Ransom:These are multiple translations of a single literary work, the Bible.
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Bartholomew:No, they are not. They are translations of different texts, different manuscripts, etc.
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Ransom:All copies of a single literary work, the Bible.
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No, they are not. The Vaticanus manuscript is not copied from the same sources as , say, the manuscripts used by the AV translators. Many manuscripts, versions, translations are taken from DIFFERENT sources. They are NOT all taken from the same "single literary work". If they are, then what
is this "single literary work"??? Does this "single literary work" say that the Philistines had 3,000 chariots, or 30,000 chariots (1 Samuel 13:5)? Which is it? Please consult your "perfectly preserved" bible and tell me what it says. If it is really a "SINGLE" literary work, it will not say both.
Bartholomew:At least I have a definition. You don't. Or else you do, and despite REPEATED questions, you refuse to explain what it is.
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Ransom:I am in full agreement with chapter 1 of the London Baptist Confession of 1689.
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Please answer the question. WHAT and WHERE is your "perfectly preserved bible" you keep talking about???
Bartholomew:YOU said you believed there was just ONE bible, and it had been perfectly preserved: which ONE, and WHERE IS IT???
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Ransom:Once again, and like most if not all KJV-onlyists, you confuse the universal (the Bible) with the particular (this Bible). Your inability to distinguish between these two categories makes meaningful and intelligent conversation difficult. Quite frankly, if you are going to wade into this subject, you ought to know better than to fall into this trap.
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If anyone with even a half-open mind is reading this thread, they will see my problem. I PERSISTENTLY ask you to show me this bible you keep talking about; and I PERSISTENTLY agree to compare it with
my Bible. However, you give me a hard time for not being able to distinguish "
the Bible" from the AV. Well, the reason I can't distinguish it is because you WON'T tell me what your "bible" is! So, for the fiftieth time, WHAT AND WHERE IS THIS "BIBLE"???
Bartholomew:Go on then. Be pedantic. I will correct my imprecise wording. I should have said: "At this point, nothing specifically".
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Ransom:And yet you reserve the right to demand specifics from me?
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Ransom, if my words are
so hard to understand, please tell me. Otherwise, stop trying to twist what I say. I will lay it down again: I believe God perfectly preserved his word. At this point, I am willing to look at ANYTHING, and see if it is likely to be this preserved word. I don't care WHAT it is - I will consider it. However, it is only the bad old nasty AV-onlyists who will show me a candidate for this perfectly preserved word. I keep asking you for yours, but you never tell me. So, on the basis of the evidence before me, I agree with them. It is only AFTER this is the only canditate placed before me that I start arguing specifically for it.
But
I gave you, specifically, the Bible I believe. If anyone reading this thread has a half-open mind, they will conclude that the only reason you refuse to show me yours is because you don't have one.
Ransom:I must remind you that the burden of proof is on the person making the positive claim. That would be you, since you are the one attempting to invest special authority in a particular translation of the Bible.
Now, Ransom, the problem is that you keep mixing up two
different issues. The FIRST issue is, "has God perfectly preserved his word?" I can prove that he HAS from scripture. You say you agree.
So, the SECOND issue is, "where IS this word?" Well, where do you say? I have promised to give me my evidence that it is in the AV WHEN you tell me where
YOU think it is. But how can we compare evidence for the AV against the evidence for your "bible", when you won't even tell me WHAT your "perfectly preserved bible" is???
Ransom:And yet, "specifically nothing" is specifically what you have so far provided in support of your claims.
Again, you are confusing the two issues above. I have provided much to prove the first claim. However, I will give you my evidence that the perfectly preserved word of God is in the AV
when YOU give me the evidence that it is wherever you think it is. I think any open-minded person will see that it is unreasonable to give you the oportunity to trample over the evidence that the AV is the perfectly preserved word of God unless you give me the opportunity to trample over
your evidence that
your candidate is the word of God. But
you don't really have a candidate, do you? Why not just stop this charade, and join up with the others arguing with me on here? At least they're honest - they claim that God HASN'T perfectly preserved his word.
Ransom:All you seem interested in doing is trying to create doubt in the minds of others. "Yea, hath God said?" as the KJV-onlyists are so eager to hiss.
This is such a silly allegation. I'm telling people they can have ABSOLUTE CONFIDENCE about what God really said. Is this what
you believe???
Bartholomew:I am NOT using this as a disguise to argue for a perfect AV, as you seem to think - it's just that it's the only candidate anyone ever offers.
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Ransom:Blatantly false.
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Not so. Show me your "perfectly preserved" bible, and I will consider it. Give me the evidence that it is perfectly preserved, and I will give you the evidence that the AV is perfectly preserved. If your evidence is greater than mine, I will come over to your position.
Bartholomew:This is why I CONTINUALLY ask you to show me your "perfectly preserved Bible" that you CONTINUOUSLY claim to believe in, and we will compare it with the AV.
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Ransom:On what grounds have you determined the AV to be the standard against which it must be judged? You are begging the question again.
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Because it's the only candidate on the table! If you really had a candidate, you'd show me how the evidence for it was greater than the evidence for the AV, and we'd believe yours instead. However, you seem a
little (!!!) reluctant to show me your candidate. Are you affraid the AV will have more evidence than your "bible"???
Bartholomew:Exactly - that's what it's all about. You don't want to abandom the "bible" of YOUR choice.
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Ransom:And you want me to give it up in favour of your choice. What makes your choice more authoritative?
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Because it's the only candidate I've ever seen. I may have been misled. If so, please show me your candidate and we'll discuss evidence. But it seems you're a little scared to let your "bible" face the spotlight... I wonder why?
Bartholomew:Of course there isn't sufficient evidence to convince you to change - just like there isn't sufficicent evidnece to convince the atheist to change
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Ransom:Yeah yeah yeah. Not accepting your subjective preference of translation is the same as unbelief. I've heard it all before from people angrier than you.
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It is the same attitude. If you were really interested in discussing evidence, you'd show me your "bible" and we'd be having a different discussion.
Your friend and brother,
Bartholomew
[ May 17, 2002, 05:41 AM: Message edited by: Bartholomew ]