Should the Differences in Biblical Manuscripts Scare Christians?

A reply to “some of the most important things to say, first off.” I have freely taken the quotes from the two similar sources, which may not exactly match in all cases:

• Mark Ward’s video, Should the Differences in Biblical Manuscripts Scare Christians?
• Randy Leedy’s essay, Should the Differences in Biblical Manuscripts Scare Christians?

In this video, Mark tells us that he used points from Randy Leedy in his book Authorized: the Use and Misuse of the King James Bible. He thinks they are “some of the most important things to say, first off, to someone who is troubled by the questions” of differences (or variants) in biblical manuscripts. However:

“But in almost five years now, no one has taken note of these arguments that I know of. I certainly haven’t received any reply to them from those who defend the King James or TR.”

I suspect possibly because (1) this is a small bit couched in a small place in the book, that might go somewhat unnoticed,[i] and (2) those who noticed it probably did not think it as strong of a point as Mark does (or maybe mostly agreed).[ii] After this post, no one can in the future say that no one has taken note of these arguments. Perhaps many will not agree with the note taken, but the note is now taken.

In the video linked above, Mark makes the following three points.[iii]

1. No theologies or denominations claim a particular text
2. Even if we had absolutely perfect copies, the work of interpretation would still have to go on
3. Pristine perfection is a property of the next world, not (generally) of this one

None claim a particular text

Leedy and Ward say “…there are no Calvinist manuscripts/versions, Arminian manuscripts/versions, Pentecostal, Reformed, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Congregationalist, Egalitarian, Complementarian, Integrationist, Cessationist, or Continuationist manuscripts/versions.” Yet, there are manuscripts, texts, and/or readings that some prefer over other manuscripts, texts, and readings. There are no “Jehovah’s Witness” manuscripts, but they clearly prefer those that leave out certain references to hell.[iv] There are no “Church of God with Signs Following” manuscripts, but they clearly prefer those that include Mark 16:17-18. There are no “Unitarian” manuscripts, but they clearly prefer those that change 1 Timothy 3:16 and leave out the Comma Johanneum. And so on. Let us not pretend that theologies and denominations that are somewhat fluid concerning the text do not tend to gravitate towards readings that confirm their beliefs.

In support of this point, they also say, “Take any systematic theology textbook you want, and the set of proof texts offered for particular points is for all practical purposes version-independent—the authors don’t care which translation you use, so they just give references.” This may be true to an extent. Often, they cite proof texts without specifically pointing the reader to read it in a particular version. But, yes, as Mark says, take a look for yourself. Check the citations in the book. If authors are multiple versionists, they won’t cite only one version. However, most do have a leaning. Look in the front matter and you will likely find something like “Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from…” Further, any author or editor of a Systematic Theology worth his salt will not include references to verses that he does not believe are original, neither to verses that do not support his point being made. Further, if they are Critical Text men, they won’t usually refer to the Textus Receptus, unless to point out an error they think they have found in it compared to the CT. So – perhaps somewhat buried beneath the surface – there will be doctrinal and moral support for certain texts and translations.

Another “hidden” consideration in what Ward further observes, is that it is not like there are an equivalent number of texts available to the type of theologies there are, or the number of denominations there are. “If you walk into a Christian bookstore looking for a Bible, there are only two textual choices on the shelves.” Available New Testament translations are based on either the TR or CT. This informs us on why 15 different denominations don’t use 15 different Greek texts. Primarily only two are accessible.[v]

The work of interpretation must go on

Leedy and Ward tell us, “If we had the originals themselves—the very pieces of papyrus Paul used to compose Romans and Ephesians, for example—or if no copies contained any textual variants at all, unlocking the Bible’s power would still require us to do exactly what we do now: search for Scripture’s wisdom as for hidden treasure, interpreting carefully, comparing Scripture with Scripture, and making relevant personal application.”[vi]

When I read this, I asked myself, “Who would disagree with that?” Yes, we might disagree about the status of the apographs, but not about the need for rigourous study and biblical exegesis. We must read the Bible. We must pray for spiritual guidance. We must study the word. We must study the words in the word. We must compare Scripture with Scripture. We must apply what we learn (which helps us learn more; see John 7:17).

However, the one “except” mentioned by Leedy and Ward is an extremely important one.

“Nothing would change except that we would be able to dismiss from our minds the possibility that the text we’re working with may not preserve God’s exact inspired words with complete perfection.”

That is a very important difference. Can we be settled on a starting point and begin from there? Or, do we need to sift through 5000 manuscripts and figure out where the word of God is before we even begin to interpret it? Can your interpretation ever be settled if your text is not settled?

“…my own weaknesses as a reader expose me to far more significant misunderstanding than the differences in biblical manuscripts do,” say the dynamic duo. I have no quarrel with acknowledging the problem of my own personal weaknesses as a reader and student of God’s word. I know them all too well. Leedy and Ward do not seem to grasp, or admit, however, that they pile a second problem on to the first. An extremely important question, “Do you have God’s word or not?”[vii]

Pristine perfection is a property of the next world

Leedy and Ward say, “The very strong pattern God has ordained is that pristine perfection is a property of the next world, not this one, so I just need to conform my expectations to that reality.”

Again, I think even readers who do not agree with Leedy and Ward on their Bible conclusions will have no strong aversion to the point that pristine perfection is generally a property of the next world. Here, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin is death. There, there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. Does this therefore imply that God can do nothing perfectly in this God-forsaken world? God is the Rock, his work is perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4). The pattern of the word of God is, hopefully, pristine perfection in at least the originals, if Leedy and Ward agree with the Bob Jones position – “Bob Jones University holds to the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Bible in the original manuscripts...”[viii] And, of course, there is plenty of room to wonder how they think we must view pristine perfection.[ix]

Concluding thoughts

In their own thoughts at least, Leedy and Ward have set the readers’ and listeners’ minds at ease. Nothing to be afraid of. “…we can be completely at ease that, with the exception of extreme paraphrases or Bibles translated by cult groups, any Bible we may use is fully trustworthy as God’s Word.”

