Josiah Concept Ministries

I’ve seen it several times, most notably on Jack Chick’s website. This “Bible Quiz” is a huge misrepresentation that is designed to evoke an emotional reaction. The desire of the writer is make the uninformed reader believe that the King James Version of the Holy Bible is the only accurate translation of Holy Scripture. I thought that I would take the time to refute this rather annoying quiz, so that readers can make an informed decision on which translation is the best.

First, let me make myself perfectly clear in one respect. I am not anti-KJV. In my opinion, the King James Version of the Holy Bible is the most beautiful translation in English. I personally enjoy individual verses and short Psalms from the KJV more than any other translation. However, it is not the easiest version to read. The style of English used in it is 400 years out of date.

The KJV is not Holy Scripture. Neither is the NIV or the NASB for that matter. All of these are translations, based on one or more original biblical documents. The collection of manuscripts from which the New Testament of the KJV is translated is referred to as the Textus Receptus (or TR), which means “Received Text.” The TR was compiled by Erasmus in 1516 from the best sources he had available at the time. The TR is part of the Byzantine family of texts, which primarily arise much later in history. Since the Byzantine family was a prominent feature toward the middle of the fourth century, when Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire, we have many more extant copies of Byzantine manuscripts (abbreviated MS) than any other textual family. It was from these Byzantine MSS that Erasmus compiled the TR.

Byzantine MSS are “fuller:” they contain more phrases that were added by later copyists. This is especially prevalent because professional copyists would be unavailable to early Christians, so they did it themselves with no training. This would cause unintentional additions and changes. As a result, the later texts are “bulkier” than the earlier ones. Usually, one sees “interpolation” errors; that is, well known phrases are added to parallel accounts. For a great example of this, compare Matthew 5:44 with Luke 6:27-29.

Imagine living your life with the threat of dying because you believe in Jesus. For readers in some foreign countries, that is your reality. But for readers in the United States, that may be hard to imagine. What if Luke and the Acts of the Apostles were the only New Testament books you had ever seen in your entire life? Then, you manage to get a hold of a copy of Matthew. You faithfully copy it. Well, at 5:44 you just automatically hear in your brain what you’ve been reading for years: Luke 6:27-29. So instead of writing down Matthew 5:44, you write Luke 6:27-29. Behold: a textual variant is born!

With that in mind, we would expect that the KJV, which is translated from the TR, to have a fuller text than the modern translations, which are translated from the earlier family of Alexandrian MSS. This quiz actually plays on several notable additions to the text, and the uninformed reader will then assume that certain vital doctrines are missing from the new translations. This is exactly what the writers of the quiz want the reader to believe, but as we will show, these doctrines are not missing at all.

The point is to show that there is nothing wrong with reading a new Bible version (I personally read the English Standard Version). The point is not to trash the King James Version. If that is your Bible of choice, then you could not have selected a more elegant text and I pray that God reveals all His truth to you through it. My prayer is the same for anyone who uses an NIV, NASB, ESV, or any other fine modern translation.

The directions for the quiz tell us not to use footnotes, nor to use our memories, but to only rely on the text of the verse. I’m not going to follow those directions. I’m going to use other verses in the Bible, common sense, context, and footnotes to fill in the answers. Though I’m not following the directions to the letter, I’m confident that the pattern of this quiz will quickly emerge, and the person with the open mind will see it for what it is.

Question 1, explained in greater detail in the introduction, asks for the missing words from Matthew 5:44 (NIV/KJV). The footnote for that verse in the NIV tells us that some late manuscripts add “bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you.” It is extremely likely that several copyists confused Matthew 5:44 with Luke 6:27-29, adding the words that were missing from Matthew’s account.

Question 2 wants to know two requirements for casting out demons. But Matthew 17:21 is missing from the NIV, so it looks like the NIV folks have no way to answer this question! In Mark 9:14-29, when Jesus casts the unclean spirit out of the boy, He tells His disciples that it can only be driven out by prayer (verse 29). Mark 9:29 was eventually inserted into the parallel passage in Matthew. The “and fasting” portion is believed to have originated in the fifth century. The two earliest manuscripts of Matthew’s gospel, which are from the fourth century, do not have 17:21. The best 9th century codex also lacks the verse. Therefore, it is doubtful that this verse is genuine.

Question 3 asks why Jesus came to earth. Looks like us NIV folks are left out in the cold again, since Matthew 18:11 is nowhere in the NIV. But, NIV users need not worry, since it seems this passage was transposed from Luke 19:10.

