As To That "New Eye Opener Tract"

by Hoeksema H.C.

In connection with our discussion of Bible translations, several of our readers called my attention to a little tract published by a certain Missionary J.J. Ray, Junction City, Oregon. This tract is a defense of the King James Version over against all other translations and versions solely on the basis of the claim that the King James Bible is founded on the Greek Textus Receptus (Received Text), which, in turn, is claimed to be the only authentic Greek text of the New Testament. It contains a list of "200 KEY REFERENCES" which "show how all modern Bibles differ from the King James Version, and the Greek Textus Receptus from which it was translated." And in connection with these 200 references it furnishes statistics showing how various other versions differ from the King James Version by omitting, bracketing, or italicizing as nonauthentic many of these 200 expressions which are found in the King James Version and in the Greek Textus Receptus. We will not enter into all of the claims made in this tract in detail. Rather do we call your attention to the fundamental argument of the author under the heading, "Here's The Acid Test." This "acid test" is stated as follows: "Any version of the Bible, that does not agree with the Greek Textus Receptus, from which the King James Bible was translated in 1611, is certainly to be founded upon corrupted manuscripts."

On the basis of this so-called "acid test" many severe warnings are sounded to adhere to the King James Version and condemnatory statements are made concerning all departures from the Greek Textus Receptus, (which, by the way, concerns only the New Testament!).

To the unwary reader this tract might seem to be a strong defense of the King James Version; and seemingly some of my readers have sent me this tract for that very reason.

However, at the risk of being in the uncomfortable position of opposing someone who defends the King James Version, I must disagree with the position taken in this tract; and I must warn that a defense of the King James Version cannot be made on this radical basis. Those who attempt it are likely to receive a jolt some day, should they encounter someone who is opposed to the KJV and who is able to expose the very obvious error of the radical position taken in this pamphlet.

You see, a radical over-simplification of the issue is not a strong position, but a weak one. Should any opponent of the KJV be able to show that this one, apparently simple, argument based on the Textus Receptus is false, the entire position of this tract is destroyed. And the friend of the KJV is then left with the proverbial "mouth full of teeth." This tract leaves the impression that anyone with a smattering of knowledge that there is such a thing as a Greek Textus Receptus and even without any knowledge of New Testament Greek and of the entire science known as "textual criticism" is able to apply the acid test and to defend the KJV as the only authentic text. This is a case of "A little learning is a dangerous thing."

http://standardbearer.rfpa.org/articles/new-eye-opener-tract