes of Plato; and Ammonius Saccas and Plotinus won their imortal fame by combining the teachings of all these grand masters of true philosophy. ...Celsus, the Neo-Platonist, and a disciple of the school of Ammonius Saccas....successfully proved that the original and purer forms of the most important dogmas of Christianity were to found only in the teachings of Plato. ( Isis Unveiled, by H.P. Blavatsky page 51,84, 94,114 and 132)
[The Celsus above mentioned, who lived between the second and third centuries, is not Celsus the Epicurean. The latter wrote several works against Magic, and lived earlier, during the reign of Hadrian.]
King is inclined to believe that these Essenes, who were most undoubtedly Buddhist monks, were "merely a continuation of the association known as 'Sons of the Prophets'." (The Gnostics and their Remains, Page 22 footnote and page 52 in 2nd ed.)
Bob Larson's lifelong familiarity with the cults and the New Age prompted this warning: By using the definite article (the) when referring to Christ, mind sciences distinguish between Jesus the man and the divine idea of Christ-realization attainable by men. (Larsons Book of Cults, Page 386.)
Liberty University's Dean Norman Geisler adds: We should be particularly wary when someone refers to Jesus Christ as 'the Christ' (New Age Bible Version By Gail Riplinger page 318)
NEW AGE: Matt. 24:5 "I am the Christ" 1. "I am the Christ..." was chanted by 875 million participants from 100 countries during the New Age World healing Meditation. The U.S. Pentagon's Meditation Room participated. 2. The Metaphysical Bible Dictionary and Christian Healing, books by Unity's Charles Filmore call for the use of the words, "I am the Christ" as a meditation technique. (Christian Healing, Page 27.)
NEW AGE "Each of us is the Christ.. the true spiritual self...the anointed son of God. Filmore: Christian Healing page 217.)
NEW VERSION EDITOR: "Each Christian is in due measure himself a Christ...Christians are in a true sense Christs, anointed ones." (Westcott: Historic Faith, Page 53.)
For Christ...is no man but the DIVINE PRINCIPLE in every human being. (Blavatsky: Studies in Occultism, Page 134.)
Roy Livesey, author and publisher of the New Age Bulletin in England explains what New Agers believe: Christ, however doesn't refer to the Lord Jesus Christ but to the World Teacher. (Understanding the New Age, Page 23.)
(27 times Master changed to teacher NIV)
II Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears
;
DOCTRINE :
KJV 43 times, NIV only 5 times, 30 times NIV changes Doctrine to Teaching
."The Son of God is not Jesus but our combined Christ Consciousness," figures one famous New Ager. (Dark Secrets of the New Age, Page 107.)
"It is commonly supposed," writes Westcott, that Heb. 1:8 defends the deity of Christ, whereas it is merely a "description" of his "office"
The A.S.V. in John 9:38, where we read that the blind man who had been healed worshipped Jesus Christ, the American Standard Version has a mark directing to a footnote which reads - 're the word worshipped - "the Greek word denotes an act of reverence whether paid to a creature (as here) or to the Creator".' Yes these are the actual words including the brackets and the two words within them, and they are still being printed in recent editions of the A.S.V. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett, Page 238)
Blavatsky: Jehovah, emdodied in Adam and Eve, is but a human god. He is the symbol of humanity, a mixture of good with evil; of spirit fallen into mater. In worshiping Jehovah, we simply worship nature, as embodied in man, half spiritual and half-material, at best. ( Isis Unveiled, by H.P. Blavatsky page 269)
"One truly man, fulfilled a divine office, that is Jesus." B.F.Westcott ( Historic Faith, Page 47.)
New Age:
"In the esoteric tradition the Christ is not the name of an individual but of an office in the hierarchy." (The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ, Page 261.)
One critic of the New Age notes: Most New Agers believe that Christ is not a man but an office or spiritual state of higher consciousness. (Dark Secrets of the New Age, Page 4
"Christ, who was human until receiving the Christ Essence at his Jordan baptism." (Anthroposophy) (Larsons Book of Cults, Page 371.)
The Westminster Confession of Faith cites 1 Tim 3:16 as the verse attesting most strongly to the deity of Christ. (Section 8, par. 2). (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 35
C.H.Spurgeon
Look at the damage done to 1 Timothy 3:16 "God was manifest in the flesh" changed to; "He was manifest". What an attack on the deity of Christ! C. H. Spurgeon said of this verse in his sermon; 'God was manifest in the flesh'. I believe that our version [KJV] is the correct one, but the fiercest battlings have been held over this sentence. (Which Bible can we Trust, Les Garrett page 227)
John Calvin
And other Protestants strongly supported the text as we have it in our Authorized Version; see for example Calvin's Commentary on first Timothy from which the following quotation is made:- "He could not have spoken more appropriately about the person of Christ than in these words, 'God manifest in the flesh'. First, we have here an express testimony of both natures: for he declares at the same time that Christ is true God and true man. Secondly, he points out the distinction between the two natures, when on the one hand he calls him God, and on the other, expresses his 'manifestation in the flesh'. Thirdly, he asserts the unity of the person, when he declares, that it is one in the same who was God, and who has been manifests in the flesh." (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett page 228)
R.L.Dabney
But perhaps the most lamentable change is that of 2 Timothy 3:16. "All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable," the enemies of the Bible have long sought to defraud us of this evidence of full inspiration by making read : "Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable," The poisonous suggestion intended is that, Among parts of the 'Scripture' some are inspired and some are not. (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for July, 1881 reviewing the Revised Version of the New Testament.)
WE ARE SPIRITS
WITHOUT BODIES
IN THE NEXT WORLD
"Socrates said...'such as have purified themselves by philosophy live wholly without bodies for the future',...the words are surely memorable..." B.F.Westcott. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 358)
Cults:
"Eventually you will be able to have purified your mind and body...to such a degree that you will be able to quicken it to spiritual expression as did Jesus the Christ." (Unity)
(Ernest C. Wilson: Have We Lived Before?, Page 65,99.)
WESTCOTT
"His Christ flesh would be removed...through earthly dissolution." B.F.Westcott. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 359.)
"Christ's body disappeared. Christ was raised as a divine spirit." (Herbert W. Armstrong)
(If You Die, Will You Live Again?, Worldwide Church of God, Page 6.)
Job 19:26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: (KJV)
Job 19:26 And after my skin, (even) this (body), is destroyed, Then without my flesh shall I see God; (ASV, RSV, NASB all from Westcott & Hort text)
Blavatsky:
Quotes from Westcott and Horts new Bible in Isis Unveiled , 'then without my flesh I see God' to prove that the body is not raised. ( Isis Unveiled, Vol. 2 Page 485 by .P. Blavatsky)Westcott wrote of the "many comings of Christ." (New Age Bible Version, Gail Riplinger page 363.)
Hort's hostility to 1 John 5:7 & 8 haunts his writings. "It could be gotten rid of ...." he stabs.( The Life of Hort, Vol 2 Page 128.)
Blavatsky
"This verse...is known to be spurious. It is not to be found in any Greek manuscript save one...In the first and second editions of Erasmus, printed in 1516 and 1519, this allusion to these three heavenly witnesses is omitted; and the text is not contained in any Greek manuscript which was written earlier than the fifteenth century." Blavatsky 1880's ( Isis Unveiled, Vol. 2 Page 177
.)1. Early evidence includes:
VERSIONS: Old Syriac A.D.170, Old Latin A.D.200, Vulgate: 4th and 5th century, Italic: 4th and 5th century.
WRITERS: Titian A.D.150, Tertullian A.D.200, Cyprian A.D.225, Athanasius A.D.350, Pricillian A.D.350, Vadmarium A.D.380, Cassian A.D.435, Jerome A.D.450, Cassiadorius A.D.480, Vigilius A.D.484, Victor-Vita A.D. 489, Fulgentius A.D.533, PS Athanasius A.D.550.
WRITINGS: Liver Apologeticus A.D.350, Council of Carthiage A.D.415. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 381)
The fourth century manuscripts, Aleph and B, which are used to discredit the verse, are no earlier than documents, such as the Liber Apologeticus (4th century) which contain them. Even New Greek editor Bruce Metzger admits: (It) was quoted by Latin Fathers in North Africa and Italy as part of the Epistle and from the sixth century onward it is found more and more frequently in manuscripts of the Old Latin and Vulgate. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 382.)
THE MAJORITY TEXT
Comfort says it, "became the most prevailing type of text throughout the Greek speaking world...it was nearly standardized. From then on almost all MSS follow the Byzantine [Majority] text, including those MSS used by Erasmus in compiling the text that eventually would become the Textus Receptus." [The Greek Text type underlying the KJV.] (Studies in Methodology in Textual Criticism, Page 13-14.)
R.L.Dabney
There were the churches for whose use Luke, with Paul's guidance and Mark, with Peter's guidance, and John the beloved apostle, prepared three out of the four Gospels. It was at Ephesus that the Apostle John, in his last days, recognized and codified the four Gospels, including Matthew's.There chiefly laboured nearly all the apostles who have wielded the pen of inspiration. There was the canon closed, by the Revelation of John, first published in the home of is old age, Ephesus. In a word, the soil of the Greek Church is the native birthplace of the New Testament canon. (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for April, 1871)
Geerlings affirms regarding the Majority Text saying, "Its origins go back to the autographs." ( Family E and its Allies in Mark, Page 1.)
Hodges Writes
The Majority Text, upon which the King James Version is based,, has in reality the strongest claim possible to be regarded as an authentic representation of the original text...based on its dominances in the transmissional history of the New Testament text. (Which Bible, Page 37.)
Harvard Theological Review cites Kirsopp Lake's exhaustive examination of MSS which revealed, "the uniformity of the text exhibited by the vast majority of the New Testament manuscripts."
R.L.Dabney
I believe the MAJORITY TEXT HOLDS ITS DOMINATE POSITION BY PROVIDENCE. The majority text should still be retained by all. The practical difference, and, which would result from the method which we resists, would be only this, that the church would no longer have a Bible in common; and would have nothing whatever to compensate for this immense loss. (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for April, 1871)
Von Soden, who made the most extensive review of the text yet accomplished, calls it the Common (Kappa) text, showing that it was the Greek text type most commonly used throughout history. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 473.)
Kurt Aland's collation of 1000 minuscules in 1000 different passages shows that 90% contain the 'Traditional Text'. Work done at The Institut fur neutestamentliche Textforschung in Munster, Germany confirms 90%. (the Identity of the New Testament Text, Page 160.)
Frederic Kenyon, the late Director of the British Museum and author of the most widely used textbooks on textual criticism, say of the Majority Text:
This is the text found in the great majority of manuscripts, entrenched in print by Erasmus and Stephanus and known as the Textus Receptus or Received Text... Until 1881...it held the field as the text in practically universal use and when its position was then decisively challenged, a stiff fight was made in its defence by advocates such as Burgon.This 'New' Minority-type Greek text used predominantly Aleph and B type readings. The changes amount to an extensive modification of the text. It has been the dominating influence in all modern critical editions. It is clear that deliberate alteration has been at work on a large scale in one text or the other.The Textus Receptus being habitually the longer and fuller of the two. (The Text of the Greek Bible Page 197-204.)
Dr. Scholtz
Devoted the best years of his live exclusively to travels, collation of manuscripts, and similar critical labours, in the course of which he examined and compared six hundred and thirty manuscripts. The result of this immense labour was to reinstate the credit of the majority text in a multitude of places where Griesbach had assailed it, and to show that it presents the most trustworthy text extant. (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for April, 1871)
The Majority text was preserved by such as the church at Pella in Palestine where Christian fled, when in 70 A.D. the Romans destroyed Jerusalem; by the Syrian Church of Antioch which produced emminent scholarship; by the Italic Church in Northern Italy; and also at the same time by the Gallic Church in southern France and by the Celtic Church in Great Britain; by the pre-Waldensian, the Waldensian and the churches of the Reformation. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 64)
Dr.Kenyon of the British Museum says, "the manuscripts of the New Testament are counted by hundreds and even thousands." It is cause for astonishment that credence should have been given in any instance to the Vatican or Sinai MSS. (or both together in cases where they agree) against the agreeing testimony of the multitude of opposing witnesses. But such was the rule consistently followed in compiling the Text for the R. V. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 160)
The Majority [Received Text] represents simply the continuous transmission of the original text. All minority text forms are a divergent offshoots of the broad stream of transmission whose source is the autographs themselves. From Zane C. Hodges who is the Professor of New Testament Literature and Exegesis, Dallas Theological Seminary (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 75)
Kenyon's in 1937 echoed, "If it can be shown, that the readings which Hort called 'Syrian' existed before the fourth century, the keystone would be knocked out of the fabric of his theory." (The Text of the Greek Bible Page 203-212,321-322.)
Out it comes! Harvard scholar, Hills writes, "This...(theory) [Horts] has been abandoned by most present day scholars." The ninety-six papyri (with the exception of P3, 4, 7 and 14) were all discovered AFTER 1890.[after Hort died] and have proved that the Syrian existed before the fourth century ] ( King James Version Defended Page 179.)
Pickering observes
In Hort's day...the early papyri were not extant - had they been the W-H theory could scarcely have appeared ... Each of the early papyri (A.D.300 or earlier) vindicates some Byzantine (KJV) reading...Bodmer II shows some Syrian readings to be anterior to corresponding (Aleph and B) readings...(T)he early papyri vindicate Byzantine readings in 660 (or 885) places where there is a significant variation.( The Identity of the New Testament Text, Page 224.)
H.A.Sturz...Henceforth no one may reasonably or responsibly characterize the Byzantine text-type as being...late.. (A)lthough modern editors continue to reject these readings, it can no longer be argued that they are late. .(The Identity of the New Testament Text, Page 77,184,202.)
Pickering concludes, "(T)he TR has more early attestation than B and twice as much as Aleph - evidently the TR reflects an earlier text than either B or Aleph. .( The Identity of the New Testament Text, Page 55-56,220.)
G. Zuntz in The Texts of the Epistles, writes:
"(KJV type) readings previously discarded as late are (in) P46...(A)re all Byazantine readings ancient? ....G. Pasquali answers in the affirmative ...Papyrus 46 and 45 support the Majority text readings..."( The Text of the Epistles, Page 55.)
Dr. Edward Hills, Harvard and Yale scholar,
In demonstrating the antiquity of the Traditional Text it is well to begin with the evidence of Codex W, it contains the four Gospels in the Western order, Matthew, John, Luke, Mark. The special value W, however, lies in Matthew and Luke. Here the text is Traditional of a remarkably pure type. Regarded as the oldest and best form of the Traditional Text. The discovery of W tends to disprove the thesis of Westcott and Hort that the Traditional Text is a fabricated text which was put together in the 4th century by a group of scholars residing at Antioch. For Codex W is a very ancient manuscript. B. P. Grenfell regarded it as fourth century. Hence. W the oldest complete manuscripts of the Gospels in existence. Moreover, W seems to have been written in Egypt, since during the first centuries of its existence, it seems to have been the property of the Monastery of the Vinedresser, which was located near the third pyramid. If the Traditional Text had been invented at Antioch in the 4th century, how would it have found its way into Egypt and thence into Codex W so early. Thus the presence of the Traditional Text in W indicates that this text is a very ancient text and that it was known in Egypt before the 4th century. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett page 194)
The International Bible Encyclopedia, page 2955, says plainly that the later copies which the King James Bible were taken from, really represent a more ancient reading. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 61)
R.L.Dabney
As more numerous collations of ancient documents are made the number of various readings is, of course greatly increased; but yet the effect of these comparisons is, on the whole, to confirm the substantial correctness of the majority text more and more. (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for April, 1871)
Metzger says:
"Papyrus 75 supports the majority text dozens of times. In relation to the (Majority) text, P46 (about A.D.200), shows that some readings....go back to a very early period...P66 (has) readings that agree with the (majority)...text type."( Manuscripts of the Greek Bible, Page 64,108.)
Hills notes:
"Byzantine readings which most critics have regarded as late, have now been proved by Papyrus Bodmer II to be early readings."( Dean Burgon, The Last Twelve Verses of Mark, Page 54.)
The Journal of Theological Studies (London: Oxford University Press) N.S., vol. II 1960) p.381 says, "Papyrus 66 supports the readings of the Majority text.". (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 483.)
Colwell found that as early as A.D. 200 scribes were altering manuscripts, changing them from a Majority-type text to a minority type. He notes, "The Bodmer John (P66) is also a witness to the early existence of many of the readings found in the (KJV). Strangely enough to our previous ideas, the contemporary corrections in that papyrus frequently change a (KJV) reading to a....(new version type). This indicates that at this early period readings of the ... (new version type) were supplanting the ...(KJV type)."
Sidney Collett
The Rev. J. P. Smyth tells how one rabbi solemnly warned a scribe thus: "Take heed how thou doest thy work, for thy work is the work of heaven, lest thou drop or add a letter of the manuscript, and so become a destroyer of the word ! " (The Scripture of Truth, by Sidney Collett 1905)
Colwell's discovery that THE EARLIEST manuscript, P66, had corrections on it, which change a KJV type reading to a new version type reading, shows that the KJV was anterior to the minority type text. (E.C. Colwell, "The Origin of Text types of New Testament Manuscripts," Early Christain Origins, Page 128-138.)
The Traditional Text receives more support from the early Church Fathers than does the critical text. (The Revision Revised, Page 245, Dean Burgon.)
Sidney Collett
There are so many accurate and voluminous quotations from the Scriptures in the writings of the early fathers, dating from the second to the fifth centuries, that it has been actually proved that, from these writings alone, without any other assistance, the whole of the New Testament could be reproduced ! So carefully has our Heavenly Father guarded the Book He has given to the children of men. (The Scripture of Truth, by Sidney Collett 1905)
Canon Cook's verdict
On the Revisers text of the first three Gospels is as follows: "It is not too much to say that in nine passages out of ten - nay, to go further - in every passage of vital importance as regards the integrity of Holy Scripture, the veracity of the sacred writers, and the records of our Lords sayings, nearly all ancient versions, and with very few exceptions, all ancient fathers, support the readings rejected by the Revisers. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett page 169)
The NASB committee list remained a closely guarded secret for over 30 years, lest conservative Christians catch a glimpse of the liberal membership. (However, its leader, Dr. Frank Logsdon, has renounced his participation;. At numerous speaking engagements he denounces his part in what he now perceives to be a heretical version. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 491.)