Question 4 needs Pilate’s first name (NIV/KJV). This question is a complete strawman argument. If the KJV Only camp wants to make a case that the KJV is a better translation than the NIV, then material of this nature should focus on Christian doctrine, not on trivialities of history. Pilate’s first name is Pontius, of course, but it wouldn’t make a lick of difference to Christianity if his first name were Stan or Bob, or Monkey Face George. We can discover Pilate’s first name by looking at any of the historians of the day, not just the Bible. But, since the KJV Onlyists insist that the Holy Bible itself simply must contain Pilate’s first name, they can reference it here, here, and here in the NIV.

Question 5 wants the words spoken by the prophet (NIV/KJV). Matthew’s gospel was written to a Hebrew audience, folks who would have the Scriptures memorized. The mere inclusion of that detail would have been enough to jog their memories of Psalm 22. In case it wasn’t, in verse 46 Jesus says “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” This is a verbatim quote from Psalm 22:1, and the Jewish readers of the day would have then recognized the significance of dividing Jesus’ garments. As this gospel was spread to a wider audience, people who had never before read nor would have access to the Old Testament, it would therefore have been necessary to add the Psalm, probably first as a gloss (note in the margin). Then, a later copyist added the gloss into the text at the appropriate point.

Question 6 directs us to Mark 3:15 (NIV/KJV), asking us what Jesus gave His disciples the authority to do. Obviously, drive out demons is one power, but heal sickness seems to be missing from the NIV. Actually, it is another case of interpolation. In Matthew 10:8, Jesus gives his disciples the authority to heal the sick and drive out demons.

Question 7 calls to the NIV reader’s attention another missing verse. Scandalous. This is Jesus’ famous phrase, “If any man has ears, let him hear!” This occurs in the NIV at Luke 14:35. The addition or deletion of an idiomatic Hebrew expression does not challenge nor diminish any Christian doctrine. Like Question 4, this is a strawman argument.

Question 8 asks readers to identify John’s occupation (NIV/KJV). The statement is not materially affected by calling John a prophet; the addition of the word “prophet” does not somehow make Jesus’ statement different or better. It is still the same statement. But, just in case the KJV Only Camp insists that John must be identified as a prophet, the NIV tells us that here, here, here, and here.

Questions 9 and 10 focus on the same set of verses, Luke 9:55-56. The first question wants to know what the disciples do not (NIV/KJV). The second wants to know what Jesus came to do. The NIV has a much shorter verse here, where the KJV has Jesus saying that “you do not know what sort of Spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy people’s lives, but to save them.” This material is completely absent from our earliest MSS, and it was probably a later addition. Note that Jesus coming to save people is a theme around the Bible, that concept does not hang on this verse.

Question 11 wants to know how many apostles were with Jesus (NIV/KJV). The important part to this passage (NIV/KJV) is what Jesus said, not the number of people that were with Him. That is another strawman argument.

Question 12 wants languages (NIV/KJV) that the sign over our Lord’s cross was written in, as though that somehow changes the entire meaning of the episode being relayed.

Question 13 wants to know what Jesus ate with His fish (NIV/KJV). I’m confused–was the complete redemption of mankind contingent on Jesus eating a honeycomb with His fish? There are no words strong enough to describe the absurdity of this question.

Question 14 asks about a verse often cited to prove the divinity of Jesus (NIV/KJV). The clause “who is in heaven” is omitted from the NIV, which the KJV Only Camp says downplays the omniscience of Christ. That clause is missing from the best early MSS, but the omniscience of Christ is taught clearly in the NIV here, here, here, here, and here. Note that important teachings occur in more than just one passage, and often can be deduced by examining several passages. Scripture was not meant to be read as one verse isolated from its context. This is a technique common among false teachers.

Question 15 asks about John 5:4, another verse lacking in modern translations. The footnotes for the NIV state that John 5:4 appears in a few less important manuscripts. The verse may have origninated as a gloss, and perhaps was added into the text later as the gospel spread to people who would not have already known the significance of that particular pool. Writers in first century Palestine did not repeat details that would be common knowledge to their readers the way that modern writers often do.

