WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.440 So, as we come to John chapter 8, many of you will probably notice something a little 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:07.240 bit unusual in your Bibles. 00:00:07.940 --> 00:00:11.939 Unless you're using the New King James or the King James, you'll notice that John 7 00:00:11.939 --> 00:00:15.839 verse 53 to 8 verse 11 is marked in a special way. 00:00:16.780 --> 00:00:22.140 Some Bibles put this section in square brackets, others use horizontal lines above and below. 00:00:22.140 --> 00:00:27.679 I'm using the NIV and my Bible has the whole section in italics, almost like an extended 00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:29.440 quotation, just like that. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:35.920 Most translations will have a little note or a footnote explaining why. 00:00:37.340 --> 00:00:38.719 So, what's going on here? 00:00:39.659 --> 00:00:44.420 Well, before we try to answer that, let's first acknowledge that this isn't the only place 00:00:44.420 --> 00:00:46.179 where this happens in the Bible. 00:00:46.179 --> 00:00:48.340 Turn for a minute to Mark chapter 16. 00:00:48.340 --> 00:01:05.620 You'll probably notice that it's marked out in the last verses, verse 9 to 20, in the 00:01:05.620 --> 00:01:06.200 same way. 00:01:08.379 --> 00:01:13.080 The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9 to 20, the note 00:01:13.079 --> 00:01:14.039 in my Bible says. 00:01:15.420 --> 00:01:17.900 Turn to Matthew 17, verse 21. 00:01:17.900 --> 00:01:34.500 Similar kind of thing here. 00:01:34.500 --> 00:01:42.000 In my Bible, the numbers go 20 right to 22. 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:44.760 And there's just a little 21 with square brackets there. 00:01:44.840 --> 00:01:45.719 The verse is missing. 00:01:46.599 --> 00:01:48.920 Flip forward to Matthew 18, verse 11. 00:01:48.920 --> 00:01:54.820 Again, you see a similar thing. 00:01:55.500 --> 00:01:58.540 You have verse 10 and then, in my Bible, 11's missing. 00:01:59.299 --> 00:02:02.840 It's just the number 11 in small brackets with a little footnote. 00:02:03.780 --> 00:02:05.140 And then right on to 12. 00:02:06.099 --> 00:02:09.420 And you could flip forward again to a number of other verses. 00:02:09.560 --> 00:02:10.479 We won't go to all of them. 00:02:10.479 --> 00:02:12.099 Matthew 23, verse 14. 00:02:12.219 --> 00:02:13.280 Acts 8, 37. 00:02:13.939 --> 00:02:14.719 Same thing. 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:17.099 The verse is missing. 00:02:17.259 --> 00:02:18.939 It's just the number and a little footnote. 00:02:19.979 --> 00:02:26.019 So, I don't have the exact count, but I think if my online source is correct, there's at 00:02:26.019 --> 00:02:28.859 least 16 verses where this happens in the New Testament. 00:02:29.379 --> 00:02:31.299 And two of them are those longer sections. 00:02:32.419 --> 00:02:37.639 The end of Mark there, and the one here, smack dab, in the middle of John. 00:02:38.419 --> 00:02:39.519 So, what's going on here? 00:02:40.479 --> 00:02:46.039 Why do some English Bibles have these verses and some do not? 00:02:46.739 --> 00:02:48.719 That's our big question for this morning. 00:02:49.979 --> 00:02:53.959 And just a heads up, it's going to be a little bit of a different kind of sermon this morning. 00:02:54.839 --> 00:02:57.139 The truth is, it's a long story. 00:02:57.939 --> 00:03:03.599 The story begins a long time ago when the gospel writers and the apostles first wrote the 00:03:03.599 --> 00:03:04.759 scriptures of the New Testament. 00:03:05.459 --> 00:03:10.379 Hopefully, it's no surprise to you, but back in the first century when John wrote the gospel 00:03:10.379 --> 00:03:12.539 of John, he didn't write it in English. 00:03:13.319 --> 00:03:14.579 He wrote it in Greek. 00:03:15.379 --> 00:03:18.460 Common Greek or Koine Greek, as it was called. 00:03:18.740 --> 00:03:22.840 That was the language that was spoken all over the Mediterranean world in his day. 00:03:22.840 --> 00:03:26.180 And it's good to be reminded of this every now and then. 00:03:27.140 --> 00:03:32.060 I haven't heard it said myself, but I've heard someone else say that every now and then they 00:03:32.060 --> 00:03:34.500 come across a sweet little old lady who will say to them, 00:03:34.580 --> 00:03:39.539 well, if St. Peter used the King James Bible, then that's good enough for me. 00:03:39.539 --> 00:03:47.039 Well, it may astound you to be reminded, but the first English translation of the Bible 00:03:47.039 --> 00:03:53.560 didn't come into being until over 1,400 years after the New Testament scriptures were originally 00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:53.959 written. 00:03:55.000 --> 00:04:02.219 1,400 years later, before we got our first translation into English. 00:04:02.219 --> 00:04:05.259 And I think it's at about 100 or so for French. 00:04:05.759 --> 00:04:07.599 And I don't know about Chinese, sorry. 00:04:08.300 --> 00:04:12.139 But when you think about it, it means that we haven't had an English translation of the Bible 00:04:12.139 --> 00:04:12.979 for very long. 00:04:13.900 --> 00:04:16.259 It's actually pretty close to about 500 years. 00:04:16.620 --> 00:04:22.120 And if you think about how long a person lives these days, that's not that many generations ago. 00:04:23.540 --> 00:04:28.980 So the story of why some English translations have these verses and some do not is indeed 00:04:28.980 --> 00:04:30.019 a very long story. 00:04:30.019 --> 00:04:35.579 Back in John's day when he wrote this and when Paul and Peter wrote their letters, it 00:04:35.579 --> 00:04:36.439 was a different world. 00:04:36.939 --> 00:04:39.299 They wrote in Greek on papyrus. 00:04:40.120 --> 00:04:44.819 And then they sent their letters by messenger to the recipients or to the churches. 00:04:46.139 --> 00:04:49.839 When the church received the letter, they would read it aloud to the whole church. 00:04:50.299 --> 00:04:51.659 And then they made copies. 00:04:52.500 --> 00:04:53.939 And they did it by hand. 00:04:54.439 --> 00:04:56.599 And then they began passing out the copies. 00:04:57.439 --> 00:04:59.620 And then copies were made of the copies. 00:04:59.620 --> 00:05:01.959 And passed on and so on and so forth. 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:09.300 Because the movable type printing press wasn't even invented until the 1400s. 00:05:09.500 --> 00:05:11.579 So everything had to be done by hand. 00:05:12.699 --> 00:05:15.759 Some copyists or scribes were better than others. 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:17.800 Some were very accurate. 00:05:18.620 --> 00:05:20.819 Some were not so accurate. 00:05:20.819 --> 00:05:27.939 And so over the centuries, errors and sometimes even the intentional change or addition crept 00:05:27.939 --> 00:05:29.219 into some of the manuscripts. 00:05:29.939 --> 00:05:32.459 And then into the copies that were made of those manuscripts. 00:05:32.659 --> 00:05:35.620 And then into the copies and so on and so forth down the line. 00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:42.079 And as the Mediterranean world changed, that also had a big impact on how the text of the 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:45.959 New Testament was passed on from generation to generation. 00:05:45.959 --> 00:05:50.779 There came a time when the church divided over regional lines. 00:05:51.299 --> 00:05:53.519 In 1054 was the official separation. 00:05:54.299 --> 00:05:58.120 Which you can kind of see the geographical boundaries on the map there. 00:05:58.579 --> 00:06:03.339 The Roman Catholic Church on the west, headquartered out of Rome. 00:06:04.019 --> 00:06:07.339 The Eastern Orthodox on the east, headquartered out of Constantinople. 00:06:07.339 --> 00:06:12.899 But long before these two regions officially separated, they began to grow apart. 00:06:14.339 --> 00:06:19.000 Long before this, in the west, the Greek language kind of faded into the background. 00:06:19.179 --> 00:06:24.759 And Latin became the standard for the Western Europe area. 00:06:25.079 --> 00:06:29.559 So in the 4th century, the Greek New Testament was translated into Latin. 00:06:30.139 --> 00:06:32.919 And that was kind of the standard Bible of the west. 00:06:32.920 --> 00:06:39.100 But then in the Eastern Church, the Greek language continued to be used. 00:06:39.180 --> 00:06:41.439 And so they continued to make copies in Greek. 00:06:43.400 --> 00:06:45.420 There were even some Christians down in Egypt. 00:06:45.660 --> 00:06:48.600 And so there ended up being what's called families of manuscripts. 00:06:49.280 --> 00:06:54.800 Based on these regional divides as the copies continued to be made. 00:06:55.720 --> 00:06:57.120 And then there was the fall of Rome. 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:02.480 Much before this, there was the Dark Ages that came after that. 00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:07.439 There was a lot of upheaval and conquest in all of those years. 00:07:07.800 --> 00:07:13.759 And really, it was a miracle of God that the scriptures were preserved through that time. 00:07:13.860 --> 00:07:17.240 I mean, those were days in which libraries were burned to the ground. 00:07:17.879 --> 00:07:18.879 Entire cities were. 00:07:19.580 --> 00:07:25.860 And thankfully, God used monks in scriptoriums at the monasteries to preserve his word. 00:07:26.180 --> 00:07:29.800 And to continue copying so that we could have copies today. 00:07:29.800 --> 00:07:37.879 Now, there's tons of church history from the fall of the Roman Empire all the way up to the Reformation in the early 1500s. 00:07:37.879 --> 00:07:39.300 That factors into this story. 00:07:40.100 --> 00:07:42.500 But we're not going to go into all that. 00:07:42.580 --> 00:07:48.860 For this morning, it's enough to know that up until the time that the printing press was invented in the 1400s, 00:07:48.860 --> 00:07:53.480 the Latin Vulgate, the Latin Bible, was the main Bible of the church. 