Back in 1974 at a Bible teaching conference, Dr Frank Logsdon said that the New American Standard Bible deleted references to Christ over 14 times. In my verse for verse study and checking of the New Testament, I discovered that in fact Christ has been deleted 52 times.
Dr. Frank Logsdon stated at a conference that the many modern versions, paraphrase and translations of the Bible...
1. Cause wide - spread confusion
2. Discourage memorization - Who is going to memorize when each one has a different Bible or translation?
3. Discourage the use of the concordance, because there would need to be a different one for each translation.
4. Provide opportunity for perverting the truth by giving different slants of meaning of verses. A marvelous opportunity for the devil to slip in and pervert the Word.
5. Make teaching of the Bible difficult. - How could a Mathematics Professor or instructor teach a certain particular problem in a class if the class has about six or eight textbooks?
Incur an enormous waste of the
Lord's money. One in just two years brought in 22 million dollars. That could
have sent out a lot of missionaries. ( Which Bible can we Trust, by Les
Garrett, Page 236)
HITLER, THE NAZI
AND BLAVATSKY
Historians, such as the author of The Spear of Destiny, record that the ruler who possesses the spear that pierced Christ's side, including fifty-five men from Constatine to Adolf Hitler, will have occultic sovereignty. The spear is now housed in Austria, the site of the new United Nations centre.( The Spear of Destiny, Page 64.)
The 'Nazi connection' will shock Christians of even nominal sensitivities. Adolf Hitler's name is a household word, used synonymously with the consummate evil of this century. Gerhard Kittel's name is a household word among New Testament Greek scholars. It would seem the chasm between two such men would be monumental. Kittel edited the ten volume standard reference work used in N.T Greek word studies, the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. The NIV translators relied on its judgement when selecting words, as do all modern translators. The standard...this set is a necessity for the serious Greek student..the best New Testament dictionary ever completed..Every serious Greek student dreams of owning a set. (The NIV: The Making of a Contemporary Translation, Page 166, and Christian Book Distributors, Page 7-8, and New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 591)
The shadow grew even darker as the silhouettes of Kittel, Hitler and Blavatsky merged and became indistinguishable. History repeats itself. We saw how Westcot's New Age Ghosts were summonsed the same year the apparition of a 'New' Greek text began to gather substance. Kittel's labors on his ten volume Greek New Testament dictionary also began THE SAME YEAR he became Hitler's 'hired man'. Kittel's trial, conviction and imprisonment for his key part in the extermination of two thirds of Europe's Jewish population is a harsh fact, hidden to those pridefully seeking 'hidden' meaning in the Greek. The enmity foretold in Genesis 3, between the serpent and 'the seed' is seen in the actions of Haman, Herod, Hort and Hitler. Just as Balak, the king of Moab hired the false prophet Balaam to curse the seed of Israel when they were living in his country, so Adolf Hitler hired Kittel to curse the seed of Israel in Germany. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 592)
In Gerhard Kittel, Satan found a man who could destroy both the seed of Israel and the 'incorruptible seed'. His writings penned between 1937 and 1943 caused the physical death of millions of Jews and spiritual death for untold others. Using the cloak of 'Christianity' and 'science', Kittel was the chief architect of the so-called 'racial science' and 'Christian base' for Hitler's anti-Semitism. Scholar Robert Erickson, winner of the 1987 Merit of Distinction from the International Center for Holocaust Studies writes, "He established a solid Christian foundation for the opposition to the Jews." Kittel called himself "the first authority in Germany in the scientific consideration of the Jewish question."
William Foxwell Albright, a prominent archaeologist writes:
Kittel is....even darker and more menacing...than Goerring or Goebbels...(He credits Kittel with)...the grim distinction of making extermination of the Jews theologically respectable.
How could civilized young men of a modern culture brutally torture and murder their fellow man and why did a whole generation of Germans sit by and allow it? Author Joseph Carr answers: "Satan's gospel of racial hatred had been preached loudly in Germany for more than a decade..." This war of words preceded World War II, preparing the minds of some Germans for their unholy betrayal of humanity. Scholars explain:
(T)here was a cancer in 19th century Germany. The German theologian...had deteriorated to an unbelieving liberalism...Understanding the moral treason of churchmen required knowledge of the doctrinal state of much of Europe during the first four decades of this century...the satanic influence. (Theologians under Hitler by Erickson, Page 37,54 and History Archaeology and Christian Humanism, Page 229-230, and The Twisted Cross Page 165,198,262,263, and New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 593)
Erickson says further
The elder Kittel's (Rudolf) feet were firmly planted in nineteenth century liberal acasemia. The younger Kittel...was (even) more easily swept along with the prevailing winds, which after 1918 meant irrationalism, volkish mysticism and anti-Semetism.The NKJV and all new versions have abandoned the traditional Old Testament Hebrew, Ben Chayyim Masoretic Text, and follow Rudolp Kittel's 1937 corruption of Biblia Hebraica Leningrad Ms B 19a
Kittel's 'volkish' mysticism and Hitler's occultism were at the root of their mutual anti-Semitism. The U.S. Army discovered Hitler's library of personally marked occult books and noted that he kept a copy of Blavatsky's The Secret Doctrine by his bedside! Its fables of the new fifth root race of 'divine' Aryans, battling the inferior old Jewish root race, coupled with its call for the open worship of Lucifer over Jehovah, (who Blavatsky identifies as 'Satan'), explains this monstrous phenomenon. Without an awareness of the contents of Hitler's bedside reading, his actions would remain a strange mystery. Blavatsky's book was also used by the mystical societies of Germany after World War I and was perhaps a source for Kittel's anti-Semitism as well.
Blavatsky:
Plato, in the fifth book of then Republic, suggest a method for improving the human race by elimination of the unhealthy or deformed individuals, and by coupling the better specimens of both sexes. (The Isis Unveiled, Vol. 1 page 77 by H.P. Blavatsky)One writer notes
(M)ost of these groups used the writings of Madame Blavatsky as their bible.
Blavatsky's Theosophical Society was at one time called The Aryan Theosophical Society. Her anti-Semitic pamphlet and quotes, similar to the following, provided fuel for the crematoriums. Hitler read in The Secret Doctrine:
(T)he Semites....The Sacred Spark is missing and it is they who are the only inferior race on the Globe, now happily - owing to the wise adjustment of nature which ever works in that direction - fast dying out...Here again one perceives the immense chasm between Aryan and Semitic religious thought, the two opposite poles, sincerity and concealment. (Theologians under Hitler by Erickson, Page 45-46, and The Occult Establishment, Page 287, and The Secret Doctrine Vol. 1 Page 411, Vol. 2 Page 439-445, and A Planned Deception, Page 85, and New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 594)
Numerous books, even some written prior to 1941 have exposed occultism as Hitler's driving force.
Adolf Hitler was a disciple of Mme Blavatsky and was initiated into the meaning of the secret doctrine.
Karl Haushofer gave Hitler his initial initiation into the secret doctrine. This was followed by a final initiation by occultist Dietrich Eckart who wrote: Follow Hitler, He will dance, but it is I who will call the tune. I have initiated him into The Secret Doctrine.
And finally, on January 30, 1939, he told the world, "In a New World, the Jewish race in Europe will be destroyed." 'Voices' told Hitler before 1920 that he had been selected 'by God' to be Germany's messiah, saving the nation from "the claws of international Jewry. Erickson notes that "Kittel...did see God's hand in the elevation of Hitler to power." Kittel's defense, during his trial for war crimes, included his assertion that his actions had been imposed upon him 'by God'."The God," heard by both, was the "god of this world." Blavatsky's doctrine of devils were delivered by Hitler, an Antichrist then sanctified by his 'scribe' Kittel and finally served the SS and Satan's other unwary servants.
(The Twisted Cross Page 87, 104, 282 New Age Bible Version By Gail Riplinger page 596)
With Hitlers totalitarian regime, came the Nazi takeover of the church, under the new name Duetche Christen. Kittel, unlike theologians Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, urged: Agreement with the state and Fuhrer was obedience toward the law of God.
Theologian Martin Buber responded publicly that he was not surprised to see Kittel acting as pied piper for the Fuehrer. Erickson notes further: Theologians who stressed gospel...tended to be immune to Hitler's charms. Kittels work cannot be seen as anything but a satanic distortion of Christianity. Foreshadowing the final false prophet, Kittel promoted a New bible version for Hitler's 'New' church, to replace Luther's traditional German Bible, Die Heilige Schrift, based on the Majority Text. Luther's Bible was about 400 years old during Hitler's generation. 'Archaic'...Kittel said. (The KJV will be 400 years old during our generation. Archaic...some say.
In 1933 Kittel joined the Nazi party and his mystical maze hit a turning point. That same year he also began work on the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, a work he hoped would give theology a more secular substructure. One secular historian notes: The potential for trouble suddenly became concrete in 1933. Ego involvement...must have played a role in Kittel's career after 1933. After 1933 Kittel's work changed in tone. Before 1933 Kittle defended Judaism,afterward he attacked it. Kittle produced a body of work between 1933 and 1944 filled with hatred and slander toward Jews...The bulk of Kittl's research between 1933 and 1945 was devoted to a rigorous and harsh anti-Jewish stance. (Theologians under Hitler by Erickson, Page 25,41,48,59,70,74,75 and New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 596)
Kittel in "Die Judenfrage states: We must not allow ourselves to be crippled because the whole world screams at us of barbarism...How the German Volk regulates its own cultural affairs does not concern anyone else in the world.( Die Judenfrage, Page 39)
Between l933 and l944, as Kittel was cranking out volume after volume of the lengthy Theological Dictionary, he was also taking a leadership role in the Forschungsabteilung Judenfrage, a Nazi organization and publication. Rudolf Hess, one of the earliest members of the Occult Thule Society and Hitler's right hand man, attended the opening ceremonies, which were followed by newspaper headlines pronouncing the organization as, "The scientific weapon in the Nazi fight against the Jews." Kittel became the most frequent contributor to this journal, writing 6 of the 8 volumes, the last being cut short by the end of the war and Kittel's imprisonment for war crimes. (The same fate fell to his closing work on the Theological Dictionary.( Volkischer Beobachter, Page 325, and Ausgabe, Page 49, and Jahrgang, Nov. 1936, Munich edition, Page 1)
Kittel's pseudo- 'science' and 'research' for this journal stooped to the ridiculous. For example, he would show ancient drawings of men with large hooked noses having sex with women who had small noses. These drawings, he purported proved scientifically that historically inferior Jewish men had attempted to mate with 'superior' 'Aryan women' in order to improve their racial stock. Kittel's vulgarity included slander and name-calling, using terms such as, refuse, 'depraved' and enemies of humanity. He wrote of readiness to speak in racial terms and of the Jews being "justly ruined." He recommended all German Jews being dismissed from their jobs, stripped of their German citizenship and their property confiscated. He said, "Though this would cause hardship it was necessary price to pay for past excesses." Doesn't this sound like the Antichrist's plan for the 'uninvolved' non-compliant Christians who refuse to take 'the Name' of the beast? the same plan comes from the same source -Satan. (Theologians under Hitler by Erickson, Page 34-37,45,49 & New Age Bible Version By Gail Riplinger page 587)
Dr. Josef Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda and Enlightment, believed Hitler was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Goebbels and his SS began the first mass murder of German-Jewry on November 9 and lO,l938. In l939, Kittel closed one of his speeches with a tribute to Hitler calling him the, "saving force which stemmed the tide of Jewish infiltration." Knowledge of the killings was widespread within Germany itself, notes one observer. As early as l942, the London Times reported the mass murder of Jews; Swedish diplomat Baron von Otter also publicly reported mass gassings. The B.B.C. reported the massacre by A,M. and short wave radio. They all knew what was going on . Even with such clear awareness of what was going on, Kittel continued to write for the Fuehrer. ( The Twisted Cross, Page 190,140)
Today many harsh things do occur and must occur...It was not despotic brutality or barbarism...for the Fuhrer...in his radical resolve...to place the Jewish problem on a wholly new foundation...The radical suppression...carried out by National Socialism is not, as almost the entire world maintains, an unheard of cruelty against the Jews.
To what was Kittel referring when he said, "radical suppression unheard of cruelty"? - Mass Murder. As late as 1944, Kittel was lecturing at the University of Vienna, speaking of the "depraved" Jews: Full freedom to murder...just as you should smash the brains of even the best snake...This is [Kittel] justification for the most anti-Jewish acts
.The picture of Kittel which emerges is not that of a devout Christian. He refurbished it with a touch of contemporary racial mysticism. (Theologians under Hitler by Erickson, Page 76)
The paw of the wolf in sheep's clothing, massaged the meanings in the Theological Dictionary and is manipulating a new generation of Christians, when they touch their new versions.
Kittel: Yea, hath God said.
Blavatsky: Ye shall be as gods.
Hitler: knowing good and EVlL.
(New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 599)
But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 11 Timothy 3: 1
If you feel that perhaps you have been deceived, you are not alone. At the very end of Kittel's life, he confessed that the years of his editorship of the Dictionary and his propaganda 'ministry' for Hitler,was based upon the most bitter deception of my life. ( Gerhard Kittel, Meine Verteidigung, Dec. 1946, Page 67)
His lack of spiritual discernment or his "diseased conscience," as Erickson calls it, seems to have been accompanied by a defect in scholarship. In citing an error in Kittel's work, Erickson writes,
This example throws a shadow of doubt on all of Kittel's research Kittel's factual base may not always have been strong enough to support the conclusions he drew. (Theologians under Hitler by Erickson, Page 62)
What are these conclusions? Perhaps you will hear some this week from the pulpit, the radio or television preachers, or as you read 'New' versions.
The next time you hear a pastor proclaim, "The Greek here really means." yea hath God said? be forewarned that his pronouncements are an echo from the past. Their hollow sound is one of Kittel's spiritually bankrupt grammatico-historico method of exegesis used by today's lexicons. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 600)
The Greek and Hebrew Lexicons and dictionaries are written by men, "most of whom are unbelievers," writes Princeton and Yale scholar Edward Hills. A few examples will suffice:
(1) The New Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew-English Lexicon's editor (Briggs) was defrocked by the liberal Presbyterian Church for his 'liberalism'. Trench, author of the much used Synonyms of the New Testament was a member of Westcott's esoteric clubs, as was Alford, whose Greek reference works are still used. J. Henry Thayer, author the New Thayers Greek Lexicon, was a Unitariain who vehemently denied the deity of Christ. (Thayer was also the dominant member of the ASV committee!) His Lexicon contains a seldom noticed warning by the publisher in its Introduction (p.vii). It cautions readers to watch for adulterations in the work relating to the deity of Christ and the Trinity. The acclaimed A.T. Robertson's Greek Grammar also sends up a red flag in its preface saying, "The text of Westcott are Hort is followed in all its essentials." Conclusions drawn by Kurt and Barbara Aland of the Nestles-Aland Greek New Testament elicit the response by Phillip Comfort that "the 'Alands' designations must be taken with caution." James Strong, author of Strongs Concordance was a member of the corrupt ASV Committee.
Hills summarizes:
Undeniably these unbelievers know a great many facts by virtue of God's common grace. They misrepresent these facts. however because they ignore and deny God's revelation of Himself in and through the facts. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 601 and Early Manuscripts and Modern Translations of the New Testament, Page 7)
Just as Black's Law Dictionary switched definitions to match progressively liberal legal interpretations, likewise most Greek an Hebrew dictionaries and interlinears have now adopted definitions based on Kittel's expounded dictionary, or the like, which define words based on citations by ancient Greeks like Plato, Socrates, Aristotle an other pagan sources. When applied to bible words, these pagan interpretations serve, not as a magnifying glass, as most suppose, but as a glass darkened by the shadow of fallen men. One example will suffice. The word 'love', if defined from the daises of our day would elicit a definition embracing such connotation as 'a feeling' 'an emotion' or perhaps a sexual sentiment. We have all heard bible teachers, following a Kittel-like Lexicon cite phileo and agapao, as the two Greek words which are translated 'love' in the New Testament. Phileo, according to their grammatico-historico method of exegesis would mean 'to be a friend'; agapao would mean' an unselfish God- like love'. These definitions, garnered from the secular Greek writer of the time, do not represent God's use of the terms. Former seminary professor, Dr. Samuel Gipp, has observed the inefficacious employment of this method, which is exposed by the following verses.
PHILEO AGAPA0
John 5:20 the Father
I Pet.3:10 he that will loveth the Son love
life and see good days
John 16:27 the Father
I John 3:10 neither
he loveth you that loveth not his
brother
I Cor. 16:22 if any
man love
I John 4:20 that loveth not his bother not the Lord Jesus
Christ
Titus 2:4 women love
their
Eph. 5:25, love your husbands
Col. 3:19
wives
Titus 3:4 and love
of God
Eph. 5:2 So ought men to love our Saviour their
wives
(New Age Bible Version By Gail Riplinger page 602)
Every word of God is "pure" and "given by inspiration of God"; reference works are not. The bible calls us to "compare spiritual things with spiritual" things (1 Cor. 2:13). Studying the context of other verses which also contain the word (listed in a concordance) Will reveal God's definition of the word. ('Love', for example, is defined in I John as "keep his commandments." We are to 'act' in love, not to 'feel' love. Going along with the New Age, new versions render Mark 10:21, "felt a love for" rather than "Jesus loved him," (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 603)
They have said, Come and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. Psalm 83:4,
News week and Time report of anti-Semitic organization in Russia today called 'Remembrance', whose membership vows to kill one Jew each day. (Time , May 28, 1990, & An Outbreak of Bigotry, Page 35)
As the New Age movement mantles the globe we see a pattern of anti-Semiusm emerging. Carr notes:
The Nazi worldview and major elements of the NAM [New Age Movement] worldview are identical. They should be, after all for they both grew out of the same occult root: Theosophy...teachings of Helena P. Blavatsky (The Secret Doctrine and Isis Unveiled & The Twisted Cross, Page 278-279).
