This information was found at www.prophecyandtruth.com If you do a side-by-side comparison, you'll see the information stated below to be true. No Muslim can dispute the information gathered.
Will Islam rule the world?
If so, is it ok to be a Muslim instead of a Christian?
Is Islam in the bible?
The information on this page is explained in more detail at www.prophecyandtruth.com in chapters 7, 8 and 10.
The religion of the end time in bible prophecy
The religion of the end time will be one where the false prophet will deceive the whole world and cause the world to worship the Antichrist by doing miracles such as pulling fire from the sky. This religion already exists but will be made universal by the power given the Antichrist and the false prophet by the devil. The bible doesn't specifically tells us what that religion will be called, but we can determine what it will be by looking at the facts. The world is pretty much dominated by Christianity and Islam (over half of the worlds population combined). While Hinduism comes in a close third, it doesn't look like it will matter in the end time.
Christianity today is full of churches proclaiming that all religions worship the same God and therefore we should embrace them. The Catholic church promotes that idea with Interfaith doctrine and goes as far as to state in the Catechism that the Muslims worship the same God as Christianity and therefore will enjoy the same salvation equally. This means that they think it doesn't matter if you're a Christian or a Muslim and that you can find salvation through either religion.
The Muslims, on the other hand, have no such belief. In fact, Muslim doctrine teaches that Jesus is just a prophet, not the manifestation of God in the flesh, and that He will return at the end time to teach Christians the Muslim way and convert them. The prophecies of the bible and the Muslim prophecies concerning the Antichrist (the Muslim Mahdi) and the false prophet (the Muslim Jesus) mirror each other but the good guys of Islam are the bad guys of the bible. This is a very good indication that the Antichrist will rise as the Mahdi of Islam and will unite the Christian world with him via the false prophet and create a global Islamic religion. The bible tells us that this end time religion will be forced upon people or they will be killed if they refuse. The Muslim prophecies tell us that the Muslims will kill any who won't convert to Islam.
The bible tells us that the world will be fooled by the false prophet performing miracles in the sight of men, like pulling fire from the sky. The false prophet will seem to everyone to have Godly power and will fool everyone into worshiping the Antichrist.
Is Islam really a true religion worshiping the same God as Christianity?
I had to ask myself this question: who is the God of Islam? Is it really the same God that Abraham worshiped as they want us to believe?
It is asserted by Muslims that the Meccan Arabs are descendents of Ishmael, the son of Abraham. They also claim that Ishmael settled in Mecca where he, along with Abraham, built the Kabah and passed on the religion of the true God to his offspring. It is believed that throughout time the Ishmaelites perverted the worship of the true God, not by abandoning their belief in him, but by adding other gods in their worship, thus perverting the religion of the God of their father Ishmael. It is actually provable that this is not true, as I will show you.
In the Old Testament, near Israel's beginnings, worship of a false God called Baal began, and consisted of worshiping the heavenly bodies, of which the moon is the largest in the sky. The Biblical and historical evidence shows that the Moabites worshiped Baal. The pre-Islamic and Muslim sources show (a) that the Meccans took over the idol Hubal from the Moabites and (b) that Allah and Hubal are actually identical. Thus, whether the Meccans are Ishmaelites or not, the evidence is still strong and sufficient to conclude that Muhammad's Allah is actually Hubal, i.e., the Baal of the Moabites and thus not the God of the Bible. Muhammad incorporated the characteristics and names of various other gods into his new monotheistic message about Allah, but he apparently started the construction of Allah with Hubal, the chief god of the Meccans.
The pre-Islam pagan Arabs worshipped the Moon-god Allah by praying toward Mecca several times a day; making a pilgrimage to Mecca; running around the temple of the Moon-god called the Kabah; kissing the black stone; killing an animal in sacrifice to the Moon-god; throwing stones at the devil; fasting for the month which begins and ends with the crescent moon; giving alms to the poor, etc.
If you have read the news in recent months, you know that modern day Muslims practice these very rituals.
The Muslims are worshiping the same false god that people have been worshiping since early times as far back as Israel's beginnings.
Most importantly, Muslims say you don’t need to believe in Jesus Christ to be saved! Muslims will admit that Jesus Christ was a true prophet, but deny that He was the Messiah (although some Western Muslims will say He was anointed), they will deny that He was God manifested in the flesh as of the Son of God (John 1:14), and they will deny that He died on the cross and rose again. Does that make sense? Absolutely not. That belief cannot be truth because Jesus Christ Himself said He was the Messiah! John 4:26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. That would make Him a false prophet according to the Muslim beliefs!
The word Islam means "submission". Not only in the sense of submission to Allah, but in the sense of making everyone submit to the rule of Islam. Islam is about subduing the world and making it submit. The Muslims believe that Mohammed is the exemplar of right conduct. They aspire to be like him in the same manner that Christians aspire to be like Jesus. Mohammed said to spread, through warfare, the rules of Islam. Mohammed became increasingly violent during his career and spent 10 years in Medina creating an army to overthrow his homeland, Mecca, after he was ran off by the pagans in 622 AD. He killed thousands of people and subdued Arabia through war. Muslims are encouraged to commit acts of heroism in combat. They are promised that those who kill and are killed will be rewarded with paradise. This is the basis for suicide bombers. They believe that since they are killing while they are killed that the sin of suicide is covered by the martyrdom of their action and, as such, they will be rewarded in heaven. Islam is a religion of political rule, a system of government. It is not about a personal relationship with Allah, it is about bringing the world under submission to its rule.
The Quran (Koran) was written over time during the life of Mohammed (conveyed or recited by him). He started as a peaceful man, but as time went on he changed many of his values. As he became increasingly violent, his writings matched his attitude. The correct interpretation of the Quran is to take any conflict in doctrine, of which there is a whole lot, and replace an older verse with the latest one, supplanting it's meaning with the more recent version in a process called abrogation. The problem is that the Quran is compiled from the longest Sura to the shortest, so it's nearly impossible to know which conflicting verse to believe or obey. The Muslims have a whole committee of scholars to interpret the Quran and decide which verses were written first and the succession of them to the last.
If you think Islam is a religion of peace, as they claim, just look at all the wars they are involved in today, in Europe, China, Africa, etc., and the mindset of Muslims as a whole as they chant "Death to Israel, Death to America", while they are working toward their goal of subduing the world. Islam is a religion of peace only when they have conquered the world and subjected it to the rule of Islam. Also, if the son of the ruler of Hamas says that Islam has no moderates, then I believe him.
Do they really expect us to believe they worship the same God that Christians do?
The religion of the end time in Islamic prophecy vs the bible
There is ample evidence that the Islamic religion will be the false religion of the End Time used the by biblical Antichrist. Here's why I think so:
The Islamic/Muslim prophecies are a parallel but opposite mirror of biblical prophecy concerning the End Time. The Muslim good guys are the bible's bad guys.
The Muslim prophecies listed here are found in the Quran and the Sunnah. Some believe Mohammed was possessed by a demon who gave him these parallel prophecies (Mohammed actually said that he feared he was possessed), but it could simply be that he had a copy of the book of Revelation and patterned this all after the bible so as to look authentic. Personally, I believe he was either possessed or given this information and guided to build the Islamic religion by a demon or the devil himself.
Take a look at the following list:
Bible: The Antichrist is an unparalleled political, military, and religious leader that will emerge in the last days.
Islam: The Mahdi is an unparalleled political, military, and religious leader that will emerge in the last days.
Bible: the False Prophet is a secondary prominent figure that will emerge in the last days who will support the Antichrist.
Islam: the Muslim Jesus is a secondary prominent figure that will emerge in the last days to support the Mahdi.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet together will have a powerful army that will do great damage to the earth in an effort to subdue every nation and dominate the world.
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus will have a powerful army that will attempt to control every nation of the earth and dominate the world.
Bible: The False Prophet is described essentially as a dragon in lamb's clothing.
Islam: The Muslim Jesus comes bearing the name of the one that the world knows as 'The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ." Yet the Muslim Jesus comes to murder all those who do not submit to Islam.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet establish a new world order.
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus establish a new world order.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet institute new laws for the whole earth.
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus institute Islamic law all over the earth.
Bible: The Antichrist is said to "change the times."
Islam: It is quite certain that if the Mahdi established Islam all over the earth, he would discontinue the use of Saturday and Sunday as the weekend for days of rest but rather Friday, the holy day of Islam. Also, he would most certainly eliminate the Gregorian calendar and replace it with the Islamic calendar used in every Islamic country.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet will both be powerful religious leaders who will attempt to institute a universal world religion.
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus will institute Islam as the only religion on the earth.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet will execute anyone who does not submit to their world religion.
Islam: Likewise, the Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus will execute anyone who does not submit to Islam.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet will specifically use beheading as the primary means of execution for non-conformists.
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus will use the Islamic practice of beheading for executions.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet will have a specific agenda to kill as many Jews (and Christians) as possible.
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus will kill as many Jews as possible until only a few are left hiding behind rocks and trees.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet will attack to conquer and seize Jerusalem (the battle of Armageddon).
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus will attack to reconquer and seize Jerusalem for Islam.
Bible: The Antichrist will set himself up in the Jewish Temple as his seat of authority (the abomination of desolation).
Islam: The Mahdi will establish the Islamic caliphate from Jerusalem.
Bible: The False Prophet is said to do many miracles to deceive as many as possible into supporting the Antichrist.
Islam: The Mahdi himself is said to control the weather and the crops. His face is said to glow. We can also assume that since Jesus is viewed as having been empowered by Allah to work miracles when He was here on earth the first time, He will most likely be expected to continue to do so when He returns.
Bible: The belief at the time of Muhammad (and still believed by some people today) was that the Antichrist is described as riding on a white horse in the Book of Revelation.
Islam: The Mahdi is described as riding on a white horse (ironically in the same verse in Revelation).
Bible: The Antichrist is said to make a peace treaty (with many) with Israel for seven years.
Islam: The Mahdi is said to make a peace treaty through a Jew (specifically a Levite) for exactly seven years.
Bible: Jesus the Jewish Messiah will return to defend the Jews in Israel from a military attack from a vast coalition of nations led by the Antichrist and the False Prophet (the battle of Armageddon).
Islam: The Dajjal, the Islamic Antichrist, will gain a great Jewish following and claim to be Jesus Christ and fight against the Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus.
Bible: The antichrist spirit specifically denies the most unique and central doctrines of Christianity, namely the divinity of Jesus, the incarnation of God in the flesh, and the substitutionary death of Jesus on the Cross.
Islam: Islam doctrinally and spiritually specifically denies the most unique and central doctrines of Christianity, namely the divinity of Jesus, the incarnation of God in the flesh, and the substitutionary death of Jesus on the Cross.
Bible: The primary warning of Jesus and the Apostle Paul was to warn Christians of the abundance of deceit and deception in the last days.
Islam: Islam is perhaps the only religion on earth that practices deceit as one of its tools to assist its own ascendancy. It actually has a specific doctrine which allows and even calls for deception to be used to achieve its desired end.
Bible: From the Bible and history we learn that the final Antichrist empire will be a revived version of the empire that succeeds the Roman Empire.
Islam: The empire that succeeded the Roman/Byzantine Empire was the combined Holy Roman Empire in parallel with the Islamic Ottoman Empire.
Bible: When the Antichrist emerges, a system will already exist poised to receive him as a savior and to give allegiance to him.
Islam: is already the second largest religion and will at present growth rates become the largest religion within a few decades. Islam awaits the coming of the Mahdi with universal anticipation. The Catholic church and many Christian churches believe that the Muslims will be saved just like Christianity will be, and believe that they worship the same God as Christianity. It's a very short step to convert to Islam: if that is believed to be the truth.
We can see that the whole world will be fooled by the false prophet and the Antichrist, including the Muslims. The Muslims will believe it is their Mahdi, while the rest of the world will follow the interfaith movement into believing that being a Muslim is the same as Christianity in that we all worship the same God and therefore will enjoy the same salvation. As stated, the Catholic church has already included Islam as part of God's people and many Christian churches are following this belief. This means that everyone who is fooled by this will think it's perfectly ok to convert to Islam.
What will the world of the end time look like?
The nations of the end time
The empires of the world from Babylon to today were foretold and since we live in a time where history proves what those prophecies were, we have the unique pleasure of seeing prophecy unfold.
The book of Daniel gives us two symbolic pictures of the end time governments.
In one perspective we see that there will be 4 kingdoms in existence at the end time and they will exist when Jesus returns, conquers them, and sets up His kingdom on the earth. These kingdoms mentioned specifically are Britain, Russia, Germany, and the final government of the New World Order that the Antichrist will rule.
In the other perspective we see that the Medes and the Persians rule after Babylon, then the Greek empire, then the Roman, and finally the Holy Roman / Ottoman co-empires. Both of these final empires together comprised the total area controlled by the Roman Empire. From the Bible and history we learn that the final Antichrist empire will be a revived version of the empire that succeeds the Roman Empire.
The bible tells us that this final (divided, co-empire) will be used as the world government of the Antichrist and his false prophet. The Antichrist will bring the Muslim world together, reviving the Ottoman empire, while the false prophet will bring in Europe, reviving the Holy Roman empire, and the two will unite them as one. The bible tells us that the Antichrist will rule the whole world, but it also says that during this last 3.5 years he will be fighting wars as he conquers more and more nations. Not all nations will fall under his rule in so short a time (the area which is now Jordan is one that is specifically mentioned to “escape out of his hand”, among others), but he will rule the last world dominating empire.
The bible tells us that some of the nations that exist today will exist when Jesus returns and that the Holy Roman / Ottoman Empires will be revived and be united in the New World Order that the Antichrist will use to rule the world.
Islam is predicted in the Fourth Seal of Revelation.
In Revelation 6:1-8 and Zechariah 6:1-8, we're given a warning of the spirits that will be controlling the world in the last days. The pale/green horse of Revelation and the grisled and bay horses of Zechariah tell us about the spirit of Islam.
The pale horse went south and Death sat on him and Hell followed him and he was given power to kill with the sword and hunger and the beasts of the world. The southern hemisphere contains most of the poverty stricken nations. War, crime, revolution, hunger and beasts of the earth are more prominent in the more backward nations of the third world. The last 100 years have seen more death than the entire history of man (wars, abortions, etc.) The passage in Zechariah splits the pale/green horse in two; into the grisled and bay horses. That makes this prophecy easier to understand in that it has two components: Islam and Death. A very interesting thing about this horse is that the meaning of the original Greek word is interpreted as “pale” in the King James Bible, but the word chloros (khlo-ros'); also means greenish, or pale green. This word (chloros) is also used in 3 other places in the bible: Mark 6:39, Revelation 8:7 and Revelation 9:4. In all three of these other places it was interpreted correctly as green. This horse was also given power over the fourth part of the earth. Since we know these horses are spirits, it is very, very interesting that the color of Islam is green (their flags, etc.), and that there are 1.48 billion Muslims (Islam followers) in the world today. That’s almost exactly one fourth of the world population. This horse went south; and 96.5% of the world’s Muslims are in the southern hemisphere, in Africa and Southern Asia. Can Islam be defined as “Death”? I’ve seen arguments that the terrorists are only the “radicals” and poor Muslims being recruited, but if you look at the history of the men that hijacked the planes on 9/11, they came from middle class and wealthy families. The attacks that are happening everywhere, the suicide bombings, the masses of Muslims chanting, “Death to Israel, death to America”, are not only the poor and radical, it is the mindset of Islam as a whole. Look at what happened recently in Palestine. They knowingly elected a terrorist organization into their government! And, given what we know about Islam and how it will be used by the Antichrist, the term “death” here may be referring to the “second death” of Revelation where those that are not saved come before God on judgment day.
What we're waiting for in the near future
The event we're looking for right now, that could happen very soon, is the Confirmation of the Covenant. The confirmation of the covenant is this: there will be an international agreement to confirm the status of Jerusalem and the permanent borders of Israel. These things are being fought over right now with the Palestinians. The bible says that the Antichrist will confirm the covenant along with many others for 7 years. This event will be the beginning of the last 7 years of Daniels 490 years. It may be hard to identify the Antichrist at that time because he will be just one of many.
Approximately 8 months (.7 years) after the Confirmation of the Covenant, the Antichrist will begin to take over the world.
The Antichrist and the false prophet will team up around this time.
The Jewish temple will be rebuilt and animal sacrifices will be resumed by the Jews.
Jerusalem will be “surrounded by armies”, which is likely a picture of it being policed by UN and/or other forces to force peace in the Middle East.
In the midst of this last 7 years (three and one half years in), the Antichrist will cause the animal sacrifices being performed in the rebuilt temple to cease, and will cause the “abomination of desolation” by either claiming to be God or acting in the place of God. That is when we will definitely know who he is.
The false prophet will cause the world to worship the Antichrist. This will be made possible by the power given him by the devil himself. He will perform miracles before the world, like pulling fire from the sky.
God's two witnesses will begin their prophecy at this time. They will not be able to be killed for the whole 3.5 years but will be killed at the very end.
The bible tells us that they (the world) shall say, “peace and safety”. This is the call of the New World Order. The Antichrist will come in the name of peace to take over the world, and the bible says that the people of the world will be thinking they've finally made it, reveling and partying, proclaiming that mankind has finally done it and brought peace to the world!
The Antichrist will implement what's called the mark of the beast. It will very likely be a RFID type of system. They can put a chip under your skin today and they even have a tattoo ink that is RFID capable, so maybe that will be utilized. What's certain is that this will be forced upon all people and you won't be able to get a job, buy food, go to the doctor, have a bank account, or pretty much have any way to “buy or sell” unless you submit. This will undoubtedly come with some sort of oath or pledge of allegiance to the Antichrist and his government. It may even mean conversion to Islam. This will also be a superhighway straight to hell. Any person who takes the mark of the beast is condemned by God. It will be a horrible time for the people who worship the one true God, Jesus Christ. This is what is termed as the Great Tribulation.
