"Yes, Virginia, Catholics did burn bibles and forbid the common folk from reading them by decree of the Eeeeeevil Councils of the Catholic Church."
Have you heard that legend? I have, and as a matter of fact it is not legend but absolutely true. At the time these decrees of the Church were made, there were many heretics and cults as there still are today. The Albigensians, in particular, were taking Scripture and twisting it to justify fornication and deny the sacrament of marriage. (This incidentally, is one of the heretical cults that some sects use as evidence that "Bible Christians" always existed hidden but persecuted by the Catholic Church) The Church restricted the reading of the Bible until this heresy was rooted out. For as Peter says "the unstable and ignorant distort Scripture to their own destruction."
The Catholic Church burned Bibles. Which Bible is the question? Did they burn all Bibles? You have to wonder if they hated Scripture so much, why is almost 25% of the time spent in Mass Scripture reading? The Church initiated the collection and burning of Bibles that contained anti-Catholic commentary and changes of translation to favor a heretical viewpoint.
Tyndale and Wycliff wrote their own commentary along the pages of Holy Scripture and it was decidely anti-Catholic. They weren't the first to have translated the Bible into English either , there had been portions of translations going back to the 7th Century. Venerable Bede translated the gospel of John (Caedmon's translation was a paraphrase of selected stories of the Bible in Anglo-Saxon, early english))
The Church burned the Bibles that contained error and heretical commentary against the papacy and clerics. After the Council of Trent, the Church again decreeeeed that Bibles needed to be handed over to the authorities. This has such a Farenheit 451 feel to it! Remember though, the historical context at the time. Martin Luther had just ignited a revolution that led to the death of thousands of people throughout Germany. He himself removed 7 books from the Old Testament and actually added the word "alone" to Romans after the word 'faith" in his translation. Doesn't that mean he violated the scripture admonition that warns us "that whoever adds to the words or takes away from the words of this book...." in Revelation?
So it is very appropriate for the Catholic Church, guardian of Truth, to confiscate and burn faulty and heretical translations to preserve the faithful from error. No dark medieval conspiracies here, just setting the story straight in the context of history.
As an afterthought: If you were to find a "New World Translation"(Translation of the Jehovah Witnesses sect) that changes the Gospel of John's words to deny Trinitarian doctrine, would you give it to your kids to read? I doubt it, and in the same spirit of maternal love and concern for her children, the Catholic Church removed heretical versions of the Bible from general circulation. This was another example of one of the "Key" operations of the Church. Using the authority given to Peter to bind, loose and.......forgive me if I use the Tiber Jumper Amplified Version here; Burn Bad Bibles!
The Bible is under attack from all sides. Satan knows it tells the truth about him, the victory that Jesus had at the cross, and what will happen in the future. As such, Satan has and still is making every attempt to destroy the Word of God. What better way to do this, than to change the meaning of the Bible over time with different bible versions; each version as it comes along claiming it is the truth and the most accurate of all the versions up until that point.
ReplyDeleteThe line must be drawn where we say, "If the King James Bible was good enough for 400 years, then it is still good enough for me." For by it men and women have been saved and the knowledge of God imparted unto them. When new bible versions come along, they always take something away that is never replaced, only to be lost forever. If you believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, then stand up for it. Take a stand and speak out against these new bible versions. An objection often raised against the "King James Only Crowd" is that people learn something from the other (modern) versions, too, and that some even get saved: but I dare say that this occurs in spite of these errant versions, not because of them!
The Authorized Version of 1611, or, in other words, the King James Bible, stands alone in its uniqueness, integrity, and fidelity to the truthfulness of God’s Word. Among reasons why this writer holds this conviction is because of the great harm done not only to the Word of God, but the detriment wrought in the local church in its public worship, and, of course, because of the confusion created in countless group and individual Bible studies. After all, it could be said: How do you think your professor would think or feel if all of his students used different textbooks in his class?! In our case, God is our Great Professor! He alone is the one true God, who has walked among us upon this earth and left us the living and enduring legacy of His Word and His Spirit. Until He comes, Amen.
Thanks King James for posting your unusual perspective!
ReplyDeleteI have two thoughts though, First:If you believe the 1611 version of the KJV Bible is indeed the Only authorized and inspired version of Scripture, why do you not accept the 7 books of the "Apocrypha" that Martin Luther removed from his German translation of the Vulgate Bible but are included in your infallible KJV edition of 1611?
You can't be KJV only if you reject the Apocrypha, since it was in the 1611 KJV Bible.
Secondly, I assume you are a believer in one of the tenents of the reformers,
Sola Scriptura. If that is the case, then answer this for me:
If scripture is the sole authority for matters of faith and doctrine, then by what authority should anyone accept the doctrine of KJV-onlyism? Since scripture does not teach the doctrine of KJV-onlyism, is it not then an extra-Biblical doctrine? Why should we accept a doctrine needing a second authority, proclaimed by those who argue that there is only one authority for matters of doctrine in the first place?
You yourself are becoming your own authority by demanding that the KJV is the only version and by definition refute the tenent of Sola Scriptura. Why not become Catholic and accept the teaching authority that Christ gave to Peter and his successors? It's so much easier than trying to be your own Pope! Believe me I know, God bless and thanks for commenting.
KJV said... "The Authorized Version of 1611, or, in other words, the King James Bible, stands alone in its uniqueness, integrity, and fidelity to the truthfulness of God’s Word."
ReplyDeleteProve it mister. Seriously. Prove it. You can't. All you have is bias and unfounded objections.
To Tiber-Jumper: Could you post more info on Caedmon's Translation? I can't find any information about a Bible in English being authorized by the Church. I've always though that the Church never wanted a translation in "vulgar" languages. Am I wrong here?
Caedmon's Bible was actually "paraphrased Bible stories" from the 7th century. I apologize for the misinformation. I now can't find where I originally read that it is an approved version. I will append the post.
ReplyDeleteCheck this out:http://www.katapi.org.uk/BibleMSS/Ch10.htm#BPC