Many New Age gurus, however, recognize their Hindu congruity with this Root-race theory. Swami Svalantrananda has seen this sharp spindle-shaped root and approves:
Hitler was a mahatma, almost like an avatar. He was the visual incarnation of Aryan polity.
( The Sorcerer’s New Apprentice, Page 100)
For those who will never read Alice Bailey's books, which accuse the Jews of having "bad national karma...for their sin of non-response to the evolutionary process," influential figures, such as India's Gandhi, echo to a broader audience, "The Jews would have died anyway." Chiming along to the tune of the times, new bible versions inject anti-Semitic notes to this occult overture. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 604 & The Ghandi Nobody Knows, Page 79)
Kent State University English Professor, Diana Culbertson, writes of her research which reveals that one new version:
Includes not only theological distortions, additions and mistranslations, but numerous examples of anti-Semitism. The bad news is that many readers are buying a shoddy version of the text. The Living Bible is not just a harmless, bland paraphrase. It is a slanted version of the scripture...Those reading The Book should know what has happened to the texts and to doctrine in this hyped best seller. (Note her following examples)
______________________________________________________________________
KJV vs. Living Bible
______________________________________________________________________
John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses
Moses gave us only the law with its rigid demands and merciless justice
______________________________________________________________________
Matt. 12:45 this wicked generation
this evil nation
_______________________________________________________________________
Gal. 4:3 were in bondage under the elements
We were slaves to Jewish laws and rituals of the world
_______________________________________________________________________
(New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 605 & Akron Beacon Journal)
Supporting Kittel's claim of a murderous spirit among Jews, new versions change Acts 26:17 from "Delivering thee from the people" to "from the Jewish people". No Greek support exists for adding the word "Jewish". Again in Acts 23:12, the NIV and NASB have ALL OF 'the Jews' conspiring 'under a curse' to kill Paul, whereas the verse really says "certain Jews". (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 606)
(
Williams, Alterations to the Text p.9) "Marcion expunged his copies of the Gospel according to Luke of all references to the Jewish background of Jesus", notes another scholar. "Paul's favorable remarks about Israel posed a problem for Marcion who simply excised the passages", says still another. New version editors who question its inclusion are in the beleaguered company of Marcion, the Vatican Manuscript, Westcott and Hort. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 606 & Wilber Pickering, The Identity of the New Testament Text, Page 41 & New Directions in New Testament Study, Page 42)Kittel’s propaganda reinforced this belief, as seen in his writings:
[The Jews]...blood results in decadence...It weakens and infects...It is poison...There was a moral right to throw stinkbombs. ( Gehard Kittel, Die Judenfrage, Page 34)
An occult ferment spread throughout Germany, by interest in magical fraternities such as the Hermetic Order Of The Golden Dawn and Mme Blavatsky Theosophical Society. The swastika was its major symbol in fact the swastika was a mystical symbol to Blavatsky, who wore one as a brooch. In 1920, as Adolf Hitler was nurturing his growing Nazi party, he seized upon the swastika as the perfect emblem to express what the party stood for. He put a black swastika inside a white circle against a red background. In his autobiography, Mein Kampf, said in red we see the social idea of the movement, in white the nationalist idea, in the swastika the mission and the struggle for the victory of the Aryan man. Hitler put the emblem on the armbands of his SS storm troopers and party members. By 1922 the swastika was on flags and standards displayed at all Nazi gatherings and meeting places.
( The Encyclopedia Of Witches And Witchcraft, Page 333)
William L. Shirer observes in The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich :
This was propaganda of the highest order. The Nazis now had a symbol which no other party could match. The hooked cross seemed to possess a mystic power of its own.
The Naazi swastika was designed by Dr. Friedrich Krohn, formely a member of the Germanen Order, a fanatical secret order founded by followers of Guido von List. Krohn's design was adopted around 1920. it become inextricably associated with the perverse doctrines, blood lust and sado-masochistic madness of the German Nazis. ( Occultism and Parapsychology, Page 1309)
Les Garrett the author of this book believes that Hitler took the swastika from Mme Blavatsky Brooch and the Theosophical Society because:
1. Numerous books, even some written prior to 1941 have exposed occultism as Hitler's driving force.
2. Adolf Hitler was a disciple of Madame Blavatsky and was initiated into the meaning of the secret doctrine.
Karl Haushofer gave Hitler his initial initiation into the secret doctrine. This was followed by a final initiation by occultist Dietrich Eckart who wrote: Follow Hitler, He will dance, but it is I who will call the tune. I have initiated him into The Secret Doctrine.
Both Albert Speer Hitler's [Armaments Minister] and Rudolf Hess [Deputy leader of the Nazi Party] did not think there had been one person with whom Hitler had a closer bond than Dietrich Eckart, who was regarded in anti-Semitic circles as a leading writer ( Inside the THIRD REICH by Albert Speer Page 156)
3. Blavatsky’s writings which asserted that the Jewish people were created by "Jehovah, an inferior god" and therefore are not of "the same essence" as the Aryan race. Blavatsky's Theosophical Society was at one time called The Aryan Theosophical Society. Her anti-Semitic pamphlet and quotes, which Hitler read in the secret Doctrine, provided fuel for the crematoriums.
Hitler's belief in his mission to achieve the supremacy of the so - called Aryan race, which he termed the master race, was clear evidence of a warped mind. (Columbia Encylopedia, Page 3120)
Hitler was a mahatma, almost like an avatar. He was the visual incarnation of Aryan polity.
( The Sorcerer’s New Apprentice, Page 100)
In his autobiography, Mein Kampf, said in the swastika we see the mission and the struggle for the victory of the Aryan man. [ Mme Blavatsky spoke of the Aryan race as did Hitler from reading her Secret Doctrine and in the swastika Hitler joined it to the victory of the Aryan man this only came from Blavatsky writings.]
Mme Blavatsky in The Secret Doctrine (1888) spoke of the Race of Hope, the Aryans. This fifth group was seized upon by the Nazi theorist, as a basis for their racial superiority notions. Heinrich Himmler, the chief of the Nazi SS (Schutzstaffel, meaning "protection squadron"), was a devoted follower of the racial theories of Blavatsky and based the design of the SS on her teachings. (An Encylopedia of Claims, Frauds and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural, Page 34 and 35)
Blavatsky:
The S.S. on sigils [an occult sign or character] and talismans [an object endowed with magical power of protecting the wearer from harm ] are suggestive of serpentine evil influence and denote a design of black magic upon others, the double S.S. are also found on the sacramental cups of the Church. ( Isis Unveiled, Vol 2 Page 449 by H.P. Blavatsky)Whenever Hitler touched on this theme, [the alliance with Japan] he implied that he was somewhat sorry about having made an alliance with the so-called yellow race. [Thus agreeing again with Mme Blavatsky Secret Doctrine] ( Inside the THIRD REICH by Albert Speer Page 181) [ Please read page 20 article on Aryans]
Finally the Author believes that Blavatsky took the symbol from India, as she spent some time in this nation and the swastika is an ancient Hindu sacred symbol. Blavatsky said: There is no nation in the world in which the feeling of devotion or of religious mysticism is more developed and prominent than the Hindu people. (The Secret Doctrine, Vol 1 page 212 by H.P.Blavatsky
)Above Mme Blavatsky's mystic brooch with her initials in a Hexagram (spirit and matter interlocked) topped by a swastika (the ceasless coming into being of life) enclosed in a snake swallowing its own tail (immortality), surmounted by the crown of perfection.
MISCELLANEOUS
RUPERT MURDOCH
Zondervan, the worlds largest publisher of the NIV, has been taken over by the Secular publisher Harper Collins, controlled by Rupert Murdoch.
The use of the ambiguous word 'immorality' by new versions is more a matter of sales than semantics. "After all, we are in the entertainment business," quips the owner of the NIV, international publishing magnate and purveyor of erotica, Rupert Murdock (New Age Bulletin, England, Vol. V No. 1. Page 2)
Murdoch is well known in the United States and England for purchasing reputable newspapers and converting them into a sensationalist format, emphasizing violence, scandal and sex. (ARROGANT AUSSIE THE Rupert Murdoch Story, By Michael Leapman Page 266)
Ruperts first paper in America the San Antonio News, with its relatively puny 61,000 circulation. In beginning Rupert increased the circulation with an even heavier emphasis on sex and crime, (RUPERT MURDOCH , by Jerome Tuccille author of TRUMP, Page 46)
By the middle of 1977 the first three or four pages of the New York Post were taken up with the more provocative sex and crime stories of the day, ( RUPERT MURDOCH , by Jerome Tuccille auhor of TRUMP, Page 51)
Murdoch was always searching for promotions to boost sales. One idea was serialize new books. Betty Riddell's task was to pare it right back without loss of the plot or characters. "I reported to Murdoch that I had solved the problem by cutting out the religion...while leaving in the sex. 'Good,' he said." (MURDOCH, By William Shawcross Page 111)
Warner Communications accused Murdoch of being "deceptive and manipulative" and asserted that he was
well known for changing papers "into a sensationalist format, emphasizing violence, scandel and sex. (MURDOCH, By William Shawcross Page 305)Rupert's words of advise to Andrew Neil: 'you're far to blunt with these people,' he said after the meeting. 'you have to be a bit more devious....just be a bit more two-faced be a bit more nice to them and then you can do what you want later on. Just try and soft-soap them a little bit.' (Full Disclosure, by Andrew Neil Former editor of London's Sunday Times Page 147)
During the battle for control of the The Times he was asked by Tom Kiernan whether he intented to live up to the promises he had made. Murdoch told him:
One thing you must understand, Tom. you tell these bloody politicians whatever they want to hear, and once the deal is done you don't worry about it They're not going to chase after you later if they suddenly decide what you said was not what they wanted to hear. Otherwise they're made to look bad, and they can't abide that. So they just stick their heads up their ----- and wait for the blow to pass. (Murdoch the Decline of an Empire By Richard Belfield, Christopher Hird and Sharon Kelly Page 80)
MURDOCH
Murdoch wasted little time in bringing Salem House and Zondervan, a publisher of religious books, into the Harper & Row fold. P.J.Zondervan, the founder of the company, who retired several years back, did express some concerns of his own on the matter. "I'm worried [Rupert Murdoch] MIGHT HAVE DIFFERENT IDEAS FOR THE COMPANY," he said to Associated Press correspondent Lisa Perlman. "I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE FUTURE." (Murdoch a Biography, by Jerome Tuccille, Page 172)
On the evening of the announcement of the acquiring of the New York Post, Murdoch went to Elaine's, the cites most fashionable restaurant for the media set, to celebrate with Clay Felker, Larry Lamb, Felix Rohatyn and Shirley Maclaine, the actress, with her boyfriend Pete Hamill, a trenchant and emotional columnist. They were all giving Murdoch excited advice about what to do with his prize. ( ARROGANT AUSSIE THE Rupert Murdoch Story By Michael Leapman Page 101)
The Columbia Journalism Review, published by Osborn Elliott, printed a startling editorial entitled: DOING THE DEVIL'S WORK. It described the New York Post "as appealing to the basest passions and appetites of the hour." For the New York Post is no longer merely a journalistic problem. It is a social problem-a force for evil. Murdoch's response "I don't give a damn what the media critics say," (ARROGANT AUSSIE THE Rupert Murdoch Story By Michael Leapman Page 121)
For some, particularly in Britain and Australia, he had acquired a kind of demonic status. "Lucifer-like" or "Satanic" were terms frequently applied to him. ( MURDOCH, By William Shawcross Page 3)
Many Labor Party supporters saw Murdoch as a Satanic figure. from now on he was seen by many on the left of Australian politics as a right-wing monster, in the pocket of the Americans, if not of the CIA (MURDOCH, By William Shawcross Page 173)
Late in the evening of 9 October 1989, after an early dinner with his editors and associates in Melbourne, Rupert flew back to where it all began, Adelaide. Next day was the Annual General Meeting of News Corporation, which was still registered in the capital of South Australia. As Murdoch arrived, the editor of the Adelaide Review, a tiny free sheet which was the Murdoch press's only competition in the city, and which attempted a spiky confrontation with News Corp's might, asked a visitor, "Do you smell a certain effulgence in the air? "Rupert is here," he said. "Lucifer has come trailing smoke and sulphur." (MURDOCH, By William Shawcross Page 471)
No single individual has ever wielded as much power over the media as Rupert Murdoch does today. As the driving force behind the most far-reaching communications empire in existence, Murdoch can claim to be one of the most powerful men on earth. He is the primary mover behind the most far-reaching changes affecting all our lives today. Murdoch said if you're in the media, particularly newspapers, "I sense... the power," he said. "Not raw power, but the ability to influence at least the agenda of what is going on. (RUPERT MURDOCH, by Jerome Tuccille author of TRUMP, Interview 1989 with J. Tuccille Author of TRUMP Page 11 also xiv,xvi Introduction)
Murdooch is certainly the most influential and powerful single individual in the world of media and communications. ( (RUPERT MURDOCH , by Jerome Tuccille author of TRUMP, Page 262)
Murdoch's power is phenomenal, (MURDOCH, By William Shawcross Prologue Page 1)
Murdoch and a handful of others are now reaching and touching the lives of billions of people all over the world. They are building the foundations of the twenty-first century, the information age. Their power is awesome, and the responsibility is immense. (MURDOCH, By William Shawcross Page 559)
Whitlam won the 1972 Australian election and Murdoch was quoted as claiming that he had "single-handedly put the present government into office". (MURDOCH, By William Shawcross Page 162)
But by 1974 Murdoch ordered his papers to begin a anti - Whitlam smear campaign Murdoch increased his campaign against Whitlam early in 1975. he took a personal hand in it during several visits to Australia spurring his editors on to dish the dirt on Whitlam. Murdoch's papers were soon to tell Kerr what he should do. (Murdoch the Decline of an Empire By Richard Belfield, Christopher Hird and Sharon Kelly Page 42,43)
Murdoch's only support is for the party which endorses him and his company. Ed Koch New York mayor is happy to admit how helpful Murdoch's support was to him: ' Without it I would not have been elected.' (Murdoch the Decline of an Empire By Richard Belfield, Christopher Hird and Sharon Kelly Page 45,46)
He has used his papers to make and break political careers and has welcomed the political and financial dividends that this brings. With political power has come the chance to exercise his ultimate unique skill - the ability to manipulate regulators and politicians on three continents to ensure that he gets what he wants: both for his business and in the kind of goverment he wants to support.
