It is my belief that there are many versions of the English Bible for at least two major reasons:
1) Prior to 1881 all Reformation Bibles (except Wycliffe's) were based upon the Byzantine MSS.
However, after the production of the KJ, man named Johann Semler arrived on the scene of history. This is what the Encyclopedia Britannica says concerning Semler:
"Semler was a
disciple of the rationalist Siegmund Jakob Baumgarten, whom he succeeded on his death in 1757 as head of the theological faculty. Seeking to study biblical texts scientifically, Semler evolved an undogmatic and strictly historical interpretation of Scripture that provoked strong opposition. He was the first to deny, and to offer substantial evidence supporting his denial, that the entirety of the text of Old and New Testaments was
divinely inspired and fully correct. He challenged the divine authority of the biblical canon, which he reexamined in order to determine the sequence of
composition of biblical books, their nature, and their manner of transmission. From this work he drew a crucial distinction between an earlier, Jewish form of
Christianity and a later, broader form."
Johann Salomo Semler | German theologian
Notice the words, "He was the first to deny, and to offer substantial evidence supporting his denial, that the entirety of the text of Old and New Testaments was
divinely inspired and fully correct. He challenged the divine authority of the biblical canon ... "
Did you notice, "Semler was a
disciple of the rationalist Siegmund Jakob Baumgarten, whom he succeeded on his death in 1757 as head of the theological faculty"?
What Semler actually believed was that only part of the Scriptures were of Divine origin. Matters such as the creation account, and the supernatural events, such as the miracles of Jesus, were not inspired by God; but rather, merely the tales of men. Therefore, he thought it his purpose to sort the Divine from the not so Divine. Hence, Textual Criticism.
Semler had a disciple named Johann Jakob Griesbach. Yes, the very same Griesbach, along with Bengel and Hort, (and yes Westcott), that produced the rules that Textual Criticism still uses today.
The 1881 Greek Text was written for the sole purpose of giving the ERV of 1881 a new Greek Text to be based upon; because Griesbach, Bengel, Westcott, and Hort, rejected the inspiration of all Scripture in the same manner that Semler did.
This must be understood, Higher Textual Criticism involves determining whether or not a Biblical text is "authentic" or not.
BUT, when the people making the rules that determine what is authentic, and what is NOT authentic already subscribe to the idea that much of the Scriptures (such as the creation account, and the miracles of Jesus are NOT of Divine origin, this means that these people already have a prejudice against the very Scripture they were entrusted to be stewards of. Is this something we as Christians should find acceptable?
2) The second reason for so many English Bibles is the idea that Dynamic Equivalence in it's loosest form is acceptable as a means of translation. One of the most famous verses in Scripture has been incorrectly translated in many Bibles causing a clear contradiction not to mention, making the verse, theologically incorrect.
When we as English speaking people enter a church which is using numerous versions of the Bible; how do we expect the people to follow along, or not wonder why the text of their Bible is so different from the one being used in the pulpit?
