The Utter Hypocrisy of modern Textual Criticism - By Will Kinney

Matthew 16:2-3 The Utter Hypocrisy of modern Textual Criticism- By Will Kinney

In Matthew 16:2-3 we read: "He answered and said unto them, WHEN IT IS EVENING, YE SAY, IT WILL BE FAIR WEATHER; FOR THE SKY IS RED. AND IN THE MORNING, IT WILL BE FOUL WEATHER TO DAY; FOR THE SKY IS RED AND LOWRING. O YE HYPOCRITES, YE CAN DISCERN THE FACE OF THE SKY; BUT CAN YE NOT DISCERN THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES?"

Matthew 16:2-3. Here we see an example of how ridiculous it is to call modern textual criticism a "science" in any legitimate sense at all. Modern textual criticism has more in common with Voodoo or the Ouija board than science.

It's the ol' "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble...For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble." (From Shakespeare's Macbeth)

Before we get into the textual matters, I want to address the word "lowring". This is not an archaic word. Webster's 1999 dictionary defines it as meaning "frowning; dark and threatening, gloomy, or sullen." Lowring is also the English word found here in the Geneva Bible, Wesley's N.T. 1755, the Worsley Version 1770, the Alford N.T. 1870, the RV 1885, ASV 1901, the Thomson Bible 1808, Webster's Bible 1833, Darby 1890, the Montgomery N.T. 1924, the Douay Version 1950, the KJV 21st Century 1994, Third Millennium Bible 1998, the Knox Bible 2012 (lowering) and even in the 2003 Updated Bible Version. Now, to address the textual issues.

All these words in capital letters from "When it is" to "of the times?" are found in the Majority of all Greek texts, including C correction, the Syriac Peshitta and numerous Old Latin copies. However BOTH Sinaiticus and Vaticanus completely omit all 32 Greek words in these sentences.

The total inconsistency of modern textual criticism is seen here in all its absurdity. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of words and many whole verses omitted from most modern versions based primarily on the omissions found in Sinaiticus and/or Vaticanus, yet right here in Matthew 16:2-3, even though BOTH Sinaiticus and Vaticanus omit all these words, versions like the NASB, NIV, RSV, RV, ASV, ESV, ISV, NET and the Holman Standard, continue to include these two verses in their versions.

Westcott and Hort put both verses [in brackets] to indicate doubt as to whether or not these 2 verses are inspired Scripture, and the Nestle-Aland and UBS critical Greek texts STILL have them in brackets today.

Versions that OMIT BOTH verses - Matthew 16:2-3 - because of Sinaiticus and Vaticanus

Actually, there are some versions that are based on the Critical Text that do omit all these 32 words from their translations because these words are omitted by the Sinaitiic and Vaticanus manuscripts. At least they are being consistent and more honest about it.

These include The Anderson New Testament Translated from the Sinaitic Manuscript 1918, Rotherham's Emphasized bible 1902, the James Moffatt New Testament 1913, the Riverside N.T. 1923, Goodspeed's translation of 1942, The English Bible of 1970, the Williams N.T. 1972, the Revised English Bible 1989 and The Christogenea New Testament 2009 - another Critical Text version. The Jehovah Witness NWT puts the verses [in brackets], indicating doubt as to their authenticity.

Even in these two verses another significant omission is seen. The words "O YE HYPOCRITES" are in the Majority of Greek copies as well as the Old Latin copies a, air, b, c, d, ed, f, ff1, ff2, g1, l, q, the Coptic Boharic and the Diatessaron 170-175 A.D.

The word "HYPOCRITES!" is in the text of the Reformation Bibles in numerous foreign language Bibles as well. But there are a few manuscripts that contain all the words both Sinaiticus and Vaticanus leave out, except they omit the word "HYPOCRITES". So what do these modern versions do? They also omit the words "O ye hypocrites" too.

In other words, even though ALL these 32 words are NOT FOUND in either Sinaiticus or Vaticanus, these modern versions INCLUDE all of them except "O YE HYPOCRITES" which is omitted only by a very few, and is found in the vast majority. Now how "scientific" is that???!

The words "O ye HYPOCRITES" are found in Tyndale 1525, Coverdale 1535, the Great Bible 1540, Matthew's Bible 1549, the Bishops' bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1582, Wesley's N.T. 1755, Youngs 1898, NKJV 1982, World English Bible 2000, Modern English Version 2014, Lamsa's translation of the Syriac Peshitta, Luther's German Bible 1545 and Schlachter Bible 2000 "Ihr Heuchler!", the French Martin Bible 1744, Ostervald 1996 and Louis Segond 2007 - "Hypocrites" (it's the same in French as in English), the Italian Diodati 1649, La Nuova Diodati 1991 and Riveduta 2006 "Ipocriti", the Spanish Sagradas Escrituras 1569 and Cipriano de Valera 1602 and Reina Valera 1909-1995 "Hipócritas", the Portuguese A Biblia Sagrada "Hipócritas", the Afrikaans bible 1953 "Geveinsdes", Hungarian Karoli Bible "Képmutatók", the Russian Synodal Version 1876 "Лицемеры!", the Romanian Cornilescu Bible - "Făţarnicilor", the Dutch Staten Vertaling Bible - "Gij geveinsden!", the Tagalog Ang Salita ng Diyos 1998 - "O, kayong mga mapagpaimbabaw!", the Albanian Bible, the Smith and Van Dyke Arabic Bible -وفي الصباح اليوم شتاء. لان السماء محمرةبعبوسة. يا مراؤونتعرفون ان تميّزواوجه السماء واماعلامات الازمنة فلا تستطيعون. and the Modern Greek Bible "Υποκριται".

Matthew 16:2-3 are found in virtually every Bible translation ever made, in spite of the fact that BOTH Sinaiticus and Vaticanus completely omit them. They are found in all Reformation Bibles in all languages including the Modern Greek Bible and the Modern Hebrew Bible.

If ever the omission of a particular reading speaks volumes, this is it. The words "O ye hypocrites" are missing from these modern versions like the ESV, NASB, NIV, NET AND from all the aforementioned Catholic versions. Do you think there might be a chance these bible translators will hear "O ye hypocrites!" loud and clear from the mouth of the Lord God Almighty in a coming day?

For many more examples of "The True Character of the so called "Oldest and Best Manuscripts", 

See http://brandplucked.webs.com/oldestandbestmss.htm

The King James Bible is always right. Get used to it.