Battle of the Bibles - Present Truth

A relatively small minority, represented principally by Dr Scrivener, were now left
to uphold the integrity of the Revision. Scrivener, one of the foremost Greek New
Testament scholars, in the mould of another of his contemporaries, Dean Burgon,
inevitable clashed with Dr Hort. Relentlessly, Westcott and Hort substituted their Greek
text for the Received Text. Ellicott later referred to Scrivener's objections as "A kind of
critical duel between Dr Hort and Dr Scrivener" ("Ellicott Addresses", p 61).
Needless to say, Scrivener and his minority supporters were systematically and
consistently out-voted. The learned Bishop Gore is adamant that the Greek text used by
the revisers followed the Vaticanus and Sinaiticus Manuscripts ("New Commentary",
Part III p 721).
Therefore it was inevitable that, far from "A few necessary changes in the
interests of clarity", the Revised New Testament was altered in thousands of places -
5,337 of these related to the Greek Text. (Dr Everts, "The Westcott and Hort Text Under
Fire", Bibliotheca Sacra, January 1921).
Perhaps no stronger evidence of the fact that the so-called revision was a
Roman-inspired plot to replace the Protestant Bible with a Catholic one, comes from the
traitorous Cardinal Wiseman, who, along with Newman, devised the whole dastardly
scheme. When it became evident that the "Revision" was about to become an
accomplished fact he could no longer contain his exuberance, saying,
"When we consider the scorn cast by the Reformers upon the Vulgate, and their
recurrence, in consequence, to the Greek, [Vaticanus and Sinaiticusj as the only
accurate standard, we cannot but rejoice at the silent triumph which truth has at length
gained over clamorous error. For, in fact, the principal writers who have avenged the
Vulgate, and obtained for it its critical pre-eminence are Protestants" (Wiseman,
"Essays", Vol. I p 104).
Although the revisers worked in great secrecy, it is obvious from the above quote
that Wiseman was in close touch with his Protestant dupes. He and Newman were now
about to see the successful conclusion of the commission given them some thirty-three
years earlier by Father Benigno - the Superior of the Franciscans.
Chapter Nineteen
The Fraud Exposed
As the day for publication of the Revised Version approached, there was great
expectation in the English-speaking world. Although the revisers had remained secretive
and had consistently refused to release details of their work, yet those responsible for its
marketing had been very active. In Britain and America, Christians were anticipating an
improved version of their beloved King James Bible.
Drs Westcott and Hort had preserved similar secrecy with their Greek New
Testament and only allowed it to be released by the publisher a few days prior to the
publication of the New Testament portion of the Revised Version, which materialised on
May 17, 1881. The Old Testament did not appear until a little later. The reason for such
secrecy soon became apparent. Scholars soon came to realise that the "Revision" was a
misnomer and that Westcott and Hort's Greek New Testament was a resurrected
Eusebius text.
One of the first and outstanding objections to this blatant betrayal of the
commission given by the Southern Convocation, came from one of the Church of
England's ablest Greek scholars, Dr John W Burgon.
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