00:07:54.300 --> 00:08:03.139 And then after the fall of Rome, Latin literacy fell so badly that it was very few who were able to read the Bible. 00:08:03.500 --> 00:08:05.980 Mainly priests or bishops who were trained. 00:08:06.759 --> 00:08:12.740 The people were very much dependent upon church leaders to know anything of what God had revealed in the Bible. 00:08:12.740 --> 00:08:23.840 And unfortunately, the Roman Catholic Church became so corrupt that you weren't even guaranteed to have a bishop or priest who was a Christian in your local parish. 00:08:24.340 --> 00:08:28.639 People went after leadership positions in the church for power and for prestige. 00:08:29.740 --> 00:08:35.100 And sadly, many of the corrupt church leaders were all too happy to keep the people in the dark. 00:08:35.100 --> 00:08:39.840 But then, something big happened. 00:08:40.840 --> 00:08:46.100 In the 1400s, the movable type printing press was invented. 00:08:46.740 --> 00:08:48.600 And it led to a whole bunch of changes. 00:08:49.519 --> 00:08:58.180 Within about 60 years of its invention, a man named Desiderius Erasmus published the first ever printed Greek New Testament. 00:08:59.379 --> 00:09:01.940 There's a picture of what it looked like. 00:09:01.940 --> 00:09:03.960 They even managed to get colored ink on. 00:09:03.960 --> 00:09:05.460 And it's actually kind of nice. 00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:11.360 So this was a big deal. 00:09:11.900 --> 00:09:18.240 Up until this point, attempts had been made to translate the Latin Bible into German and French and even English. 00:09:18.680 --> 00:09:21.460 But the Catholic Church was very much opposed to it. 00:09:22.580 --> 00:09:26.220 There was one authorized translation of the Bible. 00:09:26.780 --> 00:09:29.200 And at the time, it was the Latin Vulgate. 00:09:29.480 --> 00:09:32.820 Don't you dare make your own translation into another language. 00:09:32.820 --> 00:09:35.100 You may have heard about John Wycliffe. 00:09:35.780 --> 00:09:45.540 In the 1300s, just 100 years before the printing press-ish, he had been working to translate the Bible from the Latin into English. 00:09:46.040 --> 00:09:51.220 Not only was he met with fierce opposition, but unfortunately, his translation wasn't very good. 00:09:51.220 --> 00:09:57.160 It was a translation of a translation of the original. 00:09:57.159 --> 00:10:02.799 Because the New Testament was written in Greek, then translated into Latin in the 4th century. 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:08.939 And now here's John Wycliffe translating the translation almost a thousand years later into English. 00:10:08.940 --> 00:10:12.460 You can imagine the problem with that. 00:10:12.460 --> 00:10:17.560 I mean, just imagine writing a very important document, giving it to David. 00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:20.400 David translates that into French. 00:10:20.760 --> 00:10:22.940 And then it sits around for a thousand years. 00:10:23.320 --> 00:10:27.440 And some guy who speaks French and German picks it up and translates it into English. 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:32.040 How close to the original intention of the wording do you think it's going to be? 00:10:32.620 --> 00:10:35.560 You better believe there's going to be some major differences there. 00:10:36.380 --> 00:10:42.440 And if you don't believe me, you can just take one of Paul's long sentences in the epistles, 00:10:42.920 --> 00:10:45.720 punch it into Google Translate, translate it into one other language, 00:10:45.720 --> 00:10:47.640 and then try to translate it back into English. 00:10:47.760 --> 00:10:48.240 And you'll see. 00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:53.779 There were some major problems with John Wycliffe's translation. 00:10:54.399 --> 00:10:55.180 But it was a start. 00:10:57.360 --> 00:11:01.240 So Desiderius Erasmus, after the printing press had been invented, 00:11:01.580 --> 00:11:04.220 he published the first ever Greek New Testament. 00:11:05.240 --> 00:11:10.740 And Martin Luther, he actually got saved by studying this New Testament 00:11:10.740 --> 00:11:13.220 as he was studying in the Book of Romans. 00:11:14.279 --> 00:11:16.019 William Tyndale came along. 00:11:16.019 --> 00:11:21.600 And he created the first ever published translation of the Bible into English 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:23.860 in about the early 1500s. 00:11:24.220 --> 00:11:27.659 And he made it from Erasmus' Greek New Testament. 00:11:28.480 --> 00:11:31.559 In fact, there were a whole bunch of translations of the Bible into English 00:11:31.559 --> 00:11:35.879 that came within about 100 years of Erasmus' first publishing, 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:38.019 the Greek New Testament, in 1516. 00:11:39.159 --> 00:11:42.139 And some of these translations were kind of based off each other 00:11:42.139 --> 00:11:43.980 and reworks and revisions. 00:11:43.980 --> 00:11:47.379 A couple of them were still based off of the Latin Vulgate, 00:11:47.700 --> 00:11:51.019 out of kind of that respect for tradition in the Catholic Church. 00:11:51.580 --> 00:11:55.620 But the best of them were direct translations from the Hebrew Old Testament text 00:11:55.620 --> 00:11:56.980 that they had access to, 00:11:57.560 --> 00:12:00.759 and from Erasmus' Greek New Testament. 00:12:02.300 --> 00:12:05.000 Later, this was revised by Erasmus a number of times, 00:12:05.060 --> 00:12:06.500 and then by a guy named Stephanas. 00:12:06.500 --> 00:12:11.019 And after that revision, the King James Bible translation 00:12:11.019 --> 00:12:14.500 was largely based off of Erasmus' Greek New Testament. 00:12:16.899 --> 00:12:20.620 Now, before we talk about the major problem with Erasmus' Greek New Testament, 00:12:21.220 --> 00:12:25.379 let's first talk about the amazing blessing and gift of God 00:12:25.379 --> 00:12:28.340 that this was to the people of this day. 00:12:28.340 --> 00:12:32.220 For the first time after 1,400 years, 00:12:33.800 --> 00:12:36.220 English speakers like you and me, 00:12:36.879 --> 00:12:39.360 though they spoke a little bit different version of English, 00:12:39.540 --> 00:12:41.180 they could read the Word of God, 00:12:41.259 --> 00:12:42.580 the very words of God, 00:12:43.100 --> 00:12:44.960 in their own language. 00:12:44.960 --> 00:12:51.220 And I'll just mention here that for this message, 00:12:51.320 --> 00:12:55.180 I'm relying significantly on Daniel Wallace for a lot of this information. 00:12:55.759 --> 00:12:58.560 Daniel Wallace is one of the best Greek scholars alive today. 00:12:58.680 --> 00:13:01.800 He's a senior research professor of the New Testament 00:13:01.800 --> 00:13:03.620 at Dallas Theological Seminary. 00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:08.060 He's the director of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts. 00:13:08.220 --> 00:13:09.940 He's traveled all over the world 00:13:09.940 --> 00:13:13.780 and photographed ancient manuscripts of the New Testament with his team. 00:13:13.779 --> 00:13:17.959 And he's, of course, he's been published all kinds of times 00:13:17.959 --> 00:13:24.120 and has served as a consultant for, I think, four major Bible translations, 00:13:24.620 --> 00:13:27.459 including the NIV, the ESV, the New King James. 00:13:28.319 --> 00:13:29.860 Very helpful source. 00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:33.100 In his words, William Tyndale's, 00:13:33.299 --> 00:13:35.220 that first English translation of the Bible, 00:13:35.699 --> 00:13:37.600 was a superb translation. 00:13:38.699 --> 00:13:41.439 Back then they spoke in what's called Middle English, 00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:44.480 and Tyndale was a highly educated man. 00:13:45.180 --> 00:13:46.820 He had studied Greek and Hebrew. 00:13:47.200 --> 00:13:49.920 He had a bachelor's and a master's degree from Oxford. 00:13:50.340 --> 00:13:51.540 He studied at Cambridge. 00:13:51.760 --> 00:13:54.140 He became fluent in six or seven languages. 00:13:54.640 --> 00:13:58.360 And he had a fantastic grasp of the English language of his day. 00:13:59.500 --> 00:14:02.540 Within 30 years of Tyndale's translation, 00:14:02.880 --> 00:14:05.020 there was another Bible that came to be printed, 00:14:05.140 --> 00:14:06.300 known as the Geneva Bible. 00:14:06.299 --> 00:14:09.939 It was translated in Geneva, of course, 00:14:10.319 --> 00:14:14.039 and it was the first English Bible translation done by a committee. 00:14:15.099 --> 00:14:18.799 And it, too, was translated from Erasmus' Greek New Testament 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:22.899 and from the Hebrew Scriptures rather than just from Latin. 00:14:23.959 --> 00:14:26.779 So finally, we come to the 1600s. 00:14:27.740 --> 00:14:29.819 King James is on the throne of England. 00:14:29.820 --> 00:14:34.020 And while the Geneva Bible is the popular translation, 00:14:34.340 --> 00:14:36.320 which many people had in their homes, 00:14:36.820 --> 00:14:40.360 the Bishop's Bible was what was being used in the churches. 00:14:41.240 --> 00:14:44.940 The Bishop's Bible was kind of based off of Tyndale's translation, 00:14:45.580 --> 00:14:48.800 though it had a whole bunch of different revisions at various points. 00:14:50.220 --> 00:14:53.980 One of the past monarchs decided that the Bishop's Bible 00:14:53.980 --> 00:14:55.980 should be the standard translation in England. 00:14:55.980 --> 00:14:59.060 And so it was used in the churches, 00:14:59.259 --> 00:15:01.700 but it had never really caught on because the people didn't like it. 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:04.899 The people liked the Geneva Bible translation better. 00:15:05.680 --> 00:15:09.399 But King James, he didn't like the Geneva Bible translation. 