Among the debates that arise over the issue of the preservation of
the Bible, especially concerning whether that preservation is to be found within
the pages of the King James Version, has to do with other languages. The
argument would sound something like this, "Doesn't the person whose first
language is Portuguese[1] have the right to have the
Bible in his native language?"
The argument is not about rights, it is about:
- Purity
- Accuracy and
- Authority
I do not deny any man of any nation the right to have a Bible in
his own tongue. I would simply suggest that no Bible, outside of the King James
Bible, can demonstrate the same strengths in the areas of purity, accuracy and
authority.
In which other language has the Bible gone through such a process
of refinement as has the King James? Remember that, previous to the King James
Version, there had been a number of translations of the Bible into the English
language. Each of those works was studied and compared and considered, along
with translations in other languages in the work of the King James Bible.
Though there are Bibles in other languages, none of them have gone
through the series of refinements that the King James did. (That refinement
ended with the King James as all English translations following it rely on a
different - and I contend, corrupt - manuscript.)
I would challenge the Bible students of the world to find a set of
scholars reaching the credentials of those translators of the King James
Version, whose working conditions would fairly represent those of the King
James Translators. If we believe the Bible at all we must recognize that our
world is not improving but becoming worse with each passing year. The
influences tending to corrupt modern scholarship are such that it is difficult
to conceive of any group of men with sufficient skills, who are not in some way
corrupted by modernism and liberal ideas toward the Bible. Scholarship and humility
these days do not go hand in hand.
Regarding authority of the Scripture; in what other language is
there even a claim toward having a perfectly preserved Bible? Every case I am
aware of those who use their native Bible realize it to be flawed. Correcting
their Bibles as they preach is as common as a modern American preacher using a
"Good News for Modern Man." He does not pretend to believe his Bible
is without error.
Let's not beat around the bush on this thing. Either our King
James Bible is the without error or it is not. If it is without error, if it is
the perfectly preserved Scripture as I believe it to be, then any person from
any land speaking any language would be spiritually bettered to learn to read
and understand the King James Version of the Bible.
Marvin McKenzie
In the field
