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Liberty Advocate http://www.libertyadvocate.com/
The King James Bible: The Greatest Book in History
by
Karen Pansler-Lam, J.D.
The accurate and faithful translation of the King James Bible - inspired by the Holy Spirit - has transformed more hearts and minds and lives than any other book in history.
Why
do infidels and false Christians hate and reject the King James Version of
the Bible? In
the past, Christian homes treasured their copy of the King James Bible and
read it often: aloud and silently. Today,
Christian homes trash their King James Bible and favor "progressive
translations" (actually, modern politically-correct interpretations).
Why
do “progressives” hate and reject the King James Bible?
Is
it because the King James Bible is the greatest book in English
literature? Is
it because infidels and false Christians reject knowledge? Is
it because the Holy Spirit inspired the translators of the King James
Bible; and the King James Bible has transformed more hearts and minds
and lives than any other book in history?
First, infidels and false
Christians hate and reject the King James Bible because it is the greatest book in English literature.
The first English translation of the Bible that counts was by John Wycliffe who lived in the 14th century. Wycliffe's version was not from the original tongues, but from the Latin. Then in 1526 William Tyndale's version was published. It was direct from the original languages, Hebrew and Greek. The term 'Tyndale's Bible' is not strictly correct, because Tyndale never published a complete English language Bible, only the New Testament.
The 1937 edition of The Book of Knowledge continues the early history of the English Bible:
The Authorized Version or King James Version is an English translation of the Bible prepared by a special commission of 47 scholars in England under James I, and published in 1611. And for over 300 years, the King James Bible was considered the greatest book in English literature. The 1937 edition of The Book of Knowledge declares (emphasis added): No
book, considered as literature, has had so great an influence on the
English-speaking people as the Bible. No
book has done so much toward molding the English language.
Though in origin it is not an English book at all, it
is the greatest book in the English tongue, the one best known and best
deserving to be known as literary work.
For
more than 500 years the Bible has been more popular among English-speaking
people than any other book, more read, more listened to, more known than
any other writing. For more than 300 years it has set the standard and
been the great example of English prose, with effects on our speech that
cannot be overestimated. What
is it in this book that has given it such a lasting influence on our
literature, an influence far more powerful than any it has had on other
languages? An
important fact is that Hebrew, the language of the Old Testament, is very
simple, with clear pictures readily understood and conveying their meaning
in plain words that represent common objects, even when the thought is
most poetical and beautiful. “The
Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”
What could be simpler, or more tender and consoling?
“A thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when it is
past, and as a watch in the night.”
What could be grander and more impressive? As
for the 47 translators of the Authorized Version, or King James Version, The
Book of Knowledge states: Any
set of men with special knowledge are inclined to create a formal language
for themselves that does not readily give up its meaning to plain people.
It is so with philosophy, religion, the law, medicine, education
and most of all with science.
There is a pretense that these dignified subjects cannot be
discussed in plain speech, and so a special jargon is invented for each
learned set, and in no instance does the jargon become literature.
This special formal language has to be shed before any piece of
prose can be read with pleasure for its own sake.
How fortunate it was then that, from the first, there was a book in
the language of the people, plain, strong, full, with a natural music in
it, and that book one with an extraordinary variety of expression, rich in
interest, and exhaustless in meaning.
Theology, which is the “science of religion,” swiftly hid its
meaning in a clumsy jargon from which it has never escaped, but the Bible
is clear, simple and beautiful.
And this purity in language and style, drawn from common English
speech, has been influencing sincere writers ever since.
In
the world’s treasure-house of literature the share of space for the
English tongue is generous; but in all that wide space
the rarest gem is the translation of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian
New Testament given to us by forty-seven studious men, not one of whom
wrote anything remarkable on his own account. The
47 translators were dedicated to the faithfulness of the text. Literary
elegance was not a criterion in translating; but truth and accuracy.
The translators of the King James Version did not plan the
eloquence: it was inspired by the Holy Spirit. No
wonder false Christians and infidels hate and reject the King James Bible:
it is the greatest book in English literature.
Second,
infidels and false Christians hate and reject
the King James Bible because they reject knowledge.
Puffed-up
false Christians boast we are smarter than our ancestors; but, at the same time,
claim the King James Bible is too difficult to read.