00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:14.080 And probably it wasn't so much because of the translation itself, 00:15:14.259 --> 00:15:17.300 but because of the notes that were packaged in it. 00:15:17.580 --> 00:15:19.600 Back then they used to put notes in the margins, 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:24.220 just like we do today with our modern-day study Bibles. 00:15:24.220 --> 00:15:32.320 And the Geneva Bible's commentary was very Calvinistic. 00:15:33.580 --> 00:15:36.000 Not only that, but the Reformers were very inclined 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:40.340 to highlight examples of justified civil disobedience. 00:15:41.500 --> 00:15:45.399 It kind of fit with the whole flavor of the Reformation. 00:15:45.779 --> 00:15:48.779 And King James did not like that in particular. 00:15:49.580 --> 00:15:52.440 So King James summoned all the religious leaders of England 00:15:52.440 --> 00:15:57.160 and he got them together to do some religious business. 00:15:57.280 --> 00:15:57.980 They had a conference. 00:15:58.720 --> 00:16:01.700 And they made a resolution at that conference. 00:16:04.640 --> 00:16:06.320 The resolution was that 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:08.460 a translation be made of the whole Bible 00:16:08.460 --> 00:16:12.060 as consonant as can be to the original Hebrew and Greek, 00:16:12.500 --> 00:16:15.620 and this to be set out and printed without any marginal notes 00:16:15.620 --> 00:16:18.419 and only to be used in all churches of England 00:16:18.419 --> 00:16:20.279 in time of divine service. 00:16:21.539 --> 00:16:24.720 Actually, this resolution was made by somebody at the conference, 00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:27.159 but most of the church leaders didn't like the idea. 00:16:27.799 --> 00:16:29.620 They kind of preferred the Geneva Bible. 00:16:30.159 --> 00:16:32.100 But King James loved the idea. 00:16:32.879 --> 00:16:36.039 In fact, he was so enthusiastic about this new project 00:16:36.039 --> 00:16:39.039 that he himself took on a leading role in crafting the rules 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:40.919 for who the translators should be, 00:16:41.060 --> 00:16:42.019 how they should organize. 00:16:42.019 --> 00:16:45.899 He saw to it that they had everything that they need to do the work. 00:16:46.819 --> 00:16:50.059 He assigned six panels of scholars to do the work for the King James, 00:16:50.519 --> 00:16:51.919 three for the Old Testament, 00:16:52.120 --> 00:16:53.079 two for the New Testament, 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:54.379 one for the Apocrypha, 00:16:54.579 --> 00:16:57.000 and altogether there were 47 men 00:16:57.000 --> 00:16:58.279 who worked together 00:16:58.279 --> 00:17:01.500 on the King James translation of the Bible. 00:17:01.500 --> 00:17:06.220 And the scholars looked at all the English translations 00:17:06.220 --> 00:17:07.319 that had been done to date, 00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:08.799 as well as the Latin Vulgate, 00:17:09.539 --> 00:17:11.299 and specifically in the New Testament, 00:17:11.640 --> 00:17:15.940 they again looked at that New Testament done in Greek 00:17:15.940 --> 00:17:18.460 that Erasmus had done back in 1516. 00:17:20.779 --> 00:17:22.359 Even though they weren't supposed to, 00:17:22.819 --> 00:17:23.460 funny thing, 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:25.900 the translators of the King James Bible 00:17:25.900 --> 00:17:28.859 ended up going with the wording of the Geneva Bible a fair bit, 00:17:29.799 --> 00:17:31.400 but it was a good translation. 00:17:32.059 --> 00:17:33.359 But even more surprising 00:17:33.359 --> 00:17:36.180 is how closely the King James translation, 00:17:36.339 --> 00:17:37.019 when it was done, 00:17:37.319 --> 00:17:41.519 resembled William Tyndale's translation from 80 years earlier. 00:17:42.380 --> 00:17:47.339 One analysis had that the wording was actually 90% the same 00:17:47.339 --> 00:17:49.480 as what William Tyndale had done 00:17:49.480 --> 00:17:51.400 in the first English translation ever made. 00:17:51.400 --> 00:17:53.900 So when all was said and done, 00:17:53.980 --> 00:17:55.460 the English-speaking churches, 00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:58.960 they had a new version of the Bible, 00:17:59.120 --> 00:18:00.220 and not only a new one, 00:18:00.280 --> 00:18:02.880 but they had an excellent translation of God's Word 00:18:02.880 --> 00:18:05.320 in their own language. 00:18:07.080 --> 00:18:09.160 William Tyndale, back in his day, 00:18:09.240 --> 00:18:10.820 he was just a little bit more concerned 00:18:10.820 --> 00:18:13.200 with being faithful to the Greek and Hebrew wording 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:14.040 and word order, 00:18:14.039 --> 00:18:17.119 so his translation was a little less easy to read. 00:18:17.359 --> 00:18:19.519 It was a little less pleasing to the English ears. 00:18:20.460 --> 00:18:21.259 But King James, 00:18:21.799 --> 00:18:24.119 in his translation, 00:18:24.279 --> 00:18:25.799 they placed a little bit more emphasis 00:18:25.799 --> 00:18:27.240 on bringing the meaning through 00:18:27.240 --> 00:18:28.659 in a way that sounded good 00:18:28.659 --> 00:18:30.819 to the English speaker, 00:18:31.159 --> 00:18:32.960 a way that was memorable and understandable. 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:34.759 Understandable. 00:18:35.120 --> 00:18:35.779 And even today, 00:18:35.900 --> 00:18:38.279 the King James Bible still stands out 00:18:38.279 --> 00:18:40.720 as an elegant and beautiful translation 00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:43.340 for those who are willing to put in the work 00:18:43.340 --> 00:18:46.640 to learn some older words and grammar. 00:18:47.420 --> 00:18:51.340 What a gift it was to the English speakers of that day, 00:18:51.460 --> 00:18:53.680 and even to many who still use it, 00:18:53.720 --> 00:18:54.519 even up to today. 00:18:55.980 --> 00:18:58.700 But there is one significant weakness 00:18:58.700 --> 00:18:59.920 or shortcoming, 00:19:00.360 --> 00:19:02.319 not just of the King James translation, 00:19:02.319 --> 00:19:04.639 but actually of all the English translations 00:19:04.639 --> 00:19:05.859 made around that time. 00:19:06.619 --> 00:19:09.139 It was that they relied exclusively 00:19:09.139 --> 00:19:11.119 on the published editions 00:19:11.119 --> 00:19:12.759 of this Greek New Testament 00:19:12.759 --> 00:19:14.019 done by Erasmus. 00:19:14.899 --> 00:19:16.679 That was the best that they had available 00:19:16.679 --> 00:19:18.240 in their day, many of them. 00:19:19.079 --> 00:19:20.019 And as I mentioned earlier, 00:19:20.099 --> 00:19:20.740 there was a problem, 00:19:20.839 --> 00:19:21.539 there was a weakness, 00:19:21.819 --> 00:19:24.119 a shortcoming with his New Testament 00:19:24.119 --> 00:19:26.460 published back in 1516. 00:19:28.939 --> 00:19:30.179 Desiderius Erasmus, 00:19:30.179 --> 00:19:31.899 when he published this, 00:19:32.319 --> 00:19:34.159 and he actually admitted this, 00:19:34.639 --> 00:19:35.819 it was a rush job. 00:19:36.500 --> 00:19:38.000 The printing press had been invented, 00:19:38.500 --> 00:19:39.339 and now it was, 00:19:39.639 --> 00:19:40.579 who's going to be the first 00:19:40.579 --> 00:19:42.220 to publish the Greek New Testament? 00:19:44.039 --> 00:19:46.000 And unfortunately, 00:19:46.439 --> 00:19:47.439 due to this rush, 00:19:47.939 --> 00:19:48.960 it ended up coming out 00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:49.740 in the first edition 00:19:49.740 --> 00:19:52.460 with a whole bunch of typos and errors. 00:19:52.460 --> 00:19:54.460 But the bigger issue 00:19:54.460 --> 00:19:56.100 is that Erasmus' 00:19:56.100 --> 00:19:57.079 Greek New Testament 00:19:57.079 --> 00:19:57.920 was put together 00:19:57.920 --> 00:19:58.980 from a grand total 00:19:58.980 --> 00:20:01.579 of only eight manuscripts, 00:20:02.140 --> 00:20:03.279 eight Greek manuscripts. 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:05.579 There's only seven on this list. 00:20:05.860 --> 00:20:06.700 The eighth isn't on there, 00:20:06.779 --> 00:20:08.140 but he used eight. 00:20:08.740 --> 00:20:10.000 And the best manuscript 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:10.900 Erasmus had 00:20:10.900 --> 00:20:12.500 was a manuscript copy 00:20:12.500 --> 00:20:13.319 of the New Testament 00:20:13.319 --> 00:20:14.180 that had been made 00:20:14.180 --> 00:20:15.380 in the 11th century, 00:20:16.200 --> 00:20:17.579 still a thousand years 00:20:17.579 --> 00:20:18.740 from the time 00:20:18.740 --> 00:20:19.539 that the New Testament 00:20:19.539 --> 00:20:20.600 was originally written. 00:20:20.599 --> 00:20:22.500 Not only that, 00:20:22.579 --> 00:20:23.959 but Erasmus didn't even realize 00:20:23.959 --> 00:20:25.159 that the 11th century one 00:20:25.159 --> 00:20:26.279 was his best manuscript. 00:20:27.339 --> 00:20:28.379 He used it the least, 00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:29.500 and instead drew more 00:20:29.500 --> 00:20:31.119 from some of the manuscripts 00:20:31.119 --> 00:20:32.459 that had been copied 00:20:32.459 --> 00:20:33.359 much closer 00:20:33.359 --> 00:20:35.240 to his own time of publishing. 00:20:36.779 --> 00:20:37.639 In general, 00:20:37.740 --> 00:20:38.839 the closer to the time 00:20:38.839 --> 00:20:39.379 of writing 00:20:39.379 --> 00:20:40.759 the manuscript was copied, 00:20:41.259 --> 00:20:42.119 the more accurate 00:20:42.119 --> 00:20:43.439 the copy is likely to be. 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:45.179 It's not the only factor 00:20:45.179 --> 00:20:47.019 that affects the accuracy, 00:20:47.199 --> 00:20:48.199 but it's a general principle. 