Expert: Dean Gade - 12/8/2006

Question
I just have a couple of general questions, hopefully you can help enlighten me...I was watching a program on Discovery, National Geographic, A&E or similar network and it was about the history of Satan. It stated that the way the Bible was originally written, Lucifer played a minor role. For example, the serpent was just a serpent in the garden of Eden, until the Catholic church made a few minor changes thus making this serpent a representation of the devil. It also talked about how it was something like the 13th Pope that added the "seven deadly sins" to the Bible.  My main question is, do you know anything further about this, or could you recommend books that explore this subject further. I am just having difficulty with finding out about all of the changes that were made to the Bible after it was written, when it says in the Bible that you are not to alter the word of God. Does that mean that all modern Christianity is based on studying an altered word of God? Do you know which Bible is the least altered and closest to the way it was originally written?( the Koran, the Cabbalah, the Torah, ect ect)

Answer
For the most(overwhelmingly most) part Discovery, National Geographic, A&E are either quite ignorant about the Bible or knowingly choose "theological guests" who have little love of God or understanding of the Bible.

In order to read the New Testament in its original language, Koine Greek, I took courses (three full semester) at my undergraduate university in Ancient and Classical Greek,  then read most of the Bible in the Koine Greek during my three years on campus at an accredited seminary.

Since that time I have continued to use Nestle's "Novum Testamentum Graece" as my source of what the original manuscripts said. I've done this for the 43 years since graduating from the seminary. I write this as credentials for answering you.

We don't have any of the origninal manuscripts but we do have copies of them in many, many early manuscripts.  What the Nestle has done is to investigate all the old manuscripts and update from any new finds in manuscripts.  These are all noted in the Greek texts. He. and his company. have continued to have new editions over the last 60 years or so.

ALL VARIATIONS are noted at the bottom of each page; telling what manuscripts have what differences.   Almost every difference is from spelling, glosses, or missing words.  NONE of them change any doctrine set down in the NT Bible.   

The newer translations, NIV. ASV et ali are better translations than the older ones, KJV, RSV...   because more of the manuscripts were found since the time of those older translations.    There are so many translations because the Greek and English words don't always match.  A Greek word may mean more things than any one English word.  Thus the translators have to pick what they think is the best equivelent word in English..and here their bias can come in. To overcome this there are are "amplified" Bibles which have parenthesis after complex words in which most of the Greek meanings are included.
OR: learn the Greek and use Strongs words studies and Greek-English Lexicons to see how the word was used in both secular society and in all the places of the Bible.

But I can assure you that the Bible has not been altered by any church .....except for their own editions.   There are just too many old manuscripts that have been found all around the Mediterranian Sea to allow for that.

I didn't write of the Old Testament because few scholars have any doubts about that.  The Jewish scribes from earliest time treated the written word with almost frightening awe and respect.  If a page had to many(like 3)clerical errors in their copy, the page was rolled up and buried.  It was too holy to destroy.  Thus the Qumran scrolls found in  the caves.

The Bible has one author though it was given through many writers.  God is very consistant in what He had written over a span of thousands of years.  Throughout the OT and NT of the Bible it claims that the words were inspired by God Himself.  And the teachings are the same in both Testaments about God, His character and His loving desire for the life of man on earth and after we leave this body.

PS.  The book of Revelation (the latest book) agrees with Genesis (one of the earliest books) that the "serpent" was the devil who tempted and tempts man.