Preface to the 1611 KJV—KJV translators KJVO?

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

Dino246

Senior Member
Jun 30, 2015
25,619
13,863
113
#22
You do understand this is placing you as the final decision maker...personally, I don't want such responsibility.
You have that responsibility whether you want it or not. Your choice may be different than that of others, but it is your choice, nonetheless.
 

Dirtman

Well-known member
Jul 19, 2022
1,151
441
83
#23
You do understand this is placing you as the final decision maker...personally, I don't want such responsibility.
KJVO is the same thing. In fact it is more so. You hare arbitrarily decided that you and you alone have the word of God, with no real evidence only conjecture, opinion, and confirmation bias.
You have decided that being the only word of God that christian vhurches that use other translations arent church and that christians who use other translations arent Christian. You have decided that letters printed on paper in factories and bound in plastic is Holy, rather than the content of the words. You have decided the printed words to be sacred rather than a conveyance of God's word. You have made Gods word a dusty old book on a shelf not a living flow of life from the Holy Spirit to the soul of people. You have decided that those who had the manuscripts in Alexandria are not Christian even though an Alexandrian was part of the very council that God used to compile the canon, not only was he part but a leader. But he nor his church were Christian because they had text that you reject. There is such a litany of problems with your philosophy that it would be impossible to post it here. It would take a book to show the full extent. You have taken upon yourself the judgement of all.
 

Dirtman

Well-known member
Jul 19, 2022
1,151
441
83
#24
I am but a small twig on a tree full of the people of God and am one in a long line of fathers and grandfather and ancestors in a long lineage of believers to the very One himself Jesus. Like a massive family tree and Jesus is the Root and his disciples branches and their disciples off shoot limbs and branches. And I simply a twig feed life from this massive tree. Only one small fork ever had that particular translation.
 

John146

Senior Member
Jan 13, 2016
17,177
3,700
113
#25
KJVO is the same thing. In fact it is more so. You hare arbitrarily decided that you and you alone have the word of God, with no real evidence only conjecture, opinion, and confirmation bias.
You have decided that being the only word of God that christian vhurches that use other translations arent church and that christians who use other translations arent Christian. You have decided that letters printed on paper in factories and bound in plastic is Holy, rather than the content of the words. You have decided the printed words to be sacred rather than a conveyance of God's word. You have made Gods word a dusty old book on a shelf not a living flow of life from the Holy Spirit to the soul of people. You have decided that those who had the manuscripts in Alexandria are not Christian even though an Alexandrian was part of the very council that God used to compile the canon, not only was he part but a leader. But he nor his church were Christian because they had text that you reject. There is such a litany of problems with your philosophy that it would be impossible to post it here. It would take a book to show the full extent. You have taken upon yourself the judgement of all.
Calm down dude, I haven’t decided most of those things…those are your words not mine. Wow!
 
#27
In their Preface, the King James translators make a lot of revealing comments about their philosophy and intentions. I'd like to quote a couple of them and then ask a question.

"And what marvel? The original thereof being from heaven, not from earth; the author being God, not man;"​
"Truly, good Christian reader, we never thought from the beginning that we should need to make a new translation, nor yet to make of a bad one a good one, (for then the imputation of [pope] Sixtus had been true in some sort, that our people had been fed with gall of dragons instead of wine, with whey instead of milk:) but to make a good one better, or out of many good ones, one principal good one, not justly to be excepted against; that hath been our endeavour, that our mark."​

The first quote speaks of the autographs. They seem to indicate that the autographs themselves were the only perfect and inspired words of God.

In the second quote they speak of making a new version that could "not be justly excepted against"; that is, one that no one could make a claim against as containing "gall of dragons instead of wine" or "whey instead of milk." The context mentions Sixtus and his claims about the previous Protestant Bibles as being faulty. Their purpose seems to have been to create a version that could overcome claims like these.

In light of this, could the translators have been saying that their intention was to make a perfect and infallible English translation; one that contained the very words of God? In the first paragraph they said that the originals were the perfect words of God. What say you?
He that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
 

ResidentAlien

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2021
8,438
3,685
113
#28
 

Pilgrimshope

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2020
14,669
5,911
113
#29
In their Preface, the King James translators make a lot of revealing comments about their philosophy and intentions. I'd like to quote a couple of them and then ask a question.