00:20:48.200 --> 00:20:52.100 So these 12th to 15th century 00:20:52.100 --> 00:20:52.559 manuscripts 00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:53.340 that he used 00:20:53.340 --> 00:20:54.180 to publish his 00:20:54.180 --> 00:20:55.059 Greek New Testament 00:20:55.059 --> 00:20:56.700 had all the copyist 00:20:56.700 --> 00:20:58.340 and scribal errors, 00:20:58.720 --> 00:20:59.600 and in some cases, 00:20:59.740 --> 00:21:00.039 additions, 00:21:00.200 --> 00:21:01.019 which had accumulated 00:21:01.019 --> 00:21:01.519 in them 00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:02.200 over the past 00:21:02.200 --> 00:21:04.180 1,000 to 1,400 years. 00:21:05.539 --> 00:21:06.680 In addition to that, 00:21:06.759 --> 00:21:08.000 all but one of these manuscripts 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:09.539 came from the same family, 00:21:10.080 --> 00:21:10.779 regional family 00:21:10.779 --> 00:21:11.640 of manuscripts. 00:21:12.380 --> 00:21:13.519 And that in itself 00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:14.500 is not a bad thing. 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:15.940 It's just that it was 00:21:15.940 --> 00:21:16.620 all he had 00:21:16.620 --> 00:21:17.400 in his day 00:21:17.400 --> 00:21:18.060 to use. 00:21:19.019 --> 00:21:19.860 And out of all 00:21:19.860 --> 00:21:21.540 of these eight manuscripts, 00:21:22.120 --> 00:21:23.840 only one of them 00:21:23.840 --> 00:21:24.840 had the book 00:21:24.840 --> 00:21:25.440 of Revelation 00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:26.440 in it. 00:21:28.400 --> 00:21:29.500 And it was a copy 00:21:29.500 --> 00:21:30.640 of an earlier manuscript 00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:31.200 on which 00:21:31.200 --> 00:21:32.420 some archbishop 00:21:32.420 --> 00:21:34.060 back in the 1600s 00:21:34.060 --> 00:21:35.280 named Andreas 00:21:35.280 --> 00:21:36.140 had decided 00:21:36.140 --> 00:21:36.960 he was going to make 00:21:36.960 --> 00:21:38.019 all sorts of notes 00:21:38.019 --> 00:21:38.820 and comments. 00:21:39.220 --> 00:21:40.800 He wrote kind of a commentary 00:21:40.800 --> 00:21:42.360 and some textual notes 00:21:42.360 --> 00:21:43.120 all over it. 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:44.480 And all of that 00:21:44.480 --> 00:21:45.500 commentary and notes 00:21:45.500 --> 00:21:46.240 had been copied 00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:47.140 forward for 00:21:47.140 --> 00:21:48.480 hundreds of years. 00:21:48.700 --> 00:21:50.059 And this was the copy 00:21:50.059 --> 00:21:51.460 that Erasmus had 00:21:51.460 --> 00:21:52.140 for Revelation. 00:21:52.339 --> 00:21:52.940 And unfortunately, 00:21:53.299 --> 00:21:54.740 in most of the previous ones, 00:21:55.140 --> 00:21:56.380 it was easy to tell 00:21:56.380 --> 00:21:57.079 what the commentary 00:21:57.079 --> 00:21:59.059 and what the actual text 00:21:59.059 --> 00:22:00.160 of the New Testament was. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:01.660 But in this particular one, 00:22:02.019 --> 00:22:03.240 the person who had copied it 00:22:03.240 --> 00:22:04.440 actually wrote the commentary 00:22:04.440 --> 00:22:06.299 in between the lines of text 00:22:06.299 --> 00:22:07.900 of the Greek New Testament. 00:22:07.900 --> 00:22:10.460 So this was the best 00:22:10.460 --> 00:22:11.600 that Erasmus had. 00:22:12.860 --> 00:22:13.880 And some of those 00:22:13.880 --> 00:22:15.460 notes or comments 00:22:15.460 --> 00:22:16.560 just above the words 00:22:16.560 --> 00:22:18.759 accidentally ended up 00:22:18.759 --> 00:22:19.460 getting into 00:22:19.460 --> 00:22:20.920 his New Testament. 00:22:21.860 --> 00:22:23.200 But what was even worse 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:23.660 than that 00:22:23.660 --> 00:22:24.140 was that 00:22:24.140 --> 00:22:25.800 his copy of Revelation, 00:22:26.040 --> 00:22:26.519 the manuscript, 00:22:26.700 --> 00:22:27.960 was missing the last page. 00:22:28.560 --> 00:22:29.620 They had codexes 00:22:29.620 --> 00:22:30.660 that were very much like 00:22:30.660 --> 00:22:31.740 books that we have today. 00:22:31.820 --> 00:22:32.820 You know how the last page 00:22:32.820 --> 00:22:34.340 sometimes falls out? 00:22:34.880 --> 00:22:35.620 Well, Erasmus, 00:22:36.360 --> 00:22:37.660 he was missing the last page. 00:22:37.660 --> 00:22:38.380 And so he didn't have 00:22:38.380 --> 00:22:39.480 the last six verses 00:22:39.480 --> 00:22:40.900 of Revelation. 00:22:42.460 --> 00:22:43.840 So being the clever guy 00:22:43.840 --> 00:22:44.440 that he was, 00:22:44.560 --> 00:22:45.560 he cheated a little bit 00:22:45.560 --> 00:22:46.000 on that. 00:22:46.060 --> 00:22:46.759 And he actually 00:22:46.759 --> 00:22:49.140 opened up his Latin Bible. 00:22:49.620 --> 00:22:51.100 And then he wrote 00:22:51.100 --> 00:22:51.900 in Greek 00:22:51.900 --> 00:22:53.779 the words he thought 00:22:53.779 --> 00:22:54.620 they would have used 00:22:54.620 --> 00:22:56.300 to basically translate 00:22:56.300 --> 00:22:57.220 back from the Latin 00:22:57.220 --> 00:22:58.040 into Greek 00:22:58.040 --> 00:22:59.160 for the last six verses 00:22:59.160 --> 00:22:59.880 of Revelation. 00:23:00.680 --> 00:23:01.180 Of course, 00:23:01.220 --> 00:23:01.980 he had to complete 00:23:01.980 --> 00:23:03.360 his translation. 00:23:05.120 --> 00:23:06.540 It's kind of a clever move. 00:23:07.660 --> 00:23:08.700 But when he finally 00:23:08.700 --> 00:23:09.840 did find some manuscripts 00:23:09.840 --> 00:23:10.880 of Revelation 00:23:10.880 --> 00:23:12.580 that had those verses, 00:23:13.600 --> 00:23:13.920 uh-oh, 00:23:14.340 --> 00:23:15.540 they aren't quite the same. 00:23:16.700 --> 00:23:17.620 And already people 00:23:17.620 --> 00:23:18.940 have been translating 00:23:18.940 --> 00:23:19.460 off the one 00:23:19.460 --> 00:23:20.360 he had cheated on 00:23:20.360 --> 00:23:21.540 and making copies of that 00:23:21.540 --> 00:23:22.560 and distributing it. 00:23:23.540 --> 00:23:24.460 Turn for a moment 00:23:24.460 --> 00:23:25.759 to Revelation 22, 00:23:26.180 --> 00:23:27.259 verse 19. 00:23:31.259 --> 00:23:32.519 Revelation 22, 00:23:32.640 --> 00:23:33.340 verse 19. 00:23:33.339 --> 00:23:34.899 It says, 00:23:35.559 --> 00:23:36.980 If anyone takes away 00:23:36.980 --> 00:23:37.740 from the words 00:23:37.740 --> 00:23:38.399 of the book 00:23:38.399 --> 00:23:39.419 of this prophecy, 00:23:40.220 --> 00:23:41.220 God shall take away 00:23:41.220 --> 00:23:41.899 his part 00:23:41.899 --> 00:23:43.699 from the tree of life, 00:23:43.919 --> 00:23:45.240 from the holy city, 00:23:45.539 --> 00:23:46.519 and from the things 00:23:46.519 --> 00:23:47.119 which are written 00:23:47.119 --> 00:23:48.039 in this book. 00:23:48.679 --> 00:23:49.199 Now, 00:23:49.259 --> 00:23:49.659 if you're reading 00:23:49.659 --> 00:23:50.359 the King James, 00:23:50.419 --> 00:23:50.879 you'll notice 00:23:50.879 --> 00:23:51.579 that it says, 00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:53.399 God shall take away 00:23:53.399 --> 00:23:54.019 his part 00:23:54.019 --> 00:23:55.299 from the book of life. 00:23:56.279 --> 00:23:57.179 The difference 00:23:57.179 --> 00:23:58.220 is owing in part 00:23:58.220 --> 00:23:59.099 to Erasmus' 00:23:59.339 --> 00:24:00.959 back translation 00:24:00.959 --> 00:24:02.119 from the Latin Vulgate, 00:24:02.119 --> 00:24:03.279 because the Latin Vulgate 00:24:03.279 --> 00:24:04.459 says the book of life 00:24:04.459 --> 00:24:05.739 instead of the tree of life. 00:24:06.239 --> 00:24:07.500 But even today, 00:24:07.699 --> 00:24:08.699 with all the manuscripts 00:24:08.699 --> 00:24:09.919 of the New Testament 00:24:09.919 --> 00:24:10.679 that we have, 00:24:11.579 --> 00:24:12.439 we do not have 00:24:12.439 --> 00:24:13.179 a single one 00:24:13.179 --> 00:24:14.339 that says 00:24:14.339 --> 00:24:15.879 book of life 00:24:15.879 --> 00:24:16.500 in it 00:24:16.500 --> 00:24:17.659 that was copied 00:24:17.659 --> 00:24:18.699 prior to the time 00:24:18.699 --> 00:24:19.739 of Erasmus' 00:24:20.019 --> 00:24:21.239 Greek New Testament. 00:24:21.939 --> 00:24:22.939 They all say 00:24:22.939 --> 00:24:24.099 tree of life. 00:24:25.059 --> 00:24:26.059 And probably, 00:24:26.599 --> 00:24:27.879 as some have noted, 00:24:28.019 --> 00:24:28.259 why 00:24:28.259 --> 00:24:30.679 the word book 00:24:30.679 --> 00:24:31.479 ended up in there 00:24:31.480 --> 00:24:32.420 is because in Latin, 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:33.319 the word for book 00:24:33.319 --> 00:24:34.200 and the word for tree 00:24:34.200 --> 00:24:35.039 looks very similar. 00:24:35.220 --> 00:24:36.420 Ligno versus libro. 00:24:36.819 --> 00:24:37.519 It's just two letters 00:24:37.519 --> 00:24:38.019 difference. 00:24:40.319 --> 00:24:41.319 Probably some Latin 00:24:41.319 --> 00:24:42.200 copyist had just 00:24:42.200 --> 00:24:42.839 made a mistake 00:24:42.839 --> 00:24:44.000 somewhere back 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:44.620 in the centuries 00:24:44.620 --> 00:24:45.039 before, 00:24:45.180 --> 00:24:45.819 and it was carried 00:24:45.819 --> 00:24:46.720 forward all the way 00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:47.819 through to the 00:24:47.819 --> 00:24:48.620 15th century. 00:24:50.539 --> 00:24:51.420 And unfortunately, 00:24:51.779 --> 00:24:52.380 this error 00:24:52.380 --> 00:24:54.319 made it all the way 00:24:54.319 --> 00:24:55.180 into the King James 00:24:55.180 --> 00:24:56.079 version of the Bible, 00:24:56.079 --> 00:24:57.980 and even today, 00:24:58.159 --> 00:24:58.980 it still hasn't 00:24:58.980 --> 00:24:59.899 been corrected 00:24:59.899 --> 00:25:01.919 out of a respect 00:25:01.919 --> 00:25:02.879 for tradition. 