The Bibles of Early Christianity

 

Have you noticed that your English Translation KJV Bibles have considerable discrepancies between the Old and New Testament quotes? Many of the OT quotes recorded by the Apostles in the NT Epistles do not match, word for word, the OT Reference. WHY?

 

The Reason is quite simple, but it involves a brief introduction of early translations and how they came about.

You Must understand that the Early Christians DID NOT have the KJV (that did not come into existence until 1611)

They relied on Word of Mouth Teaching, Hebrew OT Text contained in the Jewish Synagogues and Scrolls of the SEPTUAGINT……A Greek Translation of the Jewish Old Testament that included the Apocrypha. (known today as the forbidden books of the Bible) Greek was the Common language in Ancient times so these translations made the Scriptures available to everyone who could read.

 

The Septuagint comes from the Latin Word for Seventy, LLX. It was the Bible that Jesus and the Early Disciples used and quoted from. It contained all the Prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah, the entire history of the Jewish Race, Creation and all the Commands of God for Man.

 

The Septuagint pre-dates the advent of Christ. The translation came about in Egypt under King Ptolemy, who endeavored to preserve all the Wisdom of the World into the Library of Alexandria. In order to preserve the Jewish Scriptures he entreated King Herod to send him the Scrolls of their Old Testament, but found them written in the Hebrew language. In order to translate them into the Common Greek language for placement in the Library, the King commissioned 72 astute scholars from Jerusalem to do the translation. To preserve the accuracy of this translation the King placed each of these men independently in guarded quarters to perform their work. To the King’s amazement he found that the men not only gave the same meaning to the text, but also employed the same words and had NOT failed in their agreement with the entire translation! The men appointed as guards were interviewed and each testified to the same accuracy and the astute 1st Century historians, Philo, Josephus confirmed the events. (Recorded also by Justin Martyr AD160 Anti-Nicene Fathers vol 1 pg279)   

 

By the end of the first Century the unbelieving Jews were outright rejecting the Septuagint because the early Christians were having such great success using it to Prove that Jesus the Promised Messiah. Their discontent grew so intense that they Commissioned their own Translation of the OT Scriptures called the Masoretic Text. Although the completed Translation of entire OT Text did not take place until around 500-600AD and was first published (after the invention of the printing press in Germany) in 1427) But the perversion began early second century.

Today the Masoretic is Judaism’s official version of the Tanakh.

 

By 400AD Rome was the predominate center of Christianity in the world. Much of the corruption and blending of Pagan Doctrines had already taken hold due to men like Augustine and Emperor Constantine. Latin was the official language of Scholars in Ancient Rome (Not Greek!) Many of the so-called Bishops of Rome (including Augustine) could not speak or write Greek. So the Roman Catholic Church under Damisis commissioned a man named Jerome to produce a Latin Translation of New and Old Testament writings. Called the Latin Vulgate

 

Jerome immediately traveled to Jerusalem to consult with Jewish scholars as to which texts he should use to do his translation. Everyone in Rome concluded that he would use the Septuagint as his master text. However the Jews (many of them hostile to the message of the Christians) persuaded him to use the ‘work in progress’ Masoretic text. 

When Jerome returned to Rome to begin his work, he gathered many Greek and Hebrew texts, including the Septuagint and the Apocrypha and proceeded with the Latin translation. Unfortunately he included in his translation many of the intentional deletions from the Masoretic Text that recorded ancient Prophecies of the coming of the Messiah. However the Latin Vulgate after its completion became the Official Bible of the Catholic Church for the next 1600 years!


So when the Reformers came on the scene in the 1500’s and the first English Translation of the Bible appeared in 1611 (The KJV) it carried forward the many of the errors contained in the Vulgate and Masortic. That’s why your present Day English KJV Bibles contain discrepancies between New and Old Testament quotes. NOT because Paul and the other Apostles were liars miss-quoting Bible text!

 

  

Following are a Few Examples of the deletions:

 

Hebrews 10:5 (KJV Quoting Ps40:6)
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me...

 

Psalm 40:6 (KJV Taken from Masortic)
Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened...

Psalm 40:6 (Brenton’s English Translation of the Septuagint)
Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not; but a body hast thou prepared me...

 

The Writer of Hebrews was quoting from the Bible used by the early Christians. The Septuagint)

Comment: Psalm 40:6 is regarded by Early Christians as a prophecy of the Incarnation of Christ, and Hebrews 10:5 quotes it as such, but the Masoretic Text omits the key phrase entirely, replacing “but a body hast thou prepared for me” with “mine ears hast thou opened.” Note that the KJV New Testament and the Greek Septuagint agree with each other against the reading of the KJV Old Testament, which was translated from the Hebrew Masoretic Text.

Hebrews 1:6 ( KJV Quoting Deut 32:43)
And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

Deuteronomy 32:43 (KJV Taken from Masortic)
The Pharse: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him’ is omitted entirely.

 

Deuteronomy 32:43 (Brenton’s English Translation of the Septuagint)
Rejoice, ye heavens, with him, and let all the angels of God worship him...

Isaiah 42:4 is regarded by Early Christians as a prophecy of Gentile acceptance of, and faith in, the name of the Messiah, and Matthew 12:21 quotes it as such, but the Masoretic Text omits the key phrase entirely, replacing the phrase “and in his name shall the Gentiles trust” with “and the isles shall wait for his law.” Note that the KJV New Testament and the Septuagint agree with each other against the reading of the KJV Old Testament, which was translated from the Masoretic Text:

Matthew 12:21 (KJV Quoting Isaiah 42:4)
And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

Isaiah 42:4 (KJV Taken from Masoretic)
He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law

 

Isaiah 42:4 (Brenton’s English Translation of the Septuagint)
He shall shine out, and shall not be discouraged, until he have set judgment on the earth: and in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

 

Rom 15:12 KJV Quoting Isaiah 11:10
And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

Isa 11:10 KJV Taken from Masoretic
And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

You Can also check our the following text in your English Bibles:

Heb13:6 & Ps118:6

Jas. 4:6 & Pro. 3:34

1 Pet. 2:22 & Isa. 53:9

1 Pet. 4:18 & Pro. 11:31

 

Most importantly the Masortic was an attack on Christ as the Messiah. It should therefore be Corrected in our Modern Versions because we now have complete access to all the information behind the errors.