Apocrypha in English Bible Versions

A few notes about the Apocrypha:

“Article VI of the Church of England (1562) authorizes the reading of these books (I (III) Esdras-II Maccabees) for example of life and instruction of manners, but not to establish any doctrine. However, much Protestant (especially Calvinist) opinion disapproved of the Apocrypha, which are frequently absent from extant copies of Geneva Bibles, particularly those printed in Holland. In 1615 Archbishop Abbott forbade the issue of Bibles without the Apocrypha, but copies of the Authorized Version surviving from editions of the 1630’s often lack them [i.e., the Apocryphal books], and were perhaps so purchasable. The first edition of an English Bible deliberately issued without them was probably the Geneva Bible of A. Hart, Edinburgh, 1640, which retains the Prayer of Manasses only and gives reasons for omitting the rest.”

The Cambridge History of the Bible: the West from the Reformation to the Present Day, S. L. Greenslade, editor, page 169

The 1650 Stationers printing of the King James Bible does not have the Apocrypha.

Review of Asian ministry

Verses 18b-21: Paul’s review of his service in Asia include:

• serving the Lord with all humility of mind
• [serving] with many tears
• [serving in] temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews
• I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you
• [I] have taught you publickly
• [I have taught] from house to house
• testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks
• [testifying] repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ

Sincere service proceeds from an humble mind (cf. Proverbs 3:34, 11:2; Matthew 23:12; Colossians 3:12; James 4:6; I Peter 5:5-6). On the other hand, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). “Tears” suggest great concern, compassion, and charity (cf. verse 31 and II Corinthians 2:4).

Jews lying in wait for Paul can be noted on several occasions: in Damascus (Acts 9:22-25), in Greece (Acts 20:3), in Jerusalem (Acts 23:12-16, 30; 25:2-3). This reference appears to be to an otherwise unrecorded instance of plotting against him – that happened in Asia, and about which the Ephesian elders knew.

The heart of Paul’s message was the same for both Jews and Greeks, “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Repentance and faith two sides of the same coin, In the New Hampshire Baptist Confession of Faith, for example, they are called “inseparable graces.” For repentance and faith (belief) in salvation, see also Matthew 21:32; Mark 1:15; Acts 11:18, 19:4, 26:20-23; Romans 10:9-10; II Corinthians 5:20-6:2, 7:10; Hebrews 6:1; II Peter 3:9. Repentance toward God, proceeded by godly sorrow, is turning toward him, a turning in his direction, seeing God as right about our sin – and a Saviour of those who are wrong, sinners. This turning in the right direction brings one face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ, and embracing him in faith. Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ is one message testified to all, both Jews and Greeks.

Bock assesses Paul’s ministry in Ephesus with three characteristics: “faithfulness, direct preaching of all that is necessary, and testimony about Jesus to all people without distinction.”[1]

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[1] Darrell Bock, Acts, pp. 627-628.

Exhortation to Discipleship

To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts (Hebrews 3.15). Join your response with the old hymn:

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
Behold, I freely give
The living water,—thirsty one,
Stoop down, and drink, and live.
I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream,
My thirst was quench’d, my soul revived,
And now I live in him.

 …behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. II Corinthians 6:2 For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. James 4:14. You must drink the water of life when it is given. Behold, now is the day of salvation.

For the wages of sin is death; Romans 6:23 …it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: Hebrews 9:27 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:14-15

Hear the word of the Lord. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. John 4:10 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters…Isaiah 55:1

behold, I come quickly… And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Revelation 22:12, 17

Straining at a gnat and not swallowing a camel

In a post in 2023, I took notice of Dan Wallace’s claim that “strain at” in Matthew 23:24 is a translation error. I addressed the usage and whether it is an error (and James Snapp, not a KJV defender, really “cleaned his (and others) clock” about the usage, in the essay Straining at a Gnat). However, in a different article, I noticed Wallace made an additional claim not included in what I addressed. This claim by Wallace is that the 1611 printing of the King James Bible originally had “strain out” rather than “strain at.” That is false.

“Another well-known error is found in Jesus’ discourse against the religious leaders of his day, recorded in Matthew 23. In v. 24 the KJV reads, ‘Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.’ The Greek verb διυλίζω means ‘to strain out.’ I believe that the KJV of 1611 actually had this wording, but inexplicably changed it later to ‘strain at.’”

To be fair, Wallace presents “the KJV of 1611 actually had [strain out], but inexplicably changed it” as what he believes rather than what he knows. Obviously he did not check and did not know, because what he believes is wrong. Checking a scan of a 1611 Bible printing makes it obvious that the original printing has “at” rather than “out.”

This may not be a very large camel in the grand scheme of things – and Snapp has already rebutted this – but I want to add it to my blog. Perhaps someone will stumble along and find this post, and learn that the urban myth perpetuated by a highly esteemed doctor is just that, an urban myth camel to be strained at and strained out of our minds. It is false. Or, as James Snapp concluded, “Those who have promoted that theory (and especially those who have presented it as a fact) should stop doing so.”

We do not allow Dallas doctors to prescribe phony pharmaceuticals. Hopefully Wallace has learned better by now, and has stopped, but his error still adorns the pages of Bible.org to dupe unsuspecting readers.

