Biblical Church History

1. Biblical Church History Following the Hand of God and the Hand of Satan

2. Pergamos Revelation 2:8-11 c.325-500 A.D. “Much Marriage”

3. (Rev 2:12) And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

4. COUNCIL OF NICEA

5. Transfer of Authority

6. HISTORY BEHIND NEW AGE VERSIONS

7. Constantine orders 50 Bibles

8. Eusebius’ connection to Pamphilus

9. Pamphilus’ connection to Origen

10. Origen’s connection to the modern day bibles

11. Pergamos H • Eusebius got the manuscripts to produce this order from Constantine for 50 bibles basically straight out of Alexandria Egypt. • There was a religious school in Alexandria that was know for its blending of Christianity with the Greek philosophy of Plato and Sororities etc. • The head master of this school was Adamantius Origen

12. Pergamos • His life's work was to take the manuscripts that were out of Antioch and to apply a technique know as “conjectural emendation” (i.e. change the text to what you think it should be. • He didn’t believe that Christ was God but was a sub –god therefore he changed the manuscripts in John 1:18 • He also believe the that you were saved by water baptism therefore changed the manuscripts in Acts with the Ethiopian Eunuch H

13. (Joh 1:18) No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

14. John 1:18  18No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

15. (Act 8:34-39) And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

16. 34The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"[f]38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

17. Pergamos H • Eusebius received his training from under the tutelage of Pamphilus, who had received his training from none other that the “great” Professor Origen • Origen’s library and work in “textual criticism” (i.e. Corruption of the Scriptures) is bequeathed to Pamphilus in Caesarea, and from Pamphilus they are bequeathed to Eusebius • Eusebius produced the 50 Bibles for Constantine based on Origen’s manuscripts

18. Pergamos H • Its important that we realize the significane of Constantines request for the Bibles to be placed on “vellum” scrolls. • Vellum= The best writing material available at the time. It was a tanned leather and very expensive and long lasting. • In contrast true Bible believers were poor and was forced to use (paparas) which would have been the cheapest paper of that day. And would have deterated quickly.

19. Pergamos H • The VATICANUS and SINAITICUS were two of the 50 Bibles that Eusebius translated. They were produced on vellum scrolls. Therefore, having endured and are the oldest known manuscripts in existence today.

20. WESTCOTT AND HORT THEORY

21. Pergamos H •  Brooke Foss Westcott (an Anglican bishop and professor at Cambridge University) and Fenton John Anthony Hort (also an ordained priest and professor at Cambridge) produced a Greek New Testament in 1881 based on the findings of Tischendorf. • All new bibles in the last 100 years are based on there Greek text.

22. Concerning the Deity of Christ "He never speaks of Himself directly as God, but the aim of His revelation was to lead men to see God in Him." (Westcott, The Gospel According to St. John, p. 297). "(John) does not expressly affirm the identification of the Word with Jesus Christ." (Westcott, Ibid., p. 16).

23. Concerning the Scriptures: "I reject the infallibility of Holy Scriptures overwhelmingly." (Westcott, The Life and Letters of Brook Foss Westcott, Vol. I, p.207). "Evangelicals seem to me perverted. . .There are, I fear, still more serious differences between us on the subject of authority, especially the authority of the Bible." (Hort, The Life and Letters of Fenton John Anthony Hort, Vol. I, p.400)

24. Concerning Hell "(Hell is) not the place of punishment of the guilty, (it is) the common abode of departed spirits. (Westcott, Historic Faith, pp.77-78)

25. Concerning Creation "No one now, I suppose, holds that the first three chapters of Genesis, for example, give a literal history. I could never understand how anyone reading them with open eyes could think they did." (Westcott, cited from Which Bible?, p. 191). "But the book which has most engaged me is Darwin. Whatever may be thought of it, it is a book that one is proud to be contemporary with..... My feeling is strong that the theory is unanswerable." (Hort, cited from Which Bible?, p. 189)

26. Concerning the Atonement "I confess I have no repugnance to the primitive doctrine of a ransom paid to Satan. I can see no other possible form in which the doctrine of a ransom is at all tenable; anything is better than the doctrine of a ransom to the father." (Hort, The First Epistle of St. Peter 1:1-2:17, p. 77).

27. Concerning Roman Catholicism "The pure Romanish view seems to be nearer, and more likely to lead to the truth than the Evangelical." p. 77 "I have been persuaded for many years that Mary-Worship and Jesus-Worship have very much in common." (Hort, Life and Letters, Volume II, pp. 49-51) (Hort, Life and Letters, Vol. I,

28. Pergamos H • Wescott and Hort believed that because the SINAITICUS and VATICANUS were older in age they most be the correct translation and closest to the original. • In the U.S. a new Bible comes out on average every 6 mouths

30. Pergamos H (Sept. 1) - The top-selling Bible in North America will undergo its first revision in 25 years, modernizing the language in some sections and promising to reopen a contentious debate about changing gender terms in the sacred text. The New International Version, the Bible of choice for conservative evangelicals, will be revised to reflect changes in English usage and advances in Biblical scholarship, it was announced Tuesday. The revision is scheduled to be completed late next year and published in 2011….

31. Pergamos H …past attempts to remake the NIV for contemporary audiences in different editions have been plagued by controversies about gender language that have pitted theological conservatives against each other. The changes did not make all men "people" or remove male references to God, but instead involved dropping gender-specific terms when translators judged that the original text didn't intend it. So in some verses, references to "sons of God" became "children of God," for example.

32. THE FLIP–FLOP OF 20TH CENTURY FUNDAMENTALISTS

33. Pergamos H • The Conservatives: • Produced a 5 volume work at the turn of the century to define what are the great fundamentalist of the faith. • The people who believed “the people” were called “Fundamentalist”

34. Pergamos H • The Liberals: • Had been influenced by German Rationlism • That was the system of thought popularized by French Neitzsche (1844-1900) and others in the latter part of the 19th century, that had such an impact on 20th century • It was the “God is dead” and “Jesus was a myth” mentality • “He (Nietzsche) saw a civilization so self-confident over its mastery of science, technology, politics and economics that for it “God is dead..belief in the Christian God has become unworthy of belief.” • Compton’s New Century Ency. Article Friedrich Nietzsche.

35. Pergamos H • The Progression of the Battle: • German rationalism: Denied the Bible is the Word of God • Genesis was not really written by Moses, but had 5 different authors. • Daniel had a much later date, rather then being prophetic, said it had been written after the history of the events detailed in the book. • The Fundamentalist stood for the Word of God, and the fact that they were the very words of the living God.

36. Pergamos H • Neo-Orthodox (1920-30’s): The Bible becomes the Word of God to you. • As you read the Bible, it becomes the Word of God as you read it, and God speaks to you. • Their belief was that it wasn’t the words themselves that were important, but that the thoughts is getting across • Again the fundamentalist reacted very strongly.

37. Pergamos H • Fundamentalism now (1990’s) • Even people who claim to be “Fundamentalist” are all using a different version of the Bible (That do not agree) • The answer “fundamentalism” gives for how there can be so many “different” Bibles” “Its not the words of the Bible that are really important, as long as the correct thought gets communicated” • The old “Neo-Orthodox” has become the “Neo-Fundamentalist” • Back in the 20’s and 30’s,what would have been the extreme then, has become the norm now. And what was the norm then, has become the extreme now.

38. Pergamos H • When people hold to the position of what the Fundamentalists have always dogmatically held to and supported, it is the “Fundamentalist” themselves who call them heretics and cultish.