Shake

After reading through a few different threads here and there today, I began to think about the different versions of the Buy-bull. One poster in another thread was supplying specific verses as an answer to someone's question, and specifically called out the KJV in one instance. This got me to thinking (again) about this. How would it be if you went into some science class say, and the students were trying to learn out of 4 or 5 different versions of a textbook on that subject? How could anyone teach to that? "Well, Susie's answer of (d) on question 4 is right for her, because that's what it says in her textbook. Most of the rest of you should have put (b)." WTF?

Hmmm... I thought there was at the Library, a piece entitled Which Bible? (I may have read it off-site) that chronicled the many variations of the text. It talked about how different groups (even today) had Buy-bulls with differing numbers of books. Some were names few have even heard of, others left out some of the more common books that most of us are probably familiar with. The funny thing is, you would expect each sect to maybe decide on one version and stick with it. However, what version a person goes by, seems to depend on the reader, and not so much which specific religion they follow.

As for new versions or editions, I am usually reminded of the children's game where there are lines of kids and a message given to the first child in each line. Each one tells the next one what it is, and it's humorous to see how things turn out at the end. Knowing that many stories were passed down orally and much of the NT was not written 'til centuries after Christ's life, it amazes me to see how much people still believe so much of what it says.

Thoughts? Additional comments?

Opera Nut

Check out the New English Bible, now the Revised English Bible.

They went back to the original aramaic/hebrew/greek tests and did straight translations. None of this Greek/Latin/German/Old English stuff. That's what my Presby religion profs told us to use in class. Also has the apocrypha for those who read that too.