Politicians around the world believed that he had power over their electoral futures and many went out of their way to help him get what he wanted. ' Murdoch liked to see himself as a king - maker,' explains one ex - editor. ' There was always a queue of politicians outside his office door. (Murdoch the Decline of an Empire By Richard Belfield, Christopher Hird and Sharon Kelly Page 35)
Once Bob Hawke visted Murdoch to tell him that he had decided to ' unload ' his predecessor, Bill Hayden. Hawke wanted to get Murdoch's agreement and check that his papers would support him. (Murdoch the Decline of an Empire By Richard Belfield, Christopher Hird and Sharon Kelly Page 36)
Murdoch supported the Labour Party financially as well, donating to its advertising outlay. he also helped design the adverts for the final week of the campaign on the floor of his office and worked closely with Labour's two key strategists Mick young and Eric Walsh. What was to be considered news was decided by Murdoch and the Labour Party. (Murdoch The Decline of an Empire By Richard Belfield, Chris Hird and Sharon Kelly P.40)
Even in early 1991 Keating was still helping Murdoch. When members of the Labour Party's Communications Committe called on Keating to set up a media domination, Keating refused. He argued that it would unnecessarily
antagonise Murdoch's newspapers before the next election. (Sydney Morning Herald, 6 March 1991 and also (Murdoch the Decline of an Empire By Richard Belfield, Christopher Hird and Sharon Kelly Page 135)
Maxwell Newton said "If you get on the wrong side of him, all he has to do is put a cross next to your name and you cease to exist." [In terms of employement] (RUPERT MURDOCH , by Jerome Tuccille author of TRUMP, Page 18)
Irwin Stelzer, a wealthy American economic consultant who wrote a column for the Sunday Times and was increasingly important adviser to Murdoch, as well as an Aspen neighbor [said] people are afraid to question Murdoch's judgment. (MURDOCH, By William Shawcross Page 469)
Edward Pickering one of the directors of the Sunday Times. And who represented Murdoch on the board of the publishing house of Collins, said Rupert's a remarkable man. Not many people can stand up to the force of his personality. ( Good Times, Bad Times, By Harold Evans [former editor of The Sunday Times] Page 343,350)
It's like a woman with a womanizer who thinks she will be the woman to turn this man. That's what all of Murdoch's editors think. they know the stories of the carnage in the past, but they each have such wonderful encounters with him in the beginning. They believe, I'll be the one to turn this man around, find the idealist within him. The problem is that it isn't there. Underneath the charm he is ruthless, hiring and firing more editors than any other proprietor in the history of journalism. (Murdoch the Decline of an Empire By Richard Belfield, Christopher Hird and Sharon Kelly Page 6)
In recognition of his stance, the American Jewish Congress in New York named Murdoch Communications Man of the Year in April 1982, he received the award at the New York Hilton. The president of the Congress is Howard Squadron, his New York lawyer. (ARROGANT AUSSIE THE Rupert Murdoch Story, By Michael Leapman Page 235)
In April 1982 Murdoch was honored by the American Jewish Congress as "Communications Man of the Year," in recognition of his continuing support of Jewish interests in the United States. (RUPERT MURDOCH , by Jerome Tuccille author of TRUMP, Page 21)
Murdoch continued to support...Jewish causes around the world. (RUPERT MURDOCH , by Jerome Tuccille author of TRUMP, Page 87)
If there was a high point in the spread and the confidence of the News Corp empire, it was marked by the two conferences in the Rocky Mountain town of Aspen. At the first, in 1988, Murdoch was given the blessing of Richard Nixon. By the time of the second, in 1989, Murdoch was hailed as an architect of one of the most important developments of the late twentieth century: THE GLOBAL VILLAGE. The star performer was Richard Nixon. The former President flew in on Murdoch's plane, stood stiffly at the lectern and impressed listeners by his cogent speech on the way in which the world was changing. Both Murdoch and Nixon had a global vision, and both were ruthless in pursuit of that vision. Each saw himself as an outsider, attempting to force an established world into new patterns. Nixon believed that "the Establishment"- by which he meant liberals in Washington press and their allies - had destroyed him; Murdoch agreed with that Murdoch could now see himself as an essential piece of the structure of Western power. (MURDOCH, By William Shawcross Page 396)
One editor recalls the regular annual session at Apen, Colorado, attended in 1988 by fifty senior executives and columnist from papers throughout the world. There were two or three days of discussion on politics and economics with presentions from former American President Richard Nixon, British politician David Owen and American neo - conservative Norman Podhoretz. Recalling the atmosphere, one participant said: ' It was like a cult but one that I hadn't signed up for. A similar meeting had been held in February 1987. when thirty - seven of Murdoch's Australian editorial executives were put up at a hotel on the Australian Gold Coast. One of those later recalled: "It was like I imagined the Moonies behaved. Each of us had to reaffirm the Murdoch ethos: the kind of newspaper he wants, he gets and he controls. (Murdoch the Decline of an Empire By Richard Belfield, Christopher Hird and Sharon Kelly Page 11)
The lords of the global village have their own political agenda. Together, they exert a homogenizing power over ideas, culture and commerce that affects populations larger than any in history. Neither Caesar, nor Hitler, Franklin Roosevelt nor any Pope, has commanded as much power to shape the information on which so many people depend to make decisions about everything from whom to vote for to what to eat. (MURDOCH, By William Shawcross Page 465)
His influence, and power of resources he deploys, had recently been recognized in America by his appointment to the board of the Hoover Institute, an increasingly conservative think tank based in Stanford. The Hoover board include such stars of the Reagan firmament as George Shultz, Jeane Kirkpatrick, and Casper Weinberger. This marked an important transition for Murdoch. (MURDOCH, By William Shawcross Page 39
Lord Goodman, a respected and influential lawyer and public figure, was chairman of the board of trustees of the Observer, one of Britains oldest newspapers. Goodman would tell friends, he found Murdoch unreliable and opportunistic, with a low regard for business ethics. (ARROGANT AUSSIE THE Rupert Murdoch Story, By Michael Leapman Page 9,193)
NIV
"I will" is the official motto of the U.S. city sporting zip code 60606. In 1966, this same city hatched the NIV. New Age Bible Versions By Gail Riplinger Page 41)
The Number of a Man
In Revelation 13:18, opposite the words "and his number is six hundred and sixty and six," the Revisers have put a note which says, some ancient's read 616.". As to this Dean Burgon ask: "Why a we not informed that only one corrupt uncial, only one cursive, only one Father, and not one ancient Version, advocates this reading? Which, on the contrary, Irenaeus 170 A.D. knew but rejected, remarking that '666' which is 'found in all the best and oldest copies, and is attested by men who saw John face to face,' is unquestionably the true reading." (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 176, Taken from Which Version ? Authorized or Revised ?, by Philip Mauro USA Supreme Court Lawyer and one of the foremost patent lawyers of his day)
KJV
Contrary to advertising claims, the new versions are more difficult to read than the KJV, according to research using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Indicators. (
New Age Bible Versions By Gail Riplinger P. 3)Advertising campaigns create a cloud of confusion, calling the KJV "obscure, confusing and sometimes incomprehensible." While they crown the NIV's "clarity and ease of reading" and the NASB's "contemporary English. (New Age Bible Version By Gail Riplinger page 195)
The Flesh-Kincaid research company's Grade Level Indicator betrays the strictly black and white nature of the issue showing the new version's true colors. The KJV ranks easier in 23 out 26 comparisons. (Their formula is: (.39 x average number of words per sentence) + (11.8 x average number of syllables per word) -(15.59) = grade level. The first chapter of the first and last books of both the Old and New Testaments were compared. (New Age Bible Version By Gail Riplinger page 195)
Why is the KJV easier to read? The KJV uses one or two syllable words while new versions substitute complex multi-syllable words and phrases. Their "heady, high-minded" vocabulary hides the hope of salvation from simple saints and sinners 2 Cor. 3:12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech.
G.A. Riplinger has B.A., M.A., and M.F.A. degrees and has done additional postgraduate study at Harvard and Cornell Universities. As a university professor, the author taught seventeen different courses, authored six college textbooks and was selected for the Honor Society's teaching award and membership in a national Education Honorary. As one of fifty educators worldwide selected to be in international edition of Who's Who, the author was invited by the President's Citizen Ambassador Program to be a Representative to Russia. [ The Author of this book has spoken to Gail many times and she says, without a doubt, the King James is the easiest to read.
]Gail Riplinger
Realize that the "Thee's and thou's are not 1611 English, but bible language. At the time of the translation, these singular forms had already been replaced in conversation by 'you'. The glaring difference between the style of the KJV's preface and text reveals that, "Its style is that of the Hebrew and New Testament Greek." Replacing thee, thou thy and ye with you and your does not convey the significant spiritual distinction between the singular (thee, thou, thy) and the plural, ye. (New Age Bible Version By Gail Riplinger page 210)
Les Garrett
Even Bishop Lightfoot in his younger years affirmed that this version [KJV] was the storehouse of the highest truth and the purest well of our native English. "Indeed", he wrote, "we may take courage from the fact that the language of our English Bible is not the language of the age in which the translators lived, but in its grand simplicity stands out in contrast to the ornate and often affected diction of the literature of the time." (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 40)
Pastor Bruce D. Cummons of Massillon Baptist Temple says:
"In the language of the Greek New Testament and Hebrew Old Testament there is a very distinct difference in modern English - both singular and plural are translated ‘you’ However the ‘Thy’, ‘Thee’, ‘Thine’, and Ye of the KJV gives far more precise translation than would modern English. It is interesting to note that contrary to popular opinion, the word ‘you’ is used in the KJV of the Bible 2,614 times. The ‘thee’s’ and the ‘ye’s’ are used also for accuracy and directness of translation, perhaps the so-called ‘old’ English could better be described as good old "Bible English". (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 12)
Dr. William Phelps, Professor of English literature in Yale University said this; "The Authorised Version of the Bible [KJV] is the best example of English Literature that the world has ever seen."
(Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 60)
Dean Burgon in his Revision Revised says
"The English, as well as the Greek, of the newly Revised Version, is hopelessly at fault. It is to me simply unintelligible how a company of scholars can have spent 10 years in elaborating such a very unsatisfactory production. Their uncouth phraseology and their jerky sentences, their pedantic obscurity and unidiomatic English, contrasts painfully with the happy turns of expression, the music of the cadences, the felicities of the rhythm of our Authorized Version. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 170, Taken from Which Version ? Authorized or Revised?, by Philip Mauro USA Supreme Court Lawyer and one of the foremost patent lawyers of his day)
Dean Burgon has this to say:
"The Authorized Version should have been jealously retained wherever it was possible: but on the contrary every familiar cadence has been dislocated; the congenial flow of almost every verse of scripture has been almost hopelessly marred. So many of those little connecting words, which give life and continuity to a narrative, have been vexatiously displaced, so that a perpetual sense of annoyance is created. The countless minute alterations, which have been needlessly introduced into every familiar page, prove at last as tormenting as a swarm of flies to a wary traveler on a summer's day. To speak plainly, the book has been made unreadable. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett Page 186, Taken from Which Version ? Authorized or Revised?, by Philip Mauro USA Supreme Court Lawyer and one of the foremost patent lawyers of his day)
MORALITY
Roman Catholic Sister Madonna Kolbenschlay in Fidelity Page 42, said, "Women...are in the process of reversing Genesis by validating and freeing their sexuality." Father Matthew Fox in Original Blessing Page 282, writes, "Ours is truly an erotic god."
Father Maurice Shinnick
Says there is a false assumption in some churches that all people are attracted to the opposite sex, and therefore there is something wrong with those attracted to others of the same sex. "Gay people to not choose their orientation," he says. In an attempt to reduce that ignorance, Father Shinnick has written a book, This Remarkable Gift Being Gay and Catholic, which will be launched today. The parish priest in the Adelaide suburb of Kilburn, Father Shinnick has been appointed to the senior position of St Francis Xavier Cathedral in Adelaide, virtually the diocesan headquarters which he will assume next April. His book, which both he and the Church expect to cause controversy, was written on study leave funded by the Roman Catholic Church and the manuscript has been examined by Archbishop Leonard Faulkner of Adelaide This book will help to educate Catholics and their understanding of sexuality. In 1992, Father Shinnick received the Order of Australia. He is Chaplain to Acceptance, an organization that supports gay and lesbian Catholics. (This article is taken from the Australian, Friday October 24 1997 by Terry Plane
)The NIV editor Dr. Virginia Mollenkott jabs, "My lesbianism has always been a part of me". E(Episcopal Witness, June, 1991) Her pro-homosexual book, Is the Homosexual My Neighbor? echos her NIV’s assertion that the bible censures only criminal offences like "prostitution" and "violent gang rape," not "sincere homosexuals...drawn to someone of the same sex."
Morality...derives from the innermost self, not from mere obedience. (The Aquarian Conspiracy Page 316)
Evil is what you think it is. Shirley Maclaine. ( Dancing in the Light Page 209)
Presbyterian Church U.S.A. "A reformed Christian ethic of sexuality will not condemn any sexual relationship in which there is genuine equality and mutual respect. What is ruled out are relations in which persons are abused, exploited or violated." (New Age Bible Version By Gail Riplinger page 158)
New Age: No stigma need be attached to premarital, or extramarital sex or even incest, except where these acts do violence to another. (Ethics in Contemporary Psychic Experience. Page 65-67)
HELL
NEW VERSION EDITORS: "The second death is probably a combination of the Deluge and Sodom...it stands between the Garden of Eden and the Manna...(F)inite sin cannot deserve infinite punishment." ( The life of Hort , Vol. 1 Page 118.)
"The wrath to come" refers to "unbelieving Israel" ( The Life of Westcott , Vol. 2.)
Most students of the spiritual REALM agree that we are entering today into a New AGE of LIGHT on this planet. (emphasis mine) (Dr. Rodney Romney, a prominent Seattle Baptist minister taken from The Hidden Danger of the Rainbow, Page 178.)
Blavatsky
"Whenever the word "hell" occurs in the translation...it is unfortunate...in the original text it stands...death....Hell and its sovereign are both inventions of Christianity."(Blavatsky Isis Unveiled, Vol. 2 Page 506,507.)
R. Laird Harris: "In the face of these theological differences, a number of modern translations simply do not translate the word...Hell) may well stand for eternal death."
( The NIV: The Making of a Contemporary Translation, Page 58-71)
NIV EDITOR: "The committee did not feel absolutely bound to the Hebrew Text." (Larry Walker New Age Bible Versions by Gail Riplinger Page 292)
NIV EDITOR: "This view (hell) has some problems (it)... refers only to DEATH, NOT
to...any PUNISHMENT." (R.Laird Harris: The NIV: The Making of a Contemporary Translation, Page 58-71)
JEHOVAH WITNESS
"(Hell) applies to the common GRAVE of all mankind...The words contain no thought of or hint of pain." (New World Translation appendix., Page 1157)
Their New World Translation begins: (A) modern language translation of the Westcott-Hort Greek text. ( The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, Page 3-5.)
NIV EDITOR
"The NIV translators...came to a decision regarding the meaning of the word (hell)...the meaning grave fits...The translation grave is the most appropriate one. The terms (hell and grave) are synonymous...no more than darkness, dissolution, and dust of the tomb...to lie in the dust...decay or perish in the GRAVE. (R.Laird Harris: The NIV: The Making of a Contemporay Translation, Page 58-71)
NIV editor R. Laird Harris concedes regarding hell:
Its translation brings up a number of theological...matters. (T)here is a discussion as to what it means...a number of modern versions simply do not translate the word..They...leave each reader to decide for himself... ( New Age Bible Versions by Gail Riplinger Page 294)
Hades was quite a different place from or region of eternal damnation and might be termed rather an intermediate state of purification.( Blavatsky: Isis Unveiled, Vol. 2 Page 11.)
"New Greek editor F.J.A.Hort called purgatory "a great and important truth". ( The Life of Hort, Vol. 2 Page 336,337.)
N.T.EDITION EDITOR BELIEF
Origen
Hell is "figurative".The devil and fallen angels will exit hell and return to heaven.(De Civit Dei, I, xxi, c. 17.)
Origen maintained that not only men, but even devils (by which term he meant disembodied human sinners), after a certain duration of punishment shall be pardoned and finally restored to heaven . (Isis Unveiled By H.P. Blavatsky Vol 2 page 13)
Hort: Hell is "figurative"( See Hort’s Commentary on 1 Peter.)
J.B.Phillips, Phillips Translation: Does hell exist? Phillips says "I seriously doubt this."
( The Price of Success, Page 10.)
"New" Greek N.T., Westcott: Hell is "not the place of punishment of the guilty" but Hades is "the common abode of departed spirits.( Historic Faith, Page 76,78.)
NEW VERSION EDITOR We have no sure knowledge respecting the duration of future punishment, and the word eternal has a far higher meaning. F.J.A.Hort: The Life of Hort, Vol. 1, Page 149.)
KJV mentions Hell 23 times NIV mentions Hell 14 times
MUM
Nowhere in all literature can we find a more perfectly clear self-revelation of Fenton John Anthony Hort than in the "Life and Letters of Fenton John Anthony Hort" published in 1896 by his son, Arthur Fenton Hort. Hort was brought up by a well taught Bible-believing Evangelical mother. She recognized the fact that her son had departed from the faith "once delivered to the saints", and was saddened thereby. (Which Bible can we Trust, Page 238, by Les Garrett.)
Hort's biography states, he "outgrew Evangelical teaching which he came to regard as "sectarian fanaticism..perverted." Of his mother, Hort's biography states:
Her religious feelings were deep and strong...(H)is mother was... an adherent of the Evangalical School and she was to a certain degree hampered by it...She was unable to enter into his theological views which to her generation seemed a desertion of the ancient way; thus pathetically enough, there came to be a barrier between mother and son. The close intercourse on subjects which lay nearest to the hearts of each was broken...(Concerning) her different point of view,....he....had to recognise that the point of view WAS
His mother wrote to him, pleading that he would not be "missing" from,...the many mansions of our Heavenly Father's House and my darling, how happy it will be if we all meet there; no one missing from our household.
Hort writes to Lightfoot mocking an Evangelical Bishop:
....Claughton's fierce denunciation of everyone who questions an article of the Christian faith as an enemy of God and holiness. (There are) serious differences between us on the subject of authority and especially the authority of the Bible. (New Age Bible Version By Gail Riplinger page 627)
His shift from his evangelical upbringing was prodded by membership in the Philosophical Society and by his grandfather, an Archbishop who wanted to "interpret the Bible in a manner agreeable to the principles of Philosophy. Fourteen years after his instigation of the 'Ghostly Guild' with Westcott and Benson, Hort writes:
During the last 15 years my thoughts and pursuits have grown and expanded but not considerably changed. In Theology itself I am obliged to hold a peculiar position, belonging to no party, yet having important agreements and sympathies with all...I perhaps have more in common with the Liberal party than with others...I look upon freedom and a wide toleration as indispensable.... (Arthur Hort, The Life and Letters of Fenton John Anthony Hort, Vol. 2 Page 63)
Of Westcott a friend wrote:
What a theology it was - how broad ...anti-dogmatic; how progressive. ( Arthur Westcott, The Life and Letters of Brook Foss Westcott, Page 32)
The errors in the "New" Greek text and new versions, stemming from the liberal and hypocritical lives of Westcott and Hort, are leaving a generation of souls hungry. God foretold this in Isaiah 32.
The vile person shall no more
be called livery. For the vile person will speak villainy and his heart will
work iniquity, to practice hypocrisy and to utter error against the Lord, to
make empty the soul of the hungry...to destroy the poor with lying words
...the liberal diviseth liberal things. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail
Riplinger page 628)
WOULD YOU HAVE HORT IN YOUR
CHURCH?
If Hort was applying for the position of pastor in your church, he might reply as he did in 1871, when asked by the Bishop of Ely's to be a chaplain. (This was the very year he joined the New Testament Revision Committee.) "I doubt greatly whether I possess some of the qualifications ...in views, and still more in sympathies. I do not sufficiently conform to any of the recognised standards...on what might be called the details of even these matters of faith. I am not sure that my views so far as they are fixed would be generally accepted...(T)o give an instance, there are certain parts of the Old Testament. Mr Maurice's books have led me to doubt whether the Christian faith is adequately or purely represented in all respects in the accepted doctrines of any living school...I have...a keen interest in philosophy, a conviction that their vigorous and independent progress is to be desired for the sake of mankind even when for the time they seem to be acting to the injury of the faith...(A) fundamental difference in the subject of the Atonement IF IT EXISTED, would place me in a false position as your examining chaplain...I have friends of various creeds and creedless, [Blavatsky] from whom I believe I should do no wrong to dissociate myself. It is quite possible that I might wish to write papers or books in which some of these facts would unavoidably come to light." (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger
It is evidenced in the fact that, in spite of Hort's admission of 'heresy' he WAS hired as chaplain. His son writes:
(F)or the next six years (he) lectured to the theological students at Emmanuel College. The subjects were Origen...Clement...etc...(h)is lecturing which exercised a kind of spell over the more thoughtful listener....(T)here has grown up ...a kind of cult around him. There is something mysterious about those lectures. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger p. 629)
If we would not have Hort in our church, then why should we have Bibles based on the new Greek Text invented by these men that had a interest in the occult till their death
.SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST
NEW AGE
However in this New Age, the Cosmic Christ will come into millions of men and women who are ready to receive it. This will be the second coming of Christ for them. (Dark Secrets of the New Age, Page 209)
WESTCOTT
The Coming of Christ is not one but manifold.We may recognize comings of Christ in...Boniface...Colet...Loyola...Francis of Assisi...Through them Christ is coming to us.(Westcott Historic Faith, Page 91-99)
NEW AGE
It
is not the personal and visible Jesus who returns but rather Christ Consciousness that descends into the minds of all earthly inhabitants. The Second Coming refers not to the return of Jesus, but to the awareness by an individual that he is god. (Dark Secrets of the New Age, Page 37 & Inside the New Age Nightmare Page 91)Blavatsky:
There is but one temple in the universe, and that is the body of man. Nothing is holier than that high form. We touch heaven when we lay our hand on a human body. (The Secret Doctrine, Vol 1 Page 212 by H.P. Blavatsky)
WESTCOTT
The Apostolic expectations were mistaken. We must take warning from their disappointment against indulging in visionary and vain hopes...We know that all things are full of God. . Westcott (Historic Faith, Page 89-99)
NEW AGE
Instead of speaking of God having become incarnate, it is more appropriate to speak of God as becoming incarnate. The Christ must be seen as progressively coming into existence. (Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow Page 148)
WESTCOTT
:Revealing the law of progress...he will come socially in the secret spiritual forces...The appearing of Jesus Christ may be a long and varying process. .(Westcott Historic Faith, Page 948)
ATONEMENT
Westcott believed that the death of Christ was of His human nature, not of His Divine nature, otherwise man could not do what Christ did in death. Dr. Hort agrees in a letter to Westcott. Both rejected the atonement of the substitution of Christ for the sinner, or vicarious atonement; both denied that the death of Christ counted for anything as an atoning factor.They emphasized atonement through the Incarnation. This is the Catholic doctrine. It helps defend the Mass. (Which Bible can we Trust, by Les Garrett, Page 229)
WESTCOTT
"He is the propitiation for our sins," Wescott says, this verse is " foreign to the language of the New Testament." (The life and Letters of B.F. Westcott Vol. 2 Page 101,226 also Vol. 1 Page 231,209.)
Hort mockingly calls Evangelical Christianity, the "easy belief." "Without any act of ours we are children of the Great and Gracious Heavenly Father," he says. "Christ’s bearing our sins...[is] an almost universal heresy." Of the Bible Hort contends: There is no direct reference to the idea of sacrificial atonement...[The] lamb without blemish [is] the Passover lamb and not the lamb of God. [He admits], Objections might be taken to his views, especially on the doctrine of the Atonement....if it existed. "The atonement cannot possibly mean the sufferings of Christ." (F.J.A.Hort) He went on to say: I confess I have no repugnance to the primitive doctrine of a ransom paid to Satan. I can see no other possible form in which the doctrine of a ransom is at all tenable; anything is better than the doctrine of a ransom to the father. (The Life and Letters of F.J.A. Hort, Vol. 2 Page 158,373,334,401,224.)
BLAVATSKY
If we now stop to consider another of the fundamental dogmas of Christianty, the doctrine of the atonement, we may trace it easily back to heathendom. This cornerstone of the church which had believed herself built on a firm rock for long centuries, is now exavated by science...Professor Draper shows it is hardly known in the days of Tertullian ... That which helped forward the deification of Jesus was his dramatic death, the voluntary sacrifice of his life, alleged to have been made for the sake of mankind, and the later convenient dogma of the atonement, invented by the Christians. ...How strangely illogical is this doctrine of the Atonement. ... Christians affirm that Jesus gave himself as voluntary sacrifice? On the contrary, there is not a word to sustain the idea. ... And what, we ask, is left to preach? With no Savior, no atonement, no crucifixion for human sin, no Gospel, no eternal damnation to tell them of. (Isis Unveiled, Vol. 2 Page 41 339,542 ,545 and 579)
Hort evidently went to one too many Ghostly Guild meetings. Dr. Louis Talbot comments, "Some...including Origen...conceived that the ransom was given to Satan...this mythological tale had a strong appeal...but not to anyone who believes God’s word." ( What’s Wrong With Unity School of Christianity by Dr. Louis T. Talbot, Page 34)
(Campus Pastor, University of Wisconsin) "It’s narrow or unloving when we insist that Jesus is the only way." (Dark Secrets of the New Age, Page 59)
Talks with Christ and His Teachers by Elwood Babbitt: Reports an entity calling itself Jesus Christ, appeared and said, "I am not the Savior; For each man is a Savior within himself."( Dark Secrets of the New Age, Page 147.)
Elizabeth Claire Prophet: "The erroneous doctrine concerning the blood sacrifice of Jesus." ( The Science of the Spoken Word, Page 73.)
Benjamin Creme : "Blood Sacrifice...a picture of Christ impossible for the majority of thinking people."(Reappearance of Christ and the Masters of Wisdom Page 25)
WESCOTT AND BEER
The word 'sober' is gone in new versions and was also missing from the lives of some editors. Did J. B. Phillips' daily doses of sherry incite his intemperate tirades against fundamentalists, calling them "perfervid," "fire breathing" "asses." Westcott's son admits his father was "much drawn to beer." Late in life, he divulged his intemperance and became a spokesman for a brewery.[ sober in N.T. KJV 12 times, NIV none.] His picture together with some of the words spoken by him was utilized for the adornment of the advertisement of a brewer of pure beer. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 431)
UNITED BIBLE SOCIETY
The UBS Vice President is Roman Chatholic Cardinal Onitsha of Nigeria. The executive committee includes Roman Catholic Bishop Alilona of Italy. Among the editors a Roman Catholic Cardinal Martini of Milan. In the past, Catholics would not work with Protestants in the work of bible translations, because Catholics translated using the Greek manuscipt Vaticanus (B) as seen in Jerome's Latan Vulgate. Protestants until, until 1881, used the Majority Greek Text. Now that liberal Protestants are using the Vatican Manuscript also, Catholics are saying (Vatican II):
Catholics should work together with Protestants in the fundamental task of biblical translation... (They can) work very well together and have the same approach and interpretation...(This) signals a NEW AGE in the church.( Patrick Henry, New Directions in New Testament Study, Page 232-234.)
Subsequently, Jesuit scholars moved on to editorial positions in the previously Protestant Journal of Biblical Literature. Their work on the UBS/Nestle's text and influence in biblical scholarship has biased so many 'new' readings that the recent Catholic New American Bible was translated directly from UBS/Nestle, rather than the traditional Catholic Latin Vulgate. (New Age Bible Version, By Gail Riplinger page 498.)
Dean Stanley, a member of one of these corrupt translation committees, applauds this subtle work of the new versions in preparing for 'amalgamation'. (T)he revision work is of the utmost importance... in its indirect effect upon a closer union of the different denominations.( Life of Philip Schaff, Page 378.)
AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY
The American Bible Society now
titles and seals bibles for worldwide distribution with the insignia- Good
News for a New Age or 'God’s Word for a new Age (New Age Bible Versions
By Gail Riplinger Page 32)
Please note: Heb 9:10....Until the time of THE NEW ORDER (NIV) and 2 Cor 5:17 The old order is gone and a new order has already begun. (NEB)
MONEY
J.B. Phillips Translation
likewise lays bare his beliefs (about his billfold). He not only expects to
receive royalties from the sale of these versions but those who use
"extended qotes...must expect to pay a proper copyright fee." Dr.
Frank Logsdon, co-founder of the NASB, says of his partner, Dewey Lockman,
"He did it for money."
However "God is not the author of confusion" 1 Cor. 14:33 or of "Commercial ventures." the latter term was used to describe the ASV, NASB, Living Bible, RV, RSV and New Greek Text by Philip Schaff the Chairman of Wescott and Hort American Committee. His Autobiography exposes the sordid details of "intense fighting" and "battles" over the profits to ensue. God did not author these versions, as Schaff's book reveals. He admits the translation moved to "publisher’s control mid-stream"; each verse was "subject to approval of the University presses who had "assumed all expenses of the enterprises." (New Age Bible Versions by Gail Riplinger Page 172)
Philip Schaff states further:
Property and commercial rights were the bone of contention...I fought with the New Testament Company for three hours for American rights...The syndics of University presses...agreed to ratify them on the condition that the American Committee purchase the copyright of the revision for 5000 Pounds [several million American dollars today]... In return for the 5000 pounds the American Committee would then at all events obtain complete command of the American market [$$$]. The battle over commercial rights was so great that the University presses had prohibited the British companies from sending any more material to the U.S.A. After intense fighting, it was agreed that the American Committe could not release their version for 14 years ( The Life of Schaff, Page 366-377)
These so-called American Revisers were not allowed coordinate authority with the British committee. It appears that they were allowed to suggest criticisms, which the British committee rejected or adopted as to them seemed good, while the American committee had no power to reject the British decision. Consequently, a large part - perhaps the most, if secrets were divulged - of the suggestions of the Americans appear only in the form of an appendix. The committees have taken in hand the first of these task with vigor. They give us a text which boldly departs from the Majority Text. (This article appeared in the Southern Presbyterian Review for July, 1881 reviewing the Revised Version of the New Testament.)
2 Tim 2:9 The word of God is not bound. The KJV is the only version not bound by a copyright. No author receives a royalty because God is the author.
THE BIBLE IS A SEALED
BOOK
AND ONLY GOD’S PEOPLE
CAN UNDERSTAND
The preface to the KJV says, "He removeth the scales from our eyes, the veil from our hearts, opening our wits that we may understand His word."
The Bible is not difficult to understand-it is impossible unless God opens our eyes
PSA 119:18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
LUK 24:32... Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
LUK 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
1JO 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding,...
DNL 12:10 and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
Rev 5:2 to 9... Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Isaiah 29:10 For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.
Isaiah 29:11 And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which [men] deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it [is] sealed:
ISA 29:12 And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
THE WICKED CANNOT UNDERSTAND
DNL 12:10 and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand
John 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? [even] because ye cannot hear my word.
John 8:44 Ye are of [your] father the devil,
Psalms 82:4-5... the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand...
Proverbs 28:5 Evil men understand not... but they that seek the LORD understand all [things].
Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Romans 1:31 Without understanding,...
I Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.
Ephesians 4:18 Having the understanding darkened,...
JESUS IS THE WAY OF
UNDERSTANDING,
THE ONLY WAY
Proverbs 9:6... go in the way of understanding.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way,
Proverbs 21:16 The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.
Mark 7:14... Hearken unto me every one [of you], and understand:
Luke 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
I John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, ...
Job32:8 [there is] a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
II Timothy 2:7... the Lord give thee understanding...
Exodus 31:3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, and in understanding,....
Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation...
Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened;
John 3:3... I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see
Psalms 119:125...give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies.
Proverbs 17:24 Wisdom [Bible] [is] before him that hath understanding;
HOLY SPIRIT HELPS US TO
UNDERSTAND
HE IS THE AUTHOR
JOH 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: ...PSA 25:5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me:...
JOE 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; ...
PRO 1:23... behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
JOH 14:26 But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,
1CO 2:10 But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
1JO 2:27 ...the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth,...
2TI 3:16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God,
JOB 32:8... the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
GOD GIVES ANOINTED MEN
TO HELP US
TO UNDERSTAND
Jeremiah 3:15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
Nehemiah 8:7... the Levites, caused the people to understand the law:
NEH 8:8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused [them] to understand the reading.
Acts 8:30 Philip heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
Acts 8:31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me?
STUDY THE WORD AND GROW
AND AS WE
GROW WE UNDERSTAND
I Timothy 1:7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.
II Peter 3:16 As also in all [his] epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as [they do] also the otherscriptures, unto their own destruction.
II Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
I Corinthians 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
The Bible is a book for an entire lifetime
I Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child,.. I understood as a child
Job 12:12 With the ancient [is] wisdom; and in length of days understanding.
John 12:16 These things understood not his disciples at the first:...
I Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
I Corinthians 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able [to bear it], neither yet now are ye able.
Hebrews 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Isaiah 28:9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? [them that are] weaned from the milk, [and] drawn from the breasts.
WE UNDERSTAND MORE IF WE OBEY
Psalms 107:43 Whoso ... will observe these [things], even they shall understand...
Psalms 119:100 I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.
Psalms 111:10... good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]:...
Daniel 9:13... that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.
WE CANNOT UNDERSTAND UNTIL
GOD
REVEALS THE WORD
I Corinthians 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know...
Daniel 12:8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what [shall be] the end of these [things]?
Daniel 12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words [are] closed up and sealed till the time of the end.( we will never understand what God has not revealed)
Luke 9:45 But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not:
Mark 9:32 But they understood not that saying,...
John 12:16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and [that] they had done these things unto him.
Since the fall man has moved off to a corner of the universe, out of reach of God's voice. The spiritual chasm is so vast that even those close to Jesus could not understand him. He was not speaking archaic Aramaic to Mary and Joseph yet, "they understood not the saying which he spake unto them." Obsolete words were not the obstacle when he asked Peter, "Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand?" Later, Peter again fell under the darkening spell of sin saying, "I know not, neither understand what thou sayest.
" (New Age Bible Version By Gail Riplinger page 635)
SMALL CONCORDANCE
THE WORDS IN BOLD PRINT ARE MISSING IN THE VERSE
Please note for a complete 60
PAGE concordance
of all the major changes in the N.T.
Read Which Bible can we
Trust, by Les Garrett
THE KINGDOM
Mark 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God...
REPENTANCE AND ATONEMENT
Matthew 9:13 But go ye and learn what [that] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard [it], he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
I John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, [even] the forgiveness of sins:
Luke 9:55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
Luke 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save [them]. And they went to another village. ( 28 words missing)
Revelation 21:24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it:
Mark 3:15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
Acts 3:11 And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John,
Luke 4:18 ...he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted,... (This truth is no longer in the N.T.)
Luke 8:43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND GOD
(Gone out Jesus 87 times, Christ 52 times, Lord 39 times, God 48 times and over 38 times his deity is gone)
II Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
I Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Acts 9:29 And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him.
Romans 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
Ephesians 3:9 And to make all [men] see what [is] the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Ephesians 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Galatians 4:7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
I Corinthians 15:47 The first man [is] of the earth, earthy: the second man [is] the Lord from heaven.
Mark 11:10 Blessed [be] the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
John 6:69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
I John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
Luke 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
Romans 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
Romans 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
Romans 16:24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you all. Amen.
( 17 times whole verses missing)
I Corinthians 10:28 But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth [is] the Lord's, and the fulness thereof:
I Corinthians 16:22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
Galatians 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
Colossians 1:2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace [be] unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians [which is] in God the Father and [in] the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace [be] unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Daniel 3:25 He answered and
said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have
no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. (now
reads a son of the gods)
FUTURE REFERENCE TO CHRIST
Matthew 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Revelation 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send [it] unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Revelation 11:17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
Revelation 16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
Matthew 20:22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
Matthew 20:23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but [it shall be given to them] for whom it is prepared of my Father. (23 words missing)
MAKE THE WORD FOOLISH
Acts 15:24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, [Ye must] be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no [such] commandment:
Revelation 16:7 And I heard another out of the altar say,
John 6:11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down;
Luke 2:33 And Joseph (changed to father) and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
Luke 2:43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother ( changed to his parents) knew not [of it].
Hebrews 2:16 For verily he took not on [him the nature of] angels; but he took on [him] the seed of Abraham. ( changed to: for surely he does not give help to angels N.A.S.B. or For surely it is not angels he helps NIV)
II Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly ( changed to: who desire to live godly N.A.S.B. or who wants to live NIV ) in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Revelation 13:18 Here is wisdom.
Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the
number of a man; and his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and] six. (N.A.S.B.
some mss read 616)
OPPOSITES
Matthew 21:29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. ( I Will sir and he did not go N.A.S.B.)
Matthew 21:30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I [go], sir: and went not. ( I will not but afterwards regretted and went N.A.S.B.)
Matthew 21:31 Whether of them twain did the will of [his] father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. ( The Latter N.A.S.B. )
Hosea 11:12 ... Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints.( changed to: Judah is unruly against God NIV and N.A.S.B. and others )
Matthew 18:12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine (Added: on the hills,) and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? ( N.A.S.B, NIV and others)
IN HEAVEN
I John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, [even] the Son of man which is in heaven.
MAR 11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Luke 24:51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. ( missing N.A.S.B. and others)
LUK 11:2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
COMMUNION
I Corinthians 11:24 And when he had given thanks, he brake [it], and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
I Corinthians 11:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. ( 9 words missing from communion )
Mark 14:22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake [it], and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.
Ephesians 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
Mark 9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
1 Corinthians 7:5 Defraud ye not one the other, except [it be] with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.
Matthew 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
MAR 9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
MARK 10
Mark 10:7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
( missing in N.A.S.B. and others)
Mark 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Mark 10:24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
LUKE 4
Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
LUK 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Luke 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
LUK 4:41 And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. ...
THE LORDS PRAYER
Luke 11:2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Luke 11:4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. (21 words missing)
OTHERS
Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: ...
Matthew 19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except [it be] for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
Matthew 20:16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
Matthew 27:35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. (25 words missing a Fulfillment of Psalm 22:18)
Mark 6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. ( 23 words missing )
Luke 20:30 And the second took her to wife, and he died childless. JOH 11:35 Jesus wept. ( Now two short verses both 9 letters )
Luke 22:64 And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?
Luke 23:38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Luke 24:42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
John 7:8 Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast: for my time is not yet full come. ( N.A.S.B., ASV and others leave out yet in their text this makes Jesus a liar because in verse 10 he went up to feast)
John 8:9 And they which heard [it], being convicted by [their own] conscience, went out one by one,
John 8:10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
John 8:59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
John 16:16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.