“The bottom line is that God has arranged things so that I can take any good English Bible translation, based on any textual or translation philosophy, treat it as if its every English word were straight from him, and get everything I need from that Bible to know, love, and live for him in a way that will bring Christ’s ‘Well done!’ when I stand before him. And what more is there to life?”

Their conclusion – that one can use any good English translation, treat it as if its every word were straight from God, and get everything you need to know – sounds wonderful, magnanimous, and reassuring.[x] But the devil is in the details. Leedy, Ward, and those in their orbit do not practice what they preach. For example, Mark is actively engaged in turning people away from using one “good English Bible translation” to provide “everything I need” to know, love and live for God. To know this, just read Authorized, or listen to his YouTube videos. In fact, most of these guys, not just Mark, never recommend using just one Bible.

Hear Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart. They claim the Greek text behind the King James Version was filled with mistakes. These copying errors, according to them, “often do make a difference in the meaning of certain specific texts.” Because of this they conclude, “This is why for study you should use almost any modern translation rather than the KJV.”[xi] Almost any modern translation, but not the KJV!

All reassurances aside, it is certain that English Christians were generally settled and not scared regarding the English Bible and the Greek text until Westcott and Hort came along and overturned the apple cart. Our position was here first. Few were scared until they and the long black train that followed them came along.

Again, finally, what Leedy, Ward, and others tell us here in mollifying messages is not what they invest their time in telling us. They really do not want us to use ONE English Bible translation and treat it as every word of God. Mark Ward’s commitment to the “vernacular” means one must choose any version other than the King James for study, preaching, evangelism, and discipleship.[xii] On this we cannot see eye to eye.

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[i] On part of pages 114-115, under the heading, “The Modern Versions are Based on Inferior Greek and Hebrew Texts.”
[ii] I “mostly” agree, though this post is to highlight points where I disagree. I suppose the main disagreement is that these three points do not prove the thesis.
[iii] These three points are only two points in Authorized (“First,” “Second,” but no Third). Ward presents Leedy’s points as two points (1) no groups or theological persuasions claim a particular Greek manuscript or manuscripts; and (2) even if we had pristinely perfect copies…we’d have work hard to interpret them. However, they are teased out to three points in Randy Leedy’s Should the Differences in Biblical Manuscripts Scare Christians?
[iv] In their book How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, Gordon D. Fee and Douglas K. Stuart refer to the 1961 New World Translation, writing “This is an extremely literal translation filled with the heretical doctrines of this cult” (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. p. 43). If I remember correctly, the New World Translation is based on the 1881 Greek text of B. F. Westcott and F. J. A. Hort and the 1946 18th edition Novum Testamentum Graece.

[v] In recent years the “Majority Text” is accessible as Greek texts (e.g., Hodges-Farstad, Pickering Family 35, Robinson-Pierpont). They are not available in any practical way to the general English reader. In other words, as far as I know, you cannot walk into that Christian bookstore and readily buy an English Bible translation based on the Majority Text.

[vi] Brother Christopher Yetzer has suggested that this point is about interpretation of the words in order to translate them properly, rather than in order to understand scripture once it has translated. There is also the possibility that Leedy and Ward have both ideas in mind.
[vii] “Mostly so,” they probably would say. Dan Wallace says “what we have is good enough.” (In contrast, Agur, the son of Jakeh writes, “Every word of God is pure...”) Bart Ehrman says he is not insanely pessimistic about “the possibilities of getting back to a pretty close approximation of the original text in most cases.” Possibilities. Pretty close. Approximation. In most cases. Peter Gurry agrees.
[viii] Leedy and Ward both are, or have been, associated with Bob Jones University.
[ix] Leedy probably has in mind one or both of these definitions: (1) Remaining in a pure state, without human alteration; (2) Of, relating to, or typical of the earliest time or condition; primitive or original.
[x] When I was a young man, roughly 40 years ago, I remember hearing and seeing a good bit of “the King James Version is a bad translation” sort of arguments. A lot of this in more recent times has been covered over with smooth words and sophisticated phrases, but in the end the aim is still the same – to get people to stop using the King James Bible and start using a modern translation.
[xi] Fee and Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, p. 34.
[xii] Ultimately, however, Ward recommends using multiple translations of the Bible rather than only one. See pages 136-137 in his book Authorized.

Weird foods, and other words

• balut, noun. A Filipino dish of a duck embryo, boiled and eaten in the shell.
• bockety, adjective. Of a person: unable to walk without difficulty; infirm, lame.
• durian (or durian fruit), noun. A prickly Singapore fruit of trees belonging to the genus Durio (whose flesh smell is often described as “rotten”).
• festoon, noun. A string or chain of flowers, foliage, ribbon, etc., suspended in a curve between two points; a decorative representation of this, as in architectural work or on pottery.
• lutefisk (also called lyefish), noun. A traditional Nordic Christmas dish made from dried whitefish which has been dried, then rehydrated in baths of lye and cold water.
• Nordic, adjective. Relating to a Germanic people of northern European origin, especially Scandinavia, Finland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands.
• oinomancy (also œnomancy), noun. A form of divination conducted by examining patterns (such as colors and other features) in wine.
• parisa, noun. A traditional dish of cured meat (normally with lemon juice) mixed with cheese, peppers, onions and spices.
• prevaricate, verb. To speak falsely or misleadingly; to deliberately misstate or create an incorrect impression; lie.
• soysage, noun. A type of vegetarian or vegan sausage made with soy protein instead of meat (a portmanteau of soy + sausage; this is a proprietary name in the United Kingdom). 
• tartare, adjective. (especially of fish) finely chopped and served raw.
• tong zi dan, noun. A  Chinese delicacy of chicken eggs boiled in the urine of “prepubescent virgin boys.”
• visceral, adjective. Characterized by or proceeding from instinct rather than intellect; characterized by coarse or base emotions; earthy.
• wasp cracker, noun. A Japanese cracker made of rice and dried digger wasps.

Power in the blood

“It is universally true that sin never has been, and never will be forgiven, except in connection with, and in virtue of the shedding of blood. It is on this principle that the plan of salvation by the atonement is based, and on this that God in fact bestows pardon upon people. There is not the slightest evidence that any man has ever been pardoned except through the blood shed for the remission of sins.”

Albert Barnes. Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Epistle to the Hebrews, p. 195

Throned upon the Awful Tree

1. Throned upon the awful tree,
King of grief, I watch with thee.
Darkness veils thine anguished face:
None its lines of woe can trace:
None can tell what pangs unknown
Hold thee silent and alone.

2. Silent through those three dread hours,
Wrestling with the evil pow’rs,
Left alone with human sin,
Gloom around thee and within,
’Till th’appointed time is nigh,
’Till the Lamb of God may die.

3. Hark, that cry that peals aloud
Upward thro’ the whelming cloud!
Thou, the Father’s only Son,
Thou, his own Anointed One,
Thou dost ask him—can it be?
“Why hast thou forsaken me?”

4. Lord, should fear and anguish roll
Darkly o’er my sinful soul,
Thou, who once wast thus bereft
That thine own might ne’er be left,
Teach me by that bitter cry
In the gloom to know thee nigh.

John Ellerton wrote “Throned upon the awful tree” in 1875, 7s. meter in six lines. It is Hymn 118 in the 1875 edition of Hymns Ancient & Modern, paired with the tune Gethsemane. The hymn appears as No. 345 in the Trinity Psalter Hymnal (2018), with Arfon or Tros y Garreg (a Welsh minor mode folk tune).

John Ellerton was born in London, England in 1826. He was educated at King William's College and graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge, England, He was ordained a minister of the Church of England. Ellerton died Torquay, Devonshire, England in 1893.

My tastes are simple, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources. (I try to confirm the sources that I give, but may miss on occasion; please verify if possible.)

“My tastes are simple: I am easily satisfied with the best.” -- Winston Churchill

“Liberty is more important than government convenience.” -- Mike Landry

“If you take the ‘words’ out of the Bible, you will have nothing left except the cover and the paper it is printed on.  Hence, if the Bible is inspired in any sense, this inspiration must somehow be in the words.” -- Alva J. McClain

“May God give you, for every storm a rainbow, for every tear a smile, for every care a promise, and a blessing in each trial.” -- Vin Scully

“It is rank hypocrisy to translate from a text that you don’t even believe in.” -- Kent Brandenburg

“We are immortal till our work is done.” -- George Whitefield (in a letter he wrote in 1750 to James Hervey)

“The Election is over. Jesus still reigns.” -- Jared Kennedy

“We don’t have a Bible, and you can’t have one either.” -- Taylor DeSoto, characterizing modern text critical position

“The propensity of a person’s insistence on being called ‘Doctor’ is inversely proportional to the amount of effort expended on the degree and the value of it.” -- Heard

“Most Theological terms were given us by apostate Roman Catholics and High Church of England men, and we Baptists have borrowed their terms and used them like they were sweet morsels for our palates.” -- J. Louis Guthrie

Adding to and taking away words

The modern text critics tell us that we cannot know—at least cannot be sure—what the words of God are.

In the last chapter of the last book of the Bible, the Lord Jesus, the faithful witness declares, with dire warnings, against adding to or taking away the words of the Book.

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19)

God’s warning with consequences inevitably presupposes that we can know what the words of God are—that we can know whether we are adding to taking away from them. If not, how are held accountable?

[Note: Compare “I” in verse 18 with “I” in verse 20. The exhorting “I” is our Lord Jesus Christ., not John the apostle.]

Goodwill, love, and humility

“At this point, America effectively has two month-long national holidays: Christmas and ‘Pride.’ The first evokes goodwill, love, and humility. The other celebrates self-gratification, lust, and, well, pride. 

“These opposite holidays reflect the divided heart of America and go way beyond the battle between ‘Happy Holidays’ and ‘Merry Christmas.’ Look around at the Hallmark movies, corporate ads, and common propaganda pushed by Christmas card companies and you’ll see the same trend: less God becoming man and more man ‘becoming’ woman. A few scrolls down Vistaprint and Shutterfly’s holiday section will confirm that subversion is swiftly on the rise.

“This is a time of year to rejoice in the Word made flesh Who makes us whole, particularly in the messages we send to our family and friends.”

Align Newsletter.

William H. Brackney, 1948 - 2022

On Tuesday I received an announcement from the American Baptist Historical Society about the death of William Henry “Bill” Brackney. He died in November, but prior to this e-mail I had seen no death announcement.

The ABHS e-mail mentions:

As the first person to hold the title of “Executive Director” of the American Baptist Historical Society, Rev. Dr. William H. Brackney left his indelible mark on the Society. (Earlier administrators bore the title of “Curator.”) During his tenure as Executive Director, ABHS became the permanent custodian of the records of the national boards of American Baptist Churches, USA, the Philadelphia Baptist Association, and the Freewill Baptist movement in North America. We can credit Bill Brackney with initiating the Archives Center at the ABCUSA headquarters at Valley Forge, PA. With the addition of ongoing exhibits at Green Lake, WI, ABHS expanded to three sites.

and

Bill’s numerable publications, projects that he spearheaded, and research were unmatched among Baptist historians.  His knowledge of Baptist history and the historians who study it was immense! Bill was very involved in the 2018 Rauschenbusch Conference that ABHS co-hosted with Mercer University and the Acadia Centre for Baptist and Anabaptist Studies. This jointly-sponsored conference was an example of collaborative work that Bill liked to organize.

William H. Brackney was the son of Samuel Harp Brackney, Jr. and Mildred Pointer. His brother, Kennard Samuel Brackney, was also a minister. William H. Brackney served as a pastor of both Baptist and United Methodist Churches, and was the author of over 40 books. He was also a long-time educator.

William Brackney’s academic career includes:

• Assistant Professor at Houghton College in Houghton, NY, USA
• Associate Professor of Church History at Colgate Rochester Divinity School in Rochester, NY, USA
• Vice President, Dean, and Professor of History of Christianity at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA, USA
• Principal and Dean of Theology at McMaster Divinity College, McMaster University, in Hamilton, ON, Canada (1989-2000)
• Chair of the Department of Religion and Professor of Religion at Baylor University in Waco, TX, USA (2000-2006)
• Distinguished Professor and Chair in Christian Theology and Ethics at Acadia Divinity College, Acadia University, in Wolfville, NS, Canada (2006-2017)
• MacDonald Professor of Baptist Theology and Ethics at Carey Theological College, University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, BC, Canada (2017-2019)

His writings include:

• (1982) A Traveler’s Guide to American Baptist Historical Sites
• (1994) The Baptists
• (1998) Baptist Life and Thought: a Source Book
• (2006) Baptists in North America: an Historical Perspective
• (2008) Congregation and Campus: Baptists in Higher Education
• (2009) Historical Dictionary of the Baptists
• (2009) The A to Z of the Baptists
• (2012) Historical Dictionary of Radical Christianity

Brackney obtained his higher education at the University of Maryland, College Park (BA), the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Philadelphia (MA), and the Temple University in Philadelphia (MA, PhD).

In 1986, William Bill Brackney was born January 13, 1948 in Washington, District of Columbia. He died on November 13, 2022 in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada.

A Brief Biography of J. Louis Guthrie

“For Preachers and Christian Workers”: a Biography of Jeremiah Louis Guthrie

Beginnings

Jeremiah Louis Guthrie was born May 20, 1877 in Appanoose County, Iowa. He is the son of Creed T. Guthrie (1848-1928) and Emily Jane Evans (1848-1920). Guthrie was initially educated in the rural schools of Seymour, Wayne County, Iowa. His higher education includes:[i]

• 1902, Bachelor of Oratory Degree from the Chillicothe Normal School, Chillicothe, Missouri[ii]
• 1902, Bachelor of Arts Degree from the Chillicothe Normal School, Chillicothe, Missouri[iii]
• 1911, Bachelor of Arts Degree from William Jewel College, Liberty, Missouri
• 1916, Master of Arts Degree from William Jewel College, Liberty, Missouri (Greek & Latin)
• 1933, Doctor of Philosophy Degree from Peoples National University, Atlanta, Georgia (later called Webster University)[iv]

J. Louis Guthrie was a preacher, but he is remembered primarily as an educator. He taught school in Iowa from 1895 to 1899, when he then enrolled in the Chillicothe Normal School and Business Institute in Chillicothe, Livingston County, Missouri. He taught in public schools in Missouri, and then served as Professor of Elocution and Oratory at the Chillicothe Normal School 1904-05. He removed to and studied at William Jewell College from 1906-11.[v] In 1907-11, he was a student teacher at William Jewell College, as well as the business manager of the Glee Club (1906-07). His career track followed with teaching at Union University, Jackson, Tennessee, 1911-13; President of Laneview College, Laneview, Gibson County, Tennessee, 1913-15; teaching at Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, Oklahoma, 1915-1926; and President of Caledonia Baptist Academy, Caledonia, Union County Arkansas, 1926-28.[vi] Guthrie participated in band in most of these institutions, including “leader of the college band in the Oklahoma Baptist University.”[vii] 

Guthrie attended, worked at, and participated in Southern Baptist Convention institutions until 1932. “In 1932 the Guthrie family became members of the Liberty Baptist Church in Shawnee, thereby breaking affiliation with Southern Baptist work and beginning affiliation with Missionary Baptist Churches.”[viii] He served as state missionary of the Baptist General Association of Oklahoma in 1933, as well as an associate editor of the Oklahoma Missionary Baptist.[ix] “While he participated in helping many colleges and conducted ‘Bible Schools’ in various churches, his crowning endeavor was what is now the Missionary Baptist Seminary in Little Rock (begun in 1934). Its first president was J. Louis Guthrie, Ph.D., who knew seven languages and had an encyclopedic knowledge of the Bible.”[x] “The need for a sustainable, credible Bible School moved the church to call Dr. J. Louis Guthrie, a Baptist preacher and educator, to serve as the founding President. Dr. Ben Bogard, the pastor of the church, and Dr. C. N. Glover of Sheridan, with Dr. Guthrie organized the seminary to give affordable yet excellent Bible teaching and ministerial training.”[xi] From 1934 until his death in 1945, Guthrie served as President of the Missionary Baptist Seminary in Little Rock.[xii]

Union University, faculty picture, 1912

American Baptist Association

There was a great deal of upheaval in Oklahoma Baptist life in the 2rd and 3rd decades of the 20th century. Perhaps this created the atmosphere in which Guthrie left Oklahoma Baptist University. There is a newspaper record that he filed a civil case for damages against the Oklahoma Baptist University in 1926.[xiii] How that was resolved is unknown to this author. Along with other Missionary Baptists, he participated for a time with the Orthodox Baptist Fellowship, guided by former OBU teacher W. Lee Rector.[xiv] Nevertheless, he seems to have passionately settled in to the work of the American Baptist Association. Known pastorates of Guthrie include North Baptist Church, Shawnee, Oklahoma; Clayton Avenue Baptist Church, Hugo, Oklahoma; and First Baptist Church, Nash, Oklahoma. J. Louis Guthrie produced at least the following works:

• The Didache of the Twelve Apostles, Or, The First Church Manual Ever Written (translator, editor), Little Rock: J. Louis Guthrie, 1938
• Acts 2:38 and the Greek Preposition “Eis” Translated, Explained, and Exposed, Little Rock: J. Louis Guthrie, 1940
• A Short History of the Baptismal Salvation Heresy, Little Rock: J. Louis Guthrie, 1940[xv]
• The Bible in 8 Periods, Little Rock: J. Louis Guthrie, 1940[xvi]
• Creation of the Heavens and the Earth, Little Rock, AR: M. B. I. Printery, 1943
• Christ in Creation, Texarkana, TX: Seminary Publications, 1975[xvii]

No doubt there are other writings by Guthrie that this writer has not located. Through his ministry at the Missionary Baptist Seminary of Little Rock, Guthrie exerted influence on the theology of Missionary Baptists. For example, Tom McElmurry writes that the “Gap Theory” of creation “entered our ranks largely through the brilliant, fertile mind of Dr. J. Louis Guthrie.”[xviii] Further, he influenced Missionary Baptist Bible schools, institutes, and seminaries to follow a curriculum based upon a study of the Bible in the original languages. With his booklet Acts 2:38 and the Greek Preposition “Eis”, he engaged the baptism debate with the churches of Christ (Stone-Campbell movement). By producing a translation from the Greek, he introduced an early church document, the Didache, to Missionary Baptists. J. Louis Guthrie promoted an idea of church-sponsored religious education with seminary as a religious rather than secular institution. He wrote:

“This school [at Antioch MBC in Little Rock] must serve a definite purpose and that purpose to be entirely for preachers and Christian workers. Anything that might be worldly in its plans and programs or that might be seized on by any self-seeking individual to further his own interests is to be left out of consideration in the establishment of this school. And further, anything that can be seized on by the secular school systems of state or denominations shall be left entirely out of consideration in this school.”[xix]

The Missionary Baptist Seminary in Little Rock continues to operate on the pattern established by J. Louis Guthrie, Ben M. Bogard, and C. N. Glover in 1934. The majority of the students of the school come from Missionary Baptist churches in Arkansas, but the student body also includes people from other states and foreign countries.

Early in his ministry, Guthrie advanced the need of strong missionary work in destitute towns in Missouri, urging Baptist people to “organize forces…and ‘lift high his royal banner,’ and conquer these places for Jesus.” He continues:

“I saw pitiful sights in Eliott. Young women in their teens watching a Sunday baseball game and yelling, waving parasols and handkerchiefs like savages; children that ought to have been in Sunday school running in the streets and learning to profane God’s holy day. I was impressed and cannot soon forget this terrible Sabbath-breaking, heathenish recreation which men take is damning their souls to everlasting perdition.”[xx]

The Missionary Baptist Seminary in Little Rock named the Guthrie Memorial Building in honor of the Guthries. Built in 1979, it houses the Bogard Memorial Chapel, the Glover Memorial Library, as well as faculty offices and classrooms.[xxi]

Guthrie taught a threefold salvation. In the resurrection, he writes, “Salvation is now full in us and we have become triunely sanctified in the fullest sense. Spiritually at the new birth, mentally at the full stature of the growth to the image of the Son of god, and physically, when our bodies have become fashioned after the image of his glorious body as he is now resurrected.” (“Salvation and Bible Holiness,” The Oklahoma Missionary Baptist, Wednesday, November 1, 1933, p. 2)

Family

Jeremiah Louis Guthrie married Zula Neal, daughter of Matthew Henry Neal Mary Ann Irons of Randolph County, Missouri. He and Zula married on December 24, 1903 in Randolph County. Zula taught English at the Seminary in Little Rock. The Guthries had five children, Mattie Louise, Emily Ruth, Wesley Neal, Jeremiah Louis Jr, and Zula Frances. J. Louis Guthrie died April 18, 1945 in a Little Rock hospital at age 67.[xxii] Zula Guthrie died April 30, 1962 Arkansas Baptist Hospital in Little Rock at age 80. They are buried at the Roselawn Memorial Park, Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas.>[xxiii]

The Guthries’ son-in-law Malcolm McGregor Hagood was a Southern Baptist pastor, as well as a U. S. Air Force Chaplain for 20 years. He married Mattie Louise in 1934 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Emily Ruth taught school. Wesley was a baker. Jerry (Jeremiah Jr.) was a grocer. Louis Dayle Capell married Zula Frances Guthrie on October 25, 1938 in Little Rock, with her father officiating. Capell, a Missionary Baptist preacher, served as Dean of Students for the Missionary Baptist Seminary from 1946 to 1988, as well as editor of the Missionary Baptist Searchlight.[xxiv] [xxv]