All Scripture is given

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16

“V. 16. All Scripture is given ] See 2 Pet. 1. 21. Or, the whole Scripture, as the word is taken, 1 Cor. 13. 2. and elsewhere. Every part of the Scripture is divinely inspired, 2 Pet. 1. 20,21. and is profitable to some of these ends, to furnish the man of God to some good works: but the whole Scripture is profitable to all those ends, to furnish him to every good work. The parts of the Scripture as they were delivered were sufficient for the instruction of those to whom they were delivered; and now the whole is most sufficient for us, and all Churches to the end of the world.”

Westminster Annotations, on 2 Timothy 3:16.

Joy and Anxiety

Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

Edward Henry “Ted” Joy wrote the hymn “All Your Anxiety,” and also composed the tune. 50 Uncommon Songs: for Partakers of the Common Salvation gives the date of the song as 1920. The hymn stanzas are metered 9.8.9.8., with a refrain of 9.9.9.7. The hymn urges the believer to cast all his care upon the Lord. Bring it all to him and leave it there. The refrain stresses that there is no friend like Jesus and no burden he cannot bear.

Joy was born November 16, 1871 in Canterbury, Kent, England. He died February 16, 1949, at his home in Carshalton, Surrey, England. He is buried at the Camberwell New Cemetery in Camberwell, Southwark, London, England. Edward Joy joined the Salvation Army movement in Canterbury at the age of 12, He played in the band, and became an officer in 1894 at age 23. He served widely in the Salvation Army, including England, Canada, South Africa, and India. He rose to the rank of colonel in the Salvation Army, retiring in 1938. After his retirement he was a ready writer for and about the Salvation Army.

1. Is there a heart o’er-bound by sorrow?
Is there a life weighed down by care?
Come to the Cross, each burden bearing,
All your anxiety— leave it there.

Refrain:
All your anxiety, all your care,
Bring to the mercy-seat, leave it there;
Never a burden he cannot bear,
Never a friend like Jesus.
 
2. No other friend so keen to help you;
No other friend so quick to hear;
No other place to leave your burden;
No other One to hear your prayer.
 
(Refrain)

3. Come then, at once, delay no longer;
Heed his entreaty, kind and sweet;
You need not fear a disappointment,
You shall find peace at the mercy-seat.

(Refrain)

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” Philippians 4:6.

“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee…” Psalm 55:22a

In other words, ab initio to zenith

• ab initio, adverb. (Latin) From the beginning.
• android, noun. An automaton resembling a human being in form.
• anime, noun. An artistic style heavily used in, and associated with, Japanese animation, and that has also been adopted by a comparatively low number of animated works from other countries.
• anomaly, noun. Deviation or departure from the normal or common order, form, or rule; something that is peculiar, irregular, abnormal, or difficult to classify.
• anomie, noun. Social instability caused by erosion of standards and values.
• arete, noun. The aggregate of qualities, as valor and virtue, making up good character.
• aspiration, noun. A strong desire to achieve something high or great.
• arrabon event, phrase. Something that is a foretaste of that which is to come (from the Greek ἀρραβὼν, meaning earnest, guarantee, pledge).
• corollary, noun. A proposition that follows with little or no proof required from one already proven.
• dendroid, adjective. Resembling a tree in form; branching like a tree.
• go rogue, idiom. To stop being obedient or predictable; to behave in a way that is not allowed or expected.
• inculcate, verb. To implant by repeated statement or admonition; teach persistently and earnestly.
• inoculate, verb. To introduce a serum or antigenic substance into, especially to produce or boost immunity to a specific disease; to infectious material into (either literally or figuratively).
• keelhaul, verb. To rebuke severely or harshly; (originally Nautical) to punish by dragging under the keel of a ship.
• litotes, noun. (Rhetoric) Understatement, especially when an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary; e.g., as in “not a little” used to mean “a lot.”
• noctambulist, noun. A person who walks while asleep; sleepwalker.
• poly-scriptura, noun. Many scriptures (from poly “many” + scriptura “scripture”). A recently coined phrase used by some to describe those Christians who find authority in many different translations of the scriptures.
• praetorship, noun. The office of a praetor (a type of office in the Roman Republic).
• preceptorship, noun. The position or office of a preceptor, that is, a teacher.
• prorogue, verb. To defer or postpone.
• raison d'être, noun. (French) Reason for existence.
• rogue, verb. To live or act as a scoundrel, vagabond, or scamp.
• zenith, noun. The point on the celestial sphere that is directly above the observer; the upper region of the sky.

A few facts about John Alden

A few facts about John Alden, who came over to North America on the Mayflower:

• He was hired as the ship’s cooper, a job for maintaining and repairing the ship’s barrels. 
• He was initially a member of the ship’s crew rather than a settler.
• He was a signatory of The Mayflower Compact, signed while on the ship November 1620.
• He was at the time of his death the last surviving signer of The Mayflower Compact.
• Since The Mayflower Compact was not only a political covenant, but also a religious one, unto which the signers promised “all due Submission and Obedience” it seems that from that time Alden would have been considered a part of the group.
• After signing The Mayflower Compact, John Alden either did not throw away his 1611 translation (if he brought it with him initially beginning as a “non-Pilgrim”), or, as a Pilgrim he ordered a 1611 translation and had it shipped over to him (if he did not bring it with him). I do not find this to be a huge smoking gun for either side in the Bible versions debate. However, it does seem to take some of the edge off the claim that the separatists passionately hated the King James Bible.