00:25:04.679 --> 00:25:05.419 In fact, 00:25:05.539 --> 00:25:06.559 even in 1982, 00:25:06.819 --> 00:25:07.859 when the New King James 00:25:07.859 --> 00:25:09.359 version was published, 00:25:09.359 --> 00:25:10.720 they had the opportunity 00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:11.819 to correct this, 00:25:12.359 --> 00:25:13.919 and they were advised 00:25:13.919 --> 00:25:15.059 to by some 00:25:15.059 --> 00:25:15.779 that they consulted 00:25:15.779 --> 00:25:16.139 with, 00:25:16.339 --> 00:25:17.099 and they chose 00:25:17.099 --> 00:25:17.559 not to. 00:25:17.619 --> 00:25:18.359 They chose to base 00:25:18.359 --> 00:25:19.379 their New Testament 00:25:19.379 --> 00:25:21.059 off of that same 00:25:21.059 --> 00:25:22.279 Greek text 00:25:22.279 --> 00:25:23.399 that Erasmus did 00:25:23.399 --> 00:25:24.480 out of respect 00:25:24.480 --> 00:25:25.140 for tradition. 00:25:26.960 --> 00:25:27.440 So, 00:25:27.660 --> 00:25:28.940 here's why this is 00:25:28.940 --> 00:25:29.779 such a shortcoming. 00:25:30.880 --> 00:25:32.039 Erasmus had only 00:25:32.039 --> 00:25:34.279 eight Greek manuscripts, 00:25:35.559 --> 00:25:36.160 and all 00:25:36.160 --> 00:25:37.079 except one 00:25:37.079 --> 00:25:38.019 from a single family 00:25:38.019 --> 00:25:38.599 of manuscripts, 00:25:38.799 --> 00:25:39.259 but today, 00:25:39.539 --> 00:25:40.900 we have over 00:25:40.900 --> 00:25:42.440 5,000 plus 00:25:42.440 --> 00:25:43.640 manuscripts. 00:25:44.339 --> 00:25:45.160 The exact count 00:25:45.160 --> 00:25:45.759 is hard to get, 00:25:45.860 --> 00:25:46.380 so I picked 00:25:46.380 --> 00:25:47.279 a very conservative 00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:47.740 number. 00:25:47.900 --> 00:25:48.339 Some would say 00:25:48.339 --> 00:25:49.559 closer to 6,000. 00:25:51.220 --> 00:25:52.140 And these are 00:25:52.140 --> 00:25:52.960 in New Testament, 00:25:53.200 --> 00:25:54.000 they're in libraries, 00:25:54.160 --> 00:25:54.460 they're in music, 00:25:54.480 --> 00:25:54.799 museums, 00:25:55.079 --> 00:25:55.860 they're in personal 00:25:55.860 --> 00:25:56.500 collections, 00:25:56.599 --> 00:25:57.720 all over the world. 00:25:58.680 --> 00:25:59.720 And we have several 00:25:59.720 --> 00:26:00.779 online catalogs 00:26:00.779 --> 00:26:01.539 of these manuscripts. 00:26:02.319 --> 00:26:03.079 It's quite something. 00:26:03.180 --> 00:26:03.620 You can actually 00:26:03.620 --> 00:26:04.259 go online, 00:26:04.360 --> 00:26:04.960 and for free, 00:26:05.599 --> 00:26:06.360 you can view 00:26:06.360 --> 00:26:07.319 the parchment, 00:26:07.519 --> 00:26:08.240 the papyrus, 00:26:08.440 --> 00:26:09.339 high-resolution 00:26:09.339 --> 00:26:10.180 photographs that 00:26:10.180 --> 00:26:10.779 have been taken 00:26:10.779 --> 00:26:11.920 of the actual 00:26:11.920 --> 00:26:12.420 manuscripts, 00:26:12.700 --> 00:26:13.539 which they've found. 00:26:14.599 --> 00:26:15.319 It's amazing. 00:26:16.140 --> 00:26:16.319 Now, 00:26:16.360 --> 00:26:17.000 not all of these 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:18.019 5,000 contain 00:26:18.019 --> 00:26:18.900 the entire 00:26:18.900 --> 00:26:19.579 New Testament. 00:26:19.799 --> 00:26:20.519 Some are fragments 00:26:20.519 --> 00:26:21.059 and pieces, 00:26:21.680 --> 00:26:22.839 but according to 00:26:22.839 --> 00:26:23.360 one source, 00:26:23.359 --> 00:26:23.979 the average 00:26:23.979 --> 00:26:24.699 size of a New 00:26:24.699 --> 00:26:25.579 Testament manuscript 00:26:25.579 --> 00:26:27.199 is 450 pages. 00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:28.799 So it's 00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:30.039 quite significant. 00:26:30.579 --> 00:26:31.019 They used 00:26:31.019 --> 00:26:31.939 fairly big letters, 00:26:32.259 --> 00:26:33.119 all copied 00:26:33.119 --> 00:26:33.759 by hand. 00:26:35.039 --> 00:26:35.859 Not only do we 00:26:35.859 --> 00:26:36.779 have a huge number, 00:26:37.240 --> 00:26:38.119 but we also have 00:26:38.119 --> 00:26:38.959 manuscripts from 00:26:38.959 --> 00:26:40.000 all of the different 00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:40.740 families of 00:26:40.740 --> 00:26:41.159 manuscripts. 00:26:42.759 --> 00:26:43.919 And beyond that, 00:26:44.039 --> 00:26:44.659 we have over 00:26:44.659 --> 00:26:45.839 10,000 manuscripts 00:26:45.839 --> 00:26:46.699 of the New Testament 00:26:46.699 --> 00:26:47.559 translated into 00:26:47.559 --> 00:26:48.339 other languages, 00:26:48.599 --> 00:26:48.919 Latin, 00:26:49.399 --> 00:26:49.819 Coptic, 00:26:49.819 --> 00:26:50.460 Syriac, 00:26:50.599 --> 00:26:50.980 Armenian, 00:26:51.299 --> 00:26:52.460 and even more. 00:26:53.259 --> 00:26:54.019 We also have 00:26:54.019 --> 00:26:54.659 copies of the 00:26:54.659 --> 00:26:55.240 writings of the 00:26:55.240 --> 00:26:55.859 church fathers 00:26:55.859 --> 00:26:56.399 today, 00:26:56.639 --> 00:26:57.480 who quoted 00:26:57.480 --> 00:26:58.200 from their 00:26:58.200 --> 00:26:59.039 copies of 00:26:59.039 --> 00:26:59.700 the ancient 00:26:59.700 --> 00:27:00.659 Greek New 00:27:00.659 --> 00:27:01.019 Testament. 00:27:01.619 --> 00:27:02.379 So we can 00:27:02.379 --> 00:27:03.139 check and see 00:27:03.139 --> 00:27:03.720 does it match 00:27:03.720 --> 00:27:04.019 up. 00:27:04.899 --> 00:27:05.579 And most 00:27:05.579 --> 00:27:06.119 importantly, 00:27:06.379 --> 00:27:07.439 we have many 00:27:07.439 --> 00:27:08.639 manuscripts today 00:27:08.639 --> 00:27:09.240 which date 00:27:09.240 --> 00:27:10.579 back way 00:27:10.579 --> 00:27:11.799 closer to 00:27:11.799 --> 00:27:12.619 the time that 00:27:12.619 --> 00:27:13.259 the New Testament 00:27:13.259 --> 00:27:14.039 was originally 00:27:14.039 --> 00:27:14.419 written. 00:27:15.299 --> 00:27:15.980 An earlier 00:27:15.980 --> 00:27:16.759 date of copy 00:27:16.759 --> 00:27:18.059 and an earlier 00:27:18.059 --> 00:27:19.019 manuscript means 00:27:19.019 --> 00:27:19.440 that it is 00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:20.180 closer to the 00:27:20.180 --> 00:27:21.039 original source 00:27:21.039 --> 00:27:21.519 which means 00:27:21.519 --> 00:27:22.200 that generally 00:27:22.200 --> 00:27:22.779 there's way 00:27:22.779 --> 00:27:23.799 less chance 00:27:23.799 --> 00:27:24.299 for error. 00:27:25.299 --> 00:27:26.039 We have a 00:27:26.039 --> 00:27:26.879 dozen manuscript 00:27:26.879 --> 00:27:27.519 fragments 00:27:27.519 --> 00:27:28.539 dating all the 00:27:28.539 --> 00:27:29.019 way back 00:27:29.019 --> 00:27:29.559 to the 00:27:29.559 --> 00:27:30.420 second century. 00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:32.119 That's within 00:27:32.119 --> 00:27:33.079 a hundred years 00:27:33.079 --> 00:27:34.480 of the time 00:27:34.480 --> 00:27:35.539 that the 00:27:35.539 --> 00:27:36.299 apostles and 00:27:36.299 --> 00:27:36.720 the gospel 00:27:36.720 --> 00:27:37.480 writers wrote. 00:27:38.460 --> 00:27:38.839 Now those 00:27:38.839 --> 00:27:39.440 are fragments, 00:27:39.579 --> 00:27:40.099 most of them, 00:27:41.379 --> 00:27:43.359 not the whole 00:27:43.359 --> 00:27:43.980 New Testament. 00:27:44.839 --> 00:27:45.720 In the third 00:27:45.720 --> 00:27:46.160 century, 00:27:46.160 --> 00:27:47.440 64 manuscripts. 00:27:48.000 --> 00:27:48.580 From the 00:27:48.580 --> 00:27:49.240 fourth century, 00:27:49.400 --> 00:27:50.180 about 48 00:27:50.180 --> 00:27:50.720 manuscripts. 00:27:51.660 --> 00:27:52.140 And if you 00:27:52.140 --> 00:27:53.000 just take those 00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:54.000 300 years 00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:54.420 together, 00:27:54.759 --> 00:27:55.259 we have about 00:27:55.259 --> 00:27:56.759 125 manuscripts 00:27:56.759 --> 00:27:58.259 and in those 00:27:58.259 --> 00:27:59.480 125 manuscripts 00:27:59.480 --> 00:28:00.240 the whole New 00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:00.860 Testament is 00:28:00.860 --> 00:28:01.940 found represented 00:28:01.940 --> 00:28:03.019 multiple times. 00:28:04.000 --> 00:28:05.000 It's amazing. 00:28:05.580 --> 00:28:06.560 Not only that, 00:28:06.640 --> 00:28:07.220 but with the 00:28:07.220 --> 00:28:08.120 technology that we 00:28:08.120 --> 00:28:08.740 have today, 00:28:09.140 --> 00:28:10.980 we're able to 00:28:10.980 --> 00:28:12.019 analyze these 00:28:12.019 --> 00:28:12.740 manuscripts in 00:28:12.740 --> 00:28:13.259 ways that were 00:28:13.259 --> 00:28:14.400 never possible 00:28:14.400 --> 00:28:14.880 before. 00:28:14.880 --> 00:28:16.180 We have 00:28:16.180 --> 00:28:16.780 different types 00:28:16.780 --> 00:28:17.220 of imaging 00:28:17.220 --> 00:28:17.820 today that 00:28:17.820 --> 00:28:18.240 can help 00:28:18.240 --> 00:28:19.060 better read 00:28:19.060 --> 00:28:19.680 old and 00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:21.020 faded text 00:28:21.020 --> 00:28:21.640 on parchment. 00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:22.620 We have 00:28:22.620 --> 00:28:23.300 computers that 00:28:23.300 --> 00:28:23.820 are able to 00:28:23.820 --> 00:28:24.860 catalog every 00:28:24.860 --> 00:28:25.600 manuscript that 00:28:25.600 --> 00:28:26.200 we have and 00:28:26.200 --> 00:28:27.160 we can program 00:28:27.160 --> 00:28:28.200 to sift through 00:28:28.200 --> 00:28:29.460 them all and 00:28:29.460 --> 00:28:30.560 try to help us 00:28:30.560 --> 00:28:31.320 narrow down the 00:28:31.320 --> 00:28:31.940 most likely 00:28:31.940 --> 00:28:33.020 original reading 00:28:33.020 --> 00:28:34.040 of the New 00:28:34.040 --> 00:28:34.800 Testament scriptures 00:28:34.800 --> 00:28:35.600 in those places 00:28:35.600 --> 00:28:36.160 where there are 00:28:36.160 --> 00:28:37.200 some variations. 