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[i] The dates on his degrees from Chillicothe differ in the brief bio in the Missionary Baptist Seminary General Catalog (p. 8), which says, “He received the Bachelor of Oratory Degree from the Chillicothe Normal School, Chillicothe, Missouri, in 1898 or 1899, and the Bachelor of Arts Degree from the same college one year later.”
[ii] https://www.chillicothecity.org/community/our-local-history-grand-river-museum/pages/old-chillicothe-business-college “At one time, the college was considered a pioneer in the field of teacher training.”
[iii] B. Pd. and B. O., 1902 from Chillicothe Normal School, according to “The Faculty of O. B. U.,” The Shawnee Daily News-Herald, Thursday, August 31, 1916, page 2. It is not clear to me what the “B. Pd.” is.
[iv] “His dissertation topic was ‘The Place of Jesus Christ in Creation.’” MBS General Catalog, page 8.
[v] Liberty in Clay County is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. Members of the Missouri Baptist General Association founded William Jewell College in 1849.
[vi] Caledonia Academy was chartered in 1920, and opened in September 1920. It was a high school and junior college.
[vii] “Faculty of Oklahoma Baptist University Has Been Completed,” The Shawnee Daily News-Herald, Sunday, August 8, 1915, p. 8. See also https://www.okbu.edu/obumagazine/campaign-update/
[viii] Robert Ashcraft, editor. History of the American Baptist Association, Texarkana, TX: Baptist Sunday School Committee, 2000, p. 612.
[ix] See issues of the Oklahoma Missionary Baptist periodical, 1933.
[x] Robert Ashcraft, Contending for the Faith, An Updated History of the Baptists, 2006, pp. 688-690. Ashcraft says that Guthrie experimented with the church-sponsored educational model later used by Antioch MBC of Little Rock, Arkansas for the Missionary Baptist Seminary while he was pastor of the North Church in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
[xi] “History,” Missionary Baptist Seminary General Catalog, Little Rock, AR: Missionary Baptist Seminary, 2021, p. 14. | https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.cloversites.com/52/526e6f8a-b5e4-48f5-9bdb-d42a894583b1/documents/2021General_Catalog_4.9.2021.pdf
[xii] “Past and Present Administrators.” Missionary Baptist Seminary General Catalog, Little Rock, AR: Missionary Baptist Seminary, 2021, p. 9.
[xiii] “Setting of Civil Cases,” Shawnee Weekly Herald, Thursday, 25 Feb 1926, p. 4. Probably settled out of court, since there appears to be no further mention of it in the papers.
[xiv] “Baptist Meeting Set,” The Commercial Appeal, November 19, 1938, p. 5; “First Orthodox Baptist Church Host to Orthodox Missionary Baptist Fellowship,” The Daily Admoreite, March 29, 1942, p. 16.
[xv] In the preface, Guthrie calls this a companion volume to Acts 2:38 and the Greek Preposition “Eis”.
[xvi] L. D. Foreman’s The Bible in Eight Ages was based upon Guthrie’s The Bible in 8 Periods.
[xvii] His dissertation “The Place of Jesus Christ in Creation” may be the background source of the Creation of the Heavens and the Earth issued in the 1940s, which in turn may be the same as Christ in Creation book of 1975.
[xviii] https://baptistsearch.blogspot.com/2018/07/arkansas-missionary-baptists-and-gap.html | Both A Matter of Time: The Scientific Absurdities of a Young Earth from the Vantage Point of a scientifically Educated Believer by Troy L. Bray and Jesus Christ and the Planet Earth by John E. Penn support McElmurry’s assertion.
[xix] https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/missionary-baptist-seminary-5291/ and The History of the Missionary Baptist Seminary, Robert Ashcraft, p. 6.
[xx] Guthrie, writing from Moberly, Missouri in The Word and Way (Kansas City, Missouri) Thursday, June 29, 1905, pp. 9-10.
[xxi] “Campus,” Missionary Baptist Seminary General Catalog, 2021, p. 14.
[xxii] “Rev. J. Louis Guthrie Dies in Little Rock,” Moberly Monitor-Index and Democrat, Thursday, April 19, 1945, p. 9.
[xxiii] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/143996642/jeremiah-louis-guthrie
[xxiv] “Past and Present Administrators,” Missionary Baptist Seminary General Catalog, 2021, p. 9.
[xxv] “For many years Dr. L. D. Capell served with excellence as editor of the Missionary Baptist Searchlight. I remember Dr. Capell used to have a section in the Searchlight called ‘doctrinal dangers.’ Dr. Capell understood what I hope our readers will understand in our generation: truth is only one generation thick.” Roger Copeland, Doctrinal Dangers, Missionary Baptist Searchlight, January 2017. | http://mb-seminary.com/searchlight/january-2017. 

Correcting Impressions

Christopher Yetzer posted the following article (see below) on the Facebook group Textus Receptus Academy, December 5, 2022. Brother Yetzer is a Baptist missionary, a native Ohioan, preaching in Milan, Italy. In addition to his missionary work, he is doing excellent research and writing concerning the traditional texts and King James translation of the Bible. The writing below is from Brother Christopher Yetzer, posted with his permission.

At one time it was common to hear that when the “Authorized Version of the Bible made its debut in 1611, the reading public’s reaction to the new translation was hardly a positive one.” (“A New Set of Spectacles,” 1995. Dean George Lampros). Others had claimed that there was a ban on the printing and sale of the Geneva Bible in 1616 which helped the KJV get a footing.

Contrary to the 1616 claim of a ban, Kenneth Fincham notes, “there is no proof of this and indeed there is evidence against the idea.” (Fincham, Kenneth. “The King James Bible: Crown, Church and People,” in Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 2018. p. 17.)

