Historical Bible misprints and errors

45degreeN

Vellum was so expensive that some manuscripts were erased and written over. In spite of this fact the "under printing" is viewable under UV light. These are called Palimpsests and I have seen some 8th century palimpsests.

The first few years after the KJV was printed there were many other printings and some of these had printer's errors. Among these are the "Wife beater's Bible", the "Wicked Bible", the "Vinegar Bible". I addition there are some Bibles called "He" and "She" Bibles due to the changes in a single sentence (In the book of Ruth)with either He or She inserted. All of these are rare books because of the efforts to properly destroy the errors.

None of these historical printer's errors ever caused any theological problems, just a great economic loss for the printer.

Unlike modern printing processes the KJV required 5 different print shops and they each did part of the job. When the results were collated you had a complete Bible. There were seven different printings of the First edition of the KJV they took place from 1611 to 1640. They kept the plates all together until the type began to wear out on the 1640 printing

It was however the 1613 second edition that was considered the "true" one and yet this edition had over 400 printing errors and was not ever reprinted again.

So even the KJV is not as pure as some would have us believe.
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Luvnlife · Lion King Joined: 22 Feb 2007 Posts: 1270 Location: US

So what do you suggest??

Luv Question

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45degreeN · Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 5:21 pm Post subject:

The only suggestion is to remain flexible about the translations you choose and not get hung up on the KJV only.
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Luvnlife · Lion King Joined: 22 Feb 2007 Posts: 1270 Location: US

I like to check the interlinear translations too. Sometimes I reference the NWT.

Luv
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Siam · Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:25 pm Post subject:

Luvnlife · Lion King Joined: 22 Feb 2007 Posts: 1270 Location: US

Siam · Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 8:41 pm Post subject:

What

You mean that you do not believe that God sent his only Son to earth to Die and raise again so our sins will be forgiven and if we believe this we will go to heaven and those who don't believe it go to hell.

Good on you, I thought you were smarter than that.

And your right, misprints do not have much effect on the over all belivability of the bible and its claim as "Gods" word.

It still has to come down to personal "Faith."

Cheers.
Siam.
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Luvnlife · Lion King Joined: 22 Feb 2007 Posts: 1270 Location: US

Siam · Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 12:40 am Post subject:

luvnlife wrote:
So what do you suggest??

Luv

Siam said:
How about not taking it literally

luvnlife replied:
That doesn't help with misprints.

I understand that not all that is written in the bible is to be taken literally. What does that have to do with misprints/mistranslations?

So Siam now says:

Well….

I guess my point is that with so much misinterpretation, historical incorrectness, plagiarized writings and Pagan influences it’s near impossible to take any of it “Literally”.

But if you understand that the bible is not literal then it is very hard to put undeniable faith in a risen “Man God.”

Fortunately this then opens the door to what it is that the Bible has to say to us now that we can not believe in the literal interpretation.

We are free to study and interpret it with new eyes and ears, seeing within its pages different perspectives on familiar themes that relate to and play out in our everyday existence.

This leads to a deeper understanding of our true nature and brings us closer to our desire for “God” without preconcieved concepts of what Jesus is supposed to represent and moves "it" into the relm of a personal savior that dwells within all.

So's me thinks'
Siam.
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45degreeN · Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 4:08 am Post subject:

In spite of the misprints and other errata the meaning is always clear and those misprints were disposed of rapidly as possible (with just a very few getting away for historical research.)
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45degreeN · Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 5:41 am Post subject:

In remembering the history of the KJV there are many other bibles and other translations we must include and deal with.

Most of the initial translation work had been done outside of England (where Tyndale worked) either in Germany under the influence of Luther, or in Switzerland under the influence of Calvin (where the Geneva translation was done)

We dont get to the KJV without passing through the various other translations since most of what we see in that one "authorized" text was written without authorization and long before King James authorized it.

In England there had been several translations that had been made and burned, others which had been imported and then burned. The whole issue of control was at stake. Remember also that England was going through some rough times with civil unrest and much controversy concerning Roman Catholic vs English control over the church.

Henry VIII was brought up to join the (Roman) church since he was a "second son" and due to the death of his brother was given the throne literally through an accident. This ecclesiastical education brought an influence into the court that pushed the interests of the laity into thinking that just maybe they might be able to have the Bible in their own language and there were several translations made. Between Henry's life and that of James there were thousands of Bibles that were printed and then destroyed over political issues rather than religious or even translation issues. The best known ones were the "great" Bible printed with the intention that every church in the country would have one "big" bible that the parishioners could read (but only within the church building due to its size), later the Bishop's Bible a more common size which only the wealthy were encouraged to read.

Given the religious turmoil over the Scottish ascension and then Elisabeth I coming to the throne both Catholic and protestants were confused and scared because of the deaths over such things and Bibles during that time were mainly kept hidden rather than being destroyed.

James as the authorizer of the official translation and the namesake of the KJV had little to do with the actual translation. Ironically the personal Bibles of the KJV translators were Geneva Bibles and again ironically much of the text of the KJV came word for word out of Tyndale's translation. Bible translation was a big business within Europe at the time and while the KJV was to be used for a long time it was really a compendium of work from several sources hardly the "pure" word of God that so many people make it out to be. It is ridiculous to think that the KJV is anything other than just another Bible that conformed to the politically correct issues of the day.
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Siam · Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 11:16 pm Post subject:

Hi 45, great post…got me looking and thought I would share some of this stuff.

The "Codex Sinaiticus" includes a full text of the Bible.

It contains the oldest version of the New Testament in the world as well as the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint.
The latter includes the books, which are now considered apocryphal.

Scientists consider the parchment manuscript to be one of the 50 copies of the Holy Scriptures ordered by the Roman emperor Constantine after he had been converted to Christianity.

And the "Septuagint" or simply "LXX", is the Koine Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, translated in stages between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC in Alexandria.

It is the oldest of several ancient translations of the Hebrew Bible into the Greek language, the lingua franca of the eastern Mediterranean from the time of Alexander the Great (356-323 BC).

The Septuagint includes some books not found in the Hebrew Bible.

Many Protestant Bibles follow the Jewish canon and exclude the additional books.

Roman Catholics, however, include some of these books in their canon while:

Eastern Orthodox Churches use all the books of the Septuagint.

Anglican lectionaries also use all of the books except Psalm 151.

And the full King James Bible in its Authorized Version includes these additional books in a separate section labeled Apocrypha.

Lots of versions and lots of religions to tell you there versions.

Peace;
Siam.
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45degreeN · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 4:54 am Post subject:

And yet, Siam, the essential core of scripture are not argued over they are accepted.

Imagine if, like the Muslims, the only Bibles allowed were Greek and Hebrew? (the original languages) how many of us would have read them?
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Siam · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:17 pm Post subject: