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My graphics are temporary. I will open up plenty of space for Norma Boeckler's.
The book will be full color. |
The final title may vary from what I use on the blog.
Corrupted
Scripture Texts and Dishonest Paraphrases:
The
Attempted Murder of the KJV Bible
by
Pastor
Gregory L. Jackson,
STM,
Yale University; PhD Notre Dame
Illustrated
by Norma A. Boeckler
2021
Public
Doman – Non-Profit
Contents
Autobiographical
Academic Introduction. 3
I
grew up in the 1950s, in the center of the Corn and Bible Belt, when the King
James Version of the Bible was going to be replaced by the Revised Standard
Version. Early on I heard the RSV denied the Virgin Birth of Christ, but
backpedaled after the blowback from most denominations was too heated. Little
did we know that the RSV was a product of the Marxist National Council of
Churches, whose maiden name was the Federal Council of Churches. The Federal
Council was so obviously Marxist that they did what any good mainline
ecumenical group would do, they changed only the name but kept the address, the
funding, and the radical ideology.
Carrying
a Greek textbook might have been garlic to some at Augustana College in the
1960s, but it attracted the notice of my future wife, Christina. Little did I
know that only pre-theology students studied Greek. I got into the course as a
freshman by mistake and carried the classic Paine New Testament Greek. For some
reason I was fascinated with ancient history, especially Greece, even though
two years of Latin did everything possible to exterminate my interest. Christina
also took Greek, a year behind me, and I took German for two years. In seminary
I took Hebrew for no credit (not required) and increased my Greek knowledge by
writing out translations of John, Mark, Revelation, and Galatians.
In
1972-73, I had the chance to earn an STM at Yale, studying the Bible in Hebrew
and Greek, under Nils A. Dahl, Robert Wilson, and Abraham Malherbe. Those were
the best years of Biblical studies there, because all three emphasized the text
of the Scriptures rather than the theories. That was a Brigadoon experience,
as a later graduate told me – the greats were soon retired and promoted to
eternal life.
Paul L. Holmer taught
philosophical theology.
Roland Bainton lectured
in retirement and helped me with my dissertation. He wrote Here I Stand, A
Life of Martin Luther and many other best-selling histories.
Sydney Ahlstrom
finished his Religious History of the American People in 1972 and talked
at member forums at Bethesda Lutheran Church, down the hill from the divinity school
George Lindbeck, the
official observer from the Lutheran Church at Vatican II, came to the early
morning service at Bethesda, where I was the regular liturgist.
Harvard Dean Krister
Stendahl visited YDS and lectured, because his son was there. Mahlherbe, a Harvard
PhD, refuted Stendahl’s lecture in a few minutes.
Church historian Jaroslav
Pelikan came to the second service and spent time visiting with us at the
coffee hour. I visited his father in the hospital in Cleveland.
I was accepted at Notre Dame for their PhD program with a
full tuition scholarship in 1975. We moved as close as possible, 50 miles away,
and began regular commuting. I took apocalyptic literature in the Bible with
Elisabeth Schuessler-Fiorenza and a theology seminar with her husband Frank
Schuessler-Fiorenza. Notre Dame wanted both of them gone, which ended up with
both enjoying endowed professorships at Harvard. Likewise, Augustana College,
where I met Mrs. Ichabod on the first day, did not renew Stanley Hauerwas, who
moved to Notre Dame, served as one of my dissertation advisors, and became
world famous. Notre Dame was far more liberal than Yale Divinity, so I had the
opportunity to share my perspectives and provoke outraged responses. One
Christian Brother said to his priest friend, holding him back, “Remember, we
promised we would not argue with him again.” They were disgusted when grilling
me about two topics from the book, A Study of Generations,
which they had open:
1.
“Greg, Lutherans are supposed to be very
conservative. Do you believe Jesus actually rose from the dead?” I said, “Yes,
I do.”
2.
“What! Do you believe in the Virgin
Birth of Jesus as a real, historical fact?” I said,” Of course I do.”
One of them slammed the
book shut and said, “There is no use talking to you, Jackson.” Later, they were
openly dismayed that a famous visiting Roman Catholic theologian considered the
New Testament to be historical rather than mythical.
Just as the Revised Standard Version gradually displaced
the KJV at first, the New International Version took over later. The Lutheran Church
in America loved every translation except the KJV, a reminder of the Roman
Empire accepting every god except the One, True God – Jesus, the Son of God.
WELS shifted quickly from boasting about their love of the KJV to
excommunicating pastors who did not fall for the NIV sales campaign.
One member of Trinity in Bridgeton, Missouri, asked me, “Why
do you quote the NIV in your articles?” I said, “That is my only Biblical
program.” He said, “Would you use the KJV if I had one for you?” I was happy to
make the change, because the predatory attitude of modern translations meant I
had restrictions or costs involved in quoting their precious wording too much
or too often. Various people pointed out the value of the precise language of
the KJV as new paraphrases began diluting and harming the text with a
combination of text corruption, dogmatic insertions, and leaden prose.
Some of the tiny Lutheran sects like the New KJV, but I
noticed when reading from two different NKJV Bibles the same Sunday that it was
constantly changing, just like the NIV, whose betrayed of translation was fully
revealed in the latest version.