The Antichrist will “cause craft to prosper”. He will “understand dark sentences”. There will very likely be many people who will start to use dark and evil power to perform sorcery and witchcraft.
So, will Islam rule the world?
According to the prophecies of the bible, I believe it will. If you want more detailed and in-depth information, please go to www.prophecyandtruth.com and read chapters 7, 8 and 10.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Islam And The Bible
Islam & The Bible
Originally posted on http://www.bcbsr.com
Islam is reputed to be the fastest growing religion presently. Although I may dispute that point given the recent influence of Christianity in the Third World through such things as the Jesus Film. As such there are ever increases clashes between Muslims and Christians. Here I attempt to inform Christians on a few points concerning Islam, as well as exhort Muslims who may run across this page. First of to dispell unncessary hostility Muslims may have towards Christians, the Koran affirms Christians are among those who believe in Allah and have no fear on the day of judgement.
"Those who believe (in the Koran), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians, —any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, shall have their reward with their Lord: On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve." Koran 2:62
In fact it's unclear at points where the Koran makes any distinction between Islam, Judaism and Christianity, as the Koran affirms the authenticity of the Bible - at least up to Jesus, "We believe in Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the Prophets, from their Lord: We make no distinction between one and another among them, and to Allah do we bow our will (in Islam). If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah), never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost (all spiritual good)." Koran 3:84,85
But that last sentence would seem a contradiction - unless Christianity and Judaism are reckoned a part of Islam. And indeed we find that the Koran alleges that Jesus' disciples called themselves "Muslims".
Koran 3:52 When Jesus found unbelief on their part He said: "Who will be my helpers to (the work of) Allah?" Said the Disciples: "We are Allah’s helpers: We believe in Allah and do thou bear witness that we are Muslims."
So would the Koran consider Christians and Jews to be muslims just as it considers Jesus' disciples? It does affirm Christians as devote, learned, holy and humble.
"nearest among them in love to the (Muslims) wilt thou find those who say, "We are Christians": Because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant." Koran 5.85
And yet it seems to place Christians and Jews in a category separate from Muslims. I take it that their viewpoint may be somewhat like Christian's view of Jews. For a person can be both a Jew and a Christian at the same time. In fact all the earliest Christians were Jews. And Jesus himself was a Jew. But what is commonly referred to as Judaism today , composed of Jews who do not believe in Jesus, is contrary to the Jewish faith as God intended. They have deviated from the scriptures such that what they practiced may be likened to a cult. (And by the way, such also is the Christian's view towards Muslims) But conversely I think that's how Muslims generally view Christians and Jews today.
Someone has to be wrong. And here's my challenged to Muslims (as well as to Jews). Have you thoroughly investigated the writings of those you claim as your prophets and objectively considered what they were saying? For example, you Muslims, how familiar are you with Jesus? Have you even so much as read your Injil (the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John)? Doesn't the Koran itself affirm the study of the gospel?
Koran 3:3 It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the Criterion (of judgement between right and wrong).
Koran 3:48 "And Allah will teach him the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel,"
Koran 3:65 Ye People of the Book! Why dispute ye about Abraham, when the Law and the Gospel were not revealed till after him? Have ye no understanding?
Koran 5:49 And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: Therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: A guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah.
Koran 5:50 Let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah hath revealed therein. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) those who rebel.
Koran 5:69 If only they had stood fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that was sent to them from their Lord, they would have enjoyed happiness from every side. There is from among them a party on the right course: But many of them follow a course that is evil.
Koran 5:71 Say: "O People of the Book! Ye have no ground to stand upon unless ye stand fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord." It is the revelation that cometh to thee from thy Lord, that increaseth in most of them their obstinate rebellion and blasphemy. But sorrow thou not over (these) people without Faith.
Koran 7:157 "Those who follow the Apostle, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (Scriptures), —in the Law and the Gospel; —for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); he releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honor him, help him, and follow the Light which is sent down with him, —It is they who will prosper.
Koran 9:111 Section 14. Allah hath purchased of the Believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the Garden (of Paradise): They fight in His Cause and slay and are slain: A promise binding on Him in Truth, through the Law, the Gospel, and the Koran: And who is more faithful to his Covenant than Allah? Then rejoice in the bargain which ye have concluded: That is the achievement supreme.
Koran 48:29 Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah; and those who are with him are strong against Unbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other. Thou wilt see them bow and prostrate themselves (in prayer), seeking Grace from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure. On their faces are their marks, (being) the traces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Taurat; and their similitude in the Gospel is like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, (filling) the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the Unbelievers with rage at them. Allah has promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds Forgiveness, and a great Reward.
Koran 57:27 Then, in their wake, We followed them up with (others of) Our apostles: We sent after them Jesus the son of Mary, and bestowed on him the Gospel; and We ordained in the hearts of those who followed him Compassion and Mercy. But the Monasticism which they invented for themselves, We did not prescribe for them: (We commanded) only the seeking for the Good Pleasure of Allah; but that they did not foster as they should have done. Yet We bestowed, on those among them who believed, their (due) reward, but many of them are rebellious transgressors.
One thing that both Christians and Muslims need to realize is that the gospel of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Bible is affirmed by the Koran as an uncorruptible revelation from God. As such Muslims should be open to receiving what Jesus said as recorded in the Bible. However the most common objection which Muslims raise is the idea that God's Word is corrupted. However the Koran itself declares that God's revealed word - the Law, the Pslams, the Gospel of Christ, cannot be corrupted. For God preserves His Word.
We have, without doubt. Sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).Koran 15:9
It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the Criterion (of judgement between right and wrong). Then those who reject Faith in the Signs of Allah will suffer the severest penalty, and Allah is Exalted in Might, Lord of Retribution.Koran 3:3,4
But the message of the gospel is only for the humble. Many if not most Muslims are just too proud to receive Jesus' words. Even the Koran condemns them.
We gave Moses the Book and followed him up with a succession of Apostles; We gave Jesus the son of Mary Clear (Signs) and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. Is it that whenever there comes to you an Apostle with what ye yourselves desire not, ye are puffed up with pride? —Some ye call impostors, and others ye slay! They say, "Our hearts are the wrappings (which preserve Allah’s Word: We need no more)." Nay, Allah’s curse is on them for their blasphemy: Little is it they believe. And when there comes to them a Book from Allah, confirming what is with them, —although from of old they had prayed for victory against those without Faith, —when there comes to them that which they (should) have recognized, they refuse to believe in it but the curse of Allah is on those without faith. Miserable is the price for which they have sold their souls, in that they deny (the revelation) which Allah has sent down, in insolent envy that Allah of his Grace should send it to any of His servants He pleases: Thus have they drawn on themselves Wrath upon Wrath. And humiliating is the punishment of those who reject Faith. When it is said to them, "Believe in what Allah hath sent down," they say, "We believe in what was sent down to us": Yet they reject all besides, even if it be Truth confirming what is with them. Say: "Why then have ye slain the prophets of Allah in times gone by, if ye did indeed believe?"Koran 2:87-91
Jesus said, "Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life." John 6:45-48 Those minority of Muslims who are listening and learning from the Father will come to Jesus upon hearing his word. Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27
Central to Jesus' gospel is following:
Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." John 3:3 and Jesus himself said, "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."John 3:16-18
Muslims must become born-again and believe in Jesus, the Son of God, to be saved from condemnation.
Conflicts Between the Gospel and the Koran
There are in fact many contradictions between the gospel and the Koran, and as the Koran affirms Jesus as a prophet but Jesus does not likewise affirm Mohammed as a prophet we are left to conclude that Mohammed was neither a prophet of God nor did he even grasp the gospel message itself. For God's legitimate messengers would not contradict what God's former messengers said. And yet Mohammed in the Koran does contradict what God's former messengers said, even while affirming those messengers as being from God. Just like Muslims today Mohammed simply ignored their message. Muslims today are relatively ignorant about what Jesus said. Their teaches may feed them a few verses, but overlook those which contradict the Koran such as I have noted below.
Jesus' Death and Resurrection
The Bible declares that Jesus died and rose from the dead. Even Jesus declared this before and after his resurrection:
Before his Resurrection:
Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." Mark 9:31
After his Resurrection:
Jesus told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day" Luke 24:46
But the Koran denies that Jesus died and rose again:
And their saying: Surely we have killed the Messiah, Isa son of Marium, the apostle of Allah; and they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them so (like Isa) and most surely those who differ therein are only in a doubt about it; they have no knowledge respecting it, but only follow a conjecture, and they killed him not for sure. [4.157]
Jesus as The Son of God
Jesus declares in the Bible that:
"God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." John 3:16-18
But the Koran denies this saying
He (Allah) begets not [112.3]
"Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from Him: So believe in Allah and His apostles. Say not "Trinity": desist: It will be better for you: For Allah is One God: Glory be to Him: (Far Exalted is He) above having a son." [4.171]
"In blasphemy indeed are those that say that Allah is Christ the son of Mary." [5.19]
The Koran not only denies that Jesus is the Son of God, but also condemns those who believe he is.
the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away! [9.30]
And yet who does the Koran declare was Jesus' father? Ask a Muslim. For Jesus father according to the Koran was no human being but the Spirit of God.
In the gospel Jesus himself extensively speaks of his relationship with God his Father, as for example in the following:
John 5:
17 Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work
to this very day, and I, too, am working."
18 For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him;
not only was he breaking the Sabbath,
but he was even calling God his own Father,
making himself equal with God.
19 Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth,
the Son can do nothing by himself;
he can do only what he sees his Father doing,
because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.
Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these.
21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life,
even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.
22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,
23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.
He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.
24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me
has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.
25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come
when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.
26 For as the Father has life in himself,
so he has granted the Son to have life in himself.
27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
John 10:36
Jesus said, "Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ’I am God’s Son’?"
The Jesus of the Koran
Though the Koran acknowledges the virgin birth and the fact that Jesus did miracles, it denies much of what the Bible records of Jesus. Thus the "Jesus" of the Koran is not the "Jesus" of the Bible. Nor is the god of the Koran the God of the Bible. Islam is an antiChrist religion.
"Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist— he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also." 1John 2:22,23
The Trinity
The Koran reckons the doctrine of the trinity to be heresy. But in hypocrisy it often speaks of "Allah" in the plural. Verses can be found throughout the Koran where "Allah" refers to himself as "We" or "Us". For example speaking of the resurrection it says, "It is for Us to collect it and to promulgate it:" [75.16] Or [2.34] And behold, We said to the angels: "Bow down to Adam:" And they bowed down: In fact the Koran uses this plural form to describe Allah over 1000 times. The Koran confuses "trinity" with "tri-theism", concepts which are quite different. But what I would say to a Muslim is that just as the Koran speaks of Allah in the plural using "We" and Us" and yet views God as one, so also Christians speaks of God as plural and yet one. In God there is a plurality just as an individual is body, soul and spirit. A person may be spoken of as each of these individually or collectively and yet this is not considered ambiguous. Man was made in the image of God. In the Bible God says, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness" Gen 1:26, speaking of God in the plural just as the Koran does. God is plural and yet one just as man is plural and yet one. The Koran is mistaken in characterizing the trinity as tri-theism in which it says, "They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity: For there is no god except One God." [Koran 5:76] Muslims, Christians and Jews all agree that there is no god expect the One God. What differs is how we view the One God. See also "Understanding the Trinity" and "Jesus as Lord".
The Issue of "Proof"
The Koran proposes of Christians:
And they say: None shall enter the garden (or paradise) except he who is a Jew or a Christian. These are their vain desires. Say: Bring your proof if you are truthful. [2.111]
The Bible is full of such proofs
Now some people ask, "How can I know God has spoken?"
Just read His word and I'm not jokin.
Raising the dead and healing the blind.
Oh, there's lots of proofs, you'll find.
In the presence of thousands, both friend and foe.
things not done in secret, don't you know.
For when God speaks His word, He understands
we need proof it's His and not man's.
See also Jesus' Miracles. Furthermore as these and like miracles were publically proclaimed as verification of the messengers being from God, this gives further credence to their actually having occurred. For example when Peter, among a crowd of thousands, proclaim among other things that "Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know." Acts 2:22 But if the miracles hadn't occurred then people would believe what they would have factually known was false. Therefore the fact they accepted the message is evidence that the miracles actually did occur. Jesus himself said, "Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." John 10:37,38 Mohammed makes no similar claim.What is the "proof" that Mohammed is a prophet of God? For he contradicts what God has already said, and he has no miracles affirming his propositions, unlike the Jesus of the Bible. While the Bible is full of proofs of a miraculous nature, there are not such evidence concerning Mohammed and the Koran.
But there are some muslims today who claim there are miracles in the Koran. That is that you can read the Koran in such a way as to come up with information only available today. For example concerning the verse that says, "God created all the pairs: from what the earth produces and for Themselves and from things unknown to them" they claim this is talking about quantum physics! Yet it seems clear to me it's just repeating what the Bible says about God creating them male and female. So also they make claims about statistics in the Koran, just as Christians have made concerning Bible codes. But there are muslim among them who rebut their own statisical argument. See http://www.inet.ba/~hardy/whatmade.htm Alleged "miracles of the Koran" are bogus.
Violence
The Koran advocates violence against non-Muslims:
Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Apostle have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book (Christians and Jews), until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state ofsubjection.[9.29]
So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. [9.5]
Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors. And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out; for tumult or oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith. But if they cease, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah; but if they cease, let there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression. [2:190-193]
The main problem with Islamic terrorism is the devaluation of the life of non-Muslims in the eyes of the Muslim community, which has resulted in the callous murder, torture and enslavement of many non-Muslims and even threat of murder of any Muslim who thinks of converting to Christianity along with threats against Christian evangelists. One thing that drives Islamic terrorism is that the rest of the world are viewed as idolators and therefore come under these kind of clauses.
Legitimate Enemies
There is a clause in [Koran 60] which forbids friendships with those who are against Islam, "Allah only forbids you, with regard to those who fight you for (your) Faith, and drive you out of your homes, and support (others) in driving you out, from turning to them (for friendship and protection)". Also "the Unbelievers are unto you open enemies." [4.101]
Religious Enemies: Today this would involve all non-Muslims who like myself are involved in trying to covert Muslims from their faith. But more generally it involves also fighting those who don't believe in various aspects of Islam as we see above. Although the Koran also says, "Those who believe (in the Koran), those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Sabians and the Christians, —any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, —on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve." So Islamic persecution of Christians and Jews on a religious basis is somewhat ambiguous, as the Koran presumes that true Christians and Jews will not take a stand against Islam on a religious basis. And in fact of non-Muslims, the Koran speaks most highly of Christians saying, "strongest among men in enmity to the Believers wilt thou find the Jews and Pagans; and nearest among them in love to the Believers (Muslims) wilt thou find those who say, "We are Christians": Because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant."[5.85] A problem in modern Islam is that it's become increasing evangelical and as such less people are allowed even a neutral stand as more and more Muslims are trying to convert non-Muslims. Anyone who resists conversion to Islam is viewed as fighting against it and as such is reckoned an enemy. Thus more and more people are reckoned enemies of Islam simply because they refuse to convert to Islam. This is particularly the case in the Third World.
Secular Enemies: Other enemies are like Israel as a nation perceived to be trying to drive out Muslims from disputed territories. And it involves the US as a supporter of Israel in its activities. But once again this is somewhat ambiguous as the Koran does acknowledge the Law of Moses with its covenants given by God to Israel. But according to the Law of Moses God gave the land of Israel to the Jews, and even much more than what they presently occupy. So the Palestinian position cannot unambigously be defended on an Islamic basis. We said thereafter to the Children of Israel, "Dwell securely in the land (of promise)" [Koran 17.104] Are the Muslims allowing Israel to dwell securely in their land of promise?
Thus the Koran speaks of both secular and religious enemies of Islam, but the greater hostility is spoken against its religious enemies, which now are primarily Christians, being the only group today proactively trying to convert Muslims. But it does allow as an option friendship with those who are neutral on religous issues, who are not hostile against Islam in particular. "Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them." And it is upon that basis today we find many Muslims living relatively peaceably in the US. But as I said as the Muslims try to evangelize others, their list of enemies increases as non-Muslims resist conversion. Unlike Christianity, Islam does not advocate the concept of "love your enemies" and as such should Christians be more vocal and proactive in converting their Muslim neighbors and as other non-Muslims resist conversion or criticize Islam, there is little ideology to hold back even American Muslims from exercising the kind of hostility we've seen by Islamic terrorist groups.
On the other hand it does speak against some of the practices of Islamic terrorism.
Against Suicide
O ye who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities: But let there be among you traffic and trade by mutual goodwill: Nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: For verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful! If any do that in rancor and injustice, —soon shall We cast them into the Fire: And easy it is for Allah. If ye (but) eschew the most heinous of the things which ye are forbidden to do, We shall expel out of you all the evil in you, and admit you to a Gate of great honor.[4.29-31]
Against Killing other Muslims
If a man kills a Believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, to abide therein (for ever): And the wrath and the curse of Allah are upon him, and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him. [4.93]
Need I point out that many Muslims were killed in the destruction of the World Trade Center for example? But the Muslim terrorists may yet nullify these by claiming these do not apply when carrying out the commands in 9 above. Then it becomes just a matter of interpretation to be argued among Muslims. But the "love your enemy" idea we find in the Bible is certaintly not in the Koran and as such there's little to hold back the Muslim from justifying any hostility against whoever they label "enemy".