Recent studies into the printing, sales, and the general book trade concerning Bibles in the early 1600s show “the sheer number of editions indicates strong demand to own a copy... If we put the rapid sale of the smaller formats of the King James bible against the slow and uneven dissemination of folio or church bibles, then it may well be that for many the new translation became familiar in the home before it was heard in church, and that its broad acceptance by 1640 owed as much to personal use as it did to hearing it in public worship.” (Fincham, Kenneth. “The King James Bible: Crown, Church and People,” in Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 2018. pp. 15-16.)

From his study of sermons and quotations, Feingold concludes, “scholars and the reading public more widely began engaging seriously and approvingly with the KJV from the start.” See M Feingold (ed.), Labourers in the Vineyard of the Lord: Scholarship and the Making of the King James Version of the Bible. Scientific and Learned Cultures and Their Institutions, Brill, Leiden, p. 27.

By 1618 we see the international fame the translation had already earned with its attention at at the Synod of Dordt where it was called, “honorifica accuratissimæ translationis Anglicanæ”. [That is, “the honor of mentioning the most accurate English translation,” rlv]

It is also clear that before 1640 the use of the KJV was widespread and had already become the standard Bible in England. With the changes in politics in England around 1640 there was now the capability of putting commentary to the KJV. Some editions of the KJV were printed with the Geneva notes, then Diodati’s Italian annotations were translated and printed in 1643 followed the English doing a set of their own Annotations in 1645. In that 1645 preface it says, “the people complained that they could not see into the sense of the Scripture so well as they formerly did by the Geneva Bibles because their spectacles of annotations were not fitted to the understanding of the new text, nor any others supplied in their stead.” It seems some of the popularity of the Geneva was not the translation, but footnotes. Either way, we should correct our impressions of the immediate reception of the KJV to reflect the current data. [bold emphasis mine, rlv]

Scan from “The Preface” of Annotations Upon all the Books of the Old and New Testament

Absent Acquaintances

I am more concerned about absent acquaintances than false friends. 

It seems that some have been kidnapped and held for ransom. Others have been murdered and buried in a shallow grave.

A cheap Christianity

“A religion that costs nothing is worth nothing. A cheap Christianity, without a cross, will prove in the end a useless Christianity, without a crown.”

J. C. Ryle, “The Cost,” Chapter V, Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots (London: James Clarke & Co., Limited, 1952)

“There is a common, worldly kind of Christianity in this day, which many have, and think they have enough—a cheap Christianity which offends nobody, and is worth nothing.”

J. C. Ryle, “Moses – An Example,” Chapter VIII, Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots (London: James Clarke & Co., Limited, 1952)

The Mediator born for glorious purposes

Philip Doddridge wrote “The Mediator born for glorious purposes.” In The Sacred Harp (1991 Denson Edition), we sing this with the tune Raymond (No. 441). Raymond is a major companion arranged by John Gordon McCurry from the minor tune North Salem by Stephen Jenks. We use stanzas 1 and 2 from this hymn by Doddridge.

The tune appears in the 2012 Cooper Edition of The Sacred Harp under the title Jesus Saves (No. 198).

1. Hark the glad sound! The Savior comes,
The Saviour promised long;
Let ev’ry heart prepare a throne
And ev’ry voice a song.

2. On him the Spirit largely pour’d
Exerts its sacred fire;
Wisdom and might, and zeal and love
His holy breast inspire.

3. He comes the pris’ners to release,
In Satan’s bondage held;
The gates of brass before him burst,
The iron fetters yield.

4. He comes from thickest films of vice
To clear the mental ray,
And on the eyeballs of the blind
To pour celestial day.

5. He comes the broken heart to bind,
The bleeding soul to cure,
And with his righteousness and grace,
T’enrich the humble poor.

6. His gospel trumpets publish loud
The jub’lee of the Lord;
His people are redeemed now,
Their heritage restor’d.

7 Our glad Hosannas, Prince of peace,
Thy welcome shall proclaim'
And heav’n’s eternal arches ring,
With thy beloved name.

In other words, asymptomatic asymptote

• asymptomatic, adjective. Of a disease presenting no symptoms or evidence of illness or abnormality; of a person with a disease experiencing no symptoms or evidence of illness or abnormality.
• asymptotic, adjective. Of or relating to an asymptote; (of a formula) becoming increasingly exact as a variable approaches a limit, usually infinity.
• beclown, verb. To make a complete idiot of oneself in public; make a fool of oneself.
• chatter, noun. Purposeless or foolish talk.
• didicoy, noun. (in Britain ) A gypsy or traveller, especially one of a group of caravan-dwelling roadside people who is not Romani or is not full-blooded Romani.
• durst, verb. Past tense of dare.
• feckless, adjective. Ineffective; incompetent; futile; having no sense of responsibility; indifferent; lazy.
• imbecilic, adjective. Like or as an imbecile; contemptibly laughable; absurd; foolish; stupid; idiotic.
• intercessory, adjective. Having the function of interceding.
• larder, noun. A room or large cupboard in a house, usually near the kitchen, in which food is kept (chiefly British).
• loquacious, adjective. Talking or tending to talk much or freely; talkative; chattering; characterized by excessive talk; wordy.
• minced oath, noun. An euphemism or word used for politeness to avoid swearing when expressing surprise or annoyance.
• momager, noun. A manager who is also one’s mother; a parent who pushes a child or children into show business.
• Neapolitan, adjective. Ice cream composed of three different flavors packaged together side by side.
• Neapolitan, noun. A native or inhabitant of Naples, Italy.
• necropolitan, adjective. Of or belonging to a necropolis, or cemetery; also, generally, that which suggests or is concerned with death or dying; mournful, funereal.
• po-faced, adjective. (British) Having an assumed solemn, serious, or earnest expression or manner; piously or hypocritically solemn.
• proem, noun. Preliminary comment; introduction; preface.
• proemial, adjective. Introductory, prefatory; having the character of a proem.
• pusillanimous, adjective. Lacking courage; cowardly; faint-hearted.
• quaternion, noun. (rare) A set of four people or things.
• saucered, adjective. Of a hot drink (esp. tea or coffee) poured into a saucer in order to cool more quickly.
• sauteed, 
• spiration, noun. A breathing; (in Christian theology) the act by or manner in which the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father or from the Father and the Son.