00:28:37.840 --> 00:28:38.620 We can pull up 00:28:38.620 --> 00:28:40.220 images of 00:28:40.220 --> 00:28:41.200 manuscripts, a 00:28:41.200 --> 00:28:41.940 manuscript that's 00:28:41.940 --> 00:28:42.799 in Germany, a 00:28:42.799 --> 00:28:43.580 manuscript that's 00:28:43.580 --> 00:28:44.840 in England, and 00:28:44.840 --> 00:28:45.440 pull them up on 00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:46.080 the screen side 00:28:46.080 --> 00:28:47.080 by side and 00:28:47.080 --> 00:28:48.779 compare, something 00:28:48.779 --> 00:28:49.380 that they couldn't 00:28:49.380 --> 00:28:51.120 do in Erasmus' or 00:28:51.120 --> 00:28:52.420 Stephanus' day. 00:28:53.559 --> 00:28:54.660 So because of 00:28:54.660 --> 00:28:56.380 this, we have the 00:28:56.380 --> 00:28:57.180 ability to narrow 00:28:57.180 --> 00:28:58.100 things down even 00:28:58.100 --> 00:28:59.700 better and be even 00:28:59.700 --> 00:29:01.480 more confident that 00:29:01.480 --> 00:29:02.000 the Greek New 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:02.799 Testament we have 00:29:02.799 --> 00:29:03.600 today contains 00:29:03.600 --> 00:29:04.840 accurately the 00:29:04.840 --> 00:29:05.900 words that the 00:29:05.900 --> 00:29:07.200 apostles originally 00:29:07.200 --> 00:29:07.620 wrote. 00:29:08.519 --> 00:29:09.080 And what that 00:29:09.080 --> 00:29:09.720 means is that the 00:29:09.720 --> 00:29:10.299 best of our 00:29:10.299 --> 00:29:11.360 modern-day English 00:29:11.360 --> 00:29:13.240 translations, they're 00:29:13.240 --> 00:29:14.019 actually more 00:29:14.019 --> 00:29:15.380 accurate than the 00:29:15.380 --> 00:29:16.420 early English 00:29:16.420 --> 00:29:17.420 translations ever 00:29:17.420 --> 00:29:17.900 could be. 00:29:18.640 --> 00:29:19.480 I don't know about 00:29:19.480 --> 00:29:20.039 you, but I find 00:29:20.039 --> 00:29:21.339 that reassuring. 00:29:21.620 --> 00:29:22.200 I find that 00:29:22.200 --> 00:29:22.940 encouraging. 00:29:23.779 --> 00:29:25.039 Back to John 7 00:29:25.039 --> 00:29:26.059 verse 53. 00:29:28.339 --> 00:29:29.299 The reason this 00:29:29.299 --> 00:29:30.420 passage is 00:29:30.420 --> 00:29:31.140 specially marked 00:29:31.140 --> 00:29:32.019 out like this is 00:29:32.019 --> 00:29:32.720 because there's a 00:29:32.720 --> 00:29:33.799 very high degree of 00:29:33.799 --> 00:29:35.360 confidence that it 00:29:35.360 --> 00:29:36.420 was not part of the 00:29:36.420 --> 00:29:37.440 original gospel of 00:29:37.440 --> 00:29:38.680 John, but that it 00:29:38.680 --> 00:29:39.380 was added later. 00:29:39.720 --> 00:29:41.180 According to D.A. 00:29:41.259 --> 00:29:42.600 Carson, a very 00:29:42.600 --> 00:29:43.420 respected Bible 00:29:43.420 --> 00:29:44.819 scholar, the 00:29:44.819 --> 00:29:46.100 medieval Greek 00:29:46.100 --> 00:29:47.059 manuscripts, they 00:29:47.059 --> 00:29:47.940 have these verses, 00:29:48.500 --> 00:29:49.600 but if you go back 00:29:49.600 --> 00:29:51.319 before that to the 00:29:51.319 --> 00:29:52.240 earlier manuscripts, 00:29:52.600 --> 00:29:54.279 it's absent from 00:29:54.279 --> 00:29:55.200 virtually all of 00:29:55.200 --> 00:29:57.400 them across all 00:29:57.400 --> 00:29:58.000 families of 00:29:58.000 --> 00:29:58.500 manuscripts. 00:29:59.480 --> 00:30:00.480 These verses are 00:30:00.480 --> 00:30:01.120 missing from the 00:30:01.120 --> 00:30:02.019 earliest translations 00:30:02.019 --> 00:30:03.079 of the gospel into 00:30:03.079 --> 00:30:04.360 Syriac, Coptic, 00:30:04.500 --> 00:30:05.000 Latin, and 00:30:05.000 --> 00:30:05.360 Armenian. 00:30:05.940 --> 00:30:06.880 All of the early 00:30:06.880 --> 00:30:08.079 church fathers omit 00:30:08.079 --> 00:30:08.700 this section 00:30:08.700 --> 00:30:09.299 completely. 00:30:09.720 --> 00:30:10.180 From their 00:30:10.180 --> 00:30:11.019 commentaries on 00:30:11.019 --> 00:30:11.660 the gospel of 00:30:11.660 --> 00:30:14.000 John, and the 00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:14.799 early church fathers 00:30:14.799 --> 00:30:15.799 were not known for 00:30:15.799 --> 00:30:16.500 being brief. 00:30:17.200 --> 00:30:18.920 They loved to 00:30:18.920 --> 00:30:19.799 comment at length 00:30:19.799 --> 00:30:21.240 on every verse 00:30:21.240 --> 00:30:23.940 of the Bible, but 00:30:23.940 --> 00:30:24.559 they just passed 00:30:24.559 --> 00:30:25.759 right from verse 52 00:30:25.759 --> 00:30:27.039 of chapter 7 to 00:30:27.039 --> 00:30:27.960 verse 12 of chapter 00:30:27.960 --> 00:30:28.759 8 as if it wasn't 00:30:28.759 --> 00:30:30.120 even there in their 00:30:30.120 --> 00:30:30.920 commentaries on 00:30:30.920 --> 00:30:31.579 John's gospel. 00:30:32.180 --> 00:30:32.640 In fact, the 00:30:32.640 --> 00:30:33.920 earliest citation or 00:30:33.920 --> 00:30:35.160 quote from this 00:30:35.160 --> 00:30:36.100 passage by a church 00:30:36.100 --> 00:30:36.920 father that we know 00:30:36.920 --> 00:30:37.660 of isn't until the 00:30:37.660 --> 00:30:38.360 10th century. 00:30:39.779 --> 00:30:40.740 And then on top of 00:30:40.740 --> 00:30:41.380 that, there are also 00:30:41.380 --> 00:30:42.100 a number of later 00:30:42.100 --> 00:30:42.920 manuscripts that 00:30:42.920 --> 00:30:45.240 have this section 00:30:45.240 --> 00:30:47.060 in John marked in a 00:30:47.060 --> 00:30:48.380 special way to show 00:30:48.380 --> 00:30:49.220 that they're not 00:30:49.220 --> 00:30:50.120 confident of its 00:30:50.120 --> 00:30:50.759 authenticity. 00:30:51.640 --> 00:30:52.680 As the note in my 00:30:52.680 --> 00:30:55.160 Bible says, there are 00:30:55.160 --> 00:30:56.060 a few manuscripts that 00:30:56.060 --> 00:30:57.200 have these same 00:30:57.200 --> 00:30:58.060 verses in different 00:30:58.060 --> 00:30:58.519 places. 00:30:59.160 --> 00:30:59.900 Some of them in 00:30:59.900 --> 00:31:00.779 Luke in a couple 00:31:00.779 --> 00:31:01.400 different spots. 00:31:01.480 --> 00:31:01.940 Some of them in 00:31:01.940 --> 00:31:03.420 John 7 in a couple 00:31:03.420 --> 00:31:04.100 different spots. 00:31:04.099 --> 00:31:05.179 At least one of 00:31:05.179 --> 00:31:06.119 them at the end of 00:31:06.119 --> 00:31:07.240 the Gospel of John. 00:31:08.480 --> 00:31:09.119 All of these 00:31:09.119 --> 00:31:09.859 indicating that they 00:31:09.859 --> 00:31:10.819 weren't sure if that 00:31:10.819 --> 00:31:12.159 was part of the 00:31:12.159 --> 00:31:12.899 original, probably 00:31:12.899 --> 00:31:13.779 because they had two 00:31:13.779 --> 00:31:14.699 different copies, one 00:31:14.699 --> 00:31:16.079 that had it and one 00:31:16.079 --> 00:31:16.679 that did not. 00:31:18.199 --> 00:31:19.199 And this is the same 00:31:19.199 --> 00:31:19.879 kind of thing that's 00:31:19.879 --> 00:31:20.879 basically going on in 00:31:20.879 --> 00:31:21.619 all of these verses 00:31:21.619 --> 00:31:22.959 that we looked at at 00:31:22.959 --> 00:31:23.679 the start, that we 00:31:23.679 --> 00:31:24.399 talked about at the 00:31:24.399 --> 00:31:24.679 start. 00:31:25.459 --> 00:31:26.319 Somewhere along the 00:31:26.319 --> 00:31:27.219 way, a scribe or 00:31:27.219 --> 00:31:28.359 copious made an error, 00:31:29.000 --> 00:31:30.199 usually unintentional, 00:31:30.279 --> 00:31:31.000 though sometimes 00:31:31.000 --> 00:31:32.619 intentionally to 00:31:32.619 --> 00:31:33.779 correct or to 00:31:33.779 --> 00:31:35.039 adjust the text to 00:31:35.039 --> 00:31:35.619 what he thought it 00:31:35.619 --> 00:31:37.000 should say, or to 00:31:37.000 --> 00:31:37.879 add something that 00:31:37.879 --> 00:31:38.980 he thought should be 00:31:38.980 --> 00:31:39.339 in there. 00:31:40.259 --> 00:31:41.019 And by the time it 00:31:41.019 --> 00:31:42.279 got to Erasmus' day, 00:31:43.059 --> 00:31:44.599 these verses and 00:31:44.599 --> 00:31:45.680 the others we looked 00:31:45.680 --> 00:31:46.519 at were all part of 00:31:46.519 --> 00:31:47.299 the eight manuscripts 00:31:47.299 --> 00:31:48.319 that he drew from. 00:31:49.019 --> 00:31:49.839 And so they're in the 00:31:49.839 --> 00:31:50.940 King James Bible today, 00:31:51.139 --> 00:31:52.500 and in many of your 00:31:52.500 --> 00:31:53.559 translations as well, 00:31:54.139 --> 00:31:54.759 whether they're in 00:31:54.759 --> 00:31:55.779 brackets or in 00:31:55.779 --> 00:31:56.399 italics. 00:31:57.220 --> 00:31:58.960 But since 1611, 00:31:59.299 --> 00:32:00.639 we've discovered and 00:32:00.639 --> 00:32:01.980 collected and analyzed 00:32:01.980 --> 00:32:03.279 thousands of 00:32:03.279 --> 00:32:04.899 manuscripts, and the 00:32:04.899 --> 00:32:06.359 earliest of them just 00:32:06.359 --> 00:32:07.180 do not have these 00:32:07.180 --> 00:32:07.960 verses in them. 00:32:09.319 --> 00:32:10.379 Here's some pictures 00:32:10.379 --> 00:32:13.399 of Papyrus 66, 00:32:13.559 --> 00:32:14.359 P66. 00:32:15.940 --> 00:32:17.559 This has almost the 00:32:17.559 --> 00:32:18.660 complete gospel of 00:32:18.660 --> 00:32:19.839 John in it, and 00:32:19.839 --> 00:32:21.599 amazingly, it dates to 00:32:21.599 --> 00:32:22.879 about 200 AD. 00:32:24.920 --> 00:32:25.700 It's amazing. 00:32:25.799 --> 00:32:26.599 It sure looks brittle 00:32:26.599 --> 00:32:28.119 in the picture there. 00:32:28.339 --> 00:32:29.119 There's another picture 00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:29.819 of the page. 00:32:31.439 --> 00:32:32.199 Straight on. 00:32:34.159 --> 00:32:35.299 This right here is the 00:32:35.299 --> 00:32:37.319 page that this is on, 00:32:37.799 --> 00:32:39.259 and right about that 00:32:39.259 --> 00:32:40.379 little dot right there, 00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:41.879 that's where the whole 00:32:41.879 --> 00:32:43.939 section of 753 to 8, 00:32:44.139 --> 00:32:46.859 verse 11 is, and it's 00:32:46.859 --> 00:32:47.879 not in this manuscript 00:32:47.879 --> 00:32:48.279 at all. 00:32:48.399 --> 00:32:49.359 It just keeps on going, 00:32:49.659 --> 00:32:50.739 as if it never was there. 00:32:52.039 --> 00:32:53.119 So the evidence is 00:32:53.119 --> 00:32:54.079 pretty overwhelming that 00:32:54.079 --> 00:32:55.239 this excerpt was added 00:32:55.239 --> 00:32:57.779 later, and wasn't part of 00:32:57.779 --> 00:32:59.359 what John wrote under the 00:32:59.359 --> 00:33:00.379 inspiration of the Holy 00:33:00.379 --> 00:33:00.779 Spirit. 00:33:01.920 --> 00:33:04.220 However, it's probably 00:33:04.220 --> 00:33:05.559 here for a reason. 