Acts 8:36 And as they went on [their] way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, [here is] water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
Acts 8:37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Acts 8:38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
Acts 9:5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: [it is] hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
Acts 9:6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord [said] unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. ( 33 words missing in verse )
Acts 15:24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, [Ye must] be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no [such] commandment: (16 words out what did they say)
Acts 23:9 And there arose a great cry: and the scribes [that were] of the Pharisees' part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.
Romans 8:1 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
I Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, [see that ye] love one another with a pure heart fervently:
APPENDIX A
50 Times Christ is taken from Jesus, or Jesus taken from Christ or left out altogether
JESUS TAKEN AWAY FROM CHRIST
MAT 16:20 ... they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
ROM 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision ...
ROM 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, ....
2CO 4:6... the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2CO 5:18 ... who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ,
COL 1:28...that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
PHM 1:6... every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
1PE 5:10...hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus,
1PE 5:14 ... Peace [be] with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
CHRIST TAKEN AWAY FROM JESUS
LUK 4:41... Thou art Christ the Son of God....
JOH 4:42... this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
JOH 6:69 ... thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
ACS 9:20... he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
ACS 15:11... that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, ...
ACS 16:31...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
ACS 19:4... should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
ROM 1:16...the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation ...
ROM 16:20...The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you. Amen.
ROM 16:24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you all. Amen.
1CO 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,...the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1CO 9:1 Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?
1CO 16:22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
1CO 16:23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you.
2CO 11:31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, ...
1TH 2:19... in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
1TH 3:11 Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, ...
1TH 3:13...even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ...
2TH 1:8... and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2TH 1:12 That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you,...
HEB 3:1... High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
1JO 1:7... and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1JO 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh ...
2JO 1:9... He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son
.REV 1:9... and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
REV 12:17... and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
REV 22:21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you all. Amen.
TAKEN FROM EACH OTHER
EPH 3:9... who created all things by Jesus Christ:
2TI 4:22 The Lord Jesus Christ [be] with thy spirit. Grace [be] with you. Amen.
ACS 8:37... I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
GAL 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, ...
EPH 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
COL 1:2... and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1TH 1:1... and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
ROM 1:3...his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David
....
CHRIST TAKEN OUT
ROM 14:10... the judgment seat of Christ. changed to judgement seat of God
1CO 10:9 Neither let us tempt Christ, changed to try the Lord
1CO 9:18... I may make the gospel of Christ without charge,
ACS 2:30... according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne
;
MY FATHER CHANGED TO THE FATHER
14 TIMES IN JOHNS GOSPEL
JOH 6:65... can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. (the father)
JOH 8:28... I do nothing of myself; but as my Father (the father) hath taught me,...
JOH 8:38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: (the father)
JOH 10:17 Therefore doth my Father (the father) love me, because I lay down my life,..
JOH 10:29 My Father, (the father) which gave [them] me, is greater than all; ...
JOH 10:30 I and [my] Father (the father) are one.
JOH 10:32... Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; (the father)
JOH 12:26... if any man serve me, him will [my] Father (the father) honour.
JOH 14:12 ... greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father (the father)
JOH 14:28... for my Father (the father) is greater than I.
JOH 16:10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, (the father and ye see me no more;
JOH 18:11... the cup which my Father (the father) hath given me, shall I not drink it?
JOH 20:17 ...Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: (the father)
JOH 20:21.. Peace [be] unto you: as [my] Father (the father) hath sent me....
Blavatsky:
There is not a single act of adoration recorded by Peter or Paul, nor did Jesus, himself, ever declare his identity with his Father...In preaching this, he but repeated a doctrine taught ages earlier by Hermes, Plato and other pholosopher. ...We are quite ready to show the "Lord God" of Israel the same respect as we do to Brahma, Zeus, or any other secondary deity. But we decline, most emphatically, to recognize in him either the Deity worshipped by Moses, or the "Father" of Jesus. ( Isis Unveilied, by H.P. Blavatsky Vol 2 Page 193, 401)
THE BIBLE SAYS:
my Father are one.JOH 10:30 I and
JOH 17:11... Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we [are].
JOH 17:22 ...the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
JOH 5:18 .....the Jews sought the more to kill him, ..becauce he said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
JOH 10:38... that ye may know, and believe, that the Father [is] in me, and I in him.
JOH 14:9... he that hath seen me hath seen the Father;
JOH 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
ROM 15:6... one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Father of our Lord Jesus Christ 8 times by Paul and Peter, Rom 15:6,2Cor 1:3,2Cor 11:31, Eph 1:3,Eph 1:17 Eph 3:14, Col 1:3, and by Peter in 1 Pet 1:3
2CO 1:3 Blessed [be] God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1JO 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
EPH 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
APPENDIX B
A Summary of Westcott and Hort
:
1840
....he took a strange interest in Morminism...procuring and studying the Book of Mormon." (Westcott, Vol 1, p.19)
1842
"In the evening I go with Tom to the wizard; but he does not dare perform before us." (Westcott Vol. 1, p.9)
1845
Westcott , Hort and Benson started the 'Hermes' club.
1846
"...His diary tells of a walk to Girton with C.B.Scott in which metaphysics was discussed." (Westcott,Vol. 1, p.42)
(R)efers to evangelicals as "dangerous" and "unsound". (Westcott, Vol. 1, pp. 44-45)
"New doubts and old superstitions and rationalism, all trouble me...I cannot determine how much we must believe; how much in fact is necessarily required of a member of the church." (Westcott, Vol. .1, pp. 46-47)
1847
"So wild, so skeptical am I; I cannot yield." (Westcott, Vol 1, p.52)
In speaking of heretic Dr. Hampden says "If he be condemned, what will become of me?" (Westcott, Vol 1, P.52)
1848
Hort refers to the "....fanaticism of bibliolaters." He remarks, "The pure Romish view seems to me nearer and more likely to lead to truth than the evangelical." (Hort, Vol. 1, pp 76-77)
"Protestantism is only parenthetical and temporary." (Hort, Vol. 11, p. 31)
1850
Hort speaks of "....confused evangelical notions...." He says, "I spoke of the gloomy prospect should the Evangelicals carry on their present victory." (Hort Vol. 1, pp 148, 160)
Westcott was "troubled in thought about this passage" (blasphemy against the Spirit). (Westcott Vol. 1, p. 109)
1851
Hort joins the ‘Philosophical Society’ and comments, "Maraca urged me to give the greatest attention to Plato and Aristotle and to make them the centre point of my reading." (Hort, Vol. 1 pp. 202, 93)
Hort refers to, "the common orthodox heresy: inspiration." (Hort, Vol. 1, p. 181)
Westcott, Hort and Benson started the ‘Ghostly Guild".
Westcott was ordained a ‘priest’ in the Anglican church.
Hort also joins ‘The Apostles’, a secret club.
1852
Westcott and Hort distribute ‘Ghostly Guild’ literature.
Westcott in speaking of Revelation, admits, "On this, my views are perhaps extreme." (Westcott, Vol. 1, p. 225)
Referring to the Traditional Greek Text, then currently in use, Westcott says, "I am most anxious to provide something to replace them."
He admits the drastic changes he plans and calls it, "our proposed RECENSION of the New Testament." (Westcott, Vol. 1, p. 229)
1853
Hort "was diligently preparing for his ordination" into the Anglican priesthood.
"It was during these weeks with Mr. Westcott, who had come to see him, (Hort) at Umberslacle, that the plan of a joint revision of the text of the Greek Testament was first definitely agreed upon." (Hort Vol. 1, p. 240)
About this time Mr. Daniel Macmillan suggested to him (Hort) that he should take part in an interesting and comprehensive ‘New Testament SCHEME’. Hort was to edit the text in conjunction with Mr. Westcott, the latter was to be responsible for a commentary, and Lightfoot was to contribute a New Testament Grammar and Lexicon." (Hort p. 241).
"He and I are going to EDIT a Greek Text of the New Testament some two or three years hence if possible." (Hort Vol. 1, p. 250)
"We came to a distinct and positive understanding about OUR Greek Text and the details thereof. We still do not wish to be talked about but are going to work at once and hope we may have it out in a little more than a year. This of course gives good employment." (Hort Vol. 1, p. 264
1855
"How certainly I should have been proclaimed a heretic." (Westcott Vol. 1, p. 233)
1856
"Campbell’s book on the Atonement...unluckily he knows nothing except Protestant theology." (Hort Vol. 1,l p. 322)
"I hope to go on with the New Testament Text more unremittingly." (Hort Vol. 1, p. 355)
1857
"I am just now chiefly occupied about a proposed Cambridge translation of the whole of Plato.... another scheme likely to be carried out if a publisher can be found." (Hort, p. 349)
1858
"But no doubt there was an element of mystery about Westcott. He took his turn preaching in chapel, but he dreaded and disliked the duty and he was quite inaudible." (Westcott Vol 1, p. 198)
"The principle literary work of these years was the REVISION of the Greek Text of the New Testament. All spare hours were devoted to it."
"Evangelicals seem to me perverted...There are, I fear, still more serious differences between us on the subject of authority, especially the authority of the Bible."
"At present many orthodox but rational men are being UNAWARES acted upon by influences which will assuredly bear good fruit in due time if the process is allowed to go on QUIETLY, but I fear that a premature crisis would frighten back many into the merest traditionalism." (Hort Vol. 1, p. 400)
1859
"I shall be very glad to learn what are the objectionable parts in my sermon: I fancied that I kept wonderfully within the limits of orthodoxy: but I trust that my object was rather to say what I felt than square what I say with some scheme." (Westcott, Vol. 1, p.208)
"My dear Lightfoot, thank you very much for your kind present. But why did you send BEER instead of coming yourself? I have another question to ask about palimpsest fragments of the first seven chapters of St. Luke...I can testify to the high value of the MS". (Hort Vol. 1, pp 403 - 404)
1860
"If only we speak our minds, we shall not be able to avoid giving GRAVE offences to ....the miscalled orthodoxy of the day." (Hort Vol. 1, p. 421)
"If you make a decided conviction of the absolute infallibility of the New Testament a SILNE QUA NON for cooperation, I fear I could not join you." (Hort Vol. 1, p. 420)
"(M)y doubts about infallibility (remain). Lightfoot wants you to take Hebrews, if it does not go to Benson (Ghostly Guild) (Hort Vol. 1, p. 422)
"I ....looked at the CHRISTIAN OBSERVER(‘S) ....condemnation of my heresy." (Westcott Vol. 1, p. 241).
"I reject the word infallibility of Holy Scriptures overwhelmingly." (Westcott Vol. 1, p.207)
"I am also glad that you take the same provisional ground as to infallibility that I do...In our rapid correspondence about the New Testament, I have been forgetting Plato." (Hort’s letter to Lightfoot, Hort, Vol. 1, p. 424)
1861
"....imputations of heresy and the like against me." (Westcott Vol. 1, p. 222)
"This may sound cowardice - I have sort of a craving that our text should be cast upon the world before we deal with matters likely to brand us with suspicion. I mean, a text issued by men who are already known for what will undoubtedly be treated as dangerous heresy will have great difficulty finding its way to regions which it might otherwise hope to reach and whence it would not be easily banished by subsequent alarms." (Hort’s letter to Westcott regarding their writing other things). (Hort p. 445)
1862
"English Clergy are not compelled to maintain the absolute infallibility of the Bible." (Hort, Vol. 1, pp 454)
1864
"Westcott talks of our keeping pace with the printers."
1865
"(T)he idea of La Salette (appearances of the Virgin) was that of God revealing Himself, now, not in one form, but in many." (Westcott Vol. 1, p. 251)
During his trip to visit the shrine of the Virgin he stopped in Milan to make "examination of the Muritorian Fragment of the Canon." (Westcott Vol. 1, p.254.)
1866
"All the questionable doctrines which I have ever maintained are in it." (Westcott Vol. 1, p,.290)
1869
"We must somehow contrive.....some way of adding to income." (Hort Vol. 11, p.108)
Westcott urges me to try what writing will do." (Hort Vol. 11, p.110)
1870
"Dr. Butler calls him (Westcott) ....mysterious....His voice reached but a few and was understood still fewer." (Westcott Vol 1, p. 272)
"Dr. Westcott and myself have for about seventeen years been preparing a Greek Text....we hope to have it out early next year." (Hort Vol. 11, p. 137)"...strike blindly....much evil would result from the public discussion." (Westcott Vol 1, p.229)
1871
"I shall aim at what is transcendental in many peoples eyes...I suppose I am a communist by nature." (Westcott Vol. 1, p.309)
Westcott, Hort and Lightfoot were invited to join the Revision Committee of the New Testament. "Westcott.....believes we ought to seize the opportunity especially since WE THREE are on the list." (Hort Vol. 2, p.133)
1872
Westcott, Hort and Lightfoot begin the Eranus Club (the "we three" of the Ghostly Guild). Sidgwick and Balfour, of upcoming Society for Psychical Research, l also join Eranus.
(Work on New Testament revision continues 1871 - 1881)
1873
"Truth is so wonderfully large." (Westcott, Vol. 1, p 333)
1877
Eranus meet in Hort’s room.
1881
"Our Bible as well as our Faith is a mere compromise." (Westcott, on The Canon of the New Testament: A General Survey. p. vii)
"(T)he work which has gone on now for nearly 30 years was brought to a conclusion". (Hort Vol. II, p. 234) (The Revised Version and ‘New’ Greek are published; or is he talking about the Ghostly Guild, which also began exactly 30 years ago and inspired the S.P.R. in 1882?
1882
"The truth seems to me to be so overwhelmingly vast and manifold that I shrink from drawing any outline except provisionally." (Westcott Vol. II)
1889
"Life and truth grow more and more mysterious." (Westcott Vol. II, p, 61)
1893
"He sometimes with much seriousness professed to be much drawn to BEER..." (Westcott Vol.II p. 178)
"His zeal in the cause of pure BEER involved him in a correspondence which was published in the newspapers in the later part of 1893 and HIS PICTURE together with some of the following words spoken by him, WAS UTILIZED FOR THE ADORNMENT OF THE ADVERTISEMENT OF A BREWER OF PURE BEER": My idea is that they might have a public house in which good BEER alone would be sold...I consider pure beer....to be an innocent and wholesome beverage....(S)ubstitutes for malt....is not what the purchaser demands nor expects." (Westcott's letter written to Brewer's Society in complaint against inferior BEER). (Westcott Vol. II , pp 218-219, 177)
1896
"The Prohibitionists once more showed themselves to be unstatesmanlike...." (Westcott Vol. II, p. 238)
1899
"But from my Cambridge days I have read the writings of many who are called mystics with much profit." (Westcott Vol. II, p.309) (Taken from Appendix A in Gail Riplingers Book)
Appendix C
SPURGEON'S LAST WORDS
ON THE
ATTACK ON GOD'S WORD
Our warfare is with men who are giving up the atoning sacrifice, denying the inspiration of Holy Scripture and casting slurs upon justification by faith.....the truth of God versus the inventions of men.
[Please read top of page 49 Colwell,Dabney and Burgon, and page 44 bottom by Sidney Collett Charles Spurgeon close friend, On the new Text by Westcott and Hort being the invention of men.]
By the 1880s, as new
intellectual currents ran through English Nonconformity, he felt increasing
alarm at lax theological opinions in his own denomination. In 1887 he publicly
withdrew from the Baptist Union in the so - called Down - Grade Controversy. It
was not a protest against the views of John Clifford, the most prominent of the
General Baptists, nor against the Arminian convictions that Clifford shared with
the Methodists; Spurgeon had a Methodist preach for him immediately afterwards.
Rather, Spurgeon criticized those giving up the atoning sacrifice, denying the
inspiration of Holy Scripture, and casting slurs upon justication by faith. But
he was bound by a private promise not to state their names. ...In his last years
Spurgeon suffered from a sense of isolation, accentuated by differences with
previous friends. His earlier support for the Liberal Party leader William Ewart
Gladstone terminated in 1886. [William Ewart Gladstone became involved in seance
sittings with B.F. Westcott. please read the top of page 149 in this book. (Great
Leaders of the Christain Church, by John D. Woodbridge Page 337,338)
JOHN WESLEY
QUESTION: But what reasons are there why we should separate from the church?
ANSWER: Among others those which
were printed above twenty years ago entitled,exceptions: (1) if the parish
minister be a notoriously wicked man; (2) if
he preach Socinianism Arianism, or any other essentially false doctrine.
SPURGEON
ON ARIAN &
SOCINIANISM
Authors note
: Arian (Collins English Dictionary: Arius of Alexandria , who denied Christ's divinity. A follower of Arius - Arianism the heretical doctrine of the Arians.) Westcott and Hort followers of Origen, were all Arian in belief. Origen rejected the deity of Christ and claimed Christ was a created being. (Encyclopedia Britannica 1936 Vol. 16, pages 900 - 902 . says Origen taught that the Lord Jesus Christ is a created being who did not have eternal existence as God.) Socinianism (Collins English Dictionary:) Are those who deny the doctrine of the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, and the divine inspiration of the Scriptures. Westcott and Hort were Socinianism in believe and their new Greek text upheld by the writings of CHRISTIAN WORLD who sung the praise of the modern thought and modern theology of Westcott and Hort. It was against this heresy [of Westcott and Hort] that Spurgeon had his last battle. After the release of the new text in 1881 there was a massive decline into heresy. May we take up the battle like Spurgeon before it is to late. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said in one of his last sermons "I believe that our version THE AUTHORIZED [KJV] is the correct one but the fiercest battlings are being held over this book." For an extract from this sermon see page 227 Which Bible can we Trust by Les Garrett.They were so mean and dishonest as to conceal their sentiments under ambiguous phrases. They so expressed themselves that their orthodox hearers might appropriate their statements in support of their own views, while their Arian adherents could turn them to support their scheme. It is stated on very good authority that "many wore this disguise all their days and the most cautious carried the secret with them to the grave." This is terrible to think of; men going down to the grave with a whole life of the very worst kind of hypocrisy unconfessed, the basest deceit and dishonesty unacknowledged, the life-long practice of a lie unrepented of.
