Proponents of the exclusivity of the King James Version of the Bible paint for their listeners a picture of Erasmus, whose work, they argue, resulted in the Textus Receptus, or Textus Receptus, from which the KJV came. They praise Erasmus to the heavens, and it is understandable. He was a scholar without equal in his time (16th century).
Interestingly, Erasmus was considered a humanist, which according to modern definitions eliminates all possibility of religious, supernatural, etc. beliefs. The human must be the measure of all things, the center of the universe.
But for this scholar, humanism was only a means to defend the Roman dogma:
“The push of ErasmusThe educational program was the promotion of “docta pietas”, learned piety, or what he called the “philosophy of Christ.” (Wikipedia)
Hence, he was a leading figure in the secular Renaissance, and only secondarily in the Protestant Reformation. Also from Wikipedia: “Using humanistic techniques to work on texts, he prepared important new Latin and Greek editions of the New Testament, which raised questions that would be influential in the Protestant Reformation.”
His approach to the Scriptures was intellectual. Human. Keep that thought in mind.
And he was a Catholic.
That? Oh yeah. A Catholic priest.
He, says the same source, “was critical of the abuses within the Catholic Church and called for reforms, but nevertheless stayed away from Luther” and the others … He was a Romanist and a supporter of the Pope all his days.
Yes, he remained a Catholic all his life, while the Reformation ravaged him. Dad offered him various honors, partly to keep him away from his reforming ways and dangerous literary work. The temptations worked.
Doctrinally, Erasmus rejected the idea of ”faith alone” for salvation. He believed that man cooperates with God in this process of salvation. In other words, faith plus works.
That was Erasmus.
Fast forward. 2021. Imaginary scenario. Independent Fundamentalist Baptist churches, well known for their stance on the high place of the King James Bible, are gathering for a Bible conference. Who will you choose to be the keynote speaker?
Understood! Let’s call on a Catholic priest, one honored by the Pope, respected throughout the world for his humanistic views, one who approaches the texts of Scripture like the texts of all books, from a human perspective. One who rejects salvation by faith and preaches salvation by works. But of course, whoever believes in him Textus Receptus. That fact alone will help us to blur those other secondary problems.
Absurd imagination? Yes. But it was such a man who was responsible for the Greek text that indirectly produced the King James Bible.
They honor Erasmus. But will they honor the Catholic scholarship today?
I don’t want to get out of Erasmus. What light it was. But like all of us, he had serious flaws. Like all translators, then and now. And even the apostles.
Look what God has done through such imperfect servants! But let’s look at the flaws in trying to say things that shouldn’t be said about any translation of the Bible.