00:33:06.720 --> 00:33:07.960 Just because John didn't 00:33:07.960 --> 00:33:09.099 write it himself doesn't 00:33:09.099 --> 00:33:09.779 mean that it never 00:33:09.779 --> 00:33:10.200 happened. 00:33:10.899 --> 00:33:11.940 So we don't need to 00:33:11.940 --> 00:33:13.059 assume based on this that, 00:33:13.160 --> 00:33:13.899 you know, somebody just 00:33:13.899 --> 00:33:15.379 completely fabricated a 00:33:15.379 --> 00:33:17.000 story and stuck it in, 00:33:17.399 --> 00:33:18.359 that it's completely 00:33:18.359 --> 00:33:18.960 fictitious. 00:33:19.119 --> 00:33:20.160 Something like this 00:33:20.160 --> 00:33:22.059 probably did happen at 00:33:22.059 --> 00:33:23.000 some time in Jesus' 00:33:23.200 --> 00:33:23.559 ministry. 00:33:23.559 --> 00:33:26.039 Even as we read it, 00:33:26.099 --> 00:33:26.980 we'll notice that most 00:33:26.980 --> 00:33:28.019 of it is something that 00:33:28.019 --> 00:33:29.339 very much fits with the 00:33:29.339 --> 00:33:31.299 kind of situations Jesus 00:33:31.299 --> 00:33:33.179 found himself in, and the 00:33:33.179 --> 00:33:34.179 kind of things that Jesus 00:33:34.179 --> 00:33:34.940 said and did. 00:33:36.139 --> 00:33:37.480 The teachers of the law, 00:33:37.700 --> 00:33:38.700 it says in verse 3, 00:33:38.919 --> 00:33:40.159 and the Pharisees brought 00:33:40.159 --> 00:33:41.159 in a woman caught in 00:33:41.159 --> 00:33:41.639 adultery. 00:33:42.259 --> 00:33:43.639 They made her stand before 00:33:43.639 --> 00:33:44.679 the group and said to 00:33:44.679 --> 00:33:47.159 Jesus, teacher, this woman 00:33:47.159 --> 00:33:48.119 was caught in the act of 00:33:48.119 --> 00:33:48.579 adultery. 00:33:49.279 --> 00:33:50.599 In the law, Moses commanded 00:33:50.599 --> 00:33:51.859 us to stone such women. 00:33:51.940 --> 00:33:52.779 Now what do you say? 00:33:52.779 --> 00:33:54.359 They were using this 00:33:54.359 --> 00:33:55.460 question as a trap in 00:33:55.460 --> 00:33:56.779 order to have a basis for 00:33:57.319 --> 00:33:58.240 accusing him. 00:33:59.940 --> 00:34:01.019 Well, if we look at the 00:34:01.019 --> 00:34:01.920 other places in the 00:34:01.920 --> 00:34:03.680 Gospels, that sounds 00:34:03.680 --> 00:34:04.879 pretty characteristic of 00:34:04.879 --> 00:34:05.720 the religious leaders. 00:34:06.339 --> 00:34:07.279 They were often trying to 00:34:07.279 --> 00:34:08.380 trip Jesus up with all 00:34:08.380 --> 00:34:09.119 kinds of things. 00:34:10.800 --> 00:34:11.980 At one point in this 00:34:11.980 --> 00:34:13.259 account, Jesus bends down 00:34:13.259 --> 00:34:14.699 and starts writing on the 00:34:14.699 --> 00:34:15.639 ground with his finger. 00:34:16.559 --> 00:34:17.219 And there's been all 00:34:17.219 --> 00:34:18.539 kinds of speculation as to 00:34:18.539 --> 00:34:20.340 what exactly he wrote. 00:34:20.960 --> 00:34:21.759 Some people are pretty 00:34:21.759 --> 00:34:22.500 sure that they know. 00:34:22.780 --> 00:34:24.660 It's kind of a strange 00:34:24.660 --> 00:34:25.400 thing, isn't it? 00:34:25.840 --> 00:34:26.920 Just in the middle of all 00:34:26.920 --> 00:34:28.220 this, start writing on the 00:34:28.220 --> 00:34:28.480 ground. 00:34:29.620 --> 00:34:31.040 We aren't told what he 00:34:31.040 --> 00:34:33.800 wrote or why, but it's not 00:34:33.800 --> 00:34:34.880 totally out of characteristic 00:34:34.880 --> 00:34:35.600 for Jesus. 00:34:35.940 --> 00:34:37.240 I mean, he has done some 00:34:37.240 --> 00:34:38.000 strange things. 00:34:38.740 --> 00:34:40.420 Among them is spitting in the 00:34:40.420 --> 00:34:41.440 mud and then smearing it 00:34:41.440 --> 00:34:42.440 into a man's eyes. 00:34:42.440 --> 00:34:45.960 That's how he healed one of the 00:34:45.960 --> 00:34:47.760 blind people that he healed. 00:34:47.760 --> 00:34:49.700 And, you know, last time I 00:34:49.700 --> 00:34:51.720 got sand or dirt in my eye, it 00:34:51.720 --> 00:34:52.559 was a very unpleasant 00:34:52.559 --> 00:34:53.320 experience. 00:34:54.360 --> 00:34:55.380 Jesus does some strange 00:34:55.380 --> 00:34:56.420 things sometimes, so this 00:34:56.420 --> 00:34:57.220 isn't totally out of 00:34:57.220 --> 00:34:58.260 characteristic for him. 00:35:00.139 --> 00:35:02.039 Jesus also tells the men that 00:35:02.039 --> 00:35:04.340 are gathered there, I love 00:35:04.340 --> 00:35:05.159 what he says to them. 00:35:05.320 --> 00:35:05.700 He says, 00:35:05.699 --> 00:35:07.139 whichever of you is without 00:35:07.139 --> 00:35:09.119 sin, cast the first stone. 00:35:10.059 --> 00:35:12.239 A very wise answer, a very 00:35:12.239 --> 00:35:13.559 clever way of reminding them 00:35:13.559 --> 00:35:15.439 that every single one of you 00:35:15.439 --> 00:35:17.919 is also guilty of breaking 00:35:17.919 --> 00:35:19.219 God's holy law. 00:35:20.579 --> 00:35:22.939 All of you are in need of God's 00:35:22.939 --> 00:35:24.460 mercy, just as this woman is. 00:35:25.639 --> 00:35:28.739 And this too happened all the 00:35:28.739 --> 00:35:29.039 time. 00:35:29.319 --> 00:35:32.000 Jesus had that perfect wisdom 00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:33.760 and was able to answer his 00:35:33.760 --> 00:35:34.780 opponents every time. 00:35:36.400 --> 00:35:37.699 At the end of this account, 00:35:38.260 --> 00:35:39.420 they all leave, of course, 00:35:39.420 --> 00:35:40.360 one by one. 00:35:40.519 --> 00:35:41.599 Nobody throws a stone. 00:35:43.119 --> 00:35:44.340 Jesus tells the woman that 00:35:44.340 --> 00:35:46.880 he does not condemn her. 00:35:47.880 --> 00:35:48.820 She receives mercy. 00:35:49.940 --> 00:35:51.679 And we're reminded from other 00:35:51.679 --> 00:35:52.880 places in the scripture that 00:35:52.880 --> 00:35:55.000 this is the kind of thing Jesus 00:35:55.000 --> 00:35:55.440 did. 00:35:55.719 --> 00:35:57.320 He said to the paralytic man who 00:35:57.320 --> 00:35:58.699 was lowered on the mat, 00:35:59.119 --> 00:36:00.059 your sins are forgiven. 00:36:00.059 --> 00:36:02.480 He had the authority to 00:36:02.480 --> 00:36:03.779 forgive people of their sins 00:36:03.779 --> 00:36:04.519 on the spot. 00:36:05.779 --> 00:36:06.480 He says, 00:36:06.559 --> 00:36:08.139 I do not condemn you to this 00:36:08.139 --> 00:36:08.420 woman. 00:36:10.460 --> 00:36:11.960 We're also reminded of John 00:36:11.960 --> 00:36:13.380 chapter 3 verse 17, 00:36:13.820 --> 00:36:15.039 where it says, 00:36:15.139 --> 00:36:16.579 For God did not send his son 00:36:16.579 --> 00:36:18.420 into the world to condemn 00:36:18.420 --> 00:36:20.619 the world, but to save the 00:36:20.619 --> 00:36:21.440 world through him. 00:36:22.199 --> 00:36:23.480 I do not condemn you. 00:36:24.559 --> 00:36:26.320 But Jesus also doesn't condone 00:36:26.320 --> 00:36:26.799 her sin. 00:36:27.880 --> 00:36:29.360 I'm reminded of the guy at the 00:36:29.360 --> 00:36:30.599 pool of Siloam, whom Jesus 00:36:30.599 --> 00:36:32.360 healed and found later at the 00:36:32.360 --> 00:36:32.620 temple. 00:36:32.760 --> 00:36:33.079 He said, 00:36:33.360 --> 00:36:34.960 Stop sinning, or something 00:36:34.960 --> 00:36:36.539 worse may happen to you. 00:36:37.680 --> 00:36:39.140 In a similar way, Jesus tells 00:36:39.140 --> 00:36:39.539 the woman, 00:36:39.960 --> 00:36:41.599 Go now and leave your life of 00:36:41.599 --> 00:36:41.820 sin. 00:36:43.740 --> 00:36:46.440 He shows mercy, but he also 00:36:46.440 --> 00:36:47.620 takes sin seriously. 00:36:48.019 --> 00:36:50.240 He commands her not to do it 00:36:50.240 --> 00:36:50.559 anymore. 00:36:50.760 --> 00:36:53.260 Be done with doing the things 00:36:53.260 --> 00:36:54.039 that you know are wrong. 00:36:55.140 --> 00:36:56.860 So as far as the content of this 00:36:56.860 --> 00:36:58.140 section, I think we can treat it 00:36:58.139 --> 00:36:59.559 as historical, just as we would 00:36:59.559 --> 00:37:01.440 any other literature from the 00:37:01.440 --> 00:37:03.599 time, even if we acknowledge 00:37:03.599 --> 00:37:05.159 that it wasn't written by John, 00:37:05.519 --> 00:37:07.719 or that it was later added in 00:37:07.719 --> 00:37:08.799 by someone else. 00:37:09.879 --> 00:37:10.920 Finally, what should we take 00:37:10.920 --> 00:37:11.519 from all this? 00:37:12.739 --> 00:37:13.839 It's been a different sort of 00:37:13.839 --> 00:37:15.699 sermon, I know, but I want to 00:37:15.699 --> 00:37:17.099 give some practical help as we 00:37:17.099 --> 00:37:18.339 think about Bible translations. 00:37:18.480 --> 00:37:19.480 This is not the kind of sermon 00:37:19.480 --> 00:37:20.639 we're going to do very often, 00:37:21.199 --> 00:37:22.839 but we'll refer back to this if 00:37:22.839 --> 00:37:24.559 we need to in future times when 00:37:24.559 --> 00:37:25.879 we come to similar passages. 00:37:25.880 --> 00:37:28.260 First of all, I think we should 00:37:28.260 --> 00:37:31.860 thank God that after 1400 years 00:37:31.860 --> 00:37:36.380 of having no Bible translation in 00:37:36.380 --> 00:37:38.340 our own language, we should thank 00:37:38.340 --> 00:37:39.960 God that by his grace and mercy, 00:37:40.500 --> 00:37:42.559 he gave us his word in the 00:37:42.559 --> 00:37:44.000 language that we speak. 00:37:45.940 --> 00:37:47.400 And we should thank God that he 00:37:47.400 --> 00:37:48.860 preserved all those manuscripts 00:37:48.860 --> 00:37:51.880 over that long period of time 00:37:51.880 --> 00:37:53.860 and allowed us to find them and 00:37:53.860 --> 00:37:55.119 collect them so that we can be 00:37:55.119 --> 00:37:57.139 confident that we do have his 00:37:57.139 --> 00:37:57.519 words. 00:37:58.539 --> 00:37:59.259 We do. 00:38:00.199 --> 00:38:01.500 Second, I think it's important 00:38:01.500 --> 00:38:03.119 that we humbly admit that no 00:38:03.779 --> 00:38:06.099 translation of the Bible is 00:38:06.099 --> 00:38:06.559 perfect. 00:38:08.299 --> 00:38:09.639 What the prophets and the 00:38:09.639 --> 00:38:11.259 apostles wrote was in another 00:38:11.259 --> 00:38:12.920 language, and that alone is 00:38:12.920 --> 00:38:13.920 inspired by God. 00:38:14.019 --> 00:38:15.299 That is the thing that was 00:38:15.299 --> 00:38:17.679 breathed out by God when they 00:38:17.679 --> 00:38:18.279 first wrote. 