People get in trouble, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources. (I try to confirm the sources that I give, but may miss on occasion; please verify if possible.)

“People get in trouble when they try to speak deeper thoughts than they have.” -- R. B. Ouellette

“Christianity without distinct doctrine is a powerless thing.” -- J. C. Ryle

“Christ’s resurrection is the lock and key of all Christian religion and faith: on which all other articles hang.” -- John Boys (1571-1625)

“The hard work of preaching requires heart work.” -- David Mathis

“Paul saw Christian preaching and teaching as hard work, not a nice fit for guys with soft hands.” -- David Mathis

“Too many Christians love America the way Israel loved Egypt.” -- Heard

“When I think I’m unfairly hated, I try to remember that I’m unfairly loved.” -- attributed to R. C. Sproul

“You don’t marry someone in order to give them what they deserve. In marriage, you give them what you’ve promised.” -- Matt Walsh

“I think I may have eye trouble — I see a lot of people with two faces.” -- Seen

“It’s hard to find humor in anything when you’re too busy finding things by which to be offended.” -- Bryan Chai

“A good beginning makes a good end.” -- Louis L’Amour

Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit

“…first, that the Holy Ghost is God, otherwise we might not beleeve in him. Secondly, that he is a distinct person from the Father, and the Sonne…and thirdly, that he proceedeth from the Father, and the Sonne, infolded in the Title, Holy Ghost. For albeit the Father is holy, the Sonne holy; the Father a Spirit, and the Sonne a Spirit, in respect to their nature; yet onely the third person is the Holy Spirit, in regard to his office. The holy, because beside the holinesse of nature, his special office is to make the Church holy…Againe, the third person is termed the Spirit, not only in regard to his nature, which is spirituall; but because he is spired, or breathed from the Father and the Sonne: in that he proceeds from them both. How, I cannot say, you need not search, only beleeve.”

John Boys, The Workes of John Boys, Doctor in Divinitie and Deane of Canterburie, London: Imprinted for William Aspley, 1622, p. 23.

I have scanned some of the writing of John Boys (1571-1625), an Anglican cleric who preached in the end of the 16th century and into the first quarter of the 17th century. Brett Mahlen pointed out to me an idea posited by Boys, that the difference between choosing using Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost in the English Bible is a difference of emphasis (as one word is used in the original languages; Hebrew ruah and Greek pneuma). “Holy Ghost emphasizes his name and identity, but Spirit emphasizes his procession (spiration) from the Father and the Son.” Brett felt that, on inspection, this distinction generally fits the way “Holy Ghost” and “Holy Spirit” are found in the King James translation. I think this is interesting enough to pass along to my readers.

The English Letter “J” and the KJV

In a strange screed about “Translation Errors In The King James Version,” the author contrives a weird view of translation. Since “No ‘J’ Sound Existed In Hebrew,” the KJV translators were “obviously wrong” to use Jehovah or Jesus in their Bible. He claims, “the KJV used the letter ‘J’ to replace the sound of the Hebrew ‘י’ (yod).” This weird writing ignores and/or is oblivious to several facts.

First, it conjures up an unsustainable standard for translation, one that would ultimately void all translations – that the sounds of the target or receptor language must match the sounds of the source or original language. How odd is that?!! This should not even need rebuttal. (Even that same author says in another place, “Everyone speaks a different language so I would suggest that they speak the name of our Lord in what ever it translates into in their particular language.”)

Second, the writer, in his excitement to find something wrong with the KJV, obviously never checked an original printing of the King James Bible. Neither the KJV translators nor the KJV printers chose to use a “J”. There are no Js in the earliest printings of the King James Bible, whether printings are in Blackletter type or Roman type. The letter where we would expect to see a “J” today is rather the letter “I” instead. So, no – no, no – the KJV translators did not use the letter “J” to replace the sound of the Hebrew yod, or for any other reason.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, “The process of differentiation [between the i and j] began about the 14th century but was not complete until the 17th century.” Some sources claim that the 1629 Cambridge King James Bible was the first to make a distinction between i and j. I have not found a 1629 Cambridge printing, but on Google Books there is a 1640 printing by Buck and Daniel, printers for the University of Cambridge. It can be contrasted to the 1611 printing of the KJV by Robert Barker. In doing so, one can see examples that the 1611 printing of the Bible did not have a “j”. Later changes were made by printers and/or editors, not by the translators of the King James Bible. This issue has nothing to do with translation.

1611, Nahum 3:2 iumping

1640, Nahum 3:2 jumping

1611, Psalm 119:73 IOD

1640, Psalm 119:73 JOD

Notice also the capital I (Psalm 119:73) is mistaken by some to be a J. It is not.

[After I pointed out the situation with the “KJV” and the “J,” the author added a note: “In fact, during the time of the first KJV edition, there was no ‘J’ used in the KJV, nor in the Bible that it was based on, which was the Bishop’s Bible.”]