Page 41 - Yahwehs Book

the error of claimed inerrancy originates with others who come afterwards. In this case, the claim
of an inerrant text was motivated by the basest of motives, the love of money.

The sobriquet Textus Receptus was attached to Erasmus’ Greek New Testament by a publisher to
boost sales. Erasmus’ title for his Greek and Latin New Testament was Novum Instrumentum omne,
diligenter ab Erasmo Rot. Recognitum et Emendatum which roughly translates into English as “The
New Testament, Diligently Revised and Improved by Erasmus of Rotterdam.”

It wasn’t until 1633, a century after Erasmus first published his Bible translation, and long after he
had died, that the phrase Textus Receptus was used to describe this often altered Greek New
Testament. The Elzevir publishers of the Dutch city of Leiden included a preface to the book which
read, “Textum ergo habes, nunc ab omnibus receptum: in quo nihil immutatum aut corruptum
damus,” which translates into English as, "so you hold the text, now received by all, in which (is)
nothing corrupt." Leave it to merchants to create a controversy that continues to this day. In a self-
serving attempt to magnify the book they were offering for sale, the Elzevir publishers claimed that
this Greek translation was inerrant, and that it was received by everyone.

It is misguided to claim that any Greek or English translation existent today is inerrant. Erasmus did
not claim his Greek New Testament to be inerrant. Rather, he continued to make corrections to it
throughout his life. Neither did the translators of the King James Bible profess that they had
produced a flawless English Bible version. The KJV translators included a preface to the Bible that
was titled “The Translators to the Reader.”

Truly (good Christian Reader) we never thought from the beginning, that we should need to make
a new Translation, nor yet to make of a bad one a good one,... but to make a good one better, or out
of many good ones, one principal good one, not justly to be excepted against; that hath been our
endeavor, that our mark.

The entire preface can be found at the following link:

http://www.ccel.org/bible/kjv/preface/pref10.htm

Consider the language used by the translators. They said their aim was to make a “better” translation
of the Scriptures. They did not say a “flawless,” nor an “inerrant” translation, for perfection was
beyond their grasp. They stated that they sought to produce a “good” Bible translation. Once again,
the language employed falls short of the grandiose claims of many today who would, out of irrational
bias, declare that in the KJV Bible is found a perfect and inerrant translation of the Word of God.

It is unreasoning and baseless to claim that either the Textus Receptus, or the KJV Bible, are
inerrant. Not only did Erasmus publish five different versions of his Latin/Greek Scriptures, but other
men altered them further. Robert Estienne, known as Stephanus, produced five different versions of
Erasmus’ Greek New Testament, making further changes to the text with each edition. Theodore
Beza in turn took the third edition of Stephanus’ text, editing it nine times between the years 1565
and 1604.