[ David Strauss ] [ Semler ] [ VON SODEN - AVAILABLE ] [ Lachmann ] [ F.C. Baur ] [ NKJV Hodges&Farstad MT ] [ Knowing W & H - Conclusions ] [ Wettstein ] [ Gerhard Kittel ] [ Tischendorf 1 ] [ The Unbound Scriptures - A Biblical Critique - Part 1 ] [ The Unbound Scriptures - Critique - Pt 2 ] [ The Unbound Scriptures - Critique - Pt 3 ] [ textual criticism newtestament1 ] [ textual criticism newtestament2 ] [ UBS Red Cover NT ] [ DeWette ] [ GRIESBACH ] [ Majority Text ] [ Bengel ] [ Von Soden ] [ Kittel & His Version ] [ Kittel and the O.T. ] [ Miles Coverdale ] [ Westcott & Hort ]

Rudolph Kittel (his own Words) Available by Ebook

Who Was von SODEN ?

Hodges and Farstad (1935-1998) and the Transformation of the "Majority Text"

The Problems of the Greek Text of the N.K.J.V

That is a quote from the Hodges & Farstad so-called Greek New Testament

"Majority Text" that they based on

the 4 Volume work of German Textual Critic Von Soden.

THE MAIN PROBLEM WITH THE NKJV is that it relies upon CODEX VATICANUS

What is the "Majority Text" and how is it similar to the Textus Receptus ?


The Majority Text, historically has meant the Textus Receptus/Received Text. This is the text that has been used for 2000 years by Christians. This is also the text that agrees with more than 98% of the Bible Manuscripts in Koine Greek.

The definition of the “Majority Text” started changing when 2 scholars started claiming that their version was “The” Majority text – and then other people started finding out that the claim was false.

The new “Majority Text” is what Hodges and Farstad decided to call their version of their Greek New Testament.

The Problem is that their version of the Majority Text is in fact not the ACTUAL Majority Text. The Greek Version of Hodges and Farstad (which they have Called “Majority Text”) is actually based on the work of a German Textual Critic by the name of Baron Von Soden.

Now recall that the Nestle/Aland/Westcott/Hort version has had no end of trouble precisely because of Textual Critics, who have followed the anti-God philosophy and attacks of textual critics coming out of
Germany.

Baron Von Soden was a German Textual Critic who decided to come up with his own version of the Bible in Greek. Setting aside the issues of his own theology, claims, lifestyle, scholarship, professors, etc – the main problem is that Von Soden only used about 440 Bible Manuscripts on which to base his work.

Since there are more than Five Thousand copies of the Greek New Testament (or portions thereof), what Von Soden did is basically use 10%. IN other words, Von Soden LEFT OUT 90% of the Bible Manuscripts. (He did this work somewhere around 1904-1911).

Von Soden did Not name his own work the “Majority text”. That did not happen until Hodges and Farstad renamed the work of Von Soden as being the “Majority Text”.

Unfortunately, the Greek Text of Von Soden/Hodges/Farstad does Not match up with the historical Textus Receptus. Therefore, this creates a discrepancy (of many of them actually) between the historical Textus Receptus, and the new “Majority Text” of Hodges/Farstad/Von Soden.


The story gets more interesting.

Hodges and Farstad were guiding lights behind the NKJV, the NEW King James Version. That creates its own problems.

The first problem it creates is that it seems to use Greek Text of Hodges and Farstad for the New Testament. the NKJV claims that it uses the Textus Receptus, but there are serious problems with the way that it translates passages, IF it is supposed to line up with the Textus Receptus.

THE NKJV OLD TESTAMENT - Based on the wrong Hebrew Text of Kittel

The other problem is that it uses a New version of the Hebrew OT, for the NKJV O.T. This would be the Biblia Hebraica which was translated by Kittel who 1) was not saved 2) did not believe in Jesus Christ and 3) thought that the O.T. was a total mixup of what the Bible “should” be. Kittel in fact thought that Jehovah and Elohim had to be DIFFERENT GODS. So Kittel’s understanding of Jehovah-God and your understanding of that God - are probably very different.

Now laymen make mistakes like this. But these scholars should have known better.

*****

you would think that this is the end of the matter. But it isn’t – because now there are going to be a number of Nestle-Aland advocates (modern version advocates) who are going to jump into the Textus Receptus versus the Majority Text of Hodges/Farstad/Von Soden Debate.

And while they may have strongly condemned the Textus Receptus and its supposed "inferiority", and the majesty of the Nestle-Aland superior scholarship and modern technology [which points back to the T.R. as being the best – but we won’t go there now] – All of a sudden, the sweet song of the sirens start to sing their songs of seduction...as we start to find out that “Majority Text” advocates of today [That is – those who support the Von Soden/Hodges/Farstad version] are NOT on the side of the Textus Receptus.

They are on the side of the Nestle-Aland. And it is their belief, their conclusion and their hope, that the Text of Von Soden [again – sold to conservatives as being a conservative text when Von Soden was nothing of the kind] – is going to be a very helpful text for the future debates on how to attack the Textus Receptus.

In this manner, Hodges & Farstad resurrected the work of Von Soden in the Service of the Nestle/Aland/Westcott/Hort version, all the while having the result of making many Textus Receptus advocates think that they [Hodges/Farstad] were on the side of the Textus Receptus.

Conclusions:

1. Historically, the real Majority Text (which is what the early church used) IS the Majority Text of the Koine Greek Manuscripts.

2. This Majority Text is the same one as the Textus Receptus.


3. The Von Soden text used by Hodges & Farstad was renamed the “Majority Text” even though it used less than 10% of the manuscripts available, and even though it appears to back the work of Westcott & Hort far more.

A textual Critic wrote back:

"Too bad there isn't a Greek manuscript that is the either TR or the (alleged) Majority Text or the Nestle-Aland... but such a one does not exist."

Read our Response

_________________________________________

Support this Ministry - Buy a Book !

Purchase one of the books we offer and support this ministry !