Why edit or change the Bible?

[The Sum of Awe]

While I am not a believer in the Bible, I still think it is wrong to change a book that the person did not write.

Even if they changed just the smallest bit of it, why would they? If it is supposed to be 100% truth, than why would the follower change it? It's either believe it all or believe in none.

The Bible itself, from what I was told by many Christians, including my priest, says that you must accept all of the Bible.

 

[McBell]

I suspect that some people make changes to make it clearer as to what THEY think it says.
I further suspect that most of these type changes were done with good honest intentions.

However, when a peice of writing undergoes to many of such changes, the original intended meaning gets lost.


Then there are the ones who make changes for more devious reasons.
Like those who added to the bible in order to further their trinity agenda.

 

[jtartar]

While I am not a believer in the Bible, I still think it is wrong to change a book that the person did not write.

Even if they changed just the smallest bit of it, why would they? If it is supposed to be 100% truth, than why would the follower change it? It's either believe it all or believe in none.

The Bible itself, from what I was told by many Christians, including my priest, says that you must accept all of the Bible.

The Sum of Awe,
There have been very few actual changes to the Bible. By comparing Bible translations, any errors that have found there way into God's word can be eisly found and corrected. About the only errors that no one can be sure of is the spelling of names. One reason is that many people in ancient times had several different names, a different name for each of the languages that he spoke, at the time. The fact is, God Himself promised that He would not let His word become adulterated, Ps 12:6,7. It is God's purpose to judge the world of mankind by what is stated in His word, Rom 3:5,6, Acts 17:29-31. Any error in the Bible has nothing to do with the message that God has had recorded for mankind. The truth of God's word can be found in any Bible, it just takes more time in some, because you must look of references to some scriptures.
Over the years, as languages change, there must be an updating of the word into language that we understand, the actual meaning in todays words.
Also, when a translator translates from one language to another there are some words that do no have exact synonyms in the other language.
Think about this; Probably the worse thing that Bible translators have done is to remove God's Personal, Proper name from His own Book. Because of this, many people do not even know that God has a personal name.
In the original, inspired Bible books, God's name JEHOVAH, was recorded over 7,000 times. The old KJV Bible had God's name in it 4 times, Ex 6:3, Ps 83:18, Isa 12:2,26:4. The New KJV translators have removed God's name completely.
What do you think God will do to those people who have removed His name from His own Bible??? Rev 22:18. Personally, I would not want to be in their shoes when they stand before the throne of the Almighty God, JEHOVAH, Rom 14:10.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

While I am not a believer in the Bible, I still think it is wrong to change a book that the person did not write.

Even if they changed just the smallest bit of it, why would they? If it is supposed to be 100% truth, than why would the follower change it? It's either believe it all or believe in none.

The Bible itself, from what I was told by many Christians, including my priest, says that you must accept all of the Bible.

There are indeed some people who believe the Bible is perfect.
However there are many Bibles with varying collections of books, and many translations in many languages.

Some Bibles have been translated with better scholarship than others.
There were at least two differ sources for what became the four Gospels. As a result none of the Gospels are identical in what they contain.

There never has been an undisputed "correct" Bible.

 

[sojourner]

While I am not a believer in the Bible, I still think it is wrong to change a book that the person did not write.

Even if they changed just the smallest bit of it, why would they? If it is supposed to be 100% truth, than why would the follower change it? It's either believe it all or believe in none.

The Bible itself, from what I was told by many Christians, including my priest, says that you must accept all of the Bible.

"100% truth" does not always equal "100% fact." There are levels and types of belief and acceptance. We believe in and accept the Bible for what it is -- a compendium of stories and other literature outlining the relationship of God to God's people and God's created order.

What sort of changes are you referring to?

 

[esmith]

Various reasons affect what is written in the Bible. Among these are discovery's, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, that revel inaccuracies. Also the Bible has been translated from its original form and mistranslations do happen. In the case of the Christian New Testament scribes doing the translations have made many mistakes and it is postulated that things have been added that were not in the original.
Remember, there is not a "original" copy of the Bible in existence.

 

[fallingblood]

The Sum of Awe,
There have been very few actual changes to the Bible. By comparing Bible translations, any errors that have found there way into God's word can be eisly found and corrected. About the only errors that no one can be sure of is the spelling of names. One reason is that many people in ancient times had several different names, a different name for each of the languages that he spoke, at the time. The fact is, God Himself promised that He would not let His word become adulterated, Ps 12:6,7. It is God's purpose to judge the world of mankind by what is stated in His word, Rom 3:5,6, Acts 17:29-31. Any error in the Bible has nothing to do with the message that God has had recorded for mankind. The truth of God's word can be found in any Bible, it just takes more time in some, because you must look of references to some scriptures.
Over the years, as languages change, there must be an updating of the word into language that we understand, the actual meaning in todays words.
Also, when a translator translates from one language to another there are some words that do no have exact synonyms in the other language.
Think about this; Probably the worse thing that Bible translators have done is to remove God's Personal, Proper name from His own Book. Because of this, many people do not even know that God has a personal name.
In the original, inspired Bible books, God's name JEHOVAH, was recorded over 7,000 times. The old KJV Bible had God's name in it 4 times, Ex 6:3, Ps 83:18, Isa 12:2,26:4. The New KJV translators have removed God's name completely.
What do you think God will do to those people who have removed His name from His own Bible??? Rev 22:18. Personally, I would not want to be in their shoes when they stand before the throne of the Almighty God, JEHOVAH, Rom 14:10.

Actually, in just the NT, there are some 150,000 to 400,000 (or maybe even more), discrepancies among the various manuscripts that we have. There are many more in the OT as well (I can't even give a ball park for this).

Some of these are minor, such as the spelling of a name or word. Some are major, such as creation of whole sections (the two that pop into my head are the ending of Mark, and the story of the adulteress in John). Even among various English translations we can see variations. One major one is in Isaiah 7:14, where older Christian translations use the word virgin, and newer versions are going to the more accurate term young woman.

As for the term Jehovah, that is not the name in which God was called for the most part. For instance, the Torah has too main names for God. There is Yahweh (which Jehovah derives from), and Elohim. God works just fine though for translations, and it is still a name of God.

Really, the name of God has not been removed from the Bible. God is still a name for God.

I would like to see what sources you are using in order to show that Jehovah was used in the actual inspired texts. Because we don't have the inspired texts. So I think it is a baseless claim.

 

[Skwim]

I think one of the main reasons the Bible has gone through so many revisions is to accommodate the developing religious needs of the time. If they didn't there would be no need to buy them, and if there's no market then there's no incentive to revise it. Bible revision is pretty much a business thing.

 

[TalAbrams]

Not all would agree that the NT is God's word or include it in the Bible.
That being said, to add to a book is to take away from it and to take something from a book is to add to it. Both were forbidden by Tanakh.

 

[fallingblood]

I think one of the main reasons the Bible has gone through so many revisions is to accommodate the developing religious needs of the time. If they didn't there would be no need to buy them, and if there's no market then there's no incentive to revise it. Bible revision is pretty much a business thing.

Most revisions of the Bible are not changing the various ideas in the Bible though. Many make the message clearer by having it translated into a more plain English. Others update the material based on new manuscripts.

As for the market for the Bible, it is primarily based on people believing that they need a Bible as they are Christians. The vast majority of the Christian population have never read the entire Bible (I believe only around 10% have). Many people give Bibles as presents to confirmation students and the like. And even then, the people who buy these Bibles usually buy the versions that are familiar to them (various sects use various translations).

Really though, the revisions aren't changing anything major. Some times, they even change things that people aren't even happy about (such as the NABRE changing Isaiah 7:14 to read young woman instead of the traditional virgin).

 

[fallingblood]

Not all would agree that the NT is God's word or include it in the Bible.
That being said, to add to a book is to take away from it and to take something from a book is to add to it. Both were forbidden by Tanakh.

Yet the same revisions occur in the Hebrew scripture as well.

 

[Nadia Faiazova]

Hi there! You are right about the fact that people should accept the Bible as it is, not making any addition to the things written in there. It is lawlessness- Revelation 22: 18, 19

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

While I am not a believer in the Bible, I still think it is wrong to change a book that the person did not write.

You act as if ...

• there is an original that has been changed, and
• we've learned nothing about Biblical Hebrew over the last two millennia.

Both are incorrect.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Really though, the revisions aren't changing anything major. Some times, they even change things that people aren't even happy about (such as the NABRE changing Isaiah 7:14 to read young woman instead of the traditional virgin).

That depends on whose hands the "revision" is in. You know that different Christian churches have their own translations with subtle changes that are theologically significant.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Obviously, the original authors simply didn't have access to the CGI technology necessary to convey their intended vision.

 

[SageTree]

NEVER read ANYTHING,that was translated, EVER , from religion to philosophy, with the intention of believing it 100% then.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

NEVER read ANYTHING,that was translated, EVER , from religion to philosophy, with the intention of believing it 100% then.

 

[E. Nato Difficile]

To court favor with the powerful Canaanite lobby.

-Nato

 

[SageTree]

harharhar.... All I'm saying is words are fallible and getting a correct feeling from head/mind to the pen can be tricky enough without the language to language transfer.

Perhaps I missed the point and you'd like to give me more critique than a smilie, Brother?

 

[Yanni]

While I am not a believer in the Bible, I still think it is wrong to change a book that the person did not write.

Even if they changed just the smallest bit of it, why would they? If it is supposed to be 100% truth, than why would the follower change it? It's either believe it all or believe in none.

The Bible itself, from what I was told by many Christians, including my priest, says that you must accept all of the Bible.

This is exactly why Judaism never accepted the "New Testament." Because in the Torah, God says numerous times that His Torah would never be changed, nor are we allowed to add to or subtract from its laws in any way. We do believe that the Torah was dictated to Moses by God Himself during our 40 year journey throughout the desert. It wasn't written by someone who wanted it to adjust to "his" desires or to what "he" thought was good. The reason we believe the Torah is perfect is because God Himself authored it. He just had Moses write it down. But every single word in the Torah came directly from God's mouth. It wasn't written with divine inspiration, like the prophets. The Torah was/is purely God's handiwork. The "New Testament" was not, and that is evident in all the differing versions and translations.