Acting Against Islam
Christians should certainly not be involved in violent acts against the innocent. Islam as an ideology and false religion should not be attacked with physical violence. No idea of itself can be destroyed by such weapons if people truly believe in it. Communism for example was not brought down by weapons of war. It fell because it simply doesn't work. Islam needs to be attacked in the realm of ideas and in the realm of the spiritual. Not only is Islam a false religion, but it doesn't work either. Who practices slavery today? Muslims. In Sudan for example non-Muslims are taken into slavery by Muslims. Who are the world's terrorists today? Muslims. And Islam is against the kind of freedoms which developed in Western society through the influence of Christianity. And much as they preach charity, yet it is the Christians who are most generous. In fact in cases like the Sudan the Islamic government takes the generous US donations meant for the southern Sudanese suffering at the hand of the government, and uses those to further oppress them. Yet there is no outcry by the rest of the Muslim community against the atrocities committed by their brethren. Furthermore Islam overly oppresses women. It rejects freedom of speech. If Islam is true, then why don't Muslims allow a free and open discussion of religious ideas? Because if they did many Muslims may become Christians. Why do they threaten other Muslims with death if they think of converting? Because if they didn't, many Muslims may become Christians. Jesus said, "When I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." John 12:32 So we need to lift up Jesus and preach the gospel. We should walk as Jesus did, and not act violently. Though the Koran mentions the word "gospel", yet Muslims - and apparently even Mohammed - are largely ignorant of what the gospel actually says.
Acting Against Islamic Terrorism
The Bible teaches Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. Romans 12:19 However, government is one of God's swords to exercise his vengeance.
Romans 13:
1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.
4 For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
This doesn't deal with the issue of what to do when the governing authorities themselves go outside of their legitimate realm of authority. This deals with the fact that they do indeed have a legitimate realm of authority in which they not only have the right but the responsibility of carrying out God's punishment upon evil doers. Let God take care of it, and cooperate with the government as they deal with it.
The Attack on the World Trade Center
Could this be the Face of Islam?
Throughout the world Islam has been showing its true colors - its fruit - in the form of oppression and violence against non-Muslims for illegitimate reasons, but the attack on America has brought this particularly to light. Immediately after the attack Muslims around the world from Palestine to China praise the terrorists and mocked the victims of this incident. But to their shame and humilation they had to quickly change their tone as they suddenly realized that this bloodthirsty act of injustice would be a poor reflection on Islam. But even now the same bloodthirsty murdering attitude has surfaced and I think will continue to surface in different areas of the world in reaction against the bringing of Islamic terrorists to justice. Many have humbled themselves falsely and offered false sympathy in order to justify their continue support for terrorism in the name of "Allah". Why is it that it seems only non-Muslims speak against Islamic terrorism, while many Muslims view such criticism as an attack on Islam? Why don't the Muslims stop the terrorists? It's because the Koran teaches, "Never should a Believer kill a Believer" [Koran 4:92] And as I pointed out above the Koran advocates fighting against Unbelievers. The fact that they've done nothing in the past to stop Islamic terrorists, neither in speech nor in action, but rather have criticized those who take actions to defend against terrorists indicates that Muslims generally don't really view such actions as contrary to their religion.
And this is just one of a multitude of acts of terrorism by Muslims which occur practically on a daily basis. Consider this example which occurred in March of 2008.
Muslim Rejoice over Murder
Whenever Muslims murder non-Muslims you can be sure that the Islamic community rejoices. There are multitutes of examples of this. Here's one recorded in March of 2008:
"Jerusalem: A gunman entered the library of a rabbinical seminary and opened fire on a nighttime study session Thursday, killiing eight and wounding nine before he was slain by a soldier, police said. ... Hamas militants in the Gaza strip praised the operation, and thousands of Palentinians took to the streets of Gaza to celebrate."
That's Islam for you!
Now Islam is at a crossroads. Muslims will either have to renounce terrorism or view it as a legitimate part of their Holy War. People ask why God allowed it to happen. But they forget that God may have prevented such things from happening many times in the past. It's amazing that we lasted through the Cold War without a serious nuclear incident for example. But I think God is sick and tired of Islamic terrorism. But neither Muslims nor non-Muslims have been willing to take serious action against it until God allowed the terrorists to succeed in this case. I don't know of any time in history when the vast majority of Muslims have publically denounced Islamic terrorism as we've seen in recent days. Many are of course are doing so falsely in the name of political correctness. But what will be interesting to see after the dust settles and actions have been taken by the US is which crossroad the Islamic community will finally take.
An Exhortation to the sons of Ishmael
Galatians 4:
22 It is written that Abraham had two sons,
one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman.
23 His son by the slave woman (Ishmael) was born in the ordinary way;
but his son by the free woman (Isaac) was born as the result of a promise.
28 Now (we Christians), like Isaac, are children of promise.
29 At that time the son born in the ordinary way (Ishmael)
persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. (Isaac) It is the same now.
30 But what does the Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman and her son,
for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son."
(Interesting to note that Bin Laden himself, the master terrorist, was called the son of a slave women by his half-siblings. His father was a polygamist who divorce his mother shortly after she gave birth)
The world's terrorists today are primarily Muslims. Why is that? Christians and Jews have suffered persecution from them and especially in those places where the religion of Islam is dominant. As of late I would note the murder of Christians in Sudan and Indonesia and now even in the US. While the Bible advocates loving your enemy, the Koran advocates violence and hatred. Secondly I would note the religous hypocrisy of many such Muslims. For while they claim to position themselves on the moral high road, they fall far short of it. They are like the religious hypocrites Jesus exhorted in Matthew 23:13+.
Woe to you Muslims, you hypocrites. For you really are not morally superior nor are you pleasing in God's sight as you reject Jesus as the Son of God. Where is your atoning sacrifice? What is the basis for God forgiving your sins? Jesus paid for our sins and for all those who put their faith in Him as the Son of God.
Isaiah 53:4-6
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Your rejection of the Bible is a rejection of the God of the Bible. And your persecution of Christians is a persecution of Christ, the Son of God. Unless you repent, your judgment awaits you. Speaking to Christians suffering persecution the Bible says:
God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. 2Thessalonian 1:6-10
By Steve Amato
9/21/2001
updated 3/30/2005
To Militant Muslims who reject the Gospel
This is what the Holy One of Israel says: "Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern." This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it." Isaiah 30:12-15
Originally posted here
Originally posted on http://www.bcbsr.com
Islam is reputed to be the fastest growing religion presently. Although I may dispute that point given the recent influence of Christianity in the Third World through such things as the Jesus Film. As such there are ever increases clashes between Muslims and Christians. Here I attempt to inform Christians on a few points concerning Islam, as well as exhort Muslims who may run across this page. First of to dispell unncessary hostility Muslims may have towards Christians, the Koran affirms Christians are among those who believe in Allah and have no fear on the day of judgement.
"Those who believe (in the Koran), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians, —any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, shall have their reward with their Lord: On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve." Koran 2:62
In fact it's unclear at points where the Koran makes any distinction between Islam, Judaism and Christianity, as the Koran affirms the authenticity of the Bible - at least up to Jesus, "We believe in Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the Prophets, from their Lord: We make no distinction between one and another among them, and to Allah do we bow our will (in Islam). If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah), never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost (all spiritual good)." Koran 3:84,85
But that last sentence would seem a contradiction - unless Christianity and Judaism are reckoned a part of Islam. And indeed we find that the Koran alleges that Jesus' disciples called themselves "Muslims".
Koran 3:52 When Jesus found unbelief on their part He said: "Who will be my helpers to (the work of) Allah?" Said the Disciples: "We are Allah’s helpers: We believe in Allah and do thou bear witness that we are Muslims."
So would the Koran consider Christians and Jews to be muslims just as it considers Jesus' disciples? It does affirm Christians as devote, learned, holy and humble.
"nearest among them in love to the (Muslims) wilt thou find those who say, "We are Christians": Because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant." Koran 5.85
And yet it seems to place Christians and Jews in a category separate from Muslims. I take it that their viewpoint may be somewhat like Christian's view of Jews. For a person can be both a Jew and a Christian at the same time. In fact all the earliest Christians were Jews. And Jesus himself was a Jew. But what is commonly referred to as Judaism today , composed of Jews who do not believe in Jesus, is contrary to the Jewish faith as God intended. They have deviated from the scriptures such that what they practiced may be likened to a cult. (And by the way, such also is the Christian's view towards Muslims) But conversely I think that's how Muslims generally view Christians and Jews today.
Someone has to be wrong. And here's my challenged to Muslims (as well as to Jews). Have you thoroughly investigated the writings of those you claim as your prophets and objectively considered what they were saying? For example, you Muslims, how familiar are you with Jesus? Have you even so much as read your Injil (the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John)? Doesn't the Koran itself affirm the study of the gospel?
Koran 3:3 It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the Criterion (of judgement between right and wrong).
Koran 3:48 "And Allah will teach him the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel,"
Koran 3:65 Ye People of the Book! Why dispute ye about Abraham, when the Law and the Gospel were not revealed till after him? Have ye no understanding?
Koran 5:49 And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: Therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: A guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah.
Koran 5:50 Let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah hath revealed therein. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) those who rebel.
Koran 5:69 If only they had stood fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that was sent to them from their Lord, they would have enjoyed happiness from every side. There is from among them a party on the right course: But many of them follow a course that is evil.
Koran 5:71 Say: "O People of the Book! Ye have no ground to stand upon unless ye stand fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord." It is the revelation that cometh to thee from thy Lord, that increaseth in most of them their obstinate rebellion and blasphemy. But sorrow thou not over (these) people without Faith.
Koran 7:157 "Those who follow the Apostle, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (Scriptures), —in the Law and the Gospel; —for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); he releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honor him, help him, and follow the Light which is sent down with him, —It is they who will prosper.
Koran 9:111 Section 14. Allah hath purchased of the Believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the Garden (of Paradise): They fight in His Cause and slay and are slain: A promise binding on Him in Truth, through the Law, the Gospel, and the Koran: And who is more faithful to his Covenant than Allah? Then rejoice in the bargain which ye have concluded: That is the achievement supreme.
Koran 48:29 Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah; and those who are with him are strong against Unbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other. Thou wilt see them bow and prostrate themselves (in prayer), seeking Grace from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure. On their faces are their marks, (being) the traces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Taurat; and their similitude in the Gospel is like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, (filling) the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the Unbelievers with rage at them. Allah has promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds Forgiveness, and a great Reward.
Koran 57:27 Then, in their wake, We followed them up with (others of) Our apostles: We sent after them Jesus the son of Mary, and bestowed on him the Gospel; and We ordained in the hearts of those who followed him Compassion and Mercy. But the Monasticism which they invented for themselves, We did not prescribe for them: (We commanded) only the seeking for the Good Pleasure of Allah; but that they did not foster as they should have done. Yet We bestowed, on those among them who believed, their (due) reward, but many of them are rebellious transgressors.
One thing that both Christians and Muslims need to realize is that the gospel of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Bible is affirmed by the Koran as an uncorruptible revelation from God. As such Muslims should be open to receiving what Jesus said as recorded in the Bible. However the most common objection which Muslims raise is the idea that God's Word is corrupted. However the Koran itself declares that God's revealed word - the Law, the Pslams, the Gospel of Christ, cannot be corrupted. For God preserves His Word.
We have, without doubt. Sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).Koran 15:9
It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the Criterion (of judgement between right and wrong). Then those who reject Faith in the Signs of Allah will suffer the severest penalty, and Allah is Exalted in Might, Lord of Retribution.Koran 3:3,4
But the message of the gospel is only for the humble. Many if not most Muslims are just too proud to receive Jesus' words. Even the Koran condemns them.
We gave Moses the Book and followed him up with a succession of Apostles; We gave Jesus the son of Mary Clear (Signs) and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. Is it that whenever there comes to you an Apostle with what ye yourselves desire not, ye are puffed up with pride? —Some ye call impostors, and others ye slay! They say, "Our hearts are the wrappings (which preserve Allah’s Word: We need no more)." Nay, Allah’s curse is on them for their blasphemy: Little is it they believe. And when there comes to them a Book from Allah, confirming what is with them, —although from of old they had prayed for victory against those without Faith, —when there comes to them that which they (should) have recognized, they refuse to believe in it but the curse of Allah is on those without faith. Miserable is the price for which they have sold their souls, in that they deny (the revelation) which Allah has sent down, in insolent envy that Allah of his Grace should send it to any of His servants He pleases: Thus have they drawn on themselves Wrath upon Wrath. And humiliating is the punishment of those who reject Faith. When it is said to them, "Believe in what Allah hath sent down," they say, "We believe in what was sent down to us": Yet they reject all besides, even if it be Truth confirming what is with them. Say: "Why then have ye slain the prophets of Allah in times gone by, if ye did indeed believe?"Koran 2:87-91
Jesus said, "Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life." John 6:45-48 Those minority of Muslims who are listening and learning from the Father will come to Jesus upon hearing his word. Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27
Central to Jesus' gospel is following:
Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." John 3:3 and Jesus himself said, "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."John 3:16-18
Muslims must become born-again and believe in Jesus, the Son of God, to be saved from condemnation.
Conflicts Between the Gospel and the Koran
There are in fact many contradictions between the gospel and the Koran, and as the Koran affirms Jesus as a prophet but Jesus does not likewise affirm Mohammed as a prophet we are left to conclude that Mohammed was neither a prophet of God nor did he even grasp the gospel message itself. For God's legitimate messengers would not contradict what God's former messengers said. And yet Mohammed in the Koran does contradict what God's former messengers said, even while affirming those messengers as being from God. Just like Muslims today Mohammed simply ignored their message. Muslims today are relatively ignorant about what Jesus said. Their teaches may feed them a few verses, but overlook those which contradict the Koran such as I have noted below.
Jesus' Death and Resurrection
The Bible declares that Jesus died and rose from the dead. Even Jesus declared this before and after his resurrection:
Before his Resurrection:
Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." Mark 9:31
After his Resurrection:
Jesus told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day" Luke 24:46
But the Koran denies that Jesus died and rose again:
And their saying: Surely we have killed the Messiah, Isa son of Marium, the apostle of Allah; and they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them so (like Isa) and most surely those who differ therein are only in a doubt about it; they have no knowledge respecting it, but only follow a conjecture, and they killed him not for sure. [4.157]
Jesus as The Son of God
Jesus declares in the Bible that:
"God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." John 3:16-18
But the Koran denies this saying
He (Allah) begets not [112.3]
"Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from Him: So believe in Allah and His apostles. Say not "Trinity": desist: It will be better for you: For Allah is One God: Glory be to Him: (Far Exalted is He) above having a son." [4.171]
"In blasphemy indeed are those that say that Allah is Christ the son of Mary." [5.19]
The Koran not only denies that Jesus is the Son of God, but also condemns those who believe he is.
the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away! [9.30]
And yet who does the Koran declare was Jesus' father? Ask a Muslim. For Jesus father according to the Koran was no human being but the Spirit of God.
In the gospel Jesus himself extensively speaks of his relationship with God his Father, as for example in the following:
John 5:
17 Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work
to this very day, and I, too, am working."
18 For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him;
not only was he breaking the Sabbath,
but he was even calling God his own Father,
making himself equal with God.
19 Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth,
the Son can do nothing by himself;
he can do only what he sees his Father doing,
because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.
Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these.
21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life,
even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.
22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,
23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.
He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.
24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me
has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.
25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come
when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.
26 For as the Father has life in himself,
so he has granted the Son to have life in himself.
27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
John 10:36
Jesus said, "Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ’I am God’s Son’?"
The Jesus of the Koran
Though the Koran acknowledges the virgin birth and the fact that Jesus did miracles, it denies much of what the Bible records of Jesus. Thus the "Jesus" of the Koran is not the "Jesus" of the Bible. Nor is the god of the Koran the God of the Bible. Islam is an antiChrist religion.
"Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist— he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also." 1John 2:22,23
The Trinity
The Koran reckons the doctrine of the trinity to be heresy. But in hypocrisy it often speaks of "Allah" in the plural. Verses can be found throughout the Koran where "Allah" refers to himself as "We" or "Us". For example speaking of the resurrection it says, "It is for Us to collect it and to promulgate it:" [75.16] Or [2.34] And behold, We said to the angels: "Bow down to Adam:" And they bowed down: In fact the Koran uses this plural form to describe Allah over 1000 times. The Koran confuses "trinity" with "tri-theism", concepts which are quite different. But what I would say to a Muslim is that just as the Koran speaks of Allah in the plural using "We" and Us" and yet views God as one, so also Christians speaks of God as plural and yet one. In God there is a plurality just as an individual is body, soul and spirit. A person may be spoken of as each of these individually or collectively and yet this is not considered ambiguous. Man was made in the image of God. In the Bible God says, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness" Gen 1:26, speaking of God in the plural just as the Koran does. God is plural and yet one just as man is plural and yet one. The Koran is mistaken in characterizing the trinity as tri-theism in which it says, "They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity: For there is no god except One God." [Koran 5:76] Muslims, Christians and Jews all agree that there is no god expect the One God. What differs is how we view the One God. See also "Understanding the Trinity" and "Jesus as Lord".
The Issue of "Proof"
The Koran proposes of Christians:
And they say: None shall enter the garden (or paradise) except he who is a Jew or a Christian. These are their vain desires. Say: Bring your proof if you are truthful. [2.111]
The Bible is full of such proofs
Now some people ask, "How can I know God has spoken?"
Just read His word and I'm not jokin.
Raising the dead and healing the blind.
Oh, there's lots of proofs, you'll find.
In the presence of thousands, both friend and foe.
things not done in secret, don't you know.
For when God speaks His word, He understands
we need proof it's His and not man's.
See also Jesus' Miracles. Furthermore as these and like miracles were publically proclaimed as verification of the messengers being from God, this gives further credence to their actually having occurred. For example when Peter, among a crowd of thousands, proclaim among other things that "Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know." Acts 2:22 But if the miracles hadn't occurred then people would believe what they would have factually known was false. Therefore the fact they accepted the message is evidence that the miracles actually did occur. Jesus himself said, "Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." John 10:37,38 Mohammed makes no similar claim.What is the "proof" that Mohammed is a prophet of God? For he contradicts what God has already said, and he has no miracles affirming his propositions, unlike the Jesus of the Bible. While the Bible is full of proofs of a miraculous nature, there are not such evidence concerning Mohammed and the Koran.
But there are some muslims today who claim there are miracles in the Koran. That is that you can read the Koran in such a way as to come up with information only available today. For example concerning the verse that says, "God created all the pairs: from what the earth produces and for Themselves and from things unknown to them" they claim this is talking about quantum physics! Yet it seems clear to me it's just repeating what the Bible says about God creating them male and female. So also they make claims about statistics in the Koran, just as Christians have made concerning Bible codes. But there are muslim among them who rebut their own statisical argument. See http://www.inet.ba/~hardy/whatmade.htm Alleged "miracles of the Koran" are bogus.
Violence
The Koran advocates violence against non-Muslims:
Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Apostle have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book (Christians and Jews), until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state ofsubjection.[9.29]
So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. [9.5]
Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors. And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out; for tumult or oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith. But if they cease, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah; but if they cease, let there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression. [2:190-193]
The main problem with Islamic terrorism is the devaluation of the life of non-Muslims in the eyes of the Muslim community, which has resulted in the callous murder, torture and enslavement of many non-Muslims and even threat of murder of any Muslim who thinks of converting to Christianity along with threats against Christian evangelists. One thing that drives Islamic terrorism is that the rest of the world are viewed as idolators and therefore come under these kind of clauses.
Legitimate Enemies
There is a clause in [Koran 60] which forbids friendships with those who are against Islam, "Allah only forbids you, with regard to those who fight you for (your) Faith, and drive you out of your homes, and support (others) in driving you out, from turning to them (for friendship and protection)". Also "the Unbelievers are unto you open enemies." [4.101]
Religious Enemies: Today this would involve all non-Muslims who like myself are involved in trying to covert Muslims from their faith. But more generally it involves also fighting those who don't believe in various aspects of Islam as we see above. Although the Koran also says, "Those who believe (in the Koran), those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Sabians and the Christians, —any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, —on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve." So Islamic persecution of Christians and Jews on a religious basis is somewhat ambiguous, as the Koran presumes that true Christians and Jews will not take a stand against Islam on a religious basis. And in fact of non-Muslims, the Koran speaks most highly of Christians saying, "strongest among men in enmity to the Believers wilt thou find the Jews and Pagans; and nearest among them in love to the Believers (Muslims) wilt thou find those who say, "We are Christians": Because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant."[5.85] A problem in modern Islam is that it's become increasing evangelical and as such less people are allowed even a neutral stand as more and more Muslims are trying to convert non-Muslims. Anyone who resists conversion to Islam is viewed as fighting against it and as such is reckoned an enemy. Thus more and more people are reckoned enemies of Islam simply because they refuse to convert to Islam. This is particularly the case in the Third World.
Secular Enemies: Other enemies are like Israel as a nation perceived to be trying to drive out Muslims from disputed territories. And it involves the US as a supporter of Israel in its activities. But once again this is somewhat ambiguous as the Koran does acknowledge the Law of Moses with its covenants given by God to Israel. But according to the Law of Moses God gave the land of Israel to the Jews, and even much more than what they presently occupy. So the Palestinian position cannot unambigously be defended on an Islamic basis. We said thereafter to the Children of Israel, "Dwell securely in the land (of promise)" [Koran 17.104] Are the Muslims allowing Israel to dwell securely in their land of promise?
Thus the Koran speaks of both secular and religious enemies of Islam, but the greater hostility is spoken against its religious enemies, which now are primarily Christians, being the only group today proactively trying to convert Muslims. But it does allow as an option friendship with those who are neutral on religous issues, who are not hostile against Islam in particular. "Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them." And it is upon that basis today we find many Muslims living relatively peaceably in the US. But as I said as the Muslims try to evangelize others, their list of enemies increases as non-Muslims resist conversion. Unlike Christianity, Islam does not advocate the concept of "love your enemies" and as such should Christians be more vocal and proactive in converting their Muslim neighbors and as other non-Muslims resist conversion or criticize Islam, there is little ideology to hold back even American Muslims from exercising the kind of hostility we've seen by Islamic terrorist groups.
On the other hand it does speak against some of the practices of Islamic terrorism.
Against Suicide
O ye who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities: But let there be among you traffic and trade by mutual goodwill: Nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: For verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful! If any do that in rancor and injustice, —soon shall We cast them into the Fire: And easy it is for Allah. If ye (but) eschew the most heinous of the things which ye are forbidden to do, We shall expel out of you all the evil in you, and admit you to a Gate of great honor.[4.29-31]
Against Killing other Muslims
If a man kills a Believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, to abide therein (for ever): And the wrath and the curse of Allah are upon him, and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him. [4.93]
Need I point out that many Muslims were killed in the destruction of the World Trade Center for example? But the Muslim terrorists may yet nullify these by claiming these do not apply when carrying out the commands in 9 above. Then it becomes just a matter of interpretation to be argued among Muslims. But the "love your enemy" idea we find in the Bible is certaintly not in the Koran and as such there's little to hold back the Muslim from justifying any hostility against whoever they label "enemy".
Acting Against Islam
Christians should certainly not be involved in violent acts against the innocent. Islam as an ideology and false religion should not be attacked with physical violence. No idea of itself can be destroyed by such weapons if people truly believe in it. Communism for example was not brought down by weapons of war. It fell because it simply doesn't work. Islam needs to be attacked in the realm of ideas and in the realm of the spiritual. Not only is Islam a false religion, but it doesn't work either. Who practices slavery today? Muslims. In Sudan for example non-Muslims are taken into slavery by Muslims. Who are the world's terrorists today? Muslims. And Islam is against the kind of freedoms which developed in Western society through the influence of Christianity. And much as they preach charity, yet it is the Christians who are most generous. In fact in cases like the Sudan the Islamic government takes the generous US donations meant for the southern Sudanese suffering at the hand of the government, and uses those to further oppress them. Yet there is no outcry by the rest of the Muslim community against the atrocities committed by their brethren. Furthermore Islam overly oppresses women. It rejects freedom of speech. If Islam is true, then why don't Muslims allow a free and open discussion of religious ideas? Because if they did many Muslims may become Christians. Why do they threaten other Muslims with death if they think of converting? Because if they didn't, many Muslims may become Christians. Jesus said, "When I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." John 12:32 So we need to lift up Jesus and preach the gospel. We should walk as Jesus did, and not act violently. Though the Koran mentions the word "gospel", yet Muslims - and apparently even Mohammed - are largely ignorant of what the gospel actually says.
Acting Against Islamic Terrorism
The Bible teaches Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. Romans 12:19 However, government is one of God's swords to exercise his vengeance.
Romans 13:
1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.
4 For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
This doesn't deal with the issue of what to do when the governing authorities themselves go outside of their legitimate realm of authority. This deals with the fact that they do indeed have a legitimate realm of authority in which they not only have the right but the responsibility of carrying out God's punishment upon evil doers. Let God take care of it, and cooperate with the government as they deal with it.
The Attack on the World Trade Center
Could this be the Face of Islam?
Throughout the world Islam has been showing its true colors - its fruit - in the form of oppression and violence against non-Muslims for illegitimate reasons, but the attack on America has brought this particularly to light. Immediately after the attack Muslims around the world from Palestine to China praise the terrorists and mocked the victims of this incident. But to their shame and humilation they had to quickly change their tone as they suddenly realized that this bloodthirsty act of injustice would be a poor reflection on Islam. But even now the same bloodthirsty murdering attitude has surfaced and I think will continue to surface in different areas of the world in reaction against the bringing of Islamic terrorists to justice. Many have humbled themselves falsely and offered false sympathy in order to justify their continue support for terrorism in the name of "Allah". Why is it that it seems only non-Muslims speak against Islamic terrorism, while many Muslims view such criticism as an attack on Islam? Why don't the Muslims stop the terrorists? It's because the Koran teaches, "Never should a Believer kill a Believer" [Koran 4:92] And as I pointed out above the Koran advocates fighting against Unbelievers. The fact that they've done nothing in the past to stop Islamic terrorists, neither in speech nor in action, but rather have criticized those who take actions to defend against terrorists indicates that Muslims generally don't really view such actions as contrary to their religion.
And this is just one of a multitude of acts of terrorism by Muslims which occur practically on a daily basis. Consider this example which occurred in March of 2008.
Muslim Rejoice over Murder
Whenever Muslims murder non-Muslims you can be sure that the Islamic community rejoices. There are multitutes of examples of this. Here's one recorded in March of 2008:
"Jerusalem: A gunman entered the library of a rabbinical seminary and opened fire on a nighttime study session Thursday, killiing eight and wounding nine before he was slain by a soldier, police said. ... Hamas militants in the Gaza strip praised the operation, and thousands of Palentinians took to the streets of Gaza to celebrate."
That's Islam for you!
Now Islam is at a crossroads. Muslims will either have to renounce terrorism or view it as a legitimate part of their Holy War. People ask why God allowed it to happen. But they forget that God may have prevented such things from happening many times in the past. It's amazing that we lasted through the Cold War without a serious nuclear incident for example. But I think God is sick and tired of Islamic terrorism. But neither Muslims nor non-Muslims have been willing to take serious action against it until God allowed the terrorists to succeed in this case. I don't know of any time in history when the vast majority of Muslims have publically denounced Islamic terrorism as we've seen in recent days. Many are of course are doing so falsely in the name of political correctness. But what will be interesting to see after the dust settles and actions have been taken by the US is which crossroad the Islamic community will finally take.
An Exhortation to the sons of Ishmael
Galatians 4:
22 It is written that Abraham had two sons,
one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman.
23 His son by the slave woman (Ishmael) was born in the ordinary way;
but his son by the free woman (Isaac) was born as the result of a promise.
28 Now (we Christians), like Isaac, are children of promise.
29 At that time the son born in the ordinary way (Ishmael)
persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. (Isaac) It is the same now.
30 But what does the Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman and her son,
for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son."
(Interesting to note that Bin Laden himself, the master terrorist, was called the son of a slave women by his half-siblings. His father was a polygamist who divorce his mother shortly after she gave birth)
The world's terrorists today are primarily Muslims. Why is that? Christians and Jews have suffered persecution from them and especially in those places where the religion of Islam is dominant. As of late I would note the murder of Christians in Sudan and Indonesia and now even in the US. While the Bible advocates loving your enemy, the Koran advocates violence and hatred. Secondly I would note the religous hypocrisy of many such Muslims. For while they claim to position themselves on the moral high road, they fall far short of it. They are like the religious hypocrites Jesus exhorted in Matthew 23:13+.
Woe to you Muslims, you hypocrites. For you really are not morally superior nor are you pleasing in God's sight as you reject Jesus as the Son of God. Where is your atoning sacrifice? What is the basis for God forgiving your sins? Jesus paid for our sins and for all those who put their faith in Him as the Son of God.
Isaiah 53:4-6
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Your rejection of the Bible is a rejection of the God of the Bible. And your persecution of Christians is a persecution of Christ, the Son of God. Unless you repent, your judgment awaits you. Speaking to Christians suffering persecution the Bible says:
God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. 2Thessalonian 1:6-10
By Steve Amato
9/21/2001
updated 3/30/2005
To Militant Muslims who reject the Gospel
This is what the Holy One of Israel says: "Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern." This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it." Isaiah 30:12-15
Originally posted here
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
History of the Bible
This article, as is 'Differences in Bible Translations ', is a lengthy article. It is however, a MUST read. At the end of the article is a briefing on 4 Christian prophets and Martyrs for the cause, including William Tyndale. So little is known about these Christian hero's and even less credit given to them by the public.
The first hand-written English language Bible manuscripts were produced in the 1380's AD by John Wycliffe, an Oxford professor, scholar, and theologian. Wycliffe, (also spelled “Wycliff” & “Wyclif”), was well-known throughout Europe for his opposition to the teaching of the organized Church, which he believed to be contrary to the Bible. With the help of his followers, called the Lollards, and his assistant Purvey, and many other faithful scribes, Wycliffe produced dozens of English language manuscript copies of the scriptures. They were translated out of the Latin Vulgate, which was the only source text available to Wycliffe. The Pope was so infuriated by his teachings and his translation of the Bible into English, that 44 years after Wycliffe had died, he ordered the bones to be dug-up, crushed, and scattered in the river!
John Hus
One of Wycliffe’s followers, John Hus, actively promoted Wycliffe’s ideas: that people should be permitted to read the Bible in their own language, and they should oppose the tyranny of the Roman church that threatened anyone possessing a non-Latin Bible with execution. Hus was burned at the stake in 1415, with Wycliffe’s manuscript Bibles used as kindling for the fire. The last words of John Hus were that, “in 100 years, God will raise up a man whose calls for reform cannot be suppressed.” Almost exactly 100 years later, in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses of Contention (a list of 95 issues of heretical theology and crimes of the Roman Catholic Church) into the church door at Wittenberg. The prophecy of Hus had come true! Martin Luther went on to be the first person to translate and publish the Bible in the commonly-spoken dialect of the German people; a translation more appealing than previous German Biblical translations. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs records that in that same year, 1517, seven people were burned at the stake by the Roman Catholic Church for the crime of teaching their children to say the Lord’s Prayer in English rather than Latin.
Johann Gutenberg
Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 1450's, and the first book to ever be printed was a Latin language Bible, printed in Mainz, Germany. Gutenberg’s Bibles were surprisingly beautiful, as each leaf Gutenberg printed was later colorfully hand-illuminated. Born as “Johann Gensfleisch” (John Gooseflesh), he preferred to be known as “Johann Gutenberg” (John Beautiful Mountain). Ironically, though he had created what many believe to be the most important invention in history, Gutenberg was a victim of unscrupulous business associates who took control of his business and left him in poverty. Nevertheless, the invention of the movable-type printing press meant that Bibles and books could finally be effectively produced in large quantities in a short period of time. This was essential to the success of the Reformation.
Thomas Linacre
In the 1490’s another Oxford professor, and the personal physician to King Henry the 7th and 8th, Thomas Linacre, decided to learn Greek. After reading the Gospels in Greek, and comparing it to the Latin Vulgate, he wrote in his diary, “Either this (the original Greek) is not the Gospel… or we are not Christians.” The Latin had become so corrupt that it no longer even preserved the message of the Gospel… yet the Church still threatened to kill anyone who read the scripture in any language other than Latin… though Latin was not an original language of the scriptures.
John Colet
In 1496, John Colet, another Oxford professor and the son of the Mayor of London, started reading the New Testament in Greek and translating it into English for his students at Oxford, and later for the public at Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London. The people were so hungry to hear the Word of God in a language they could understand, that within six months there were 20,000 people packed in the church and at least that many outside trying to get in! (Sadly, while the enormous and beautiful Saint Paul’s Cathedral remains the main church in London today, as of 2003, typical Sunday morning worship attendance is only around 200 people… and most of them are tourists). Fortunately for Colet, he was a powerful man with friends in high places, so he amazingly managed to avoid execution.
Erasmus
In considering the experiences of Linacre and Colet, the great scholar Erasmus was so moved to correct the corrupt Latin Vulgate, that in 1516, with the help of printer John Froben, he published a Greek-Latin Parallel New Testament. The Latin part was not the corrupt Vulgate, but his own fresh rendering of the text from the more accurate and reliable Greek, which he had managed to collate from a half-dozen partial old Greek New Testament manuscripts he had acquired. This milestone was the first non-Latin Vulgate text of the scripture to be produced in a millennium… and the first ever to come off a printing press. The 1516 Greek-Latin New Testament of Erasmus further focused attention on just how corrupt and inaccurate the Latin Vulgate had become, and how important it was to go back and use the original Greek (New Testament) and original Hebrew (Old Testament) languages to maintain accuracy… and to translate them faithfully into the languages of the common people, whether that be English, German, or any other tongue. No sympathy for this “illegal activity” was to be found from Rome… even as the words of Pope Leo X's declaration that "the fable of Christ was quite profitable to him" continued through the years to infuriate the people of God.
William Tyndale
William Tyndale was the Captain of the Army of Reformers, and was their spiritual leader. Tyndale holds the distinction of being the first man to ever print the New Testament in the English language. Tyndale was a true scholar and a genius, so fluent in eight languages that it was said one would think any one of them to be his native tongue. He is frequently referred to as the “Architect of the English Language”, (even more so than William Shakespeare) as so many of the phrases Tyndale coined are still in our language today.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther had a small head-start on Tyndale, as Luther declared his intolerance for the Roman Church’s corruption on Halloween in 1517, by nailing his 95 Theses of Contention to the Wittenberg Church door. Luther, who would be exiled in the months following the Diet of Worms Council in 1521 that was designed to martyr him, would translate the New Testament into German for the first time from the 1516 Greek-Latin New Testament of Erasmus, and publish it in September of 1522. Luther also published a German Pentateuch in 1523, and another edition of the German New Testament in 1529. In the 1530’s he would go on to publish the entire Bible in German.
William Tyndale wanted to use the same 1516 Erasmus text as a source to translate and print the New Testament in English for the first time in history. Tyndale showed up on Luther's doorstep in Germany in 1525, and by year's end had translated the New Testament into English. Tyndale had been forced to flee England, because of the wide-spread rumor that his English New Testament project was underway, causing inquisitors and bounty hunters to be constantly on Tyndale's trail to arrest him and prevent his project. God foiled their plans, and in 1525-1526 the Tyndale New Testament became the first printed edition of the scripture in the English language. Subsequent printings of the Tyndale New Testament in the 1530's were often elaborately illustrated.
They were burned as soon as the Bishop could confiscate them, but copies trickled through and actually ended up in the bedroom of King Henry VIII. The more the King and Bishop resisted its distribution, the more fascinated the public at large became. The church declared it contained thousands of errors as they torched hundreds of New Testaments confiscated by the clergy, while in fact, they burned them because they could find no errors at all. One risked death by burning if caught in mere possession of Tyndale's forbidden books.
Having God's Word available to the public in the language of the common man, English, would have meant disaster to the church. No longer would they control access to the scriptures. If people were able to read the Bible in their own tongue, the church's income and power would crumble. They could not possibly continue to get away with selling indulgences (the forgiveness of sins) or selling the release of loved ones from a church-manufactured "Purgatory". People would begin to challenge the church's authority if the church were exposed as frauds and thieves. The contradictions between what God's Word said, and what the priests taught, would open the public's eyes and the truth would set them free from the grip of fear that the institutional church held. Salvation through faith, not works or donations, would be understood. The need for priests would vanish through the priesthood of all believers. The veneration of church-canonized Saints and Mary would be called into question. The availability of the scriptures in English was the biggest threat imaginable to the wicked church. Neither side would give up without a fight.
