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Originally Posted by HowlerMonkey
Thank you Jassy, you and many other people here have been very kind and welcoming and I appreciate that very much. I think it shows what sort of people you are when you welcome a brother in Christ as you all have.
I do really seek the truth and I also trust the AV Bible, that is not what is at issue with me.
Here is where I come from: I was saved in 1976 at a little church in Port Charlotte, Florida. I was 6 years old at the time. The pastor there was a really great guy named Bill Ross, who sadly (from our point of view) went to be with the Lord a few years ago. Pastor Ross had a much larger role in shaping the kind of Christian that I would become than he could have ever dreamed (but of course bears no blame for any of my many failings). The lessons I learned at that church have stuck with me all my life and I am trying to pass those along to my own two boys (both of whom thank God have accepted Christ as their savior). I was just a kid when I went to that church, but I do remember that they were AVO, at that age I was not very aware of differences in manuscripts methods of translation and so forth. I just used the AV because that is what my parents insisted on, what my church used and what was used at the school I attended. I remember when a buddy of mine got a new NKJV Bible in the early 1980's, he and I sat down with his NKJV and my AV and compared about three verses (thinking we had exhausted the issue) and they were either the same or almost the same, so I assumed that all versions were pretty much the same for years to come. My logic was that they were all translated from the exact same Hebrew and Greek, so there must on be slight changes and updates in wording. In spite of my enlightened 12 year old wisdom, I continued to use my AV through my teen years and into adulthood. I don't remember how the issue came back up for me, but somehow as a young adult I became interested in translations and manuscripts (hey I'm a history buff), and I began to do some research on the issue. I soon realized that the exact same manuscripts were not used in all cases and that the manuscripts used by most modern translators had some very serious issues that lead to a lot of words and even verses being left out of the MVs. I read things by people like Dr. Henry Morris defending the AV and I even decided to learn enough Greek to be able to look into these issues for myself (I'm a far cry from a Greek expert or even serious student, but I feel like I can wade into the shallow end of the pool). Perfect or not, I now have conviction that the AV is far and away the very best English translation of the Bible avaliable and unless God does something unexpected I'll use the AV for the rest of my life.
One other little asside, my "second choice" translation, which I will look at when I don't get what the AV is saying is not a modern version, but the Geneva Bible. If I am still confused I'll check with the Textus Receptus if the verse in question is in the NT. As I have said above, I don't know a jot or tittle of Hebrew, so failing clarity from the Geneva I am at the mercy of commentators when it comes to the OT.
Anyway, I love digging into the Bible, there are new treasures there that can never be exhausted no matter how many years are spent searching.
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Brother, thank you so much for sharing your history with me. I think you were very blessed to be raised in an AV church. I was raised Catholic and didn't start reading the Bible until I was 22 years old. Sure, I was exposed to Bible "stories," from Jesus' earthly ministry, that Catholics priests like to tell - but, for the most part, I knew nothing about the Bible. As I began reading and comparing the Catholic Bible that I had and the Bible I had been sent by another Christian (I think it was the "Open Bible" - I was shocked to see the differences. I don't even remember what translation it was, but probably NIV? I then began "collecting" Bibles and I would read about 6 of them - side by side, lain across the table - and compare. At some point, I began reading the KJV and just found it to be very clear! I actually trashed all of the other Bibles that I had. For historical purposes, I wish I hadn't done that but... I did.
You can read my "mini history" in my profile, if you're curious. It's always great to know where people are coming from and how they arrived at the point they are at.
Like you, I am fascinated by history; I think I got that from my late father. He was a real history buff. My Mom would yawn when she saw us watching history programs and or bringing home history books from the library. It was never her cup of tea.
That is wonderful that you're bringing your children up in the AV. They certainly are blessed in that.
I still have yet to get my hands on a PCE Bible. So far, I only have one in PDF format. I do have a KJB though. I also have the KJB 1611 in electronic format to read from my computer. I love to have a Bible to hold in my hands and search and read. It is much more helpful in Scripture memorization - so that I'm aware of where to find things in the Bible. I find that sticking with the KJB, I can use familiar key words that are in a Scripture, to locate it, if I don't know where it is. There are many wonderful tools to search like that. I have e-Sword and I plan to purchase the Sword Searcher soon.
If you have any questions about my history, I'd be happy to share that with you. Have you done any evangelizing?
I've learned only very little Greek or Hebrew, although I know several other languages. At one time, I had a keen desire to learn Greek & Hebrew, but I didn't see any point in it - as I knew I'd never be an expert at it. I simply trust in the expert translators and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Yes, I love reading and studying the Bible - no matter how many times I read it or study it or how many hours I spend in its pages, I never tire of it. There is always something new, some gem of wisdom to be discovered. I love what the Bible itself says about wisdom:
Job 28:18 - "No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies."
Proverbs 3:15 - "She [wisdom]
is more precious than rubies: and all things thou canst desire are not to be compared with her."
8:11 - "For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it."
20:15 - "There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel."
Job 28:12 - "But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?
13 - "Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living."
14 - "The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me."
15 - "It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof."
16 - "It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire."
17 - "The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold."
18 - "No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies."
19 - "The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold."
20 - "Whence cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?"
21 - "Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air."
22 - "Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears."
23 - "God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof."
24 - "For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;"
25 - "To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure."
26 - "When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:"
27 - "Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out."
28 - "And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding."
Sorry for the long post. It is just so beautifully laid out, in the KJB, how very precious God's TRUTH - WISDOM - is!! It never ceases to impress upon me how much value it has. PRICELESS!!
Jassy