00:38:19.500 --> 00:38:21.259 And every translation of the 00:38:21.260 --> 00:38:24.760 Bible, since, has weaknesses. 00:38:25.220 --> 00:38:25.880 It's imperfect. 00:38:26.780 --> 00:38:29.040 The King James is elegant 17th 00:38:29.040 --> 00:38:30.400 century English, and it was 00:38:30.400 --> 00:38:31.800 beautifully done in its time. 00:38:32.520 --> 00:38:34.420 But its Greek manuscript basis is 00:38:34.420 --> 00:38:34.740 weak. 00:38:35.540 --> 00:38:36.880 And so it contains some of those 00:38:36.880 --> 00:38:38.820 scribal additions and changes that 00:38:38.820 --> 00:38:41.640 were accumulated over the years, 00:38:42.060 --> 00:38:44.440 and that tradition sought to keep 00:38:44.440 --> 00:38:44.980 going. 00:38:46.120 --> 00:38:47.440 That, and if you want to use the 00:38:47.440 --> 00:38:48.540 King James, then there's a good 00:38:48.540 --> 00:38:49.840 number of English words that have 00:38:49.840 --> 00:38:52.360 since changed meaning that you'll 00:38:52.360 --> 00:38:55.740 have to look up or understand why 00:38:55.740 --> 00:38:57.240 they use it differently back then 00:38:57.240 --> 00:38:58.039 than we do today. 00:38:59.240 --> 00:39:01.780 The NIV is a great, simple, 00:39:02.180 --> 00:39:03.660 readable, modern-day English 00:39:03.660 --> 00:39:04.260 translation. 00:39:04.640 --> 00:39:06.539 It's one that I like to use for 00:39:06.539 --> 00:39:07.519 most of my reading. 00:39:07.840 --> 00:39:09.440 But it has its weaknesses too. 00:39:10.480 --> 00:39:12.220 It omits crucial conjunctions. 00:39:12.600 --> 00:39:14.460 It neuters participles in the 00:39:14.460 --> 00:39:16.420 epistles, all to make the 00:39:16.420 --> 00:39:18.420 sentences simpler and easier to 00:39:18.420 --> 00:39:20.480 read. 00:39:20.480 --> 00:39:21.559 Those conjunctions, those 00:39:21.559 --> 00:39:23.119 participles contain important 00:39:23.119 --> 00:39:24.860 information to help us see the 00:39:24.860 --> 00:39:26.400 logical flow of what Paul or 00:39:26.400 --> 00:39:27.180 Peter is saying. 00:39:28.420 --> 00:39:30.159 It makes interpretive decisions in 00:39:30.159 --> 00:39:31.480 places where the wording of the 00:39:31.480 --> 00:39:32.440 original is ambiguous. 00:39:33.579 --> 00:39:35.059 Some of those decisions may be 00:39:35.059 --> 00:39:35.480 correct. 00:39:36.400 --> 00:39:38.519 Some of them probably aren't. 00:39:40.200 --> 00:39:42.420 The recent NIV revision also flirts 00:39:43.059 --> 00:39:45.480 needlessly, I think, with modern-day 00:39:45.480 --> 00:39:47.900 political correctness when it tries to 00:39:47.900 --> 00:39:49.280 be gender neutral. 00:39:50.179 --> 00:39:51.500 And in some places, it's fine. 00:39:52.079 --> 00:39:53.619 Brothers and sisters, of course 00:39:53.619 --> 00:39:54.659 they're not meaning to exclude 00:39:54.659 --> 00:39:55.800 women when they write that. 00:39:56.360 --> 00:39:57.920 But in at least a place or two that 00:39:57.920 --> 00:39:59.219 I've seen, it's a big boo-boo. 00:40:00.840 --> 00:40:02.539 The New American Standard Bible, 00:40:02.719 --> 00:40:04.480 another fantastic word-for-word 00:40:04.480 --> 00:40:05.659 translation of the Bible. 00:40:06.639 --> 00:40:08.780 If you want to do a word-for-word 00:40:08.780 --> 00:40:11.240 study, that's one of your best bets. 00:40:12.119 --> 00:40:13.699 You will have to wrestle with some 00:40:13.699 --> 00:40:15.259 words that have fallen out of usage in 00:40:15.259 --> 00:40:18.039 modern-day English and some really 00:40:18.039 --> 00:40:19.699 long, grammatically complex sentences 00:40:20.319 --> 00:40:21.059 in the epistles. 00:40:21.199 --> 00:40:22.699 It's not always easy to read, but it 00:40:23.399 --> 00:40:24.859 contributes significantly to 00:40:24.859 --> 00:40:27.460 understanding the original words. 00:40:28.079 --> 00:40:29.899 The ESV is another solid Bible 00:40:29.899 --> 00:40:30.480 translation. 00:40:31.179 --> 00:40:33.279 It aims to be somewhat word-for-word 00:40:33.279 --> 00:40:35.879 and yet stay close to the old 00:40:35.879 --> 00:40:37.039 Revised Standard Version. 00:40:38.000 --> 00:40:39.199 So you'll also have to put up with 00:40:39.199 --> 00:40:41.339 some strange word order and some 00:40:41.340 --> 00:40:43.660 19th century English at times. 00:40:44.539 --> 00:40:46.840 But if you love the style and the 00:40:46.840 --> 00:40:48.240 wording of the King James Version, 00:40:48.380 --> 00:40:49.620 but you want a translation that 00:40:49.620 --> 00:40:51.000 takes the latest New Testament 00:40:51.000 --> 00:40:52.740 manuscript evidence into account, 00:40:53.340 --> 00:40:55.000 the ESV is probably the translation 00:40:55.000 --> 00:40:55.660 for you. 00:40:57.079 --> 00:40:58.840 Whatever translation of the Bible you 00:40:58.840 --> 00:41:00.600 choose to read in or study in or 00:41:00.600 --> 00:41:03.000 memorize, I encourage you to make 00:41:03.000 --> 00:41:04.180 sure you know its weaknesses. 00:41:05.260 --> 00:41:07.079 You probably already know why you like 00:41:07.079 --> 00:41:09.340 it, but do you know its weaknesses? 00:41:09.340 --> 00:41:11.680 Do you know which other translations 00:41:11.680 --> 00:41:14.620 of the Bible might be able to help 00:41:14.620 --> 00:41:16.059 supplement those weaknesses? 00:41:17.360 --> 00:41:19.760 You can read God's Word in more than 00:41:19.760 --> 00:41:20.559 one translation. 00:41:21.920 --> 00:41:24.019 And if you're studying, I would 00:41:24.019 --> 00:41:24.640 recommend it. 00:41:24.680 --> 00:41:26.039 It's one of the best ways to do it. 00:41:27.220 --> 00:41:28.640 Finally, let's not forget about 00:41:28.640 --> 00:41:29.559 context either. 00:41:30.880 --> 00:41:32.420 Which translation will be most 00:41:32.420 --> 00:41:34.760 understandable to the people that you 00:41:34.760 --> 00:41:36.039 are trying to minister to? 00:41:36.039 --> 00:41:39.539 Whether you're teaching children or 00:41:39.539 --> 00:41:41.159 sharing a verse with an unbelieving 00:41:41.159 --> 00:41:44.559 friend, if you're talking to a young 00:41:44.559 --> 00:41:46.320 person here in Davidson who's scarcely 00:41:46.320 --> 00:41:48.420 been in church, it's probably not going 00:41:48.420 --> 00:41:50.000 to be all that helpful to quote from 00:41:50.000 --> 00:41:51.820 some passages in the King James. 00:41:53.539 --> 00:41:55.440 A passage in Job comes to mind, 00:41:55.440 --> 00:41:56.880 And the Lord said unto Satan, 00:41:57.119 --> 00:41:58.579 Whence comest thou? 00:41:59.559 --> 00:42:02.539 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, 00:42:02.800 --> 00:42:04.639 From going to and fro in the earth and 00:42:04.639 --> 00:42:06.320 from walking up and down in it. 00:42:07.559 --> 00:42:09.139 You're going to get some strange looks 00:42:09.139 --> 00:42:10.179 if you do that. 00:42:10.619 --> 00:42:12.000 And not only will you have to translate 00:42:12.000 --> 00:42:13.940 what you just said into today's English, 00:42:14.099 --> 00:42:15.639 but then you'll have to explain what it 00:42:15.639 --> 00:42:15.960 means. 00:42:17.139 --> 00:42:18.860 So context is so important. 00:42:19.320 --> 00:42:20.920 What will be most helpful to the people 00:42:20.920 --> 00:42:22.220 that you're sharing with? 00:42:24.460 --> 00:42:25.680 If you have any questions, 00:42:25.860 --> 00:42:27.440 or if you're looking for help 00:42:27.440 --> 00:42:30.039 on figuring out Bible translation stuff, 00:42:30.059 --> 00:42:31.860 I'd be happy to chat anytime. 00:42:32.139 --> 00:42:34.579 And I just encourage you to let me know. 00:42:34.840 --> 00:42:36.119 And I'd be happy to sit down. 00:42:36.880 --> 00:42:38.420 It's been a bit of a different sermon, 00:42:39.000 --> 00:42:40.680 but I hope that it's been helpful to you. 00:42:40.700 --> 00:42:42.200 And I think it's important that we do 00:42:42.200 --> 00:42:43.760 talk about this kind of thing 00:42:43.760 --> 00:42:45.320 every once in a while. 00:42:46.559 --> 00:42:48.480 I hope that you appreciate in a new way 00:42:48.480 --> 00:42:50.619 what God has done over centuries 00:42:50.619 --> 00:42:54.039 to bring his word into your very hands. 00:42:54.780 --> 00:42:56.360 It's easy to take this for granted. 00:42:57.300 --> 00:42:58.699 People in past generations 00:42:58.699 --> 00:43:00.719 have put in thousands of hours 00:43:00.719 --> 00:43:03.480 of study, of scholarly work, 00:43:03.559 --> 00:43:05.199 so that you could read it for yourself 00:43:05.199 --> 00:43:07.300 in the language that you know best. 00:43:08.159 --> 00:43:09.920 So I want to encourage you this morning 00:43:09.920 --> 00:43:10.840 to read it. 00:43:11.860 --> 00:43:13.380 And let's thank God together 00:43:13.380 --> 00:43:15.619 for the gift of his word in our hands 00:43:15.619 --> 00:43:16.780 2,000 years later. 00:43:18.880 --> 00:43:20.320 Father in heaven, we thank you 00:43:20.320 --> 00:43:23.019 that you have done this, 00:43:23.099 --> 00:43:25.039 that you have preserved your word for us. 00:43:25.760 --> 00:43:27.920 We know that there's still languages today 00:43:27.920 --> 00:43:30.340 that do not have your words 00:43:30.340 --> 00:43:32.519 translated into them yet. 00:43:33.579 --> 00:43:34.900 And we pray and ask that you would 00:43:34.900 --> 00:43:37.380 start a work and bring it to those people. 00:43:37.500 --> 00:43:38.579 But we thank you so much 00:43:38.579 --> 00:43:39.860 that you have given it to us. 00:43:39.940 --> 00:43:41.019 And we ask that you'd help us 00:43:41.019 --> 00:43:42.219 not to take this for granted. 00:43:43.260 --> 00:43:44.440 We ask that you would help us 00:43:44.440 --> 00:43:46.260 to see the riches and treasures 00:43:46.260 --> 00:43:48.940 we have in your very words, 00:43:49.440 --> 00:43:50.860 in our own language, 00:43:51.320 --> 00:43:52.320 in our hands. 00:43:53.240 --> 00:43:55.340 In Jesus' name, amen.