VII. How Many Different Kinds of Variations?
Omissions are only part of the story! In fact when comparing the Greek Text of the KJV with that of the modern versions, omissions account for only about ONE THIRD of the total variations between the two!
Today the commonly used edition of the Received Text is that which was edited at the end of the 19th Century by H. A. Scrivener: The Greek Text Underlying the English Authorised Version of 1611. In our book 8000 Differences (available from The Bible for Today) a line upon line comparison is made between this edition and the Nestle-Aland Text. A total of 8,032 variation units are listed.
A variation unit may involve
- the spelling of a word
- substitution by different words
- interchange of the same words in a sentence
- frequently, the removal of words
- at times, the addition of words
Therefore, a variation unit may comprise anything from one word, to a clause, to a verse, to (as in the case of Mark 16) a number of verses. These 8000+ differences do not include the many occurrences of a stylistic scribal addition at the end of a word known as the moveable nu.
If it be argued that some of the differences are insignificant, and may for example “only” be a variation in the spelling of a word, we answer that it will affect the sound and frequently the inflection and structure of the Greek sentence. When we believe that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (II Tim. 3:16), and that “every word of God is pure” (Prov. 30:5), questions will not be raised as to which differences are significant or insignificant. If this is how God breathed out His Words, then it is significant! Further, as we will show, a denial of the Scripture’s teaching concerning its own verbal preservation will weaken belief in verbal inspiration.
The variation will often affect the English translation. Where the variation is not translatable, a search of the list will show that the underlying text is frequently weakened or lessened in some way. This is much like having green grass, but with the root structure beneath compromised.
“The Single Sheet of Paper”
Speaking of the revised Greek text, its chief architect F. J. A. Hort sought to dampen down the extent of the changes by claiming that “the amount of what can in any sense be called substantial variation is but a small fraction of the whole residuary variation, and can hardly form more than a thousandth part of the entire text.” (The New Testament in the Original Greek, II, p. 2). Since Hort’s day, many have latched on to this and made the further claim that these differences could be contained on one page.
Note a recent example:
To put this “thousandth part of the entire text” into perspective, I am looking at the last page of my Greek New Testament. It is numbered 895. Hort’s estimate means that if all of the substantial variation between the families was grouped together in one place it would combine to occupy less than one page of my entire Testament. (Mark Minnick, “Let’s Meet the Manuscripts”, From the Mind of God to the Mind of Man, pp. 85,86).
We wonder if those making and repeating this kind of statement really mean to be taken seriously. It is indeed the opposite! The 8000+ differences have a substantial and corrupting effect on the New Testament.