Holy Bible

Modern Literal Version

New Testament

2014.1 Beta Update

(The Open Bible Translation)

(The world’s most accurate English translation.)

Why the Majority Text

A quick overview of the 3 major philosophies dealing with the underlying text which becomes your Bible translation, described in not fancy wording but a simple example. Since the Bible is not written in encyclopedia format you could cut off the bottom 10% of your New Testament and probably still get to heaven. We are after what is the best textual criticism and use that text.

For this discussion we are going to forget that the manuscripts do have age problems like unreadable faded areas, tears and rips, corners or other small pieces missing and forget about spelling differences (Webster was not born yet). They were written on processed leaves and animal skin.

Buy a case of paper (5000 sheets in case your sizes are different there.)

Take out one ream of paper (500 sheets) and take 5 sheets out. Rip off the bottom of 3 sheets, and ½ of the other. Take one sheet and poke holes in it. Take out about 100 sheets. Take the 395 sheets and take a chain saw to them 2 or 3 times and pick up about 300 random pieces, the smallest but never over 1/4 sized. Put those with the 5 sheets. (This is Stack #1; 305 fragments.)

Take the largest pieces of the shredded paper about 500 and place in the case for the missing ream of paper. (the case is now Stack #2; 4500 good, 500 fragments)

Put the 100 full sheets in Stack #3.

Each chunk or piece of paper is a Greek Bible manuscript (partial or whole).

Stack 1 is the Alexandrian Manuscripts and Uncial Manuscripts. These are what make up all of the minority textual criticisms (Alford, Tregelles, Tischendorf, Westcott & Hort, USB, Nestle Aland, CCT, etc.) Basically 5 partial manuscripts and lots of chunks. The almost whole manuscript is not used because it is far worse than the two main ones used, Vaticanus & Sinaiticus. These two texts disagree with each other 30,000 times and neither are complete Matthew to Revelation. In recent times P46 is actually given more weight, a less than 1/3 manuscript of only New Testament books. Almost all modern paraphrase translations use this Minority text so the reader could lose almost 20% of the Word of God between the text and paraphrasing. They have the following premises which vary and have slightly changed over the past 150 years: That copyist added to the word of God as it was copied over and over thus corrupting the texts. That only what is contained in ALL manuscripts is what it the ‘Word of God’ (Aland’s believe). That the oldest are the best.

In the computer age we know for sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, copyist omit text; they don’t add text! Don’t count the 0's and try to type this correctly: 873DV01000E00000000000000ODO35. The original computerized text of the ASV was missing one of the, “Do you love me,” phrases in John 21. Secondly, only better manuscripts were copied.

Stack 2 is the Byzantine Manuscripts and 99% of all of the wording contained in each piece of paper in the case is the Majority Text (The New Testament in the Original Greek Byzantine Textform 2005 Compiled and Arranged by Maurice Robinson and William Pierpont). Basically add all together and figure out what is most common between all of them.

Stack 3 is the extra verses or phrases that are not found in majority of the pieces of paper in Stack 2. If you add this stack to Stack 2 you have what is called the “Textus Receptus”. These sections are the commentaries at the end of the Bible books, some verses and partial verses like Luke 17:36, Acts 8:37, 15:34, 24:7, 1 John 5:7b-8 etc. One really bad doctrinal mistake is the "again" in Rev. 20:5 that should be marked out in any translation based off of the T.R. It has no Greek counterpart anywhere. 1Jn 5:7b-8 too; is from the Catholic Latin Bible.) These extra verses were from the premise that “if a word or phrase was in any manuscript then it should be in the final combined text.”

If you believe in a little God, use Stack 1 for your Bible. If you believe in an all mighty God, use Stack 2.

I think you can see why the translators of “The Modern Literal Version” used the Majority Text. We do not feel that the Majority Text is perfect but all other forms of textual criticism have not produced anything worth considering. A further note, since the Bible is not written in encyclopedia format, even the worst text still contains the major doctrines, how to become a Christian, how to live as a Christian, second coming, grace & works, etc.