In the King James Version of the New Testament, Acts 2:47 says, "Praising God,
and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such
as should be saved." Our attention will be focused on the words, "such as should be
saved."
The Greek text underlying the King James Version New Testament is the Textus
Receptus, sometimes called the Received Text. Theodore Beza published four folio
editions of the Stephens Greek text, and this included some changes of his own. The
1598 edition of Beza's text and the last two editions of Robert Stephens, were the
main sources used for the English Authorized Version of 1611. Bonaventure and
Abraham Elzevir published editions of the Greek text in 1624, 1633, and 1641,
following editions of Beza's 1565 edition. The Elzevir text became known as the
Textus Receptus or Received Text throughout Europe.
The words "such as should be saved" do not accurately translate the Greek
phrase as it stands in the Textus Receptus. It says, "prosetithei tous sozomenous."
The Majority Text, Westcott and Hort, and Nestle-Aland read exactly the same
as the Textus Receptus. There is no variation between them. So, the intriguing
question is, "Why does the King James Version translate the phrase 'such as should
be saved,' when all modern versions (ASV, RSV, NASB, NKJV, NIV, NRSV,
and the ESV) read differently. They say something like, "those who were being
saved?"
The answer lies in the fact that most, if not all, of the translators of the King
James Version New Testament were Calvinists. And the likely culprit as to
the mistranslation of the Greek phrase "prosetithei tous sozomenous" in
Acts 2 :47 is the Calvinistic doctrine of salvation, that is, certain individuals were
predestined to be saved. There is not the slightest hint of this doctrine in the Greek
phrase. The word sozomenous is a present participle and should be translated
"those who were being saved." The modern versions are correct in the way they
translate the phrase.
R. Daly
Copyright 2013
and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such
as should be saved." Our attention will be focused on the words, "such as should be
saved."
The Greek text underlying the King James Version New Testament is the Textus
Receptus, sometimes called the Received Text. Theodore Beza published four folio
editions of the Stephens Greek text, and this included some changes of his own. The
1598 edition of Beza's text and the last two editions of Robert Stephens, were the
main sources used for the English Authorized Version of 1611. Bonaventure and
Abraham Elzevir published editions of the Greek text in 1624, 1633, and 1641,
following editions of Beza's 1565 edition. The Elzevir text became known as the
Textus Receptus or Received Text throughout Europe.
The words "such as should be saved" do not accurately translate the Greek
phrase as it stands in the Textus Receptus. It says, "prosetithei tous sozomenous."
The Majority Text, Westcott and Hort, and Nestle-Aland read exactly the same
as the Textus Receptus. There is no variation between them. So, the intriguing
question is, "Why does the King James Version translate the phrase 'such as should
be saved,' when all modern versions (ASV, RSV, NASB, NKJV, NIV, NRSV,
and the ESV) read differently. They say something like, "those who were being
saved?"
The answer lies in the fact that most, if not all, of the translators of the King
James Version New Testament were Calvinists. And the likely culprit as to
the mistranslation of the Greek phrase "prosetithei tous sozomenous" in
Acts 2 :47 is the Calvinistic doctrine of salvation, that is, certain individuals were
predestined to be saved. There is not the slightest hint of this doctrine in the Greek
phrase. The word sozomenous is a present participle and should be translated
"those who were being saved." The modern versions are correct in the way they
translate the phrase.
R. Daly
Copyright 2013
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