Copyright © By Dr. Adel Elsaie, Book Title: "Please Revise the Bible, Again"

4.4 Tables of Comparison

 

As you go through the following table of comparison, please keep in mind that the Quran is guarded against distortion by the original Arabic text and the Arabic memorization of the whole Quran by millions of Muslims for 14 centuries. Furthermore, the differences in the different versions of the Bible are due to:

 

 

Some Christian theologians hide behind the statement "I don't make an issue of Bible translations."  That is perfectly understood as long as they are consistent in their stand, or lack of it.  In other words if one chooses the stand of “non-issue”, this same stand should apply to any or all of the following:

 

 

Casual comparison of Bible versions shows that they are really not the same. Some leave out entire sections, others disagree on some details such as whether Jesus should be called God's servant or God's Son. But how do you decide which is completely correct? Christian scholars want to impress you; they make it sound very complicated so you only believe in their final conclusions.  But the bottom line is that there are different texts from which Bibles are translated, and only one may be correct.

 

In the following section, a table of comparison is presented for four different versions of the “Word of God.” These versions are:

 

  1. Douay-Rheims Bible, the Roman Catholic Version, RCV.
  2. King James Version KJV. This translation of the Holy Bible is in the Public Domain.

3.       New Revised Standard Version NRSV "The scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

  1. Easy-to-Read Version ETRV “Taken from the HOLY BIBLE: EASY-TO-READ VERSION © 2001 by World Bible Translation Center, Inc. and used by permission.”

 

Each version is supposed to be written by “experts” in theology and ancient Hebrew and/or Greek languages. The differences in these versions affect the fundamental Christian doctrine. It is not our intention to compare modern and ancient English translations, but to highlight some of the critical differences between ancient Greek Biblical authorities. The average Christian should have the right to ask which Bible and which Christianity should one accepts. It is interesting that KJV, the most popular version, has so many fundamental differences with other versions. KJV used later manuscripts than, for example, the NRSV, and there are many emphases on the trinity and deity of Jesus in KJV. One should have the right to ask who added those emphases and why? The new KJV has eliminated some of the differences, and yet it is mind boggling that many Christian preachers still use the original KJV to press on points that were deleted. 

 

Christianity is based on some pillars that are assumed to be advocated by Jesus. These pillars include the trinity, incarnation, and atonement. Other pillars, such as resurrection and ascension, are introduced by the writers of the New Testament. Yet, there are fundamental differences of key verses among the different versions of the New Testament supposedly translated by expert scholars.  And one should have the right to ask which version should I accept and why? This is a simple and very basic question that affects the basic beliefs of Christianity. To demonstrate this point, the following listing is only a portion of the overwhelming number of alterations to essential doctrines of Christianity, and I would urge the reader of the New Testament to read the footnotes of the New Revised Standard Version and the Easy-to-Read Version, and other Bibles as well.

 

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