"And what marvel? The original thereof being from heaven, not from earth; the author being God, not man;"​
"Truly, good Christian reader, we never thought from the beginning that we should need to make a new translation, nor yet to make of a bad one a good one, (for then the imputation of [pope] Sixtus had been true in some sort, that our people had been fed with gall of dragons instead of wine, with whey instead of milk:) but to make a good one better, or out of many good ones, one principal good one, not justly to be excepted against; that hath been our endeavour, that our mark."​

The first quote speaks of the autographs. They seem to indicate that the autographs themselves were the only perfect and inspired words of God.

In the second quote they speak of making a new version that could "not be justly excepted against"; that is, one that no one could make a claim against as containing "gall of dragons instead of wine" or "whey instead of milk." The context mentions Sixtus and his claims about the previous Protestant Bibles as being faulty. Their purpose seems to have been to create a version that could overcome claims like these.

In light of this, could the translators have been saying that their intention was to make a perfect and infallible English translation; one that contained the very words of God? In the first paragraph they said that the originals were the perfect words of God. What say you?
yes I believe anyone who’s translating scripture believes they are working from the original words given to man by God it’s why they go to the ancient manuscripts the oldest and most credible sources

rather than one translating from another they are all intent on translating an accurate version of what they believe are Gods words

that’s my opinion anyways
 

Dino246

Senior Member
Jun 30, 2015
25,619
13,863
113
#30
yes I believe anyone who’s translating scripture believes they are working from the original words given to man by God it’s why they go to the ancient manuscripts the oldest and most credible sources

rather than one translating from another they are all intent on translating an accurate version of what they believe are Gods words

that’s my opinion anyways
Here's the rub: the KJV translators were not working from manuscripts at all, but from printed editions. ;)
 

ResidentAlien

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2021
8,438
3,685
113
#31
yes I believe anyone who’s translating scripture believes they are working from the original words given to man by God it’s why they go to the ancient manuscripts the oldest and most credible sources

rather than one translating from another they are all intent on translating an accurate version of what they believe are Gods words

that’s my opinion anyways
God's original words are in the autographs. If someone thinks they have His original words they would do well to remember this.

The idea of "oldest and best" was introduced by the Jesuit counter reformation. It was nothing more than Satan's trick on people who didn't know any better and has actually been very effective. It sounds good until you start looking into these "old" manuscripts and the characters promoting them. Fortunately I had a mother who drilled a question into my head: If everyone else jumped off a cliff would you too?


Oldest isn't necessarily best, even if they really are as old as claimed.
 

Pilgrimshope

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2020
14,669
5,911
113
#32
Here's the rub: the KJV translators were not working from manuscripts at all, but from printed editions. ;)
lol printed copies of the originals you mean yeah I wasn’t saying they had the original scrolls , that’s why there were scribes in the ot constantly recording and transcribing everything

my point is every translator must believe they are working from the original information , word , knowledge however one wants To put it .

mostly all bibles until about thirty years ago had the same type of preface pages in them like the op is talking about explaining how thier intent and process went and was intended is to offer a credible and accurate translation into whatever language the reader is reading in

if they don’t believe they are translating the original words and language it’s shoots thier whole project in the foot is my only point you don’t dedicate years of your life to translate something you don’t think is accurate or original

again I’m not saying anyone had the ancient forst scrolls they had transcriptions from scribes that survived the desolations of Jerusalem by Babylon , Persia , Greek and eventually Rome

what we have are copies or transcriptions of the original manuscripts. Every translator must believe they are translating the original statements or why donor to begin with is my point ?

the kjv process was more thorough than anything I’ve ever heard of myself , but I believe there are a lot of accurate translations of scripture not only one
 

ResidentAlien

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2021
8,438
3,685
113
#33
the kjv process was more thorough than anything I’ve ever heard of myself , but I believe there are a lot of accurate translations of scripture not only one
It wasn't that thorough; anyone who says otherwise is making up stories.

The KJV team was made up of qualified scholars but they were constrained by the King. They had to follow his orders, one of which was to follow the Bishop's Bible (the "authorized version" at the time) as closely as possible except when the original languages prohibited it. They were qualified translators who no doubt could have done a new translation from scratch, but that's not what James wanted.