Today, there are only two known copies left of Tyndale’s 1525-26 First Edition. Any copies printed prior to 1570 are extremely valuable. Tyndale's flight was an inspiration to freedom-loving Englishmen who drew courage from the 11 years that he was hunted. Books and Bibles flowed into England in bales of cotton and sacks of flour. Ironically, Tyndale’s biggest customer was the King’s men, who would buy up every copy available to burn them… and Tyndale used their money to print even more! In the end, Tyndale was caught: betrayed by an Englishman that he had befriended. Tyndale was incarcerated for 500 days before he was strangled and burned at the stake in 1536. Tyndale’s last words were, "Oh Lord, open the King of England’s eyes". This prayer would be answered just three years later in 1539, when King Henry VIII finally allowed, and even funded, the printing of an English Bible known as the “Great Bible”. But before that could happen…
Myles Coverdale
Myles Coverdale and John “Thomas Matthew” Rogers had remained loyal disciples the last six years of Tyndale's life, and they carried the English Bible project forward and even accelerated it. Coverdale finished translating the Old Testament, and in 1535 he printed the first complete Bible in the English language, making use of Luther's German text and the Latin as sources. Thus, the first complete English Bible was printed on October 4, 1535, and is known as the Coverdale Bible.
John Rogers
John Rogers went on to print the second complete English Bible in 1537. It was, however, the first English Bible translated from the original Biblical languages of Hebrew & Greek. He printed it under the pseudonym "Thomas Matthew", (an assumed name that had actually been used by Tyndale at one time) as a considerable part of this Bible was the translation of Tyndale, whose writings had been condemned by the English authorities. It is a composite made up of Tyndale's Pentateuch and New Testament (1534-1535 edition) and Coverdale's Bible and some of Roger's own translation of the text. It remains known most commonly as the Matthew-Tyndale Bible. It went through a nearly identical second-edition printing in 1549.
Thomas Cranmer
In 1539, Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, hired Myles Coverdale at the bequest of King Henry VIII to publish the "Great Bible". It became the first English Bible authorized for public use, as it was distributed to every church, chained to the pulpit, and a reader was even provided so that the illiterate could hear the Word of God in plain English. It would seem that William Tyndale's last wish had been granted...just three years after his martyrdom. Cranmer's Bible, published by Coverdale, was known as the Great Bible due to its great size: a large pulpit folio measuring over 14 inches tall. Seven editions of this version were printed between April of 1539 and December of 1541.
King Henry VIII
It was not that King Henry VIII had a change of conscience regarding publishing the Bible in English. His motives were more sinister… but the Lord sometimes uses the evil intentions of men to bring about His glory. King Henry VIII had in fact, requested that the Pope permit him to divorce his wife and marry his mistress. The Pope refused. King Henry responded by marrying his mistress anyway, (later having two of his many wives executed), and thumbing his nose at the Pope by renouncing Roman Catholicism, taking England out from under Rome’s religious control, and declaring himself as the reigning head of State to also be the new head of the Church. This new branch of the Christian Church, neither Roman Catholic nor truly Protestant, became known as the Anglican Church or the Church of England. King Henry acted essentially as its “Pope”. His first act was to further defy the wishes of Rome by funding the printing of the scriptures in English… the first legal English Bible… just for spite.
Queen Mary
The ebb and flow of freedom continued through the 1540's...and into the 1550's. After King Henry VIII, King Edward VI took the throne, and after his death, the reign of Queen “Bloody” Mary was the next obstacle to the printing of the Bible in English. She was possessed in her quest to return England to the Roman Church. In 1555, John "Thomas Matthew" Rogers and Thomas Cranmer were both burned at the stake. Mary went on to burn reformers at the stake by the hundreds for the "crime" of being a Protestant. This era was known as the Marian Exile, and the refugees fled from England with little hope of ever seeing their home or friends again.
John Foxe
In the 1550's, the Church at Geneva, Switzerland, was very sympathetic to the reformer refugees and was one of only a few safe havens for a desperate people. Many of them met in Geneva, led by Myles Coverdale and John Foxe (publisher of the famous Foxe's Book of Martyrs, which is to this day the only exhaustive reference work on the persecution and martyrdom of Early Christians and Protestants from the first century up to the mid-16th century), as well as Thomas Sampson and William Whittingham. There, with the protection of the great theologian John Calvin (author of the most famous theological book ever published, Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion)and John Knox, the great Reformer of the Scottish Church, the Church of Geneva determined to produce a Bible that would educate their families while they continued in exile.
John Calvin
The New Testament was completed in 1557, and the complete Bible was first published in 1560. It became known as the Geneva Bible. Due to a passage in Genesis describing the clothing that God fashioned for Adam and Eve upon expulsion from the Garden of Eden as "Breeches" (an antiquated form of "Britches"), some people referred to the Geneva Bible as the Breeches Bible.
John Knox
The Geneva Bible was the first Bible to add numbered verses to the chapters, so that referencing specific passages would be easier. Every chapter was also accompanied by extensive marginal notes and references so thorough and complete that the Geneva Bible is also considered the first English "Study Bible". William Shakespeare quotes hundreds of times in his plays from the Geneva translation of the Bible. The Geneva Bible became the Bible of choice for over 100 years of English speaking Christians. Between 1560 and 1644 at least 144 editions of this Bible were published. Examination of the 1611 King James Bible shows clearly that its translators were influenced much more by the Geneva Bible, than by any other source. The Geneva Bible itself retains over 90% of William Tyndale's original English translation. The Geneva in fact, remained more popular than the King James Version until decades after its original release in 1611! The Geneva holds the honor of being the first Bible taken to America, and the Bible of the Puritans and Pilgrims. It is truly the “Bible of the Protestant Reformation.” Strangely, the famous Geneva Bible has been out-of-print since 1644, so the only way to obtain one is to either purchase an original printing of the Geneva Bible, or a less costly facsimile reproduction of the original 1560 Geneva Bible.
With the end of Queen Mary's bloody reign, the reformers could safely return to England. The Anglican Church, now under Queen Elizabeth I, reluctantly tolerated the printing and distribution of Geneva version Bibles in England. The marginal notes, which were vehemently against the institutional Church of the day, did not rest well with the rulers of the day. Another version, one with a less inflammatory tone was desired, and the copies of the Great Bible were getting to be decades old. In 1568, a revision of the Great Bible known as the Bishop's Bible was introduced. Despite 19 editions being printed between 1568 and 1606, this Bible, referred to as the “rough draft of the King James Version”, never gained much of a foothold of popularity among the people. The Geneva may have simply been too much to compete with.
By the 1580's, the Roman Catholic Church saw that it had lost the battle to suppress the will of God: that His Holy Word be available in the English language. In 1582, the Church of Rome surrendered their fight for "Latin only" and decided that if the Bible was to be available in English, they would at least have an official Roman Catholic English translation. And so, using the corrupt and inaccurate Latin Vulgate as the only source text, they went on to publish an English Bible with all the distortions and corruptions that Erasmus had revealed and warned of 75 years earlier. Because it was translated at the Roman Catholic College in the city of Rheims, it was known as the Rheims New Testament (also spelled Rhemes). The Douay Old Testament was translated by the Church of Rome in 1609 at the College in the city of Douay (also spelled Doway & Douai). The combined product is commonly referred to as the "Doway/Rheims" Version. In 1589, Dr. William Fulke of Cambridge published the "Fulke's Refutation", in which he printed in parallel columns the Bishops Version along side the Rheims Version, attempting to show the error and distortion of the Roman Church's corrupt compromise of an English version of the Bible.
King James I
With the death of Queen Elizabeth I, Prince James VI of Scotland became King James I of England. The Protestant clergy approached the new King in 1604 and announced their desire for a new translation to replace the Bishop's Bible first printed in 1568. They knew that the Geneva Version had won the hearts of the people because of its excellent scholarship, accuracy, and exhaustive commentary. However, they did not want the controversial marginal notes (proclaiming the Pope an Anti-Christ, etc.) Essentially, the leaders of the church desired a Bible for the people, with scriptural references only for word clarification or cross-references.
This "translation to end all translations" (for a while at least) was the result of the combined effort of about fifty scholars. They took into consideration: The Tyndale New Testament, The Coverdale Bible, The Matthews Bible, The Great Bible, The Geneva Bible, and even the Rheims New Testament. The great revision of the Bishop's Bible had begun. From 1605 to 1606 the scholars engaged in private research. From 1607 to 1609 the work was assembled. In 1610 the work went to press, and in 1611 the first of the huge (16 inch tall) pulpit folios known today as "The 1611 King James Bible" came off the printing press. A typographical discrepancy in Ruth 3:15 rendered a pronoun "He" instead of "She" in that verse in some printings. This caused some of the 1611 First Editions to be known by collectors as "He" Bibles, and others as "She" Bibles. Starting just one year after the huge 1611 pulpit-size King James Bibles were printed and chained to every church pulpit in England; printing then began on the earliest normal-size printings of the King James Bible. These were produced so individuals could have their own personal copy of the Bible.
John Bunyan
The Anglican Church’s King James Bible took decades to overcome the more popular Protestant Church’s Geneva Bible. One of the greatest ironies of history, is that many Protestant Christian churches today embrace the King James Bible exclusively as the “only” legitimate English language translation… yet it is not even a Protestant translation! It was printed to compete with the Protestant Geneva Bible, by authorities who throughout most of history were hostile to Protestants… and killed them. While many Protestants are quick to assign the full blame of persecution to the Roman Catholic Church, it should be noted that even after England broke from Roman Catholicism in the 1500’s, the Church of England (The Anglican Church) continued to persecute Protestants throughout the 1600’s. One famous example of this is John Bunyan, who while in prison for the crime of preaching the Gospel, wrote one of Christian history’s greatest books, Pilgrim’s Progress. Throughout the 1600’s, as the Puritans and the Pilgrims fled the religious persecution of England to cross the Atlantic and start a new free nation in America, they took with them their precious Geneva Bible, and rejected the King’s Bible. America was founded upon the Geneva Bible, not the King James Bible.
Protestants today are largely unaware of their own history, and unaware of the Geneva Bible (which is textually 95% the same as the King James Version, but 50 years older than the King James Version, and not influenced by the Roman Catholic Rheims New Testament that the King James translators admittedly took into consideration). Nevertheless, the King James Bible turned out to be an excellent and accurate translation, and it became the most printed book in the history of the world, and the only book with one billion copies in print. In fact, for over 250 years...until the appearance of the English Revised Version of 1881-1885...the King James Version reigned without much of a rival. One little-known fact, is that for the past 200 years, all King James Bibles published in America are actually the 1769 Baskerville spelling and wording revision of the 1611. The original “1611” preface is deceivingly included by the publishers, and no mention of the fact that it is really the 1769 version is to be found, because that might hurt sales. The only way to obtain a true, unaltered, 1611 version is to either purchase an original pre-1769 printing of the King James Bible, or a less costly facsimile reproduction of the original 1611 King James Bible.
In 1982, Thomas Nelson Publishers produced what they called the “New King James Version”. Their original intent was to keep the basic wording of the King James to appeal to King James Version loyalists, while only changing the most obscure words and the Elizabethan “thee, thy, thou” pronouns. This was an interesting marketing ploy, however, upon discovering that this was not enough of a change for them to be able to legally copyright the result, they had to make more significant revisions, which defeated their purpose in the first place. It was never taken seriously by scholars, but it has enjoyed some degree of public acceptance, simply because of its clever “New King James Version” marketing name.
In 2002, a major attempt was made to bridge the gap between the simple readability of the N.I.V., and the extremely precise accuracy of the N.A.S.B. This translation is called the English Standard Version (E.S.V.) and is rapidly gaining popularity for its readability and accuracy. The 21st Century will certainly continue to bring new translations of God’s Word in the modern English language.
As Christians, we must be very careful to make intelligent and informed decisions about what translations of the Bible we choose to read. We have people who would give us heretical new translations that attempt to change God’s Word to make it politically correct. One example of this, which has made headlines recently is the Today’s New International Version (T.N.I.V.) which seeks to remove all gender-specific references in the Bible whenever possible! Not all new translations are good… and some are very bad.
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Christian Martyrs in the fight for Gods Word in the English language
William Tyndale
William Tyndale (1494-1536) Biblical translator and martyr; born most probably at North Nibley (15 miles south-west of Gloucester), England, in 1494; died at Vilvoorden (6 miles north-east of Brussels), Belgium, Oct. 6, 1536. Tyndale was descended from an ancient Northumbrian family, went to school at Oxford, and afterward to Magdalen Hall and Cambridge.
William Tyndale Overview
Tyndale was a theologian and scholar who translated the Bible into an early form of Modern English. He was the first person to take advantage of Gutenberg’s movable-type press for the purpose of printing the scriptures in the English language. Besides translating the Bible, Tyndale also held and published views which were considered heretical, first by the Catholic Church, and later by the Church of England which was established by Henry VIII. His Bible translation also included notes and commentary promoting these views. Tyndale's translation was banned by the authorities, and Tyndale himself was burned at the stake in 1536, at the instigation of agents of Henry VIII and the Anglican Church.
The Early Years of William Tyndale
Tyndale enrolled at Oxford in 1505, and grew up at the University. He received his Master’s Degree in 1515 at the age of twenty-one! He proved to be a gifted linguist. One of Tyndale’s associates commented that Tyndale was “so skilled in eight languages – Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Spanish, French, Italian, English, and German, that whichever he speaks, you might think it his native tongue!” This gift undoubtedly aided him in his successful evasion of the authorities during his years of exile from England.
Early Controversy Surrounding Tyndale
Around 1520, William Tyndale became a tutor in the family of Sir John Walsh, at Little Sodbury in Gloucestershire. Having become attached to the doctrines of the Reformation, and devoted himself to the study of the Scriptures, the open avowal of his sentiments in the house of Walsh, his disputes with Roman Catholic dignitaries there, and especially his preaching, excited much opposition, and led to his removal to London (about Oct., 1523), where he began to preach, and made many friends among the laity, but none among church leaders.
A clergyman hopelessly entrenched in Roman Catholic dogma once taunted Tyndale with the statement, “We are better to be without God’s laws than the Pope’s”. Tyndale was infuriated by such Roman Catholic heresies, and he replied, “I defy the Pope and all his laws. If God spare my life ere many years, I will cause the boy that drives the plow to know more of the scriptures than you!”
William Tyndale First Prints The Scripture in English
He was hospitably entertained at the house of Sir Humphrey Monmouth, and also financially aided by him and others in the accomplishment of his purpose to translate the Scriptures into the commonly spoken English of the day. Unable to do so in England, he set out for the continent (about May, 1524), and appears to have visited Hamburg and Wittenberg. The place where he translated the New Testament, is thought to have been Wittenberg, under the aid of Martin Luther. The printing of this English New Testament in quarto was begun at Cologne in the summer of 1525, and completed at Worms, and that there was likewise printed an octavo edition, both before the end of that year. William Tyndale’s Biblical translations appeared in the following order: New Testament, 1525-26; Pentateuch, 1530; Jonah, 1531.
His literary activity during that interval was extraordinary. When he left England, his knowledge of Hebrew, if he had any, was of the most rudimentary nature; and yet he mastered that difficult tongue so as to produce from the original an admirable translation of the entire Pentateuch, the Books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings, First Chronicles, contained in Matthew's Bible of 1537, and of the Book of Jonah, so excellent, indeed, that his work is not only the basis of those portions of the Authorized King James Version of 1611, but constitutes nine-tenths of that translation, and very largely that of the English Revised Version of 1885.
In addition to these he produced the following works. His first original composition, A Pathway into the Holy Scripture, is really a reprint, slightly altered, of his Prologue to the quarto edition of his New Testament, and had appeared in separate form before 1532; The Parable of the Wicked Mammon (1527); and The Obedience of a Christian Man (1527-28). These several works drew out in 1529 Sir Thomas More's Dialogue, etc. In 1530 appeared Tyndale's Practyse of Prelates, and in 1531 his Answer to the Dialogue, his Exposition of the First Epistle of St. John, and the famous Prologue to Jonah; in 1532, An Exposition upon the V. VI. VII. Chapters of Matthew; and in 1536, A Brief Declaration of the Sacraments, etc., which seems to be a posthumous publication. Joshua-Second Chronicles also was published after his death.
All these works were written during those mysterious years, in places of concealment so secure and well chosen, that neither the ecclesiastical nor diplomatic emissaries of Wolsey and Henry VIII., charged to track, hunt down, and seize the fugitive, were able to reach them, and they are even yet unknown. Under the idea that the progress of the Reformation in England rendered it safe for him to leave his concealment, he settled at Antwerp in 1534, and combined the work of an evangelist with that of a translator of the Bible.
The Betrayal and Death of William Tyndale
Tyndale was betrayed by a friend, Philips, the agent either of Henry or of English ecclesiastics, or possibly of both. Tyndale was arrested and imprisoned in the castle of Vilvoorden for over 500 days of horrible conditions. He was tried for heresy and treason in a ridiculously unfair trial, and convicted. Tyndale was then strangled and burnt at the stake in the prison yard, Oct. 6, 1536. His last words were, "Lord, open the king of England's eyes." This prayer was answered three years later, in the publication of King Henry VIII’s 1539 English “Great Bible”.
Tyndale's place in history has not yet been sufficiently recognized as a translator of the Scriptures, as an apostle of liberty, and as a chief promoter of the Reformation in England. In all these respects his influence has been singularly under-valued. The sweeping statement found in almost all histories, that Tyndale translated from the Vulgate and Luther, is most damaging to the reputation of the writers who make it; for, as a matter of fact, it is contrary to truth, since his translations are made directly from the originals, with the aid of the Erasmus 1516 Greek-Latin New Testament, and the best available Hebrew texts. The Prolegomena in Mombert's William Tyndale's Five Books of Moses show conclusively that Tyndale's Pentateuch is a translation of the Hebrew original.
Tyndales Challenges to the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church had long proclaimed that the church was an institution. The word church to them had come to represent the organizational structure that was the Catholic Church. Tyndale’s translation was seen as a challenge to this doctrine because he was seen to have favored the views of reformers like Martin Luther who proclaimed that the church was made up and defined by the believers, or in other words their congregations. Some radical reformers preached that the true church was the “invisible” church, that wherever true Christians meet together to preach the word of God was where the church was. To these reformers the structure of the Catholic Church was unnecessary and its very existence proved that it was in fact not the “true” Church. When Tyndale decided that the Greek word εκκλησία (ekklesia) is more accurately translated congregation he was undermining the entire structure of the Catholic Church. Many of the reform movements believed in the authority of scripture alone. To them it dictated how the church should be organized and administered. By changing the translation from church to congregation Tyndale was providing ammunition for the beliefs of the reformers. Their belief that the church was not a visible systematized institution but a body defined by the believers themselves was now to be found directly in the Holy Scripture. Furthermore Tyndale’s use of the word congregation attacked the Catholic Church’s doctrine that the lay members and the clergy were to be separate. If the true church is defined as a congregation, as the common believers, then the Catholic Church’s claim that the clergy were of a higher order than the average Christian and that they had different roles to play in the religious process no longer held sway.
Tyndale’s translation of the Greek word πρεσβύτερος (presbuteros) to mean elder instead of priest also challenged the doctrines of the Catholic Church. In particular, it asked what the role of the clergy should be and whether or not they were to be separated from the common believers as they were in the current Catholic system. The role of the priest in the Catholic Church had been to lead religious sermons and ceremonies like mass, to read the scripture to the people, and to administer the sacraments. They were considered separate from the common believers. In many reform movements a group of elders would lead the church and take the place of the Catholic priests. These elders were not a separate class from the common believers; in fact, they were usually selected from amongst them. Many reformers believed in the idea of the “priesthood of all believers,” which meant that every Christian was in fact a priest and had the right to read and interpret scripture. Tyndale’s translation stripped away the scriptural basis of Catholic clerical power. Priests no longer administered the church: it was the job of the elders, which implied that the power rested in the hands of the people.
Catholic doctrine was also challenged by Tyndale’s translation of the Greek μετανοείτε (metanoeite) as repent instead of do penance. This translation attacked the Catholic sacrament of penance. Tyndale’s version of scripture backed up the views of reformers like Luther who had taken issue with the Catholic practice of sacramental penance. Reformers believed that it was through faith alone that one was saved. This differed from the views of the Catholic Church, which followed the belief that salvation was granted to those who lived accordingly to what the church told them and thus participated in the seven sacraments. Tyndale’s translation challenged the belief that one had to do penance for one’s sins. According to Tyndale’s New Testament and other reformers, all the believer had to do was repent with a sincere heart, and God would forgive them. The believer did not have to earn their salvation; it was given freely to them by God. All they had to do was believe in his promise and live accordingly.
The Tyndale Bible also challenged the Catholic Church in many other ways. The fact that it was translated into a vernacular language made it available to the common people. This allowed everyone access to scripture and gave the common people the ability to read (if they were literate) and interpret scripture how they wished, exposing it to the threat of being "twisted to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures" (2 Peter 3.16) instead of relying on the church for their access to scripture. The main threat that Tyndale’s Bible caused to the Catholic Church is best summed up by Tyndale himself when he tells us of his reason for creating his translation in the first place. Tyndale’s purpose was to “[cause a boy that driveth the plough to know more scripture] than the clergy of the day”, many of which were poorly educated. Thus Tyndale sought to undermine the Catholic Church’s grip on the both access to and interpretation of scripture. They were no longer needed as intercessors between the people and God.
Legacy left by William Tyndale
The legacy of Tyndale’s Bible cannot be overstated. His translations laid the foundations for many of the English Bibles which followed his. His work made up a significant portion of the Matthew Bible which was the first authorized version of the English Bible. The Tyndale Bible also played a key role in spreading reformation ideas to England which had been reluctant to embrace the movement. His works also allowed the people of England direct access to the words and ideas of Martin Luther whose works had been banned by the state. Tyndale achieved this by including many of Luther’s commentaries in his works. The Tyndale Bible’s greatest impact on society today is that it heavily influenced and contributed to the creation of the King James Version, which is one of the most popular and widely used Bibles in the world today. Scholars tell us that around 90% of the King James Version is from Tyndale’s works with as much as one third of the text being word for word Tyndale. Many of the popular phrases and Bible verses that people quote today are mainly in the language of Tyndale. An example of which is Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers.” The importance of the Tyndale Bible in shaping and influencing the English language is paramount. According to one scholar Tyndale is “the man who more than Shakespeare even or Bunyan has moulded and enriched our language.”
Tyndale used thou and never you as the singular second-person pronoun in his work (usage that was later reflected in the very influential King James Version), which had the double effect of rescuing thou from complete obscurity and also imbuing it with an air of religious solemnity that is antithetical to its former sense of familiarity or disrespect.
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Myles Coverdale
Myles Coverdale produced the first complete printed translation of the Bible in English. He was born probably in the district known as Cover-dale, in that part of the North Riding of Yorkshire called Richmondshire, England, 1488. He died in London and was buried in St. Bartholomew's Church Feb. 19, 1568.
Early Years of Myles Coverdale
Myles Coverdale became priest at Norwich in 1514, and entered the convent of Austin friars at Cambridge, where Robert Barnes was prior in 1523 and probably influenced him in favor of Protestantism. When Barnes was tried for heresy in 1526 Coverdale assisted in his defense, and shortly afterward left the convent and gave himself entirely to preaching. He studied at Cambridge, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in canon law 1531.
The Coverdale Bible
In 1535, Myles Coverdale secured his place in history forever, by becoming the first person to print an entire Bible in the English language. In 1537 some of his translations were included in the Matthew-Tyndale Bible, the first true, direct English translation of the complete Bible. In 1538 he was in Paris, superintending the printing of King Henry VIII’s "Great Bible," of 1539, and the same year, published, both in London and Paris, an English New Testament. He also edited "Cranmer's Bible ", the 1540 edition of the Great Bible.
He returned to England in 1539, but on the execution of Thomas Cromwell (who had been his friend and protector since 1527) in 1540 was compelled, again to go into exile, lived for a time at Tubingen. Between 1543 and 1547, Myles Coverdale was Lutheran pastor and schoolmaster at Bergzabern in the Palatinate, and very poor.
Coverdale’s Long & Productive Career in Bible Printing
In Mar., 1548, he went back to England, was well received at court and made King's Chaplain. In 1551 he became bishop of Exeter, but was deprived of that position in 1553 after the succession of Queen “Bloody” Mary. He went to Denmark (where his brother-in-law was chaplain to the king), then to Wesel, and finally back to Bergzabern. In 1559 he was again in England, but was not reinstated as Bishop, perhaps because of Puritanical scruples about vestments. Myles Coverdale contributed to the production of the Protestant refugee’s Geneva Bible, first produced in 1577 (New Testament) and 1560 (whole Bible). From 1564 to 1566 he was rector of St. Magnus's, near London Bridge.
Myles Coverdale was said to be a “pious, conscientious, laborious, generous, and a thoroughly honest and good man”. He knew German and Latin well, some Greek and Hebrew, and a little French. He did little original literary work. As a translator he was faithful and harmonious. He was fairly read in theology, and became more inclined to Puritan ideas as his life wore on. All accounts agree in his remarkable popularity as a preacher. He was a leading figure during the progress of the Reformed opinions. It could also be said of Myles Coverdale, that he had a part in the publication of more different editions of England language Bibles in the 1500’s, than any other person in history.
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John Rogers
John Rogers was born in 1500 in the parish of Aston, near Birmingham. He was a minister, Bible translator and commentator. John Rogers was the first English Protestant martyr to be executed by Mary I of England, a.k.a. “Queen Bloody Mary”. He was burned at the stake on February 4, 1555 at Smithfield.
Early Years of John Rogers
John Rogers, was educated at Pembroke Hall, Cambridge University, where he graduated with a B.A. in 1526. Six years later he was rector of Holy Trinity, Queenhithe, London, and in 1534 went to Antwerp as chaplain to the English merchants of the Company of the Merchant Adventurers. Here he met William Tyndale, under whose influence he abandoned the Roman Catholic faith. Rogers took a wife named Adriana, a native of Antwerp, who eventually bore him ten children.
John Rogers / Thomas Matthew and the 1537 Bible
After Tyndale's death Rogers pushed on with his predecessor's English version of the Old Testament, which he used as far as Second Chronicles, employing Myles Coverdale's translation of 1535 for the remainder and for the Apocrypha. The complete Bible was put out under the pseudonym of Thomas Matthew in 1537. John Rogers used the assumed name “Thomas Matthew” to avoid persecution and prosecution by the authorities who continued to forbid under penalty of death, the printing of the scriptures in the English language. As the work could obviously not be done safely in England, the Bible was printed in Paris and Antwerp by his wife Adriana's uncle, Sir Jacobus van Meteren.
John Rogers had little to do with the translation, but he contributed some valuable prefaces and marginal notes -- often cited as the first original English language commentary on the Bible. Rogers also contributed the Song of Manasses in the Apocrypha which he found in a French Bible printed in 1535. His work was largely used by those who prepared the Great Bible of1539-40, out of which in turn came the Bishops' Bible of 1568 and the Authorized Version of King James in 1611.
After taking charge of a Protestant congregation in Wittenberg for some years, John Rogers returned to England in 1548, where he published a translation of Philipp Melanchthon's Considerations of the Augsburg Interim. In 1551, John Rogers was made a prebendary of St. Paul's Church, where the Dean and Chapter soon appointed him as the divinity lecturer. He courageously denounced the greed shown by certain courtiers with reference to the property of the suppressed monasteries, and defended himself before the privy council. He also declined to wear the prescribed vestments, donning instead a simple round cap.
John Rogers Preaches Boldly Against Catholicism
As Queen Mary took the throne, John Rogers preached at Paul's Cross commending the "true doctrine taught in King Edward's days," and warning his hearers against the "pestilent Popery, idolatry and superstition." Of the Roman Catholic Church. Ten days after this bold public display, on August 16, 1553, John Rogers was summoned before the council and bidden to keep within his own house. In January 1554 Bonner, the new bishop of London, sent him to Newgate Prison, where he lay with John Hooper, Laurence Saunders, John Bradford and others for a year, where their petitions were disregarded. In December 1554 parliament re-enacted the penal statutes against Lollards, and on January 22, 1555, two days after they took effect, Rogers with ten others came before the council at Gardiner's house in Southwark, and held his own in the examination that took place. On January 28 & 29, he came before the commission appointed by Cardinal Pole, and was sentenced to death by Gardiner for heretically denying the Christian character of the Church of Rome and the physical presence of the body of Christ in the sacrament of communion.
The Death of John Rogers
When the time came that he should be brought out of Newgate Prison to Smithfield, the place of his execution, Mr. Woodroofe, one of the sheriffs, first came to John Rogers, and asked him if he would revoke his abominable doctrine, and the evil opinion of the Sacrament of the altar. Rogers answered, "That which I have preached I will seal with my blood." Then Mr. Woodroofe said, "Thou art an heretic." Rogers replied "That shall be known at the Day of Judgment." Mr. Woodroofe added, "I will never pray for thee." Though Rogers responded "But I will pray for you.”
John Rogers awaited and met death on the 4th of February 1555 at Smithfield cheerfully, though he was denied even a last moment with his wife. Rogers stands as the first blood on the hands of Queen “Bloody” Mary… and the first of hundreds more to come. Noailles, the French ambassador, speaks of the support given to John Rogers by the majority of the people commenting, "even his children assisted at it, comforting him in such a manner that it seemed as if he had been led to a wedding rather than an execution."
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Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer was born in 1489 at Nottingham. He was educated at Cambridge, and became a priest following the death of his first wife. Cranmer served as Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of the English kings Henry VIII and Edward VI.
The Early Years of Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer entered the ministry for a simple reason: his father only had enough land to give his eldest son, so Thomas and his younger brother - as poor members of the gentry - joined the clergy. Cranmer was given a fellowship at Jesus College, Cambridge in 1510, which he lost when he married the daughter of a local tavern-keeper. She died in childbirth, at which point he was re-accepted by the college and devoted himself to study. He took holy orders in 1523.
Cranmer’s Friends in High Places
A plague forced Cranmer to leave Cambridge for Essex. Here, he came to the attention of King Henry VIII, who was staying nearby. The King found Cranmer a willing advocate for desired divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Cranmer argued the case as part of the embassy to Rome in 1530, and in 1532 became ambassador to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
Cranmer’s Change of Heart
Cranmer was sent to Germany to learn more about the Lutheran movement, where he met Andreas Osiander, a Lutheran reformer whose ideology appealed to him. Osiander's niece also appealed to him, and Cranmer and the niece, Margaret, were married that year. Cranmer was becoming a Protestant… in the Kings Court!
On March 30, 1533, he became Archbishop of Canterbury, and forced (for a time) to hide his married state. Once his appointment was approved by the Pope, Cranmer declared King Henry's marriage to Catherine void, and four months later married him to Anne Boleyn. In 1536 it was Anne Boleyn’s marriage that was declared invalid, then Anne of Cleves 1540, then Catherine Howard. As King Henry divorces his many wives, Cranmer continued to be warmly supported by King Henry.
The Church of England & The Book of Common Prayer
Thomas Cranmer carefully danced around the politics of his position, and was able to push through the reforms that led gradually to the creation of the Church of England. Under the reign of Edward VI, Cranmer was allowed to make the doctrinal changes he thought necessary to the church. In 1549 he helped complete the Book of Common Prayer, for which his contributions are well-known.
After Edward VI's death, Thomas Cranmer supported Lady Jane Grey as successor. Her nine-day reign was followed by the Roman Catholic Queen “Bloody” Mary, who tried him for treason. After a long trial and imprisonment, he was forced to proclaim to the public his error in the support of Protestantism, an act designed to discourage followers of the religion.
The Death of Thomas Cranmer
However, at his execution on March 21, 1556, he withdrew his forced confession, and proclaimed the truth of the Protestant faith. He placed his hand in the fire, the hand with which he had falsely signed his renouncement of his beliefs, and said, "This hath offended!" With that gesture, the government's hope of quelling the Protestant Reformation was lost.
The first hand-written English language Bible manuscripts were produced in the 1380's AD by John Wycliffe, an Oxford professor, scholar, and theologian. Wycliffe, (also spelled “Wycliff” & “Wyclif”), was well-known throughout Europe for his opposition to the teaching of the organized Church, which he believed to be contrary to the Bible. With the help of his followers, called the Lollards, and his assistant Purvey, and many other faithful scribes, Wycliffe produced dozens of English language manuscript copies of the scriptures. They were translated out of the Latin Vulgate, which was the only source text available to Wycliffe. The Pope was so infuriated by his teachings and his translation of the Bible into English, that 44 years after Wycliffe had died, he ordered the bones to be dug-up, crushed, and scattered in the river!
John Hus
One of Wycliffe’s followers, John Hus, actively promoted Wycliffe’s ideas: that people should be permitted to read the Bible in their own language, and they should oppose the tyranny of the Roman church that threatened anyone possessing a non-Latin Bible with execution. Hus was burned at the stake in 1415, with Wycliffe’s manuscript Bibles used as kindling for the fire. The last words of John Hus were that, “in 100 years, God will raise up a man whose calls for reform cannot be suppressed.” Almost exactly 100 years later, in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses of Contention (a list of 95 issues of heretical theology and crimes of the Roman Catholic Church) into the church door at Wittenberg. The prophecy of Hus had come true! Martin Luther went on to be the first person to translate and publish the Bible in the commonly-spoken dialect of the German people; a translation more appealing than previous German Biblical translations. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs records that in that same year, 1517, seven people were burned at the stake by the Roman Catholic Church for the crime of teaching their children to say the Lord’s Prayer in English rather than Latin.
Johann Gutenberg
Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 1450's, and the first book to ever be printed was a Latin language Bible, printed in Mainz, Germany. Gutenberg’s Bibles were surprisingly beautiful, as each leaf Gutenberg printed was later colorfully hand-illuminated. Born as “Johann Gensfleisch” (John Gooseflesh), he preferred to be known as “Johann Gutenberg” (John Beautiful Mountain). Ironically, though he had created what many believe to be the most important invention in history, Gutenberg was a victim of unscrupulous business associates who took control of his business and left him in poverty. Nevertheless, the invention of the movable-type printing press meant that Bibles and books could finally be effectively produced in large quantities in a short period of time. This was essential to the success of the Reformation.
Thomas Linacre
In the 1490’s another Oxford professor, and the personal physician to King Henry the 7th and 8th, Thomas Linacre, decided to learn Greek. After reading the Gospels in Greek, and comparing it to the Latin Vulgate, he wrote in his diary, “Either this (the original Greek) is not the Gospel… or we are not Christians.” The Latin had become so corrupt that it no longer even preserved the message of the Gospel… yet the Church still threatened to kill anyone who read the scripture in any language other than Latin… though Latin was not an original language of the scriptures.
John Colet
In 1496, John Colet, another Oxford professor and the son of the Mayor of London, started reading the New Testament in Greek and translating it into English for his students at Oxford, and later for the public at Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London. The people were so hungry to hear the Word of God in a language they could understand, that within six months there were 20,000 people packed in the church and at least that many outside trying to get in! (Sadly, while the enormous and beautiful Saint Paul’s Cathedral remains the main church in London today, as of 2003, typical Sunday morning worship attendance is only around 200 people… and most of them are tourists). Fortunately for Colet, he was a powerful man with friends in high places, so he amazingly managed to avoid execution.
Erasmus
In considering the experiences of Linacre and Colet, the great scholar Erasmus was so moved to correct the corrupt Latin Vulgate, that in 1516, with the help of printer John Froben, he published a Greek-Latin Parallel New Testament. The Latin part was not the corrupt Vulgate, but his own fresh rendering of the text from the more accurate and reliable Greek, which he had managed to collate from a half-dozen partial old Greek New Testament manuscripts he had acquired. This milestone was the first non-Latin Vulgate text of the scripture to be produced in a millennium… and the first ever to come off a printing press. The 1516 Greek-Latin New Testament of Erasmus further focused attention on just how corrupt and inaccurate the Latin Vulgate had become, and how important it was to go back and use the original Greek (New Testament) and original Hebrew (Old Testament) languages to maintain accuracy… and to translate them faithfully into the languages of the common people, whether that be English, German, or any other tongue. No sympathy for this “illegal activity” was to be found from Rome… even as the words of Pope Leo X's declaration that "the fable of Christ was quite profitable to him" continued through the years to infuriate the people of God.
William Tyndale
William Tyndale was the Captain of the Army of Reformers, and was their spiritual leader. Tyndale holds the distinction of being the first man to ever print the New Testament in the English language. Tyndale was a true scholar and a genius, so fluent in eight languages that it was said one would think any one of them to be his native tongue. He is frequently referred to as the “Architect of the English Language”, (even more so than William Shakespeare) as so many of the phrases Tyndale coined are still in our language today.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther had a small head-start on Tyndale, as Luther declared his intolerance for the Roman Church’s corruption on Halloween in 1517, by nailing his 95 Theses of Contention to the Wittenberg Church door. Luther, who would be exiled in the months following the Diet of Worms Council in 1521 that was designed to martyr him, would translate the New Testament into German for the first time from the 1516 Greek-Latin New Testament of Erasmus, and publish it in September of 1522. Luther also published a German Pentateuch in 1523, and another edition of the German New Testament in 1529. In the 1530’s he would go on to publish the entire Bible in German.
William Tyndale wanted to use the same 1516 Erasmus text as a source to translate and print the New Testament in English for the first time in history. Tyndale showed up on Luther's doorstep in Germany in 1525, and by year's end had translated the New Testament into English. Tyndale had been forced to flee England, because of the wide-spread rumor that his English New Testament project was underway, causing inquisitors and bounty hunters to be constantly on Tyndale's trail to arrest him and prevent his project. God foiled their plans, and in 1525-1526 the Tyndale New Testament became the first printed edition of the scripture in the English language. Subsequent printings of the Tyndale New Testament in the 1530's were often elaborately illustrated.
They were burned as soon as the Bishop could confiscate them, but copies trickled through and actually ended up in the bedroom of King Henry VIII. The more the King and Bishop resisted its distribution, the more fascinated the public at large became. The church declared it contained thousands of errors as they torched hundreds of New Testaments confiscated by the clergy, while in fact, they burned them because they could find no errors at all. One risked death by burning if caught in mere possession of Tyndale's forbidden books.
Having God's Word available to the public in the language of the common man, English, would have meant disaster to the church. No longer would they control access to the scriptures. If people were able to read the Bible in their own tongue, the church's income and power would crumble. They could not possibly continue to get away with selling indulgences (the forgiveness of sins) or selling the release of loved ones from a church-manufactured "Purgatory". People would begin to challenge the church's authority if the church were exposed as frauds and thieves. The contradictions between what God's Word said, and what the priests taught, would open the public's eyes and the truth would set them free from the grip of fear that the institutional church held. Salvation through faith, not works or donations, would be understood. The need for priests would vanish through the priesthood of all believers. The veneration of church-canonized Saints and Mary would be called into question. The availability of the scriptures in English was the biggest threat imaginable to the wicked church. Neither side would give up without a fight.
Today, there are only two known copies left of Tyndale’s 1525-26 First Edition. Any copies printed prior to 1570 are extremely valuable. Tyndale's flight was an inspiration to freedom-loving Englishmen who drew courage from the 11 years that he was hunted. Books and Bibles flowed into England in bales of cotton and sacks of flour. Ironically, Tyndale’s biggest customer was the King’s men, who would buy up every copy available to burn them… and Tyndale used their money to print even more! In the end, Tyndale was caught: betrayed by an Englishman that he had befriended. Tyndale was incarcerated for 500 days before he was strangled and burned at the stake in 1536. Tyndale’s last words were, "Oh Lord, open the King of England’s eyes". This prayer would be answered just three years later in 1539, when King Henry VIII finally allowed, and even funded, the printing of an English Bible known as the “Great Bible”. But before that could happen…
Myles Coverdale
Myles Coverdale and John “Thomas Matthew” Rogers had remained loyal disciples the last six years of Tyndale's life, and they carried the English Bible project forward and even accelerated it. Coverdale finished translating the Old Testament, and in 1535 he printed the first complete Bible in the English language, making use of Luther's German text and the Latin as sources. Thus, the first complete English Bible was printed on October 4, 1535, and is known as the Coverdale Bible.
John Rogers
John Rogers went on to print the second complete English Bible in 1537. It was, however, the first English Bible translated from the original Biblical languages of Hebrew & Greek. He printed it under the pseudonym "Thomas Matthew", (an assumed name that had actually been used by Tyndale at one time) as a considerable part of this Bible was the translation of Tyndale, whose writings had been condemned by the English authorities. It is a composite made up of Tyndale's Pentateuch and New Testament (1534-1535 edition) and Coverdale's Bible and some of Roger's own translation of the text. It remains known most commonly as the Matthew-Tyndale Bible. It went through a nearly identical second-edition printing in 1549.
Thomas Cranmer
In 1539, Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, hired Myles Coverdale at the bequest of King Henry VIII to publish the "Great Bible". It became the first English Bible authorized for public use, as it was distributed to every church, chained to the pulpit, and a reader was even provided so that the illiterate could hear the Word of God in plain English. It would seem that William Tyndale's last wish had been granted...just three years after his martyrdom. Cranmer's Bible, published by Coverdale, was known as the Great Bible due to its great size: a large pulpit folio measuring over 14 inches tall. Seven editions of this version were printed between April of 1539 and December of 1541.
King Henry VIII
It was not that King Henry VIII had a change of conscience regarding publishing the Bible in English. His motives were more sinister… but the Lord sometimes uses the evil intentions of men to bring about His glory. King Henry VIII had in fact, requested that the Pope permit him to divorce his wife and marry his mistress. The Pope refused. King Henry responded by marrying his mistress anyway, (later having two of his many wives executed), and thumbing his nose at the Pope by renouncing Roman Catholicism, taking England out from under Rome’s religious control, and declaring himself as the reigning head of State to also be the new head of the Church. This new branch of the Christian Church, neither Roman Catholic nor truly Protestant, became known as the Anglican Church or the Church of England. King Henry acted essentially as its “Pope”. His first act was to further defy the wishes of Rome by funding the printing of the scriptures in English… the first legal English Bible… just for spite.
Queen Mary
The ebb and flow of freedom continued through the 1540's...and into the 1550's. After King Henry VIII, King Edward VI took the throne, and after his death, the reign of Queen “Bloody” Mary was the next obstacle to the printing of the Bible in English. She was possessed in her quest to return England to the Roman Church. In 1555, John "Thomas Matthew" Rogers and Thomas Cranmer were both burned at the stake. Mary went on to burn reformers at the stake by the hundreds for the "crime" of being a Protestant. This era was known as the Marian Exile, and the refugees fled from England with little hope of ever seeing their home or friends again.
John Foxe
In the 1550's, the Church at Geneva, Switzerland, was very sympathetic to the reformer refugees and was one of only a few safe havens for a desperate people. Many of them met in Geneva, led by Myles Coverdale and John Foxe (publisher of the famous Foxe's Book of Martyrs, which is to this day the only exhaustive reference work on the persecution and martyrdom of Early Christians and Protestants from the first century up to the mid-16th century), as well as Thomas Sampson and William Whittingham. There, with the protection of the great theologian John Calvin (author of the most famous theological book ever published, Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion)and John Knox, the great Reformer of the Scottish Church, the Church of Geneva determined to produce a Bible that would educate their families while they continued in exile.
John Calvin
The New Testament was completed in 1557, and the complete Bible was first published in 1560. It became known as the Geneva Bible. Due to a passage in Genesis describing the clothing that God fashioned for Adam and Eve upon expulsion from the Garden of Eden as "Breeches" (an antiquated form of "Britches"), some people referred to the Geneva Bible as the Breeches Bible.
John Knox
The Geneva Bible was the first Bible to add numbered verses to the chapters, so that referencing specific passages would be easier. Every chapter was also accompanied by extensive marginal notes and references so thorough and complete that the Geneva Bible is also considered the first English "Study Bible". William Shakespeare quotes hundreds of times in his plays from the Geneva translation of the Bible. The Geneva Bible became the Bible of choice for over 100 years of English speaking Christians. Between 1560 and 1644 at least 144 editions of this Bible were published. Examination of the 1611 King James Bible shows clearly that its translators were influenced much more by the Geneva Bible, than by any other source. The Geneva Bible itself retains over 90% of William Tyndale's original English translation. The Geneva in fact, remained more popular than the King James Version until decades after its original release in 1611! The Geneva holds the honor of being the first Bible taken to America, and the Bible of the Puritans and Pilgrims. It is truly the “Bible of the Protestant Reformation.” Strangely, the famous Geneva Bible has been out-of-print since 1644, so the only way to obtain one is to either purchase an original printing of the Geneva Bible, or a less costly facsimile reproduction of the original 1560 Geneva Bible.
With the end of Queen Mary's bloody reign, the reformers could safely return to England. The Anglican Church, now under Queen Elizabeth I, reluctantly tolerated the printing and distribution of Geneva version Bibles in England. The marginal notes, which were vehemently against the institutional Church of the day, did not rest well with the rulers of the day. Another version, one with a less inflammatory tone was desired, and the copies of the Great Bible were getting to be decades old. In 1568, a revision of the Great Bible known as the Bishop's Bible was introduced. Despite 19 editions being printed between 1568 and 1606, this Bible, referred to as the “rough draft of the King James Version”, never gained much of a foothold of popularity among the people. The Geneva may have simply been too much to compete with.
By the 1580's, the Roman Catholic Church saw that it had lost the battle to suppress the will of God: that His Holy Word be available in the English language. In 1582, the Church of Rome surrendered their fight for "Latin only" and decided that if the Bible was to be available in English, they would at least have an official Roman Catholic English translation. And so, using the corrupt and inaccurate Latin Vulgate as the only source text, they went on to publish an English Bible with all the distortions and corruptions that Erasmus had revealed and warned of 75 years earlier. Because it was translated at the Roman Catholic College in the city of Rheims, it was known as the Rheims New Testament (also spelled Rhemes). The Douay Old Testament was translated by the Church of Rome in 1609 at the College in the city of Douay (also spelled Doway & Douai). The combined product is commonly referred to as the "Doway/Rheims" Version. In 1589, Dr. William Fulke of Cambridge published the "Fulke's Refutation", in which he printed in parallel columns the Bishops Version along side the Rheims Version, attempting to show the error and distortion of the Roman Church's corrupt compromise of an English version of the Bible.
King James I
With the death of Queen Elizabeth I, Prince James VI of Scotland became King James I of England. The Protestant clergy approached the new King in 1604 and announced their desire for a new translation to replace the Bishop's Bible first printed in 1568. They knew that the Geneva Version had won the hearts of the people because of its excellent scholarship, accuracy, and exhaustive commentary. However, they did not want the controversial marginal notes (proclaiming the Pope an Anti-Christ, etc.) Essentially, the leaders of the church desired a Bible for the people, with scriptural references only for word clarification or cross-references.
This "translation to end all translations" (for a while at least) was the result of the combined effort of about fifty scholars. They took into consideration: The Tyndale New Testament, The Coverdale Bible, The Matthews Bible, The Great Bible, The Geneva Bible, and even the Rheims New Testament. The great revision of the Bishop's Bible had begun. From 1605 to 1606 the scholars engaged in private research. From 1607 to 1609 the work was assembled. In 1610 the work went to press, and in 1611 the first of the huge (16 inch tall) pulpit folios known today as "The 1611 King James Bible" came off the printing press. A typographical discrepancy in Ruth 3:15 rendered a pronoun "He" instead of "She" in that verse in some printings. This caused some of the 1611 First Editions to be known by collectors as "He" Bibles, and others as "She" Bibles. Starting just one year after the huge 1611 pulpit-size King James Bibles were printed and chained to every church pulpit in England; printing then began on the earliest normal-size printings of the King James Bible. These were produced so individuals could have their own personal copy of the Bible.
John Bunyan
The Anglican Church’s King James Bible took decades to overcome the more popular Protestant Church’s Geneva Bible. One of the greatest ironies of history, is that many Protestant Christian churches today embrace the King James Bible exclusively as the “only” legitimate English language translation… yet it is not even a Protestant translation! It was printed to compete with the Protestant Geneva Bible, by authorities who throughout most of history were hostile to Protestants… and killed them. While many Protestants are quick to assign the full blame of persecution to the Roman Catholic Church, it should be noted that even after England broke from Roman Catholicism in the 1500’s, the Church of England (The Anglican Church) continued to persecute Protestants throughout the 1600’s. One famous example of this is John Bunyan, who while in prison for the crime of preaching the Gospel, wrote one of Christian history’s greatest books, Pilgrim’s Progress. Throughout the 1600’s, as the Puritans and the Pilgrims fled the religious persecution of England to cross the Atlantic and start a new free nation in America, they took with them their precious Geneva Bible, and rejected the King’s Bible. America was founded upon the Geneva Bible, not the King James Bible.
Protestants today are largely unaware of their own history, and unaware of the Geneva Bible (which is textually 95% the same as the King James Version, but 50 years older than the King James Version, and not influenced by the Roman Catholic Rheims New Testament that the King James translators admittedly took into consideration). Nevertheless, the King James Bible turned out to be an excellent and accurate translation, and it became the most printed book in the history of the world, and the only book with one billion copies in print. In fact, for over 250 years...until the appearance of the English Revised Version of 1881-1885...the King James Version reigned without much of a rival. One little-known fact, is that for the past 200 years, all King James Bibles published in America are actually the 1769 Baskerville spelling and wording revision of the 1611. The original “1611” preface is deceivingly included by the publishers, and no mention of the fact that it is really the 1769 version is to be found, because that might hurt sales. The only way to obtain a true, unaltered, 1611 version is to either purchase an original pre-1769 printing of the King James Bible, or a less costly facsimile reproduction of the original 1611 King James Bible.
In 1982, Thomas Nelson Publishers produced what they called the “New King James Version”. Their original intent was to keep the basic wording of the King James to appeal to King James Version loyalists, while only changing the most obscure words and the Elizabethan “thee, thy, thou” pronouns. This was an interesting marketing ploy, however, upon discovering that this was not enough of a change for them to be able to legally copyright the result, they had to make more significant revisions, which defeated their purpose in the first place. It was never taken seriously by scholars, but it has enjoyed some degree of public acceptance, simply because of its clever “New King James Version” marketing name.
In 2002, a major attempt was made to bridge the gap between the simple readability of the N.I.V., and the extremely precise accuracy of the N.A.S.B. This translation is called the English Standard Version (E.S.V.) and is rapidly gaining popularity for its readability and accuracy. The 21st Century will certainly continue to bring new translations of God’s Word in the modern English language.
As Christians, we must be very careful to make intelligent and informed decisions about what translations of the Bible we choose to read. We have people who would give us heretical new translations that attempt to change God’s Word to make it politically correct. One example of this, which has made headlines recently is the Today’s New International Version (T.N.I.V.) which seeks to remove all gender-specific references in the Bible whenever possible! Not all new translations are good… and some are very bad.
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Christian Martyrs in the fight for Gods Word in the English language
William Tyndale
William Tyndale (1494-1536) Biblical translator and martyr; born most probably at North Nibley (15 miles south-west of Gloucester), England, in 1494; died at Vilvoorden (6 miles north-east of Brussels), Belgium, Oct. 6, 1536. Tyndale was descended from an ancient Northumbrian family, went to school at Oxford, and afterward to Magdalen Hall and Cambridge.
William Tyndale Overview
Tyndale was a theologian and scholar who translated the Bible into an early form of Modern English. He was the first person to take advantage of Gutenberg’s movable-type press for the purpose of printing the scriptures in the English language. Besides translating the Bible, Tyndale also held and published views which were considered heretical, first by the Catholic Church, and later by the Church of England which was established by Henry VIII. His Bible translation also included notes and commentary promoting these views. Tyndale's translation was banned by the authorities, and Tyndale himself was burned at the stake in 1536, at the instigation of agents of Henry VIII and the Anglican Church.
The Early Years of William Tyndale
Tyndale enrolled at Oxford in 1505, and grew up at the University. He received his Master’s Degree in 1515 at the age of twenty-one! He proved to be a gifted linguist. One of Tyndale’s associates commented that Tyndale was “so skilled in eight languages – Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Spanish, French, Italian, English, and German, that whichever he speaks, you might think it his native tongue!” This gift undoubtedly aided him in his successful evasion of the authorities during his years of exile from England.
Early Controversy Surrounding Tyndale
Around 1520, William Tyndale became a tutor in the family of Sir John Walsh, at Little Sodbury in Gloucestershire. Having become attached to the doctrines of the Reformation, and devoted himself to the study of the Scriptures, the open avowal of his sentiments in the house of Walsh, his disputes with Roman Catholic dignitaries there, and especially his preaching, excited much opposition, and led to his removal to London (about Oct., 1523), where he began to preach, and made many friends among the laity, but none among church leaders.
A clergyman hopelessly entrenched in Roman Catholic dogma once taunted Tyndale with the statement, “We are better to be without God’s laws than the Pope’s”. Tyndale was infuriated by such Roman Catholic heresies, and he replied, “I defy the Pope and all his laws. If God spare my life ere many years, I will cause the boy that drives the plow to know more of the scriptures than you!”
