The English Bibles and The King James Bible

 The Wycliffe Bible and the Douay – Rheims Bible were translated from the Latin
Vulgate (Jerome: 345-420) into the English of the day
 The other English Bibles, in general, were translated out of Greek, Hebrew and
Aramaic with a view to prior translations and versions. Sometimes prior translations
were primary, with Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic being secondary.
 The King James Version of 1611 was the third monarch-authorized version in
England in less than a century (Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and James 1).
 The base for the Greek New Testament that was used in the translation into English
became known as the Textus Receptus, first published in 1516 by Erasmus, then
edited slightly mostly by Reformers.
 What most people call the King James Version is actually the 6th revision of 1769,
done by Benjamin Blayney of Oxford, with most prior and some subsequent revisions
done at Cambridge.
 Among those who favor the King James Version, in varying degrees, are:

‘Only King James’ or I like or we prefer only the King James: Those who like or
even love the 1769 revision of the King James Bible as a matter of personal
preference or standardization within a church or educational institution. The web
pages of Middletown Bible Church and Pensacola Christian College, for example,
appear to take this view. Those of this view are sometimes called ‘Only King James’.
Textus Receptus or Majority Text: There are those who favor the Textus Receptus
Greek and/or an English translation made from the Textus Receptus (about six or
more manuscripts from the 12th century or later). Sometimes this is extended to
include what is called the ‘Majority Text’ (more manuscripts of the same ‘Byzantine
textual type). Zane Hodges (1932-2008) and Arthur Farstad (1935-1998) would be
among those who held this view.
‘King James Only’: There are those who view the 1769 Blayney or other version of
the King James Bible as singularly inspired and authoritative, rejecting other Bibles –
especially those produced since the 1769 Blayney or other version of the King James
Bible. Those of this view are sometimes called ‘King James Only’. Adherents within
this view include: Peter Ruckman (1921-2016), D.A. Waite (current president, Dean
Burgon Society), Gail A. Riplinger (1947- ), Pure Cambridge Edition of the King
James Bible (about 1900), etc. This group can also include those who hold to the
King James Version as new revelation from God, or even kept in heaven.

HHBC – Tuesday Studies – April 24, 2018 – page 1 of 1