Many Different Christian Bibles by Kersey Graves 1879

Many Different Christian Bibles by Kersey Graves 1879

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Owing to the multiplicity of Bible translations, which differ widely in their doctrines, precepts, and the relation of general events, making a different collection of books to constitute "the word of God," various churches, and even individual professors, have assumed the liberty to compile and make a Bible for themselves. The Roman-Catholic Bible differs essentially from that of the Protestants', having fourteen more books. The Bible of the Greek Church differs from both. The Campbellites have a translation of their own. The Samaritan Bible contains only the Five Books of Moses. The Unitarians having found twenty-four thousand errors in the popular translation, made another translation containing still many thousand errors. The American Christian Union, having found many thousand errors in the King James's translation, are now engaged in a new translation. How many more we are to have, God only knows. Martin Luther condemned eleven books of the Bible, and thus made a Bible for himself. Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews he denounced in strong terms. Eusebius, the learned ecclesiastical writer, throws eight Bible books overboard, and had a Bible to his own fancy. Dr. Lardner and John Calvin each condemned five or six books, and had a Bible peculiar to themselves. Grotius places the heel of condemnation on several books of the Bible. Bishop Baxter voted down eight books as uninspired, and unworthy of confidence. Swedenborg accepted only the Four Gospels and Revelation as inspired. The German fathers rejected the Gospel of St. Matthew, and I know not how many other books. The Bible of the learned Christian writer Evanson did not contain either Matthew, Mark, or John. The Unitarian Bible does not contain Hebrews, James, Jude, or Revelation. The Catholics denounce the Protestant Bible, and the Protestants condemn the Catholic Bible, as being full of errors. A number of other churches and learned Christians might be named who had Bibles of their own selection and construction. And thus every book in the Bible has passed under the flaming sword of condemnation, and has been voted down by some ecclesiastical body or learned and devout Christian. Each church has either made out a Bible for itself, or accepted that which came the nearest teaching the doctrine of their own peculiar creed. In the midst of this rejection, expulsion, and expurgation of Bibles and Bible-books, where can we find "the scripture given by inspiration of God"? We have it upon the authority of Dr. Adam Clark, Eusebius, Bishop Marsh, and other writers, that many texts and passages contained in our Bible can not be found in the earlier editions; thus showing that many gross interpolations and forgeries have been practiced by the Christian fathers. Christ's prayer on the cross, "Father, forgive them," &c., the story of the woman taken in adultery, the passage relative to the three that bare record in heaven, &c., they assure us, can not be found in any early translation of the Bible. Where, then, are "the scriptures given by inspiration of God"? Who can tell?

Robert Cooper: In concluding this discourse, I purpose to show that this famous Greek version, the Septuagint, has itself suffered the most villanous mutillations, on being translated into Latin, and other languages. The Christian Father, St. Jerome, alluding to the Latin version of the Old Testament, taken from the Septuagint, asks,—"If they say the Latin copies are to be credited, let them tell me which; for there are almost as many different copies as there are manuscripts, and if the truth be searched for among so many, why should we not have recourse to the Greek original, in order to correct the faults that have proceeded either from the bad translations of the interpreters, or from unreasonable corrections that have been made by unskilful critics, and alterations that have happened through the carelessness of the copiers". We are told by St. Jerome that Origen, the famous Christian Father, and opponent of the ancient infidel, Celsus, wrote a version of the Old Testament, from which many of our more modern copies have been taken. Jerome declared that in this translation, Origen altered the Greek text most abominably. The following are the words of Du Pin upon this point.—"St Jerome makes frequent mention of the additions, corrections, and subtractions made in the version of the Septuagint by Origen, and of the bars and astericks he made use of for that purpose. 'When Origen', says Jerome, 'saw there was less in the Greek than the Hebrew, he did supply it from the version of Theodotion, and put an asterisk or star to it, to signify that this was to illustrate what was obscure'"!!

This same Theodotion, we are informed by St. Jerome, was an Infidel, and that his version was confounded with the Septuagint. The French Professor says, "By the carelessness of the transcribers, and sometimes of those who set them to work, the asterisks of Origen, being misunderstood, or entirely left out, in some places, the additions of Theodotion, were confounded with the version of the Septuaglnt, which, perhaps, moved Jerome to say, that Origen had corrupted and confounded the version of the Septuagint." Thus, then, does it appear that in the version of Origen, from which many of our present copies are taken, the words of Theodotion the Infidel, were confounded with God's words!! What a medley! O! Christians, how do you know when you read your Bibles, but you are reading the words of an Infidel!

Curwen, in his published Journal, from which so many extracts have been made by the press of late, records a fact which I cannot but submit to you ere I retire. He writes— "I saw in the British Museum, the first Bible printed, in Vellum, and turning to the 91st Psalm, v. 5, instead of "Thou shall not be afraid of the terrors by night, &c." I saw the following, "Thou shall not fear the bugs and vermin by night." I suppose the words as given in our modern version, is one of the "unreasonable corrections," spoken of by Father Jerome.

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