# Mystery Man Addresses KJV-Only Controversy ![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WaLug5kgtCo/maxresdefault.jpg) ## A Mystery Man's Perspective on New Testament Textual Criticism - A mystery man's perspective on [[New Testament]] textual criticism will be shared, which offers direct and frank answers to two kinds of King James Defenders, those personified by Chuck Surret and the IB and Jeff Riddle in confessional bibliology [(00:00:38)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=38s). - Both Chuck Surret and Jeff Riddle claim that there can be no uncertainties in the text of the [[Greek language | Greek]] New Testament, and that pointing to any is to deny inspiration and the existence of a perfect [[Bible]] [(00:00:52)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=52s). - However, they also admit that [[Textus Receptus]] additions differ and are not perfect, yet insist that their views are not self-contradictory [(00:01:07)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=67s). - The mystery man notes that the sources for determining the true text of the New Testament are richer and more reliable than those for any classical work [(00:01:37)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=97s). ## Early Editions of the Greek New Testament - The [[New Testament | Greek New Testament]], as first printed by [[Erasmus]] in 1516, was compiled hastily from a few Greek manuscripts, and Erasmus did not make a careful comparison with other available manuscripts [(00:01:49)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=109s). - Later editors, such as Stephanus in 1550 and Beza in 1598, made improvements to Erasmus' text but had limited access to early manuscripts [(00:02:08)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=128s). - The King James translators had to revise their [[Greek language | Greek]] New Testament text, which was a mixture of Stephanus, Beza, and other sources [(00:02:37)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=157s). ## The King James Version and Textual Errors - With the discovery of more textual evidence, it is acknowledged that the King James translators' work contained minor and significant textual errors [(00:03:00)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=180s). ## Efforts to Produce a More Accurate Text - From the late 1600s to the late 1800s, [[English language | English]] and [[German language | German]] scholars, including [[Constantin von Tischendorf | Tischendorf]] and [[Samuel Prideaux Tregelles | Tregelles]], worked to produce a more accurate text of the [[New Testament]], with many being devout and Orthodox [(00:03:12)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=192s). - The [[Greek language | Greek]] and Roman poets and historians have had their works thoroughly edited and refined to ensure accuracy, and it is reasonable to expect the same level of effort for the most precious books, the [[Bible]], which was written by holy men moved by the Holy Spirit [(00:03:44)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=224s). ## The Importance of Accuracy and the Existence of Errors - Despite the efforts of scholars like [[Erasmus]], there are still errors in the text of the Bible, and it is desirable to come as near as possible to the exact words of the inspired writers of scripture [(00:04:18)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=258s). - The text of the Greek New Testament cannot be determined with absolute certainty in every single place due to textual variants and uncertain passages that have existed since the earliest times [(00:04:42)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=282s). - The fact that some questions about the text may never be definitely settled does not mean that studying the [[New Testament | Greek New Testament]] should be stopped, just as the uncertainty of the meaning of some Greek words does not prevent their study [(00:05:02)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=302s). ## Scholars and the Determination of the Text - The majority of [[Bible]] readers depend on a small number of scholars to determine the text for them, and while these scholars may not always agree, this is also true for the interpretation of the text [(00:05:20)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=320s). ## The Impact of Textual Variations on Doctrine - Many saints have been converted and sanctified through the use of the [[Textus Receptus]] and [[King James Version | the King James Version]], but even a corrupt text and faulty translation can still convey the precious doctrines of the Bible [(00:05:41)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=341s). - The Wickliff Bible and the Douay-Rheims Catholic version, which were translated from the [[Latin]], are not considered to be as good as the King James Version, despite being able to convey the same doctrines [(00:06:03)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=363s). - Proposing to remove sentences from the Bible that are considered [[Religious text | Holy Scripture]] can be seen as sacrilegious, but this does not necessarily mean that the person proposing it is unsound in their doctrine of inspiration [(00:06:26)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=386s). ## Reverence for Scripture and the Correction of Errors - Pointing out errors or misprints in the [[Bible]] does not show a lack of reverence for scripture or a lack of belief in its complete inspiration, but rather a desire to understand the text more accurately [(00:07:07)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=427s). - If errors in translation can be proven, they should be corrected, just like correcting a misprint, and faith in the inspiration of scripture should not depend on the assumption that a particular copy of scripture contains no printing mistakes [(00:07:36)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=456s). - The same principle applies to potential mistakes made by [[Erasmus]] when compiling the [[Greek language | Greek]] Testament, or errors made in copying the Greek manuscripts from which they were printed [(00:07:52)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=472s). ## The Transmission of Scripture and the Inevitability of Errors - The divinely inspired books of the Bible were free from error, but as they were circulated and transmitted, they were not preserved by an innumerable succession of tiny miracles, and thus, they were not immune to accidental errors [(00:08:31)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=511s). - The biblical manuscripts have not escaped copyist errors, and the extent and correction of these errors are a matter of evidence that has been carefully collected and classified [(00:09:07)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=547s). ## The Need for Expertise in Textual Criticism - To form good judgments on these matters, one needs sufficient ability with [[Greek language | Greek]] and careful attention to the subject over a number of years, as common sense alone is not enough to make someone a fit judge of these matters [(00:09:31)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=571s). ## Conservatism and the Correction of Errors - Conservatism about changes in translation or biblical text is natural, but it must have a limit, and one should be willing to correct errors when proven [(00:10:10)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=610s). - The study of the history of the [[New Testament | Greek New Testament]] should not cause uneasiness, but rather increase confidence and delight in the sacred word of [[God]] [(00:10:27)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=627s). ## The Identity and Works of the Mystery Man - The "mystery man" is [[John Albert Broadus | John A. Broadus]], a prominent [[Southern Baptist Theological Seminary]] professor, who lived from 1827 to 1895 and wrote a Matthew commentary [(00:11:13)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=673s). - Brus, a theologically conservative Baptist and one of the founding professors of Southern Seminary, wrote a book on preaching that was given to the author as an undergraduate in the late 1990s, over a century after it was written [(00:11:25)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=685s). - Brus stood against Crawford Howard Toy, a Southern Professor who became a [[Unitarianism | Unitarian]], and took a perspective on the text of the New Testament that is shared by the majority of conservative [[Eastern Orthodoxy | Christians]] who can read [[Greek language | Greek]] [(00:11:43)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=703s). - Brus' perspective is also believed to be taken by [[Erasmus]] and possibly the King James translators, who did not seem bothered by minor variances in the [[New Testament]] text [(00:12:07)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=727s). - Brus wrote an article in the Religious Herald, a Baptist paper out of Virginia, reviewing the revised New Testament from the American [[Bible]] Union, which was a second edition published in 1865 [(00:12:25)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=745s). ## The Implications of Textual Criticism and Responses to It - Acknowledging differences among biblical manuscripts is not the same as saying there are errors in the Bible, but this kind of talk can give an open door to skeptics like Bart Man [(00:12:42)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=762s). - Baptist [[John Albert Broadus | John A. Broadus]] and others have stated that informed [[Eastern Orthodoxy | Orthodox Christians]] have believed for centuries that there are minor variations in the [[Greek language | Greek]] text of the New Testament [(00:13:01)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=781s). - These men, including Broadus, were not influenced by Westcott and Hort's Greek text, which was decades from being published when they wrote, but were simply stating what informed Orthodox Christians have believed for centuries [(00:13:05)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLug5kgtCo&t=785s).