Topics > Canon

A collection of Bible studies on the canonization of the Bible; that is, how it came into being, and why the Textus Receptus is reliable beyond question - even beyond the universally-recognized provenance of secular historical documents.

Dr. Paul Freeman analyzes the New Testament bible variations which undermine long-held Christian doctrines. That is, unless your Bible is based on the Received Text (aka, Textus Receptus [TR]), best translated by the Authorized Version. This should obliterate the argument vainly held out, that no variation affects doctrine. Nonsense!

(Paper - 23 pgs; PDF download)
The late Edward F. Hills (1912-1981) comprehensive work, "The King James Version Defended: A Christian View of the New Testament Manuscripts", presents a compelling argument for the KJV and old tradition. What makes the KJV worth defending is that it is the only translation of the ecclesiastical text (i.e., the textus receptus) other than Young's Literal 2nd edition and Greens. A scholarly yet readable introduction by the late Dr. David P. Letis is worth your time. Hills was a well trained classicist and internationally recognized New Testament text critic who analyzed the problems of modern language translations and Westscott-Hort text criticism methodology. This book is a must-have for any pastor's study.

(PDF - 225 pgs; 4th edition)
Dr. P. S. Ferguson is with the Bible Presbyterian Church in Singapore, and offers some powerful insights into the strength of the Textus Receptus. This is a cross-post from the Puritan Board. Yellow highlights are mine.
Though the Chicago Statement on Inerrancy has good content, it still fails at a critical point: verbal plenary preservation. Isolating inerrancy to manuscripts no longer in our possessions leaves a gaping hole in the defense. A brother offers a whimsical illustration of this problem.

Blog - 1 page; 2018
The latest hot-selling Bible is the ESV. Before you burn your hard-earned cash, you might want to see what the next-generation RSV actually does to God's Word. You'll be shocked. You may even get kicked out of your church if you even question why 15% of the Received Greek New Testament is missing from this utterly corrupt translation. At best we can only say it contains the word of God.

(Study - 7 pages; 2017)
There are three key lenses through which any Bible translator must work: selecting the underlying Hebrew and Greek text, selecting a translation approach, and identifying the key purpose for the translation. This study covers: What the Bible Says About Itself; What Reformed Confessions Say About The Bible; Reliability of the Texts; Types of Attacks; How We Got Our Bible; What We Have Today; and Main Issues You Should Focus On.

(Study - 11 pages; 2022 update)
We just read what the publisher page says, and figure out who wrote the Bible ... right? Hardly! Some 40 different authors over a period of about 1,600 years contributed to this divine piece of work. How do we know this? What does the Bible say about itself?

(Video - 66 mins; plus Study - 3 pages; 2017)
It's fashionable for theologians to declare Bible passages to be in error, claiming that words and phrases can be harmlessly removed. They also boldly claim God didn't promise to preserve His Word, but just "propositional truth". Others claim this is a conscience issue. Does the Bible directly address any of this? [Hint: yes!]

(Study - 2 pages; 2015)
When we say "the canon is closed", we mean there's no more divine revelation coming from God. This shuts down the door to errors such as Apostolic succession, prophets coming with new teachings, or a trust in scholars over the Word itself.

(Study - 2 pages; 2013)
The Bible actually has a lot to say about itself, especially its authorship, preservation and transmission. See how God expresses His opinion on the matter of His Holy, inerrant Word.

(Study - 3 pages; 1999)