The fundamental difference between the many English translations of the New Testament in recent years and the King James Version of 1611 is the Greek text used for the translating. Virtually every one of the newer translations has been made from a Greek text based on principles developed by B. F. Westcott and F.J.A. Hort. The King James Version, however, was translated from the Textus Receptus, which is in the Byzantine tradition.
In opposition to the popular stream of modern scholarship, Pickering examines the Westcott and Hort critical theory and finds it erroneous on many counts. He establishes seven principles for determining the identity of the New Testament text: antiquity, consent of witnesses, variety of evidence, continuity, respectability of witnesses, evidence of the entire passage, and internal considerations.
The importance of this book comes with the serious questions it raises about the validity of the textual biases that have undergirded most New Testament manuscripts without the erroneous preconceptions of the Westcott and Hort textual theory.
This revised edition contains significant additional evidence that further advances the author's case.