Please read middle of page 31 in this book and page 136 1858 last section and 1859 bottom of page 136 in relation to the above statement by SpurgeonOthers were only a little less hardened in their career of falsehood; they prepared a sermon, or other composition, revealing their true sentiments, which was made public after their decease.. Still more confided their real sentiments to a small circle of adherents, who told the tale of heresy to the world only when the grave had closed over the teacher. In most cases, in both preachers and hearers, it was only a short step down from the Arianism which makes the eternal Son of God a super-angelic being, and Arian venerates the Scriptures less. to Socinianism (mis-called Unitarianism) which makes him a man only. The old ministers.....ceased to require a declaration of faith in the divinity of Christ..... the younger minister intermixed his rationalistic connections and his Socinian leaven.
Rationalist teachers mentioned in this article are also mentioned by R.L Dabney on page 44 in this book
Dr. Lardner was elected. For some reason he declined, when Dr. Benson, another Socinian in London succeeded to the pastorate.
The mind of the Socinian feels still less veneration for the Word of God; for, according to his sentiments, some parts of it are not inspired; mistakes occur in the reasoning of the apostles; not a few passages are unauthentic, and what remains is interpreted with a latitude as to the expressions and language of Scripture, which would not be tolerated in expounding the sense of any other writer.
Previous to this period, some few Free Churches had been founded, and were Independent or Baptist, the latter being mainly of the General section, and of Dutch origin. Some of them, in the course of two or three generations, or even less, became either Arian or Socinian. In proportion as the ministers seceded from the old Puritan godliness of life they commonly became less earnest and less simple in their preaching, more speculative and less spiritual in the matter of their discourses, and dwelt more on the moral teachings of the New Testament, than on the great central truths of revelation.....and the sermons became more and more Christless These displayed, not only less zeal for the salvation of sinners, and, in many cases, less purity or strictness of life, but they adopted a different strain in preaching, dwelt more on general principles of religion, and less on the vital truths of the gospel. Ruin by sin, regeneration by the Holy Spirit, and redemption by the blood of Christ - truths on the preaching of which God has always set the seal of his approbation - were conspicuous chiefly by their absence. In fact, the "wine on the lees well refined" was so mixed with the muddy water of human speculation, that it was no longer wine at all. Men of this stamp were chiefly remarkable for the extreme coldness of their sermons, and the extreme dullness of their delivery.
It would appear that the Arian and other heresies did not spread at first so quickly in London as in the country Many ... proved that they were already on "the down grade" towards Socinianism.
SPURGEON ON DARWIN
If anyone wishes to know where the tadpole of Darwinism was hatched, we could point him to the pew of the old chapel in High Street, Shrewsbury, where Mr. Darwin, his father, and we believe his father's father, received their religious training. The chapel was built for Mr.. Talents, an ejected minister; but for very many years full-blown Socinianism has been taught there, as also in the old chapel at Chester, where Matthew Henry used to minister, and where a copy of his Commentary, of the original edition, is kept for public use, the only witness, we fear, to the truths he taught there.
Are not the theories of evolution retrogressive in their effect upon the age?
Where is the fiery zeal for the salvation of men which marked the Nonconformity of the past? Where is the noble enthusiasm that made heroes and martyrs for the truth? Where is the force which carried Nonconformity forward like a mighty avalanche? Alas! where? (Please read page 19, 29,30 and 148 in this book for more about Darwin. Darwin was a member of Westcott and Horts Ghostly Guild)It is a very suspicious circumstance that very often the less a man knows of the inner life, and the less he even cares to speak of it, the more heartily he is for the new theology, the theory of evolution and the condemnation of all settled doctrine.. Those who would have a blessing from the Lord must avoid all this, and determine to follow the Lord fully. Not only must they quit false doctrine, but they must receive the gospel, not as dogma, but as vital truths
SPURGEON ON NEW RELIGION,
A new religion has been
initiated, which is no more Christianity than chalk is cheese;
Germany was made unbelieving by her preachers, and England is following in her track.
Of course thieves hatch watch-dogs, and love darkness. It is time that somebody should spring his rattle and call attention to the way in which God is being robbed of His glory, and man of his hope.
"The preachers of false doctrine dislike nothing more than the premature detection of their doings. Only give them time enough to prepare men's minds for the reception of their 'new views' and they are confident of success. They have had too much time already, and any who refuse to speak out now must be held to be 'partakers of their evil deeds'. ( Please read middle of page 31 to bottom and bottom of page 47 by Hort in this book)
We have said, with deep grief many ministers have departed from the faith.
Is there no doctrine left which is to be maintained? Is there no revelation? Or is that revelation a nose of wax to be shaped by the finger of fashion? Are the skeptics so much to the fore that no man will open his mouth against them?
Christian people are now so tame that they shrink from expressing themselves. The house is being robbed, its very walls are being digged down, but the good people who are in bed are too fond of the warmth, and too much afraid of getting broken heads, to go downstairs and meet the burglars; they are even half vexed that a certain noisy fellow will spring his rattle, or cry, "Thieves!"
Dr. David Brown, Principal of the Free Church College, Aberdeen, in a valuable paper upon Skepticism in Ministers, which will be found in The Christian Age of Sept. 14th says:-
The most conclusive evidence that we are correct in our statement, that "the new theology" is rampant among us, is supplied by The
CHRISTIAN WORLD. To this paper is largely due the prevalence of this mischief; and it by no means hides its hand.It behooves us to see that we do not become accomplices with those who teach another gospel, and as it would seem from one writer, have avowedly another God. Let them speak, that we may know them; but let them not deny us the same freedom; neither let them denounce US for defending what they are so eager to assail.
"Permit us to add our fervent hope, and our devout prayer that your vigorous protests against the innovations of 'modern thought' in pulpits supposed to be orthodox, will eventually largely promote the unity of the churches of Christ throughout the world."
Here, one sees a "Moderate" declaring his advance to "another gospel" in the boldest terms.
They hold to another gospel: in some cases a Roman Catholic gospel, in others a modernistic gospel.
C.H.Spurgeon said: Our warfare is with men who are giving up the atoning sacrifice, denying the inspiration of Holy Scripture and casting slurs upon justification by faith. The debate is about the truth of God versus the invention of men. All who believe the gospel should unite against that 'modern thought' which is its deadly enemy. Ministers are toying with the deadly cobra of 'another gospel' in the form of 'modern thought'.
Others of a braver nature come out in their true colors and astonish us with the glaring hue of their heresy.
SPURGEON
ATONEMENT, INSPIRATION
OF SCRIPTURE
AND TRUTH
Inspiration and speculation cannot long abide in peace. Compromise there can be none. We cannot hold the inspiration of the Word and yet reject it; we cannot hold the doctrine of the fall and yet talk of the evolution of spiritual life from human nature; we cannot recognize the punishment of the impenitent and yet indulge the 'larger hope'.
C.H. Spurgeon said of those who denied the inspiration of the bible "Well, brethren, I am happy to say that sort of stuff has not gained entrance into this pulpit. I dare say the worms will eat the wood before there will be anything of that sort sounded in this place.
"The first step astray is a want of adequate faith in the divine inspiration of the sacred Scriptures. All the while a man bows to the authority of God's Word, he will not entertain any sentiment contrary to its teaching...But let a man question, or entertain low views of the inspiration and authority of the Bible, and he is without chart to guide him and without anchor to hold him...in looking carefully over the history of church, we find that when the Christian churches has held have held fast to the truth that the Holy Scriptures have been given by God as an authoritative and infallible rule of faith and practice they have never wandered seriously out of the way."
The atonement is scouted, the inspiration of Scripture is derided, the Holy Spirit is degraded into an influence, the punishment of sin is turned into fiction.
rejecters of the Atonement, and persons who do not regard the Holy Scripture as the infallible authority in doctrine."
The question in debate at the Disruption was secondary compared with that which is now at issue. It is Bible or no Bible, Atonement or no Atonement, which we have now to settle. (Please note Spurgeon's reference to the attack on the Atonement above and then look at page 115,117 and 136 letter written in 1856 in this book,)
Throughout the wide realm of literature there seems to be a conspiracy to hate and hunt down every Scriptural truth. Let any man, especially if he belongs to an evangelical church, denounce or deny any part of the creed he has solemnly vowed to defend, and at once his fortune is made. The press makes the world ring with his fame, and even defends the dishonesty which clings to a stipend forfeited by the violation of his vow. It is far otherwise with the defender of the faith. He is mocked, insulted and laughed to scorn. The spirit of the age is against him. So in greater or lesser measure it has always been. Whether approved or not, we have had no motive but the general progress of the cause of truth, and the glory of God.
We who believe Holy Scripture to be the inspired truth of God cannot have fellowship with those who deny the authority from which we derive all our teaching. We go to our pulpits to save a fallen race, and believe that they must be saved in this life, or perish forever; how can we profess brotherhood with those who deny the fall of man, and hold out to him the hope of another probation after death? (Please read Hort's letter to John Ellerton on the fall of man on page 30 in this book, Westcott and Hort also taught in hope after death)
Certain antogonists have tried to represent the Down-Grade controversy as a revival of the old feud between Calvanists and Arminians. Many evangelical Arminians are as earnestly on our side as men can be. This conflict is for the truths which are common to all believers.
We are asked whether Methodists are upon "The Down Grade" and we are happy to reply that we do not think so. In our fellowship with Methodists of all grades we have found them formally adhering to those great evangelical doctrines for which we contend.
Few who have spoken with us have failed to see that there is a tremendous current, both broad and deep, which is running counter to the inspiration of Holy Scripture, and to those fundamental truths which until lately have been considered vital to the Christian religion. The question now raised strikes at the root of all true religion. The inspiration of Holy Scripture in the sense of its being the infallible Word of God, is not held sincerely by all those who wish to appear evangelical. This is the most serious matter of all, since it removes the very foundations of faith.
We are constrained to avow our firmest belief in the Verbal Inspiration of all Holy Scripture as originally given. To us, the Bible does not merely contain the Word of God. From beginning to end, we accept it, believe it and continue to preach it. To us, the Old Testament is no less inspired than the New. The Book is an organic whole. Reverence for the New Testament accompanied by skepticism as to the OLD appears to us absurd. The two must stand or fall together. We accept Christ's own verdict concerning 'Moses and all the prophets' in preference to any supposed discoveries of so-called Higher Criticism.
In The Sunday School Chronicle, of April 12, occurs an editorial note, which concludes as follows: -`"Almost all writers now recognize the HUMAN element in the Bible, and see that this brings in human infirmity in matters of detail. We had a letter from a friend the other day, and there were several mistakes of spelling in it, but the letter quite fully conveyed to us or friend's thought. And if there are some inexactnesses, and even some mistakes in the Bible, it carries to us, nevertheless, the mind and will of God . A lamp may give light to the feet on a dark night, even if the tin is a little bent in, and one of the panes is cracked." Spurgeon's answer to this :- Is the Sunday School Union going to teach our youth that the Bible is like and old cracked lantern? To this we call attention of those who are charged with the superintendence of the Union literature. Surely there are members of the Committee who cannot allow such teaching to pass unchallenged.
We are sure that the doctrines of the gospel will outlive all the dotings of 'modern thought'. The trouble is that, for the moment, error is having its own way in certain parts of the visible church, where better things once ruled; and worse still, that good men will not see the evil, or, seeing it, wink at it and imagine that it will do no very great deal of harm. It is ours to give warning of a danger which to us is manifest and alarming; and if the warning makes us the butt of ridicule, we must bear it. "Are the skeptics so much to the fore that no man will open his mouth against them? Are all the orthodox afraid of the ridicule of the 'cultured'?...Christian people are now so tame that they shrink from expressing themselves." he again explained the real nature of the problem. "A chasm is opening between the men who believe their Bibles and the men who are prepared for an advance upon Scripture
When Athanasius was told that everybody was denying the Deity of Christ, then he said, "I Athanasius, against the World": Athanasius congtra mundum became a proverbial expression. Brethren, it is a splendid thing to be quite alone in the warfare of the Lord
Have you never known passengers on board ship, when the weather was rough, comforted by the calm behavior of the captain? One simple-minded soul said to his friend, "I am sure there is no cause for fear, for I heard the captain whistling". Surely if the captain is at ease, and with him is all the responsibility, the passenger may be still more at peace.
I am sorry that the evil flood should carry away one of my men; but the wonder is, that more have not gone. It shows how much more evil was abroad than I dreamed of. I have done my duty, even if all men forsake me. Those who write in The Freeman and The
CHRISTIAN WORLD show how everything I do can be misconstrued.Please note Inspiration in this section above and look at page 1,2,6,8,44,48,60,89 and 135 in this book
SPURGEON ON THE
BIBLE
TAKING
AWAY SCRIPTURE AND
CORRUPTING THE WORD
Yet, surely there is a remnant of faithful ones, and these will be stirred to action and will cry mightily unto God that the plague may be stayed. The gospel is too precious for us to be indifferent to its adulteration. By the love we bear to the Lord Jesus we are bound to defend the treasure with which he has put us in trust.
Some of our colleges are poisoning the churches at the fountains.
Colleges, for example, continues to pour forth men to take charge of our churches who do not believe, in any proper sense, in the inspiration of the Scriptures, who deny the vicarious sacrifice on the cross, and hold that, if sinners are not save on this side the grave , they may, can, or must be on the other. And the worst of it is, the people love it. ( On Colleges and Bible Schools please read page 5 in this book and the bottom of page 3)
The plenary inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, the personality of the Holy Ghost, and his presence and power in the church of God, with other verities of the faith of Christ, are qualified or explained away in many instances. The results of this erroneous teaching and perversion of the gospel are plainly apparent.
"We live in perilous times: we are passing through a most eventful period; the Christian world is convulsed; there is a mighty upheaval of the old foundations of faith; a great overhauling of old teaching. The Bible is made to speak today in a language which to our fathers would be an unknown tongue. Gospel teachings, the proclamation of which made men fear to sin, and dread the thought of eternity, are being shelved. Calvary is being robbed of its glory.
(Spurgeon on Westcott and Hort) With those who treat the Bible as waste paper, and regard the death of Christ as no substitution, we have no desire for fellowship. After the gospel has been found effectual in the eternal salvation of untold multitudes, it seems rather late in the day to alter it; and , since it is the revelation of the all-wise and unchanging God, it appears somewhat audacious to attempt its improvement. When we call up before our mind's eye the gentlemen who have set themselves this presumptuous task..... Their gigantic intellects are to hatch out the meanings of the Infinite. Hitherto they have not hatched out much worth reading. Their chickens are so much of the Roman breed, that we sometimes seriously suspect that, after all, Jesuitical craft may be at the bottom of this "modern thought". We are hearing every now and again of 'a night of prayers for the dead', among certain priests of the Establishment. Prayers for the dead and prayers for the devil! Shades of Knox and Latimer, where are ye? How easy will it be to go from prayers for the dead to payment to good men for special supplication on their behalf. Worse even than this, if worse can be, it is taught by some of these "improvers".........for, according to the latest information, even they will have to undergo a sort of purgatorial purification in the world to come. There are degrees in the inventiveness of the nineteenth century theologians. What is to be taught next? (Please note Spurgeon's reference to the attack on the Atonement above and then look at page 115,117 and 136 a letter written 1856 in this book, also his remarks about the Roman breed and the Jesuitical craft please look at Page 14, (Philip Schaff was a part of Westcott and Hort team) bottom of page 50 and page 51 first half, page 118 United Bible Society, There is strong evidence that Westcott and Hort were Jesuit priest)
( More of Spurgeon on Westcott and Hort) New editions of the gospel are to be excogitated by the wisdom of men and we are to follow in the wake of "thoughtful preachers" whose thoughts are not as God's thoughts. Verily, this is the deification of man! Nor do the moderns shrink even from this. It is beginning to be taught that God himself is but the totality of manhood, and that our Lord Jesus only differed from us in being one of the first men to find out that he was God; he was but one item of that race, which, in its solidarity, is divine. It is thought to be mere bigotry to protest against the mad spirit which is now loose among us. It is a breach of brotherly love to denounce error. The prince of the power of the air is loosed in an extraordinary manner for a season, misleading even the godly, and triumphing greatly in those whose willing minds yield full assent to his deceitful teachings. The substitutionary sacrifice and the Trinity were quickly disposed of, and the penknife was set to work. Almost whole chapters were cut out of the Bible; we were told that certain books of it ought never to have been written. Verbal inspiration was utter rubbish, and ought never to be tolerated. It is with the utmost pain that we mention such instances, but there are still some who are bold enough to deny that there are any departures from the faith, or so very few that they are not worth mentioning.
Around us there are influences at work which are directly antagonistisc to Christianity.
And he assured his readers he was not interested in personalities but only with contending for the faith and fighting deadly error. "We should guard ourselves against compromising the truth of God by association with those who do not hold it, especially at such a time as this."
It is the faith of Christ which is persistently attacked, and which we intend persistently to defend."Take a recent case. In a northern town...."Well" was this false teacher's reply, "very likely they would select hymns that I would object us have sung in my church." "Why, what hymns do you refer to?" inquired the brother minister. "Well", was the minister's reply, "such hymns as 'There is a Fountain Filled with Blood'. I am not going to have such hymns sung in my church." (2 Peter 2:1. Please look at Col 1:14 in the new bibles from Westcott and Hort Text Blood is gone.)
Thefollowing resolution was prepared by a committee of the Kentucky Baptist 'Ministers' Meeting, and unanimously adopted by the General Association of the Baptists of the State of Kentucky, a body comprising over 137,000 members, 960 ministers and 1,300 churches:- "Resolved, that the ministers and other messengers of the General Association of the Baptists of the State of Kentucky, assembled in annual meeting at Eminence, in the said State, this 20th day of June, 1888, send Christian greetings to their esteemed brother, Pastor C. H. Spurgeon, assuring him of their thorough appreciation and approval of the faithful stand he has made in defense of important Scriptural truth....and a valiant defender of the faith once and for all delivered to the saints." All over the various churches there is the same evil, in all denominations in measure; and from believers, in all quarters, comes the same thankful expression of delight that the schemes of errorists have been defeated by pouring light upon them.