Question 16 wants to know what time of day Nicodemus visited Jesus (NIV/KJV). Isn’t the point of this section to establish that the leaders don’t think that a prophet will come out of Galilee? In both accounts, Nicodemus asks the same question. In both, he receives the same answer. I don’t see how time of day matters here. Perhaps the more important textual variant in this section is in verse 52: the indefinite article preceding “prophet” versus the definite article (rendering it “the Prophet,” meaning the Messiah). But the KJV Only camp can’t attack that variant since the TR contains the indefinite article. This shows the double standard of the KJV Onlyists. No way would they call attention to a potential problem with their own version of choice.

Question 17 asks for requirements of baptism. Ah, another verse missing from the NIV. Read this from the NIV and you can still find out that the Bible teaches belief in Christ as a prerequisite to baptism. Yet another case of interpolation.

Question 18 refers to Acts 9:6 (NIV/KJV). Saul doesn’t say anything in the NIV, but in the KJV he asks what Jesus wants him to do. Yet, miraculously, in both accounts, Jesus tells Him to go to the city. The story still works out the same. Imagine that. This is another case of interpolation, this time with Acts 22:10. A very familiar story that just got transposed incorrectly, probably to harmonize the parallel accounts.

Question 19 shows yet another instance of a situation I’m getting really tired of the KJV Only Camp harping on. It is a missing verse. Okay, KJV Only camp, you’ve made your point. The KJV has more verses than the NIV. Have I not made my point that these missing verses do not obscure the meaning of the passages? It does not change anything to have Silas in Antioch or at home. The following verse very clearly says that Paul, Barnabas, and many others preached and taught in the name of the Lord. With or without Silas, the Lord is still accomplishing His will in Antioch, which is the central issue.

Question 20 asks for some names (NIV/KJV). Specifically, the chief captain, what he commanded, and what the Jews wanted to do with Paul. The Jews wished to judge Paul according to the law, the captain was Lysias, and he commanded Paul’s accusers to stand before him. Common sense indicates the last part. Of course the accusers would be the ones who would examine the situation and determine the charges. The chief captain is named in the previous chapter, in the letter to the governor.

Question 21 asks us to copy Romans 16:24 word for word. Of course, by now, the NIV user must be shaking with paranoia at this quiz, and the thought of yet another missing verse will completely set him off balance. But, the missing verse is “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” An interpolation from many of Paul’s other letters, and hardly something that materially affects the passage at hand.

Question 22 wants to know who is manifested in the flesh by 1 Timothy 3:16 (NIV/KJV). In the original Greek, the pronoun “he” and the name “God” look almost indistinguishable from one another. Therefore, it is possible that this is a very simple copying mistake made early on that was corrected later by an astute scribe. Of course, this verse isn’t the only one that describes God manifesting in the flesh; if we read John 1:1 in conjunction with verse 14 of the same, we can draw exactly the same conclusion.

Question 23 wants to know, from 1 Peter 4:14 (NIV/KJV), how these people speak of Christ and what Christians do. There is little information available on why this apparent omission exists. The longer reading was likely a gloss interposed with the original text. Once a document gets older and must be copied, it is difficult to tell if a gloss is commentary or correction of a mistake. Rather than lose part of the text, scribes would often add them in as they copied.

Question 24 acts as if 1 John 5:7 (NIV/KJV) is the linchpin that holds the entire concept of the Trinity together. The Trinity is a concept taught throughout Scripture, which consistently talks of God as One Being, but as having manifested as Father and Creator, Son and Redeemer, Holy Spirit and Helper/Comforter. The Trinity does not rise and fall on this one verse. There is very little manuscript support for 1 John 5:7 as it appears in the TR and later the KJV. The earliest papyri and quotations from secondary sources support the Alexandrian MSS. Most KJV Only advocates claim that the Majority Text (abbreviated M-Text; the M-Text is a compilation of the majority of the Greek MSS) and the TR are one in the same. This verse is proof positive that they are not. The M-Text does not contain the KJV reading. The M-Text supports the modern versions at 1 John 5:7.

The final question is a fill-in-the-blank from Revelation 1:11 (NIV/KJV). While us NIV users can’t fill in any of those blanks using 1:11, we’ll just have to settle for using one of the other three appearances of that phrase at Revelation 1:8, 21:6, or 22:13.

It is my hope that examining the quiz in this manner has assured the reader of the reliability of the modern translations. My intent is not change anyone’s mind about the validity of the KJV. As I previously stated, the KJV is an outstanding version, very poetic and musical in its use of language. The reader need not limit his or her Bible reading to the KJV, for God’s truth abounds in all of the modern translations alongside the venerable old Authorized Version of 1611.