William Tyndale First Prints The Scripture in English
He was hospitably entertained at the house of Sir Humphrey Monmouth, and also financially aided by him and others in the accomplishment of his purpose to translate the Scriptures into the commonly spoken English of the day. Unable to do so in England, he set out for the continent (about May, 1524), and appears to have visited Hamburg and Wittenberg. The place where he translated the New Testament, is thought to have been Wittenberg, under the aid of Martin Luther. The printing of this English New Testament in quarto was begun at Cologne in the summer of 1525, and completed at Worms, and that there was likewise printed an octavo edition, both before the end of that year. William Tyndale’s Biblical translations appeared in the following order: New Testament, 1525-26; Pentateuch, 1530; Jonah, 1531.
His literary activity during that interval was extraordinary. When he left England, his knowledge of Hebrew, if he had any, was of the most rudimentary nature; and yet he mastered that difficult tongue so as to produce from the original an admirable translation of the entire Pentateuch, the Books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings, First Chronicles, contained in Matthew's Bible of 1537, and of the Book of Jonah, so excellent, indeed, that his work is not only the basis of those portions of the Authorized King James Version of 1611, but constitutes nine-tenths of that translation, and very largely that of the English Revised Version of 1885.
In addition to these he produced the following works. His first original composition, A Pathway into the Holy Scripture, is really a reprint, slightly altered, of his Prologue to the quarto edition of his New Testament, and had appeared in separate form before 1532; The Parable of the Wicked Mammon (1527); and The Obedience of a Christian Man (1527-28). These several works drew out in 1529 Sir Thomas More's Dialogue, etc. In 1530 appeared Tyndale's Practyse of Prelates, and in 1531 his Answer to the Dialogue, his Exposition of the First Epistle of St. John, and the famous Prologue to Jonah; in 1532, An Exposition upon the V. VI. VII. Chapters of Matthew; and in 1536, A Brief Declaration of the Sacraments, etc., which seems to be a posthumous publication. Joshua-Second Chronicles also was published after his death.
All these works were written during those mysterious years, in places of concealment so secure and well chosen, that neither the ecclesiastical nor diplomatic emissaries of Wolsey and Henry VIII., charged to track, hunt down, and seize the fugitive, were able to reach them, and they are even yet unknown. Under the idea that the progress of the Reformation in England rendered it safe for him to leave his concealment, he settled at Antwerp in 1534, and combined the work of an evangelist with that of a translator of the Bible.
The Betrayal and Death of William Tyndale
Tyndale was betrayed by a friend, Philips, the agent either of Henry or of English ecclesiastics, or possibly of both. Tyndale was arrested and imprisoned in the castle of Vilvoorden for over 500 days of horrible conditions. He was tried for heresy and treason in a ridiculously unfair trial, and convicted. Tyndale was then strangled and burnt at the stake in the prison yard, Oct. 6, 1536. His last words were, "Lord, open the king of England's eyes." This prayer was answered three years later, in the publication of King Henry VIII’s 1539 English “Great Bible”.
Tyndale's place in history has not yet been sufficiently recognized as a translator of the Scriptures, as an apostle of liberty, and as a chief promoter of the Reformation in England. In all these respects his influence has been singularly under-valued. The sweeping statement found in almost all histories, that Tyndale translated from the Vulgate and Luther, is most damaging to the reputation of the writers who make it; for, as a matter of fact, it is contrary to truth, since his translations are made directly from the originals, with the aid of the Erasmus 1516 Greek-Latin New Testament, and the best available Hebrew texts. The Prolegomena in Mombert's William Tyndale's Five Books of Moses show conclusively that Tyndale's Pentateuch is a translation of the Hebrew original.
Tyndales Challenges to the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church had long proclaimed that the church was an institution. The word church to them had come to represent the organizational structure that was the Catholic Church. Tyndale’s translation was seen as a challenge to this doctrine because he was seen to have favored the views of reformers like Martin Luther who proclaimed that the church was made up and defined by the believers, or in other words their congregations. Some radical reformers preached that the true church was the “invisible” church, that wherever true Christians meet together to preach the word of God was where the church was. To these reformers the structure of the Catholic Church was unnecessary and its very existence proved that it was in fact not the “true” Church. When Tyndale decided that the Greek word εκκλησία (ekklesia) is more accurately translated congregation he was undermining the entire structure of the Catholic Church. Many of the reform movements believed in the authority of scripture alone. To them it dictated how the church should be organized and administered. By changing the translation from church to congregation Tyndale was providing ammunition for the beliefs of the reformers. Their belief that the church was not a visible systematized institution but a body defined by the believers themselves was now to be found directly in the Holy Scripture. Furthermore Tyndale’s use of the word congregation attacked the Catholic Church’s doctrine that the lay members and the clergy were to be separate. If the true church is defined as a congregation, as the common believers, then the Catholic Church’s claim that the clergy were of a higher order than the average Christian and that they had different roles to play in the religious process no longer held sway.
Tyndale’s translation of the Greek word πρεσβύτερος (presbuteros) to mean elder instead of priest also challenged the doctrines of the Catholic Church. In particular, it asked what the role of the clergy should be and whether or not they were to be separated from the common believers as they were in the current Catholic system. The role of the priest in the Catholic Church had been to lead religious sermons and ceremonies like mass, to read the scripture to the people, and to administer the sacraments. They were considered separate from the common believers. In many reform movements a group of elders would lead the church and take the place of the Catholic priests. These elders were not a separate class from the common believers; in fact, they were usually selected from amongst them. Many reformers believed in the idea of the “priesthood of all believers,” which meant that every Christian was in fact a priest and had the right to read and interpret scripture. Tyndale’s translation stripped away the scriptural basis of Catholic clerical power. Priests no longer administered the church: it was the job of the elders, which implied that the power rested in the hands of the people.
Catholic doctrine was also challenged by Tyndale’s translation of the Greek μετανοείτε (metanoeite) as repent instead of do penance. This translation attacked the Catholic sacrament of penance. Tyndale’s version of scripture backed up the views of reformers like Luther who had taken issue with the Catholic practice of sacramental penance. Reformers believed that it was through faith alone that one was saved. This differed from the views of the Catholic Church, which followed the belief that salvation was granted to those who lived accordingly to what the church told them and thus participated in the seven sacraments. Tyndale’s translation challenged the belief that one had to do penance for one’s sins. According to Tyndale’s New Testament and other reformers, all the believer had to do was repent with a sincere heart, and God would forgive them. The believer did not have to earn their salvation; it was given freely to them by God. All they had to do was believe in his promise and live accordingly.
The Tyndale Bible also challenged the Catholic Church in many other ways. The fact that it was translated into a vernacular language made it available to the common people. This allowed everyone access to scripture and gave the common people the ability to read (if they were literate) and interpret scripture how they wished, exposing it to the threat of being "twisted to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures" (2 Peter 3.16) instead of relying on the church for their access to scripture. The main threat that Tyndale’s Bible caused to the Catholic Church is best summed up by Tyndale himself when he tells us of his reason for creating his translation in the first place. Tyndale’s purpose was to “[cause a boy that driveth the plough to know more scripture] than the clergy of the day”, many of which were poorly educated. Thus Tyndale sought to undermine the Catholic Church’s grip on the both access to and interpretation of scripture. They were no longer needed as intercessors between the people and God.
Legacy left by William Tyndale
The legacy of Tyndale’s Bible cannot be overstated. His translations laid the foundations for many of the English Bibles which followed his. His work made up a significant portion of the Matthew Bible which was the first authorized version of the English Bible. The Tyndale Bible also played a key role in spreading reformation ideas to England which had been reluctant to embrace the movement. His works also allowed the people of England direct access to the words and ideas of Martin Luther whose works had been banned by the state. Tyndale achieved this by including many of Luther’s commentaries in his works. The Tyndale Bible’s greatest impact on society today is that it heavily influenced and contributed to the creation of the King James Version, which is one of the most popular and widely used Bibles in the world today. Scholars tell us that around 90% of the King James Version is from Tyndale’s works with as much as one third of the text being word for word Tyndale. Many of the popular phrases and Bible verses that people quote today are mainly in the language of Tyndale. An example of which is Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers.” The importance of the Tyndale Bible in shaping and influencing the English language is paramount. According to one scholar Tyndale is “the man who more than Shakespeare even or Bunyan has moulded and enriched our language.”
Tyndale used thou and never you as the singular second-person pronoun in his work (usage that was later reflected in the very influential King James Version), which had the double effect of rescuing thou from complete obscurity and also imbuing it with an air of religious solemnity that is antithetical to its former sense of familiarity or disrespect.
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Myles Coverdale
Myles Coverdale produced the first complete printed translation of the Bible in English. He was born probably in the district known as Cover-dale, in that part of the North Riding of Yorkshire called Richmondshire, England, 1488. He died in London and was buried in St. Bartholomew's Church Feb. 19, 1568.
Early Years of Myles Coverdale
Myles Coverdale became priest at Norwich in 1514, and entered the convent of Austin friars at Cambridge, where Robert Barnes was prior in 1523 and probably influenced him in favor of Protestantism. When Barnes was tried for heresy in 1526 Coverdale assisted in his defense, and shortly afterward left the convent and gave himself entirely to preaching. He studied at Cambridge, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in canon law 1531.
The Coverdale Bible
In 1535, Myles Coverdale secured his place in history forever, by becoming the first person to print an entire Bible in the English language. In 1537 some of his translations were included in the Matthew-Tyndale Bible, the first true, direct English translation of the complete Bible. In 1538 he was in Paris, superintending the printing of King Henry VIII’s "Great Bible," of 1539, and the same year, published, both in London and Paris, an English New Testament. He also edited "Cranmer's Bible ", the 1540 edition of the Great Bible.
He returned to England in 1539, but on the execution of Thomas Cromwell (who had been his friend and protector since 1527) in 1540 was compelled, again to go into exile, lived for a time at Tubingen. Between 1543 and 1547, Myles Coverdale was Lutheran pastor and schoolmaster at Bergzabern in the Palatinate, and very poor.
Coverdale’s Long & Productive Career in Bible Printing
In Mar., 1548, he went back to England, was well received at court and made King's Chaplain. In 1551 he became bishop of Exeter, but was deprived of that position in 1553 after the succession of Queen “Bloody” Mary. He went to Denmark (where his brother-in-law was chaplain to the king), then to Wesel, and finally back to Bergzabern. In 1559 he was again in England, but was not reinstated as Bishop, perhaps because of Puritanical scruples about vestments. Myles Coverdale contributed to the production of the Protestant refugee’s Geneva Bible, first produced in 1577 (New Testament) and 1560 (whole Bible). From 1564 to 1566 he was rector of St. Magnus's, near London Bridge.
Myles Coverdale was said to be a “pious, conscientious, laborious, generous, and a thoroughly honest and good man”. He knew German and Latin well, some Greek and Hebrew, and a little French. He did little original literary work. As a translator he was faithful and harmonious. He was fairly read in theology, and became more inclined to Puritan ideas as his life wore on. All accounts agree in his remarkable popularity as a preacher. He was a leading figure during the progress of the Reformed opinions. It could also be said of Myles Coverdale, that he had a part in the publication of more different editions of England language Bibles in the 1500’s, than any other person in history.
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John Rogers
John Rogers was born in 1500 in the parish of Aston, near Birmingham. He was a minister, Bible translator and commentator. John Rogers was the first English Protestant martyr to be executed by Mary I of England, a.k.a. “Queen Bloody Mary”. He was burned at the stake on February 4, 1555 at Smithfield.
Early Years of John Rogers
John Rogers, was educated at Pembroke Hall, Cambridge University, where he graduated with a B.A. in 1526. Six years later he was rector of Holy Trinity, Queenhithe, London, and in 1534 went to Antwerp as chaplain to the English merchants of the Company of the Merchant Adventurers. Here he met William Tyndale, under whose influence he abandoned the Roman Catholic faith. Rogers took a wife named Adriana, a native of Antwerp, who eventually bore him ten children.
John Rogers / Thomas Matthew and the 1537 Bible
After Tyndale's death Rogers pushed on with his predecessor's English version of the Old Testament, which he used as far as Second Chronicles, employing Myles Coverdale's translation of 1535 for the remainder and for the Apocrypha. The complete Bible was put out under the pseudonym of Thomas Matthew in 1537. John Rogers used the assumed name “Thomas Matthew” to avoid persecution and prosecution by the authorities who continued to forbid under penalty of death, the printing of the scriptures in the English language. As the work could obviously not be done safely in England, the Bible was printed in Paris and Antwerp by his wife Adriana's uncle, Sir Jacobus van Meteren.
John Rogers had little to do with the translation, but he contributed some valuable prefaces and marginal notes -- often cited as the first original English language commentary on the Bible. Rogers also contributed the Song of Manasses in the Apocrypha which he found in a French Bible printed in 1535. His work was largely used by those who prepared the Great Bible of1539-40, out of which in turn came the Bishops' Bible of 1568 and the Authorized Version of King James in 1611.
After taking charge of a Protestant congregation in Wittenberg for some years, John Rogers returned to England in 1548, where he published a translation of Philipp Melanchthon's Considerations of the Augsburg Interim. In 1551, John Rogers was made a prebendary of St. Paul's Church, where the Dean and Chapter soon appointed him as the divinity lecturer. He courageously denounced the greed shown by certain courtiers with reference to the property of the suppressed monasteries, and defended himself before the privy council. He also declined to wear the prescribed vestments, donning instead a simple round cap.
John Rogers Preaches Boldly Against Catholicism
As Queen Mary took the throne, John Rogers preached at Paul's Cross commending the "true doctrine taught in King Edward's days," and warning his hearers against the "pestilent Popery, idolatry and superstition." Of the Roman Catholic Church. Ten days after this bold public display, on August 16, 1553, John Rogers was summoned before the council and bidden to keep within his own house. In January 1554 Bonner, the new bishop of London, sent him to Newgate Prison, where he lay with John Hooper, Laurence Saunders, John Bradford and others for a year, where their petitions were disregarded. In December 1554 parliament re-enacted the penal statutes against Lollards, and on January 22, 1555, two days after they took effect, Rogers with ten others came before the council at Gardiner's house in Southwark, and held his own in the examination that took place. On January 28 & 29, he came before the commission appointed by Cardinal Pole, and was sentenced to death by Gardiner for heretically denying the Christian character of the Church of Rome and the physical presence of the body of Christ in the sacrament of communion.
The Death of John Rogers
When the time came that he should be brought out of Newgate Prison to Smithfield, the place of his execution, Mr. Woodroofe, one of the sheriffs, first came to John Rogers, and asked him if he would revoke his abominable doctrine, and the evil opinion of the Sacrament of the altar. Rogers answered, "That which I have preached I will seal with my blood." Then Mr. Woodroofe said, "Thou art an heretic." Rogers replied "That shall be known at the Day of Judgment." Mr. Woodroofe added, "I will never pray for thee." Though Rogers responded "But I will pray for you.”
John Rogers awaited and met death on the 4th of February 1555 at Smithfield cheerfully, though he was denied even a last moment with his wife. Rogers stands as the first blood on the hands of Queen “Bloody” Mary… and the first of hundreds more to come. Noailles, the French ambassador, speaks of the support given to John Rogers by the majority of the people commenting, "even his children assisted at it, comforting him in such a manner that it seemed as if he had been led to a wedding rather than an execution."
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Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer was born in 1489 at Nottingham. He was educated at Cambridge, and became a priest following the death of his first wife. Cranmer served as Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of the English kings Henry VIII and Edward VI.
The Early Years of Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer entered the ministry for a simple reason: his father only had enough land to give his eldest son, so Thomas and his younger brother - as poor members of the gentry - joined the clergy. Cranmer was given a fellowship at Jesus College, Cambridge in 1510, which he lost when he married the daughter of a local tavern-keeper. She died in childbirth, at which point he was re-accepted by the college and devoted himself to study. He took holy orders in 1523.
Cranmer’s Friends in High Places
A plague forced Cranmer to leave Cambridge for Essex. Here, he came to the attention of King Henry VIII, who was staying nearby. The King found Cranmer a willing advocate for desired divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Cranmer argued the case as part of the embassy to Rome in 1530, and in 1532 became ambassador to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
Cranmer’s Change of Heart
Cranmer was sent to Germany to learn more about the Lutheran movement, where he met Andreas Osiander, a Lutheran reformer whose ideology appealed to him. Osiander's niece also appealed to him, and Cranmer and the niece, Margaret, were married that year. Cranmer was becoming a Protestant… in the Kings Court!
On March 30, 1533, he became Archbishop of Canterbury, and forced (for a time) to hide his married state. Once his appointment was approved by the Pope, Cranmer declared King Henry's marriage to Catherine void, and four months later married him to Anne Boleyn. In 1536 it was Anne Boleyn’s marriage that was declared invalid, then Anne of Cleves 1540, then Catherine Howard. As King Henry divorces his many wives, Cranmer continued to be warmly supported by King Henry.
The Church of England & The Book of Common Prayer
Thomas Cranmer carefully danced around the politics of his position, and was able to push through the reforms that led gradually to the creation of the Church of England. Under the reign of Edward VI, Cranmer was allowed to make the doctrinal changes he thought necessary to the church. In 1549 he helped complete the Book of Common Prayer, for which his contributions are well-known.
After Edward VI's death, Thomas Cranmer supported Lady Jane Grey as successor. Her nine-day reign was followed by the Roman Catholic Queen “Bloody” Mary, who tried him for treason. After a long trial and imprisonment, he was forced to proclaim to the public his error in the support of Protestantism, an act designed to discourage followers of the religion.
The Death of Thomas Cranmer
However, at his execution on March 21, 1556, he withdrew his forced confession, and proclaimed the truth of the Protestant faith. He placed his hand in the fire, the hand with which he had falsely signed his renouncement of his beliefs, and said, "This hath offended!" With that gesture, the government's hope of quelling the Protestant Reformation was lost.
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