So, they demand dumbed-down (“modern” and “progressive”)
interpretations of the Bible. Obviously, advancements in technology do not
mean advancements in understanding and wisdom and knowledge.
The truth is false Christians lack the heart to understand the King James Bible. Admittedly,
if the King James Bible is not read properly it is difficult to read and
understand. But anyone who
listens to a CD of Alexander Scourby reading the KJB will immediately
awaken to the Bible's clear, simple and beautiful eloquence. As
for puffed-up modern Christians belittling our ancestors, our forefathers
wisely understood the importance of reading the Bible. In
fact, in 1647, Massachusetts passed a law requiring every township
having 50 householders to provide a teacher and a school building where
the children were to be taught to read and write.
This law was known as the Old Deluder Satan Act. Our
ancestors wisely understood Satan is a deluder and tries to keep us from
the true knowledge of the Scriptures.
Note the intent of the law was to teach children to read and
understand “the true sense and meaning of the original” Scriptures so
they would not be deceived by “saint-seeming deceivers” (false
interpreters). The
Old Deluder Satan Act states: It
being one chief project of that old deluder Satan to keep men from the
knowledge of the Scriptures,
as in former times by keeping them in an unknown tongue, so in these
latter times by persuading from the use of tongues, that so at least the
true sense and meaning of the original might be clouded by false glosses
of saint-seeming deceivers, that learning might not be buried in the grave
of our fathers in the church and commonwealth, the Lord assisting our
endeavors: It
is therefore ordered that every township in this jurisdiction, after the
Lord has increased them to the number of 50 householders, shall then
forthwith appoint one within their town to teach all such children as
shall resort to write and read… Clearly,
our ancestors wisely understood that we must learn the true sense and
meaning of the Scriptures so false prophets (false interpreters) will not
deceive us. And today there are many false interpreters and many false
interpretations. Modern false
interpretations pervert the Bible into a politically-correct humanist
bible. And
modern professing Christians are ignorant of the knowledge and
understanding of the Bible. Sadly, it is reported that less than 10% of
professing Christians have read the entire Bible.
And how many of the 10% have read the entire King James Version?
Hence,
the ruinous state of the modern church and modern Christians: they are
destroyed for lack of knowledge.
The
Bible warns us in Hosea 4: 6, 12…
6 My
people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected
knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast
forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
12 My
people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for
the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone
a whoring from under their God. Hosea
pronounces that since priests and people reject knowledge, God will reject
them. Matthew
Henry writes: Both
priests and people rejected knowledge; and justly therefore will God reject
them. The
reason why the people did not learn, and the priests did not teach, was
not because they had not the light, but because they hated it – not
because they had not ways of coming to the knowledge of God and of
communicating it, but because they had no heart to it; they rejected
it. They desired not the knowledge of God’s ways, but put
it from them, and shut their eyes against the light; and therefore “ I
will also reject thee; I will refuse to take cognizance of thee and to
own thee; you will not know me, but bid me depart; I will therefore
say, Depart from me, I know you
not. Thou
shalt be no priest to me.” False
Christians reject the Truth of the Bible; false ministers refuse to preach
and teach the Truth of the Bible. They
want to appear “progressive,” so they pervert the Gospel and interpret
it as a bible of man-made humanist doctrine and propaganda. No wonder infidels and false Christians hate the KJV: they hate and reject knowledge of the Truth.
Finally,
the most important reason why infidels and false Christians hate and
reject the King James Bible: The
Holy Spirit inspired the translators of the
King James Bible. The
Holy Spirit inspired the translators of the King James Bible; and the King
James Bible has transformed more hearts and minds and lives than any other
book in history. On
the contrary, modern interpretations pervert the Gospel into a humanist bible. Man may be
reformed by a modern humanist interpretation, but he cannot be
transformed. We are
transformed only by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit as we read
the true Gospel. Sanctify
them through thy truth: thy
word is truth. John
17:17 Dear friend, let us not continue in ignorance of the true Word. Modern interpretations pervert the Gospel into a bible of humanist propaganda and doctrine.
Like our God-fearing forefathers, let us treasure the King James Bible in our homes and in our hearts.
The accurate and faithful translation of the King James Bible - inspired by the Holy Spirit - has transformed more hearts and minds and lives than any other book in history.
July
2011
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