SPURGEON
(These words of Spurgeon on what is taken out of the Bible needs to be in bold print) Nevertheless, we know the Holy Spirit did not use words at random, and we shall never consent to that liberalism which, in destroying the shell of the language, it really kills the life-germ of the meaning.
SPURGEON ON UNORTHODOXY
MODERN
THOUGHT OR MODERNISM
Having declared the
impossibility of holding both truth and error, evangelicalism and unorthodoxy
, C. H. Spurgeon concluded, `"Neither when we have chosen our way can we
keep company with those who go the other way." He saw the unorthodox as
aiming to "take our Bibles from us."
He did not add much to the principles he had set out throughout the
controversy in his later writings. He simply amassed more and more evidence
of defection from the truth of scripture and became increasingly isolated
because few would stand with him, and soon he died; in part this was because of the
immense pressures of standing against the prevailing tide of unorthodoxy.
In his usual masterly manner C.H.Spurgeon then quoted from two of the leading newspapers that opposed his theology and promoted unorthodoxy. They recognized the significance of his statements. The '
CHRISTIAN WORLD' wrote: "We are now at the parting of the ways, and the younger ministers especially must decide whether or not they will embrace and undisguisedly proclaim that 'modern thought' which in Mr. Spugeon's eye is a 'deadly cobra' while in ours it is the glory of the century. It discards many of the doctrines dear to Mr. Spurgeon and his school. (The paper Christian World, called the Westcott and Hort Text. The Glory of the century and modern thought. While Spurgeon called it Another Gospel. Please note the reference to unortodoxy in Spurgeon's article's above and then look at page 16,31,47,78 and 137, 1860 letter in this book)E. J. Poole-Connor was a solidly Spurgeonic man. He was a staunch opponent of modernism and an unreserved supporter of the stand C. H. Spurgeon had taken. The sort of separation advocated by E.J. Poole-Connor ..... may be seen from the following quotation from E. J. Poole-Connor's book. "One of the most disquieting features of the present religious situation in England is the attitude of Conservative Evangelical Nonconformists towards the form of teaching known as modernism.
In 1952 E. J. Poole-Connor realized that there were other church groupings which opposed unorthodoxy, were separate from it and were committed to the evangelical faith. He was therefore involved in forming the British Evangelical Council (BEC), which initially included the FIEC, the Free Church of Scotland and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Northern Ireland. As "united in their opposition to that form of unscriptural ecumenicity represented by the World Council of Churches." In these statements the heritage passed on from C. H. Spurgeon is clearly seen.
He then turned to the idea of association with the unorthodox and issued statements that are thoroughly Spurgeonic in character. "To a man who has his only authority in the Scriptures there is no possible compromise with, first of all, the Church of Rome....But not only is compromise with such people impossible for the Evangelical, it is equally impossible for him to be yoked together with others in the Church who deny the very elements of the Christian faith."
Echoing C. H. Spurgeon's assertion that "fellowship with known and vital error is participation in sin," Dr. Lloyd-Jones stated, "It also raises the question of guilt by association .
Like C. H. Spurgeon, Dr. Lloyd-Jones also rejected the idea of remaining in denominations to win them back to an evangelical faith - the "in it to win it" philosophy. He said, "The idea that Evangelicals can infiltrate any established church - above all, the Church of Rome - and reform it, and turn it into an Evangelical body, is midsummer madness.
Dr. Lloyd-Jones and C.. H. Spurgeon both used the "Come out of Babylon" motif in their argument. Having attacked the comprehensive nature of the World Council of Churches, the pamphlet states, "For ourselves we cannot be associated in any way with a movement which implies that the evangelical position is but one of many insights or traditions and which necessarily requires evangelical churches , directly or indirectly associated with it, to be in fellowship as fellow-Christian churches with religious bodies which do not hold to the very essentials of biblical Christianity.
....and not with those who reject the authority of Scripture and the complete work of Christ.
C. H. Spurgeon has had many heirs over the last one hundred years. Although they used different terminology, E. J. Poole-Connor and Dr. D. M. Lloyd-Jones.
Perhaps the most notable sermon ever preached at a BEC meeting was "Luther and his message for today" By Dr. D. M. Lloyd-Jones in 1967.
Fellowship with modernists and Catholics was shunned. The real difficulty arises because involvement meant association for religious purposes with people who hold to another gospel: in some cases a Roman Catholic gospel, in others a modernistic gospel.
The duty of a true believer towards men who profess to be Christians and yet deny the Word of the Lord and reject the fundamentals of gospel is to come out from among them.
The other conference , which has already been referred to, was the British Evangelical Council Conference of 1967 which culminated in the "Luther Rally". There in the clearest possible terms, Dr. Lloyd-Jones gave his call for secession and the unity of the seceders. The call to secession was as clear-cut as anything ever said by C. .H. Spurgeon.
E. J. Poole-Connor in his writings, and D. M. Lloyd-Jones during the late 1960s in particular has been subjected to considerable attack since the death of Dr. Lloyd-Jones on 1st March, 1981.
In opposing modernism and Catholicism C. H. Spurgeon saw himself fighting for the fundamentals.
E.J. Poole - Connor followed after C.H. Spurgeon and then Dr. Martin Lolyd Jones. E.J. Poole - Connor was a close friend of Sidney Collet who was very strongly opposed to the Westcott and Hort New Greek Text. and spoke against it in a series of meetings in London in 1905 See page 44,45,60, 95 and 96 in this book)
(Collins English Dictionary: to be orthodox is having the correct faith, sound in doctrine, conventional not heretical. To be unorthodox is to be in heresy) (Collins English Dictionary modern thought i.e.: modernism. The movement towards rationalism in theology and biblical criticism.)
SPURGEON
ON THE DEITY OF CHRIST
Believers in Holy Scripture are in confederacy with those who deny plenary inspiration. It used to be generally accepted in the Christian Church that the line of Christian communion was drawn hard and fast at the Deity of our Lord; but even this would appear to be altered now. Fellowship with known and vital error is participation in sin.
Having answered these objections and set out his position, C. H. Spurgeon summarized his conclusion in one terse, italicized sentence: "Fellowship with known and vital error is participation in sin, if it be once definitely decided that Universalists, rejecters of the Atonement, and persons who do not regard the Holy Scripture as the infallible authority in doctrine."
He also insisted that confrontation with error was the only course open to the evangelical. Compromise must be rejected. C. H. Spurgeon stated that the doctrine of inspiration was the turning point of the battle. He would fellowship with a brother who sincerely misinterpreted the word of God and needed help to understand it properly "but we must part company altogether with the errorist, who overrides prophets and apostles, and practically regards his own inspiration as superior to theirs."
What havoc false doctrine is making no tongue can tell. Assuredly the New Theology can do no good towards God or man. If it were preached for a thousand years by all the most earnest men of the school, it would never renew a soul.
The Sword and Trowel have both been used this year with all our might. We have built up the wall of the city, and we have tried to smite the King's enemies. How could we help it? No loyal soldier could endure to see his Lord's cause so grievously wronged by traitors. Meanwhile, it behooves all who love the Lord Jesus and his gospel to keep close together, and make common cause against deadly error.
SPURGEON ON REVIVAL
Oh for a great and general revival of true religion! Not a burst of mere excitement, but a real awakening, a work of the Eternal Spirit Let us pray for such a visitation of the Holy Ghost with our whole souls. It is not only desirable, it is essential; we must either be revived by the Lord himself, or the churches will descent until error and ungodliness swallow them up. At the same time, we cannot expect a gracious revival till we are clear of complicity with the deadening influences which are all around us.
Those who through divine grace have not defiled their garments must not content themselves with censuring others, but must arouse themselves to seek a fuller baptism of the Spirit of God.
Following this C.H. Spurgeon printed an article confirming the earlier article of Joseph Cook in which T. Witton Davies argued that the rationalist teachers had failed miserably in Germany and that they were being discarded for evangelical teachers. The churches which rationalism had emptied were being filled by evangelical ministers.
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He indicated in an editorial "note" in the very last days of his life that the controversy probably contributed to his early demise He said: "To be free from all ecclesiastical entanglements is to the Christian minister a blessing worth all it has cost, even though an almost fatal illness might be reckoned as part of the price." ( The Sword and the Trowel, Feb., 1892 page 93)
From Aug. 1887, to Feb., 1892, scarcely any number of the magazine appeared without some reference to the Controversy and its various issues. His fight for faith had cost him his life said his wife yet he never regretted the step he had taken; for, throughout the whole affair, he felt such a Divine compulsion as Luther realized when he said , "I can do no other."
(Last words of Spurgeon taken from The Sword and Trowel, Nov 1887 to Feb 1892 by Spurgeon.)
APPENDIX D
Conclusion
Socrates and Plato: The earliest evidence for divination of a kind which can reasonably be called historical are Plato's descriptions of Socrrates in the sixth century B.C. Epimenedes had gone into prolonged trances and, on coming out of them, described conversations he had had with the spirits. By Plato's account Socreates used the same device. In this case, though, he was in communication with a single spirit, which he thought of as his 'daemon', a pagan guardian angel from whom he took advice, Plato said he would go into a trance, sometimes lasting for hours - once for a day and a night. (Natural and Supernatural a History of the Paranormal, by Brian Inglis page 56)
Neo - Platonism:
Plotinus was in no doubt that divination and magic were realities, he practised them himself. (Natural and Supernatural a History of the Paranormal, by Brian Inglis page 68)
Blavatsky: This is the real spiritual seership, in which, according to an expression of Plato, soul is raised above all inferior good. When we reach that which is supreme. ...this state is far above mordern claivoyance . Plotinus, as is well known, was a claivoyant-seer during his whole and daily life; and yet, he had been united to his God but four times during the 66 years of his existence, as he himself confessed to Porphyry. ...Plotinus, when asked to attend public worship of the gods, is said to have proudly answered: "It is for them (the spirits) to come to me." (Isis Unveiled, Vol. 1 page 489 & Vol. 2 page 591 by H.P. Blavatsky)
A pamphlet was written about the seance's in London by Godfrey called Table Turning Tested And Proved To Be The Result Of Satanic Agency. Dinning room tables so heavy that groups seated around them found it hard to move them by combined muscular effort would move about during the sittings. Accounts Provided by the London clergy were revealing. They were locked in controversy, at this stage, over whether the force was divine or diabolic. When Godfrey placed a Bible on a table. it instantly stopped moving, though it would not stop for other books. (Natural and Supernatural a History of the Paranormal, by Brian Inglis page 217)
Charles Darwins cousin and close friend, Francis Galton wrote to Darwin on March 28th, 1872, he was utterly confounded by the results of table turning and he urged Darwin to attend the seance's sittings provided that a first - rate medium was at his disposal. Considering that no strain was involved (Darwin suffered from chronic ill - health); considering the possibilty that the effects might be genuine. Galton felt certain that all that would be needed would be for just the two of them to have a dozen seances with Home. Darwin agreed A seance was arranged at the house of one of Darwin's brothers, Erasmus. Soon things begun to happen . 'We had grand fun,' Darwin wrote to tell Tom Huxley. The medium Charles Williams 'made the chairs a flute, a bell and a candlestick jump about in my brother's dining room, in a manner that astounded everyone, and took away their breath'. George Huxley and Hensleigh Wedgewood 'held the medium's hands and feet on both sides all the time'. Darwin saw all the chairs, ect., on the table which had been lifted over the heads of those sitting round'. It had been a good seance. Darwin said how the medium can possibly do what was done passes my understanding. (Natural and Supernatural a History of the Paranormal, by Brian Inglis page 259,271)
Blavatsky: A familiar example of one phase of the power of the soul or astral body to manifest itself, is the phenomenon of the so-called spirit-hand. In the presence of certain mediums these seemingly detached members will gradually develop from a luminous nebula, pick up a pencil, write messages, and then dissolve before the eyes of the witnesses. Many such cases are recorded by perfectly competent and trustworthy persons. These phenomena are real,and require serious consideration. .... An adept can not only project and make visible a hand, a foot, or any other portion of his body, but the whole of it. We have seen one do this, in full day while his hands and feet were being held by a skeptical friend. Little by little the whole astral body oozed out like a vapory cloud, until before us stood two forms, (Isia Unveiled Vol. 2 Page 594,596 by H.P. Blavatsky)
Bishop Samuel Wilberforce who was the chairman of the translating committee with Westcott and Hort resigned when he discovered they were going to change the Bible. ( Refer to Which Bible can we Trust by Les Garrett bottom of page 234) Wilberforce went once to a seance sitting and recalling the occasion years later, he was to claim table - turning to be the work of the Evil One. (Natural and Supernatural a History of the Paranormal, by Brian Inglis page 215)
At another seance with Charles Williams in 1873 a large hand materialised which Myers seized and held in his, feeling it diminish in size until it was no bigger than a baby's, before it melted away altogether. he was at the seance with Darwin. Arthur Balfour, who had just become a conservative M.P. another of the Balfour sisters, Eleanor, married Sidgwick in 1875, and worked with the group. The Sidgwicks had several ...seances in 1876. The seances sittings numbered Barrett,Crookes, Oliver Lodge, Rayleigh, J.J. Thomson, J. Venn along with many other notabilities, including two Bishops [B.F.Westcott and E.W. Benson] William Ewart Gladstone, Arthur Balfour, John Ruskin, Lord Tennyson and G.F. Watts (Natural and Supernatural a History of the Paranormal, by Brian Inglis page 318,322)
Authors note: all the above were involved in the seances's with Westcott and Hort Below we have from Encyclopaedia Britannica more details on some of these men.
Occultism WILLIAM BARRETT and THEODORE BESTERMAN, The Divining Rod: An Experimental and Psychological Investigation , with a bibliography of water divining
Crookes, Sir William: (b. June 17, 1832, London, Eng.--d. April 4, 1919, London), British chemist and physicist noted for his discovery of the element thallium and for his cathode-ray studies, fundamental in the development of atomic physics. Blavatsky : said of Mr. Crookes a great chemist a through believer in abnormal phenomena. and Occult truths (The Secret Doctrine, Vol.1 P.581,624)
Lodge, Sir Oliver Joseph: (b. June 12, 1851, Penkhull, Staffordshire, Eng.--d. Aug. 22, 1940, Lake, near Salisbury, Wiltshire), British Physicist who perfected the coherer (invented by Édouard Branly of France), a radio-wave detector and the heart of the early radio receiver. In 1894 Lodge was also the first person to suggest that the Sun might be a source of radio waves, a fact not confirmed until 1942. After 1910 he became prominent in psychical research, believing strongly in the possibility of communicating with the dead.
Rayleigh John William : (b. Nov. 12, 1842, Langford Grove, Maldon, Essex, Eng.--d. June 30, 1919, Terling Place, Witham, Essex), English physical scientist who made fundamental discoveries in the fields of acoustics and optics that are basic to the theory of wave propagation in fluids. He received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1904 for his successful isolation of argon, an inert atmospheric gas.
Thomson, Sir J(oseph) J(ohn): To a large extent, it was Thomson who made atomic physics a modern science. The studies of nuclear organization that continue even to this day,
Gladstone, William Ewart: (b. Dec. 29, 1809, Liverpool--d. May 19, 1898, Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales),Statesman and four times Prime Minister of Great Britain. Several of Gladstone's closest Oxford friends were among the many Anglicans who converted to Roman Catholicism under the impact of the Oxford Movement. Gladstone had moved to a High Anglican position in Italy just after leaving Oxford. The suspicion that he was Catholic was used against him by his adversaries
Ruskin, John: b. Feb. 8, 1819, London, Eng.--d. Jan. 20, 1900, Coniston, Lancashire), English writer, critic, and artist who championed the Gothic Revival movement in architecture and the decorative arts and had a large influence upon public taste in art in Victorian England. John Ruskin's parents recognized a dangerous precocity and an unstable genius in their child and sheltered him from contact with reality. The fifth volume of Modern Painters (1860), written in the winter of 1858-59.The volume is extremely disconnected; and, indeed, Ruskin's mind was gradually declining. He fell in love with a hysterical young Irish girl of good family, Rose La Touche, who, when he first knew her, was a child of 10; when she was 16 he declared himself to the parents, who were horrified. Soon after, Rose fell mentally and physically ill, and the affair dragged sadly and hectically on until her death in 1875. He was near a breakdown and retired for a time to Mornex, near Geneva.
LORD TENNYSON: (b. Aug. 6, 1809, Somersby Lincolnshire, Eng.--d. Oct. 6, 1892, Aldworth, Surrey), English poet often regarded as the chief representative of the Victorian age in poetry. There Alfred made friends with Arthur Hallam, the gifted son of the historian Henry Hallam. This was the deepest friendship of Tennyson's life. The friends became members of the Apostles, an exclusive club. [ please note Westcott and Hort were members of this club] Three of his brothers, Edward, Charles, and Septimus, were suffering from mental illness, and the bad reception of his own work added to the gloom. Yet it was in this period that he wrote some of his most characteristic work. He fell in love with her sister Emily. For some years the lovers corresponded, but Emily's father disapproved of Tennyson because of his bohemianism, addiction to port and tobacco, and liberal religious views; Tennyson made friends with many famous men, including the politician William Ewart In Memoriam reflects the struggle to reconcile traditional religious faith and belief in immortality with the emerging theories of evolution ( All the above come from Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserved) (For more details on the Apostles club please read page 32,38,75,81 and 135 in this book )
Please note: Mme Blavatsky brooch's Swastika was on exactly the same angle as those on the arm bands, ships, planes and flags in Hitlers Nazi Party
NOT VALIANT FOR THE TRUTH
These portraits taken from 'Isis Unveild' Where the source for much of Mme Blavatsky's information in her books. Their writings were also read by Westcott and Hort.
The information on these men
taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica.