THE MAGAZINE OF THETRINITARIAN BIBLE SOCIETY · The Magazine of the Trinitarian Bible Society 3 C onsider the following texts of Scripture, all from our Saviour’s own lips, and

THE MAGAZINE OF THE TRINITARIAN BIBLE SOCIETY

April to June 2006

T h e W o r d o f G o d A m o n g A l l N a t i o n s

I S S U E N U M B E R : 5 7 5

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General Secretary:Mr. D. P. Rowland

Assistant General Secretary:Mr. D. Larlham

Editorial Manager:Mr. G. W. Anderson

Office Manager:Mr. J. M. Wilson

Warehouse Manager:Mr. I. A. Docksey

Production Manager:Mr. M. D. N. Thomas

Trinitarian Bible SocietyFounded in 1831 for the circulation of Protestant or

uncorrupted versions of the Word of God

Officers of the Society

Quarterly RecordProduction TeamGeneral Secretary: D.P.Rowland

Assistant General Secretary: D.Larlham

Editor: G.W.Anderson

Production Editor: Dr.D.E.Anderson

Assistants to the Editor:M.J.Fenn,C.P.Hallihan

Graphic Design:Stephen Talas

Circulation: J.M.Wilson

General Committee:

The Rev. M. H. Watts, Chairman

The Rev. B. G. Felce, M.A., Vice-Chairman

The Rev. G. Hamstra, B.A., M.Div.,Vice-President

Mr. D. Oldham, Vice-President

Mr. C. A. Wood, Vice-President

Pastor R. A. Clarke, B.Sc., F.C.A. Treasurer

Mr. G. Bidston

Mr. G. R. Burrows, M.A.

Mr. G. D. Buss, B.Ed.

Pastor M. J. Harley

Mr. A. K. Jones

The Rev. E. T. Kirkland, B.A., Dipl.Th.

The Rev. J. Macleod, M.A.

The Rev. D. Silversides

The Rev. J. P. Thackway


QUARTERLYRECORD

T h e Wo r d o f G o d Am o n g A l l N a t i o n s

THE MAGAZINE OF THE TRINITARIAN BIBLE SOCIETY

I ssue Number 5 7 5

April to June 2006

© Trinitarian Bible Society 2006All rights reserved. The Trinitarian Bible Society permits reprinting of articles found in our printed and

online Quarterly Record provided that prior permission is obtained and proper acknowledgement is made.

2Annual General Meeting

2006

2Open Day 2006

3The Word of God is Quick

and Powerful

9The Broad and the Narrow

Way

11New Homes for TBS (USA)

and TBS (Brazil)

12Home with the Lord:

F.C. Farncombe

13 The Road to the Authorised

Version, Part 2

22The Treasury

23David Norton’s

New Cambridge Paragraph Bible

25The French Exhibition:

a Report on Lognes 2005

28After 30 years, how two churchposters became illegal adverts

30The Word of God Among All

Nations

C O N T E N T S

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QUARTERLY RECORD - Issue Number 575 - April to June 2006

ADVANCE NOTICE

175th Annual General Meetingto be held, God willing,

at 1.00pm on Saturday, 23rd September 2006at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Elephant and Castle, London, SE1

The Rev. David SilversidesPastor of Loughbrickland Reformed Presbyterian Church

and a member of the General Committee ofthe Trinitarian Bible Society

is expected to preach

Please note: Copies of the Minutes of the Society’s Annual General Meeting held on 10th September 2005

have been dispatched to Members. Should any other friends/supporters wish to receive acopy, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. D. Larlham, Assistant General Secretary,

Trinitarian Bible Society, Tyndale House, Dorset Road, London, SW19 3NN ([email protected])

OPE

ND

AYJu

ne

2006

The Society’s next Open Day is scheduledfor 10th June, from Noon until 5.00pm,God willing.We anticipate a full afternoon ofdisplays, guided tours and talks, along withopportunities for fellowship, as we onceagain present the work of Bible translation,production and distribution. Please markyour calendars and make plans to join us.


The Magazine of the Trinitarian Bible Society

3

Consider the following texts ofScripture, all from our Saviour’sown lips, and all recorded by the

Apostle John:

‘…the words that I speak unto you, theyare spirit, and they are life.’ John 6.63

‘He that is of God heareth God’s words:ye therefore hear them not, because ye arenot of God.’ John 8.47

‘… If a man love me, he will keep mywords: and my Father will love him, andwe will come unto him, and make ourabode with him.’ John 14.23

‘For I have given unto them the wordswhich thou gavest me; and they havereceived them, and have known surelythat I came out from thee, and they havebelieved that thou didst send me.’John 17.8

‘Sanctify them through thy truth: thyword is truth.’ John 17.17

All these texts emphasise the importanceof words, specifically, and uniquely, God’swords. As we register our belief in theverbal and plenary inspiration ofScripture, we are affirming that God gaveus individual words, each one vitallyimportant, nothing superfluous, nothingremotely incorrect, every one not onlynecessary but possessing the power toconfer everlasting life, as John 6.63 states.

One of the hallmarks of today’s ungodlysociety is the accelerating decline in theimportance of the spoken and writtenword. Whether it is the broken promisesof politicians, the indecent haste withwhich marriage vows are set aside, thealarming increase in illiteracy even ofthose leaving university and presentingtheir badly spelled curricula vitae touncomprehending employers, or the pro-liferation of that recent bane, the textmessage—where worldly youngsters, forexample, with their mobile phones, can

Hebrews 4.12

From the Assistant General Secretary



4

only communicate in almost unrecog-nisably mangled and abbreviated lan-guage, the electronic equivalent of thegrunts and gestures of their unsaved par-ents at that age—we see everywherearound us that precision of languageseems to mean little any more. We areaware, of course, that believers who areau fait with the latest technology canmake good and wise use of such things,but the danger of losing the facility tocommunicate precisely and clearly mustbe recognised.

Also, in the realm of words and accuracy,we deplore so much of the writingsappearing on the Internet, a technologywhich has no discipline of editorialscrutiny and is thus susceptible to themost beguiling and misleading claimsthat cannot be substantiated. There seemto be thousands of people out there whoappear to devote their lives to foistingtheir obnoxious or aberrant views uponall who will read them, often unwittingly,and often unsolicited—how often haveyou been the recipient of enormous andstrident e-mails peddling ridiculous theo-ries or ‘solutions’ and wondered how youcame to be on the address list? Certainlyhere at Tyndale House, were it not for the‘junk mail filter’ certain staff would donothing else all day but remove suchoffensive material from our computerscreens. Inventors of computers will havea lot to answer for one day at the judg-ment seat of Christ, as so many of theinnovations of today have the overalleffect of rushing people into more hastyand ill-considered, if not downright sin-ful, activity, the opposite of the caution,patience and waiting upon the Lordadvocated by the Word of God!

Sadly, there are many who should knowbetter who adopt a compromising atti-

tude to this latest manifestation of thedevil’s way with words—or you mightalmost say nowadays ‘without words’. Theevil one, who has never ceased in hisattempts to undermine the statements ofGod—from the Garden of Eden when hecunningly misrepresented the words ofGod to Eve, to the wilderness when hetried the same trick with our Lord andSaviour in misquoting and wresting outof context the Holy Scripture, and eversince—now seems to be attacking thevery medium of communication itself.Many in the churches of Christ seem tobe saying ‘If you can’t beat them, jointhem’.

Some Christian publishers now seemmore concerned with their image andtheir marketing than with the pure Wordof Truth. Not for them the ‘loins girtabout with truth’ and ‘the sword of theSpirit, which is the word of God’(Ephesians 6.14,17), but carnal weaponsfavoured by the world. ‘What’s in aword?’ and ‘Sticks and stones may breakmy bones, but words will never hurt me’,could be quotations from the book ofProverbs as far as they are concerned, andas the knowledge of the Holy Scripturediminishes amongst many of the peopleof God, and Bible translations becomeever more ‘racy’, there is all the more like-lihood that they imagine that they are!

Amongst all this wreckage, the TrinitarianBible Society intends to cling to the mastof uprightness. You will find in this issuethe following articles and features that cryout that words are important, and God’swords never more so, in this generationwhere the image is seen as the all-impor-tant thing:

The second part of Peter Hallihan’s arti-cle ‘The Road to the AV’



5

Carrying on from 1453, Peter tracks thewonderful way in which the Spirit ofGod harnessed the new process of print-ing, the Protestant Reformation, and awhole series of remarkable providencesto bring to the world the Word of Godin English (and then and since in manyhundreds of other tongues). The dark-ness of priestcraft was banished by thelight of the Word, as millions could nowread, for the first time in their own lan-guage, what God said.

From our Vice-Chairman, the ReverendBrian Felce, a succinct critique of DrDavid Norton’s New CambridgeParagraph Bible

Whereas Dr Norton would likeChristian scholars to abandon variouswell-known and well-loved words andphrases in the Authorised Version infavour of the language used in the firstedition of 1611 (but which has beenimproved since in the four subsequentrevisions), this Society believes thatGod’s people are better served by thatwhich we now have, in the providenceof God.

The latest article from one of our Vice-Presidents, the Reverend Gerald Hamstra

In focussing upon the broad and narrowways, and how different are the occupa-tions and preoccupations of the trav-ellers thereon, Mr Hamstra highlightsthe necessity of consulting God’s Word‘for instruction regarding the way inwhich eternal life may be obtained’.

In addition to these features within thesepages, we want to draw attention to sev-eral other matters that bear upon thevital subject of the accurate words ofHoly Scripture. Two of these relate toResolutions of the General Committee,two to items of immense significance in

recent news bulletins worldwide, andtwo to recent episodes that have ham-pered us in our work, where the devil hasobjected to the Word of God faithfullyset forth.

Resolutions of the GeneralCommitteeFirstly, let me deal with the Resolutionsof the General Committee:

1) In the course of agreeing the final ver-sion of the Statement of Doctrine ofHoly Scripture and Word List (to beincorporated in a new edition of ourbooklet An Introduction to the Society’sPrinciples, and Constitution, boundtogether as one handy volume for ease ofreference), the members of the GeneralCommittee agreed that in future allManagers newly taken onto the staff willbe expected to approve the Statementand Word List as reflecting their ownpersonal views.

The documents will soon be sent out toall the Society’s Branches and Auxiliariesfor the approval of all the appropriateofficers; the Deputation Speaker and allof the Regional Representatives havealready approved them, and all the cur-rent staff here at Tyndale House are, atthe very least, being requested to affirmthat they accept the documents as statingthe principles of the Society and toadhere to them in all their dealings withthird parties, and to renew that pledge onan annual basis.

Further, it has been unanimouslyresolved that in whatever capacity theywrite or speak (in the English language),all Committee members or Branch orAuxiliary personnel or DeputationSpeakers or Regional Representativesrepresenting the Society should exclusive-



6

ly read, preach, write or teach from theAuthorised Version (except by inferencewhen exposing the errors of other ver-sions).

2) One of the expressions used frequentlywithin the Statement and the Word List isReceived Text (or the Latin TextusReceptus). There has arisen a tendencywithin the arena of debate over the textof Holy Scripture for this term to be nar-rowly confined to printed editions, mostfamously of course to the second editionof the Greek text of the New Testamentpublished by the Elzevirs in 1633 (fromthe preface of which the phrase ‘textusreceptus’ is taken).

The Society’s own published edition isthat of Prebendary F. H. A. Scrivenercompiled in 1894; in the preface of ouredition it is stated that the title ‘TextusReceptus’ came to be associated in courseof time with the 1550 edition publishedby Robert Stephens.

There is a sense in which it may be saidthat the Received Text, preserved andconveyed down through the centuries asmanuscripts, etc., eventually found itsmost refined expression in the printededitions of the 16th and 17th centuries.

This term can therefore be used in astrict, narrow sense, and also in a moregeneral sense. When used in this latterway, it may require comment or explana-tion. However, it is a legitimate use of theterm and takes into account the doctrineof providential preservation.

Recent News BulletinsI come briefly now to those two mattersthat have featured most prominently inthe news of late. Firstly, we rejoice thatthe UK Government’s proposed Racial

and Religious Hatred Bill has beenamended, so that Christians faithfullygoing about the business of preachingthe Gospel are now extremely unlikely toface prosecution. In the course of suchpreaching it is necessary at times todenounce various false ‘ways to God’,including other religions and belief sys-tems, and to declare the uniqueness ofChrist as the Way, the Truth and the Life.It is most heartening to the Society thatthose supporters who preach in the openair, particularly, will be able to set forththe Word of Life to those who most needto hear it, without fear of accusation andunlawful arrest.

Secondly, we note a fascinating by-prod-uct of the modern craze for imagesrather than words, mentioned earlier inthis article. The publication of cartoonsdepicting the false prophet Muhammad,originally in a Danish newspaper andreproduced across Europe, have incensedMuslims worldwide, leading to vehementdenunciations, protest rallies, rioting andviolence, even death. How bizarre all thisis! There is a belief amongst manyobservers that the dramatic voting on theRacial and Religious Hatred Bill onlydays earlier and the current unrest in thiscountry are connected, for the cartoonshave been in the public domain sinceSeptember without much fuss, and theMuslims in the United Kingdom wereunashamedly lobbying the Governmentfor protection under the Bill as original-ly drafted, believing that the existing lawdid not afford adequate protection.Nonetheless, we find it hard to believethat the newspaper editors would havedared (or found it worthwhile) to pub-lish words criticising the Islamicprophet, so here is a case of thedeplorable downgrading of communi-



7

cation by sensible words leading to anenormous uproar! One is reminded ofthe uproar at Ephesus occasioned byperceived threats to the idolatrous wor-ship of Diana, and instigated by thosewhose silversmith craft businesses werein jeopardy as a result. At least there, itwas the words of Paul and his compan-ions that had originally incensed theidolaters… (Acts 19.23-41).

Episodes that haveHampered Our WorkSpeaking of those who are incensedbrings us closer to home: we now men-tion for your prayers two situations thathave recently occurred, threatening dif-ferent aspects of the Society’s work.

The first concerns the distribution ofBibles free of charge throughout theschools of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Oneof our supporters had been most con-scientiously engaged in this work forsome years, but in 2005 he met unex-pected opposition from the localEducation Authority. Triggered by acomplaint from one parent who hadlooked up the Society’s Web site andconcluded that we are anti-RomanCatholic, anti-Semitic and anti-Unitarian, a ban was imposed upon allTrinitarian Bible Society Bibles andScripture materials within the numer-ous schools under that Authority’s juris-diction. No formal reference was madeby the Authority to the Society prior totheir taking such prescriptive action, sowe were unaware of it until it had beenenforced.

The part of the Web site that hadcaused offence was a quotation frompage 5 of our Introduction to theSociety’s Principles, wrenched out of

context. Under the heading ‘The Needfor the Trinitarian Bible Society’, refer-ence was made to our policy of non-cooperation with other Bible publisherswho involve Roman Catholics,Unitarians and Jews in their translationcommittees. Whilst we have no inten-tion of changing that policy, we wouldhave been able to demonstrate, if asked,that in the general sense we are only tookeen to ensure that as many as possibleof those persuasions, particularly chil-dren, are in possession of accuratetranslations of God’s Word. Much workhas been done in Israel and amongstthe Jews worldwide throughout our his-tory, and this continues today. Whereverwe can, we will be only too happy todistribute amongst Roman Catholicsand Unitarians.

Although, in theory, the schools couldmerely have obtained their AuthorisedVersion Scriptures from another suppli-er, and we would not have been tooconcerned at that, in the event weunderstand that they obtained NewKing James Version Bibles, and thatdoes concern us. Representations to theEducation Authority have been made bythe local Aberdeen Auxiliary, so far tono avail. Having now seen the guide-lines issued by the Scottish Executiveunder which the Education Authoritytook the view that we were infringingtheir ‘inclusive’ policy on ‘religiousobservance’, we are appalled that theAuthority interpreted these in such adraconian fashion, which is certainlynot laid down or necessary thereunder.

As yet the General Committee has nothad the opportunity to consider the textof the guidelines and to determine whataction, if any, should be taken, so pleasepray that much wisdom will be granted



8

challenge to their ruling, the advertisingagency relented and will now displaythe posters for the remaining five pro-grammes this year, although they will‘monitor the situation’. Please join us inpraying that there will be no unneces-sary difficulties at renewal later thisyear, or in the meantime. Please pray,too, for the soul of the atheist, that hemight at last come to acknowledge thatGod exists, has a claim upon him, yetcan save him.

Once again, Satan’s opposition to theunadulterated setting forth of God’sWord has surfaced. Indeed, even sincethis article was first compiled, anotherattack on God’s Word has erupted—please see page 27 below.

Finally, may I draw your attention tothe record in this issue of the passing oftwo fine servants of the Lord. Eachspent very many years in the service ofthe Society. Mr Charles Farncombe, oneof the Vice-Presidents of the Society, hasgone to be with his Lord and Saviourafter an earthly pilgrimage of 99 years,during which time he has been greatlyused to promote and further the work.Mr William Taylor, long associated withthe Halkirk Auxiliary in Caithness,Scotland, has also been called home atthe age of 87. Both of these dear ser-vants of God will be greatly missed onearth, but have been greatly welcomed,we feel sure, home in Heaven. May theLord Who chose them, saved them,used them and brought them at lastinto His Holy presence for evermorewhen the time was right, bless and com-fort those they left behind, and encour-age others in the work by their selflessexamples!

in this matter.

The second recent example of opposi-tion to God’s Word came from an athe-ist, who, not surprisingly, took umbrageat one of our Railway Posters atClapham Junction Station, in London.The text was Psalm 53.1, ‘The fool hathsaid in his heart, There is no God’. If theman had merely complained to us in acourteous fashion, that should havebeen the end of it—indeed a similarcomplaint two years ago, about the verysame text, was not upheld by theAdvertising Standards Authority sincethe words were recognised as beingfrom the Bible and it was not thoughtthat the words were likely to offend anysubstantial number of the travellingpublic.

However, on this occasion, we onlyheard about the complaint from theadvertising agency that had put up theposter on our behalf, at some fifteensites around the country. Because onetraveller had complained, this companytook it upon itself, again without priorreference to us, to curtail the remainderof the month-long campaign featuringthat poster, in all the sites involved, andthen to ban the rest of the year’s dis-plays as well, without even knowingwhat the subsequent texts would be!

When challenged, the advertisingagency tried to have us believe that theRail Operating companies for whomthey act have a policy of ‘no religiousadvertising’! In that case, why did theysign a contract with a Bible Society?Why had they done the very same lastyear? Why had another company actingfor the same Rail Operating companiesquite happily displayed our text postersfor many years? We are pleased toreport that after prayer and our robust



9

Enter ye in at the straitgate: for wide is the gate,and broad is the way,

that leadeth to destruction, andmany there be which go inthereat: because strait is thegate, and narrow is the way,which leadeth unto life, andfew there be that find it.Matthew 7:13, 14

Human life is like a journey and every per-son like a traveller. Each journey has abeginning and an end. So it is with man’sjourney through life. We know that wehave begun it, and that we are travelling.Do we also know where we are going,where our life’s journey will end? There areonly two possibilities: the end will be eitherheaven or hell. Where we will be when ourjourney ends depends on the way we trav-el. Christ speaks to us about this solemntruth in a very serious manner. TheSaviour declares with a sacred and tenderconcern that those who travel on the broadway will certainly end up in eternal misery,

and those who travel on the narrow waywill reach a destiny of eternal bliss.

The broad way is the way of sin. Themajority of the travellers on this road mayeasily be recognised. They thoughtlesslyjourney without love for their great Makerand gracious Provider. These travellers areindifferent and careless about their pre-cious souls. With their minds full of world-ly thoughts, there is no room in theirhearts for Christ; they do not appreciateand value God’s redeeming love. Many ofthem have wilfully set aside the command-ments of God. They are at home on thebroad way and love the ease of its emptypleasures. They are of the world and carenot for true religion.

Nevertheless, not all travellers on the broadway are without religion. Religion has itsown place here, too, and even in numerousforms. On the broad way, where Satan hashis sway, religion in various superficialforms often goes hand in hand withworldly wisdom and pleasures. However,true religion and the world do not belongtogether, they are mutually exclusive.

Surprisingly, not all religion on the broadway is entirely superficial in nature. Some

THE BROADAND THE

NARROW WAY

THE BROADAND THE

NARROW WAY

THE BROADAND THE

NARROW WAYBY THE REV. G. HAMSTRA

a Vice-President of the Society



10

religious travellers are rather orthodox,and in their own way quite consistent, butthey are still on the broad way. This wascertainly so in the days when Jesus washere on earth. This is rather evident fromthe manner of the Saviour’s teaching onthe necessity of the New Birth. Just consid-er how the Lord dealt with Nicodemus andthe Rich Young Ruler; and these two reli-gious men were no exceptions, for theLord declared, ‘Many will say to me in thatday, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied inthy name? and in thy name have cast outdevils? and in thy name done many won-derful works? And then will I profess untothem, I never knew you: depart from me,ye that work iniquity’ (Matthew 7:22, 23).Also in His parables the Lord Jesus fre-quently emphasised the danger of self-deception, as in the parables of the ‘ThePharisee and the Publican’ and of ‘TheWise and Foolish Virgins’.

The road to eternal ruin is broad and easybecause the devil does not disturb themthat walk on it. Satan deceives and wantssinners to believe that all is well with themwhile they are travelling without concernto an eternity of woe. And man’s deceitfulheart is readily inclined to follow blindly.What an awful deception! How much bet-ter is it to be in earnest and to give heed tothe faithful, loving warnings of Christ,than to give in to the deceptive ease of thefather of lies! Christ plainly declares thatthose who are on this broad way go downinto eternal destruction.

The blessed Saviour also marks out theright way. That way is narrow and the trav-ellers on it are few. It is true, there are diffi-culties on this way; but it is nevertheless ablessed way. The pilgrims on the narrowway have learned to realise the greatimportance of travelling to an eternal des-tiny. Consequently, they have searched andcontinue to search the Scriptures for infal-lible direction and guidance. They dare not

be mistaken on such a weighty matter.Therefore the Bible is their favourite book.The travellers on the narrow way carefullysurvey the truths of God’s Word forinstruction regarding the way in whicheternal life may be obtained. This exaltedconcept of everlasting life is of the utmostsignificance to them. The concern of thesetravellers is understandable and the neglectof such an important matter is mostunreasonable. By the Word of God the pil-grims on the narrow way learned that allmen by nature, without exception, haveforfeited eternal life, and that this is so onaccount of sin. They saw how this truthaffects them personally. From the Word ofGod they know that sin is not a trivialmatter, for it estranges the sinner fromGod, and brings him under God’s dis-pleasure. So the question arises, how do weescape the wrath to come and how do welay hold of eternal life?

The travellers on the narrow way learnedto realise that they cannot settle this ques-tion satisfactorily by their own wisdom.They needed help, they needed grace fromabove. They discovered that despite alltheir concern they were totally helpless.They could not save themselves. Thereforethey cried to the Lord for His grace andpower. The realisation of their spiritualblindness caused them to pray with thepsalmist, ‘Open thou mine eyes, that I maybehold wondrous things out of thy law’(Psalm 119:18). This sense of one’sdependency is not known on the broadway. The travellers on the narrow way didbecome acquainted with the plague oftheir heart. Christ is our great need. Howdo we find Him? How does He becomeours? How do we lay hold of Him? Howdo we embrace Him?

Most travellers on the broad way never askthese questions, and those who do showsome interest have often answered thembefore they are ever asked. But the pilgrims



11

on the narrow way could not deal withtheir spiritual needs in such a way. Theyknocked and they knocked until the doorof grace was opened. However narrow theway was found to be, the narrowness ofthe way was and is not their complaint, aslong as they might only find favour in thesight of God. On the narrow way we learnsomething, in our own spiritual experi-ence, of the burden of our sin and guilt, ofthe depravity of our nature, and what itmeans that Christ saves and speaks ofpeace and pardon to our troubled hearts.Travelling on that way that leads to life, wealso learn to know the power of the Lord’ssanctifying grace by which we walk in waysof holiness and truth. At the beginning ofthis journey we were taught our depend-ency on the Holy Spirit’s grace and wenever outgrow our need of the Spirit’s

guidance.

Each child of God reflects with gratitudeand joy on the rich grace of God thatmade him see the danger of that broadway on which he once travelled, and thatplaced his feet on the narrow way to eter-nal bliss. Traveller on the broad way,remember Christ’s urgent appeal: Strive—that is, agonise—to enter in at the straitgate. Delay not, let not a moment be lost.Consider the danger of remaining on thatdeceptive broad way with its eternally-fataldestiny. Escape for your lives. Wrestleearnestly with God in prayer, that He maygive you His Holy Spirit, to guide you andto work in your heart repentance unto life,and faith in Christ, that by God’s grace youmay so travel on the narrow way to heav-en.

A New Home for TBS (USA)After six years in the the property on Leonard Street, space was running

short and our Branch in Grand Rapids, Michigan, needed more room. Asizeable donation was received several months ago, confirming theLord’s guidance in their search for a larger facility. In the providence of

God, excellent premises have been found and our USA Branch is nowfully functioning in its new home. The premises at Alpine Commerce Park

are enabling them to store more Bibles and Scripture portions for distribution through-out the USA and abroad. Their new address is:927 Alpine Commerce ParkSuite 100Grand Rapids, Michigan 49544, USAfax: (616) 785-7237E-mail and telephone number remain the same.

…and for TBS (Brazil)Our Brazilian Branch has also moved to better premises. Their new

address, as noted in the last Quarterly Record, is Rua Julio de Castilhos, 108/120

Belenzinho03059-000 São Paulo, SP, Brazil

Telephone: (011) 6693-5663 Fax: (011) 6695-3635e-mail: [email protected]



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Home with the LordMR. F. C. FARNCOMBE

Mr. F.Charles Farncombe,one of the Society’s Vice-Presidents,was calledhome to be with the Lord on 25th January 2006, aged 99.

Mr. Farncombe came from a family which prayerfully and practically support-ed the work of the Society. The Tamworth Road Strict Baptist Chapel, Croydon,of which he was a member and a deacon for many years, was also (and contin-ues to be) most supportive of the work. Therefore, it was not surprising that Mr.Farncombe was appointed to the Committee of the Society’s Croydon Auxiliaryin 1947, and served as its Secretary and Treasurer from 1950 to 2001.

On taking early retirement in 1969, Mr. Farncombe joined the Society’s staff asits Accountant, a position he held until 1975. On retirement from the Society heably served on its General Committee and was made Honorary Treasurer in1979, and served in this office until 1989 when he was made a Vice-President.

It seems most fitting that our last Quarterly Record magazine contained Mr.Farncombe’s ‘Centenary Reminiscence’, the original of which Mr. Farncombehad enclosed with a warm, spiritual and most encouraging letter addressed tothe writer of this brief obituary.

All who knew Mr. Farncombe deemed it a privilege to have enjoyed his astutejudgement and active interest in the Society’s work. Mr. Farncombe was truly aChristian gentleman, whose gracious wisdom and prayerful support were clear-ly evident and useful (under the hand of God) in the work of the Society overthe many years he was associated with it.

The Society extends its sincere condolences to the family.

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. Psalm 116.15

General Secretary

We have also learned of the death on 9th November 2005 of MR. WILLIAM TAYLORof Thurso, Scotland. Mr. Taylor, an elder in the Caithness congregations of theAssociated Presbyterian Churches, was a long-time supporter of the Trinitarian BibleSociety. He was the sole surviving member of the Halkirk Auxiliary, the first TBS auxil-iary established in the British Isles after the Second World War. We hope to have a fullertribute in a forthcoming issue of the Quarterly Record, God willing.

�


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P A R T T W O

The year 1453 marked not only thefirst printing of the Bible, but alsothe overthrow of the city of

Constantinople. This city on thenorthern shore of the Bosphorus hadbeen called Byzantium, and today isIstanbul. For a thousand years,Byzantium had maintained an Empire,derived from the Roman Empire,

nominally Christian and wholly Greek inlanguage, literature and culture. Theburgeoning strength of the OttomanMuslim Empire under Mehmat II,centred in Anatolia (modern Turkey),laid siege to the waning culture ofByzantium. In fifty-four days the city fell.So huge were the effects of this event thatsome historians have used it as markingthe beginning of ‘Modern’ history.1

For the history of the text of Scripture thesignificance is that Greek scholars, schol-arship and literature surged westward

by C. P. Hallihan


Greek and EnglishThe Fall of

Constantinople, and theGreek New Testament



seeking refuge. On the European stage,the scene was set for the flowering of theRenaissance; for the Western Churchesthe original language texts of the NewTestament were brought again to mind,with men capable of instructing others inthem.2 Many of these displaced scholarswent to Italy: that is, from New Rome(Constantinople) to Old Rome. The firstpart of the Bible to be printed in Greekwas a Greek and Latin Psalter of 1481 inMilan, but work on the printed NewTestament was soon in hand.

John Colet, 1467–1519, will serve us wellto illustrate events of those times. He wasthe eldest son of the Lord Mayor ofLondon, Sir Henry Colet, and was edu-cated at St Anthony’s school and

Magdalen College,Oxford, earningan MA in 1490. In1493 he went toParis and then toItaly, where he wasable to study therudiments ofGreek3 sufficientlywell later to assistThomas Linacre inthe production of the first printed Greekgrammar in England. This journey toFrance and Italy, seeking the NewLearning, and return to London, Oxfordand Cambridge to spread it, was a famil-iar path at that time. During his yearsabroad, John Colet became acquaintedwith the teaching of Savonarola, and withErasmus whom he strongly influencedand drew to England.

Colet’s most significant contribution tothe English Reformation was his readingthe Greek New Testament with his stu-dents at Oxford, a momentous lectureseries on Romans which ‘swept away cen-turies of turgid and often fantasticpedantry’ by expounding the text inaccordance with the plain meaning of thewords. Such activity was strictly forbid-den by the church, but subsequentlyConstantinople was surrounded by a series of

formidable walls and numerous ditches, but inMay of 1453 the sheer brute force of theOttomans finally triumphed.

14

John Colet



15

Colet went even further, reading theScriptures, in English, in public, at SaintPaul’s Cathedral.4 In this open violationof the church’s ‘Latin-only’ policy Coletdemonstrated the hunger for the Gospelin English, tremendously fuelling thegrowing fire of the Reformation.

Now we have the appointed conjunctionof the printed book, the renewal of Greeklearning, the availability of Greek NewTestament manuscripts, and theChristian scholars’ need to translate anewfrom a clear ground-text. Furthermore,the appetite for Scripture in the commontongues of Europe was growing whereveropportunity allowed. Erasmus ofRotterdam and Ximenes of Complutum(Spain) were working towards the print-ed text5 of the New Testament in thedawning years of the 16th century.Ximenes completed his Polyglot a yearbefore Erasmus printed his Greek, butdid not publish, so that the first printedGreek New Testament actually publishedwas that of Erasmus in 1516. None ofthese three men, Colet, Erasmus, orXimenes, ever made the needful breakwith Rome, and yetin the sover-eign prov-idence ofGod theygave provi-sion to com-plete theReformationtask—paper,print, and theGreek New

Testament. TheEnglishReformers fellgladly on thisprovision, thebetter to learnof Christ andthe Truth as it isin Jesus, and topreach theGospel plainly,becomingmightythrough Godto the pullingdown of strongholds. And, that theGospel might not perish with them, theyused this Greek New Testament to be thesound basis of the New Testament inEnglish, translated and printed for theuse of preachers, ploughboys and kings.

Tyndale to HamptonCourt

At the risk of oversimplifying, I wouldsuggest just five steps in one hundredyears: (1) the printed Greek NewTestaments, 1516ff.; (2) theTyndale/Coverdale Bibles,6 1525ff.; (3)the Geneva Bible (with Coverdale in thepicture still), 1560; (4) the Bishops’ Bible,1568; (5) the Authorised Version of 1611.It is not the purpose of this article toexamine anew these historic versions.Tyndale and Coverdale are well known intheir labours (see QR 528 for Tyndale,and QR 567 for Coverdale).

The Geneva Bible should be noted, inour context, as being a Bible produced byexiles from Mary’s persecution underalmost ‘specimen’ conditions, removedfrom the immediate fear of hostile force,

Erasmus of Rotterdam

Complutensian Polyglot



16

by men of great experience combinedwith time for the task. Its robust presen-tation of Truth, in both text and notes,earned the approval of the ‘strongerkind of Protestants’ and the disapprovalof most religious authorities. (The sig-

nificant appearance of the printed pageof the Geneva will be taken up in anappendix.)

You may be surprised to see the Bishops’Bible included in these steps—but in thewisdom of God, it became a crucial partof the Road to the AV. The Geneva Bibleand its swift acceptance amongst EnglishProtestants was highly disturbing to theecclesiastical authorities.7 ArchbishopParker put in hand a revision of the GreatBible, to be done by eight Bishops andcertain other scholars. Poor communica-tion or lack of cooperation amongst theteam led to a very uneven result, despiteParker’s supposed general oversight. TheBishops’ Bible, although appointed to beread in churches, did not displace theGeneva Bible from homes or studies, or

even from some pulpits. Two years afterits last printing in 1602, the insufficiencyof the Bishops’ Bible was a huge factorin the acceptance by King James of theneed for a new translation at theHampton Court Conference of 1604.(Please see QR 566, ‘Kings and Puritans,Bishops and Bibles’, for this background,and for the conclusion of it in theAuthorised Version of 1611.) Sovereignprovidences had brought together theGreek Text, the English language, andthe technology of paper and print, andhad brought to the kingdom for just thishour men of urgent calling and abilityin the way of Bible translation. Thelabours of William Tyndale and MilesCoverdale had put in place the last partof the Road to the AV.

‘Mere English’: Miles Smith

This phrase, ‘mere English,’ was dear toElizabeth I, using the word ‘mere’ in itsprimary, though now rare, meaning of‘pure, unmixed, exactly right’. She meantit of her loyal people, her triumphantsailors, her accommodating church; butin contemplating Bible translationlabourers from Tyndale and Coverdale toHampton Court, the phrase comes muchto mind in connection with the EnglishBible. They pursued a ‘mere English’New Testament that was just right, pure,simple; in textual authority—the GreekNew Testament; in profusion and yet sta-bility of copy—printed; and in accessibil-ity—the common English tongue, notthe religious-authority tongue of Latin,nor the elite-authority tongue of French.

The names and the distribution of tasksamongst the 1604–11 Translation

A stained glass window at Hertford College,Oxford, depicting Tyndale examining printedproofs of his New Testament



17

Committee are reasonably well known,8

but the overall finishing work of MilesSmith is often lost from view. MilesSmith was born in Hereford, son of abutcher, and educated at Oxford; hegraduated with BA in 1573, MA in 1576,BD in 1585 and DD in 1594. Wanting‘nothing but books’, and of widelyacknowledged humble demeanour, henonetheless became chaplain of ChristChurch, vicar of Bosbury, prebendary ofHereford Cathedral and of ExeterCathedral, then rector of Hartlebury. Dr.Smith earned a widespread reputationfor his knowledge of ancient languages.Chaldaic, Syriac and Arabic were report-edly as familiar to him as his own nativetongue. In that age of blossoming in thestudy of ancient languages, he probablyengaged directly with the Scriptures inHebrew and Greek, and only in Englishas need arose. His 1632 biographer givesthe following story of an event atEvensong one day in Hereford Cathedral:‘Being requested by the dean of the samechurch to read the first lesson, he yieldedthereunto, and having with him a littleHebrew Bible, he delivered the chapterfrom it in the English tongue plainly andfully to that learned and judicious audito-ry.’9

It is no surprise then that he was namedto join the Translators, and not only that,but he was one of two required at theend to supply the editor’s role and exam-ine the whole work for consistency and

integrity—the task which Parker had sig-nally failed to accomplish for theBishops’ Bible. We have it again from the1632 biography:

He began with the first, and was thelast man of the translators in thework: for after the task of translationwas finished by the whole numberset apart for that business, beingsome few above forty, it was revisedby a dozen selected ones of them,and at length referred to the finalexamination of the learned Bishopof Winchester and Doctor Smith,who happily concluded that worthylabour.

It is probably from Miles Smith that wehave the page and chapter headings ofthe 1611 editions of the AV.

We also learn that Dr. Smith ‘was com-manded to write a Preface, and so he didin the name of all the translators, being thesame that now is extant in our churchBible’.10 This substantial manifesto gives acomprehensive, scholarly and robustreview and justification of the taskand methods of the translators. Itabounds with memorable andrelevant material, my ownfavourite being, ‘But now whatpiety without truth? Whattruth (what savingtruth) without theword of God? Whatword of God(whereof wemay be sure)without theScripture?But thestyle of thePreface isHereford with the River Wye and Cathedral

Miles Smith



18

so different from that of the 1611 Biblethat I offer this sample of Miles Smith inthe pulpit—and hoping that you willagree with me that this is more the styleof our beloved Bible, herein are theechoes of Tyndale, Coverdale and theGeneva Bible:

…Our sins do threaten God’svengeance upon us, our consciencesdo accuse us, the law containethmatter of indictment against us; allthe creatures of God which we haveabused, all the calling of God whichwe have neglected, do witnessagainst us. Hell opens her mouthwide, being ready to swallow us up.The world forsaketh us, our friendshave no power to help us. What isto be done in this case? What shiftshall we make, what place of refugeshall we fly unto? Only this, that theson of God became the son of Manto make us the sons of God; vile hebecame, to exalt us; poor, to enrichus; a slave, to enfranchise us; dead,to quicken us; miserable, to bless us;lost in the eyes of the world, to saveus. Lastly, partaker of our nature, ofour infirmity, of our habitation, toadvance us to his kingdom andglory, that is, to be unto us accord-ing to his name, Emmanuel, Godwith us. God to enlighten us, God tohelp us, God to deliver us, God tosave us…

As with many of the 1611 translators,preferment followed, and Miles Smithbecame Bishop of Gloucester in 1612.Four years later there was a new Dean ofthe Cathedral, William Laud, the risingopponent of Puritans and plain religion.What a difficult working relationship itmust have been, but that, as we say, is

another story! Miles stood with his con-victions, shared generally by the 1611translators; and another clergyman ofHereford, preaching the funeral sermonin 1624, told how Bishop Miles would‘discourse sweetly of the certainty of salva-tion, and of perseverance in grace: com-fortable truths so much opposed bypapists, Arminians, and carnal gospellers’.I think of him, with affection, as carry-ing the mantle of his namesake, MilesCoverdale, in these last miles on theRoad to the AV.

RésuméThe labours of the 1604 committees,editorially finished by Miles Smith, hadgiven to the English-speaking world a

printed, durable translation of theScriptures, faithfully founded on theoriginal language texts. Full use wasmade also of almost one hundred years’labour, drawing not only on English butother European languages, too. Certainlyin the New Testament more than nine-tenths can be traced directly to Tyndale;

The Jerusalem Chamber, which hosted the WestminsterCommittee of the AV translators responsible for the translationof Genesis to 1 Chronicles; the chamber was also the settingfor the Westminster Assembly of 1643



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the homeliness and vigour, the direct-ness of style, owing so much to the ini-tial wordsmith craftsmanship underGod of Tyndale’s Anglo-Saxon vocabu-lary. It is no surprise that of the eightthousand word vocabulary of theAuthorised Version, words of Saxon der-ivation make up the same proportion,nine-tenths. Add to that the inescapable,unconscious seasoning of the statelyrhythms of the Latin which was theworking scholarly accomplishment of allthese men, and the majestic, vibrant,persuading, memorable cadences of theEnglish Authorised Version are goneinto all the world.

Whatever popular opinion may now sayabout the English Authorised Version,there can be no doubt that it towersabove all other works as a benchmark of‘mere English’ Scripture. It is not inembellished courtly style: read theDedicatory Epistle to James11 for an easycomparison. It is not in the denselyworded and complexly structuredEstablishment style: read the Translatorsto the Reader for comparison. It is not inthe colloquial style: read a few scenesfrom Shakespeare for contrast. In this Iintend no denigration of the materialmentioned, but desire the outstandingquality of the 1611 English languageBible to be recognised as a signal gift ofGod, able to serve the saints and church-es of God from generation to generationwithout being tied to passing styles, highor low. A slight misquotation fromShakespeare’s Julius Caesar serves the AVwell: ‘Why, man, he doth bestride thenarrow world like a colossus and wepetty [versions] walk under his hugelegs, and peep about to find ourselvesdishonourable graves’.12

Remember as you reachdown your AuthorisedVersion, that one ofthe infallible testquestions forrevealing a‘heretic’ in theMiddle Ageswas whetherhe or shepossessed, orknew, any part of theBible in their own lan-guage! The Waldensiansand the Lollards sufferedmuch from this proce-dure. As late as 1539Thomas Forret was burnedoutside Edinburgh Castle.Arraigned in court for teach-ing his congregation theLord’s Prayer and theCommandments inEnglish, he had quot-ed the words of Paulfrom 1 Corinthians14.19 in defence. ‘Where finds thouthat?’ his accuser cried. ‘In my books,here in my sleeve’, was the answer. Thebook, a Testament, was snatched fromhim and triumphantly waved at thecourt. ‘Behold, Sirs, he has the heresybook in his sleeve—Know thou, Heretic,that it is contrary to our acts and expresscommands, to have a New Testament orBible in English, which is enough toburn thee for’, which they then did.Truly, the Road to the AV is marked withsuffering and death as well as diligentlabour and extraordinary gifts—‘othermen laboured, and ye are entered intotheir labours’ (John 4.38). Thanks beunto God!

King James I,‘TheHigh and Mighty

Prince’ as he is calledin the AV preface.



2020

APPENDIX: THE ‘PRESENTATION’

OF THE BIBLE

Early printed books resembled the manuscript book in physical appear-ance, and there was no reason tochange what was generally familiarand acceptable. Just like the codex

manuscripts described in part one of thisarticle, they were simply gatherings of parch-ment or paper sewn and bound betweencovers. Printed editions were rarely morethan one thousand copies; the average wasabout two hundred. Gutenberg designed atype-face that looked as similar as possible tothe handwritten style of the scribes andcopyists, the grandfather of the ‘black letter’typeface, popularly called ‘gothic’. He alsoretained the 42-line, two-column format of

medieval manuscripts. Fairly soon, howev-er, printers developed a lettering that waslighter and they began to use it on well-spaced, well-arranged pages. The effect ofthis on Bible presentation, as the possibili-ties of the new technology were slowlyrealised, is illustrated here.

Compare this page of a Wycliffemanuscript Bible (above) with the pagesfrom the Gutenberg printed Bible (left),and you will see the imitative nature of theearly printed page—by no means easy toread.



21

Next is a detail from a Coverdale edition (above), which begins to look a littlemore familiar:–

There are page headings, chapter and folio numbers, but no verse numbers.There are actually chapter contents also, but all at the beginning of each book. Itis still black letter typeface.

Now see a detail from a page of the Geneva Bible (below):–

Here is a ‘proper’ Bible! ‘Roman’13 typeface, page headings, chapter contents,verse numbers, margin notes to help in difficult places, a practical size: it is aBible presented not for liturgical reading but for personal study, the ease of ref-erence inviting shared study. This, in general, is the shape of the pages of Biblesever since.



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Th e Tr e a s u r yWe warmly thank the donors of the following anonymous gifts which havebeen received since the previous Quarterly Record went to press.Tonbridge£250; Lancaster £10; Peterborough £3,000; Exeter £35; Stornoway £50;Bolton £25; Edinburgh £100; Liverpool £1,000; Inverness £60, £30, three of£20, two of £10; Scriptures for the Poor £5,000; anon via Charities AidFoundation £128.21, £20.47; Give as you Earn £185.27, £175.67, £26.34;Church Donation three of £50; South West Charitable Giving three of£33.69; Direct into the Bank £59.83, £30, four of £25; via Speakers €20, £10;Other £25, £15, two of £10.Total £10,686.86 plus €20.00.

Endnotes:1. That usage is not in favour now, but still has a lotto commend it.

2. At a trickle rate this had, inevitably, been goingon since the Crusades, but now became a signifi-cant influence: this surge to Italy also explains whyso many important Greek manuscripts came torest in the Vatican, where Pope Nicholas V was aneager bibliophile (he left a library of 5,000 items athis death).

3. There is a difference of opinion as to Colet’scompetence in Greek, or even whether he knew itat all! Researching this conflict has occupied a dis-proportionate amount of time. My conclusion wasthat he had some Greek, workable if not wonderful;able, if not adept. (Something like me!)

4. People were so hungry to hear the Word of Godin a language they could understand that within sixmonths there were 20,000 people packed in thechurch to hear him, and at least that many outsidetrying to get in!

5. We can only mention in passing the huge labourof designing and casting the fonts for the new printtechnology. Typography has begun, and anotherarea of creativity and beauty is helped into beingthrough connection with the Scriptures.

6. I gather together Matthews, Taverner, Rogers,Cranmer, Cromwell and the Great Bible, as onetranche with Tyndale/Coverdale.

7. And seemingly still is, as in this recent (1998)remark by an Anglican writer:‘The Bishops’ Bible,[was] created by the Elizabethan hierarchy to avoidthe use in church of the tendentious glosses of theGeneva, and its contentious translations…’.

8. See TBS Article 115 ‘The Learned Men’.

9. Quotations here and following taken from CanonJohn Tiller, Chancellor of Hereford Cathedral,“Inthe Steps of William Tyndale: Miles Smith as BibleTranslator”,A Paper given at Gloucester Cathedral,6th October 1998. How different from Tyndale’stime, when, it is said, scarcely a handful (i.e., fewerthan five) in England had any knowledge ofHebrew; and how different from Colet’s boldEnglish readings scarcely one hundred yearsbefore!

10. There is the delicious irony of all fourteenScripture quotes in the Preface being from theGeneva Bible, Smith’s study Bible. But until the AVwas actually published, what else should he use?

11. The florid contribution of Thomas Bilson,Bishop of Winchester, not Miles Smith.

12. Act 1, scene 2, line 134; Cassius speaking ofCaesar.

13. Popular taste brought about the printing ofsome few ‘black letter’ editions of the Geneva; suchare the foibles of men that these now command asignificantly greater price on the secondhand bookmarket. The Douai-Rheims Bible, 1582/1610, wasin Roman type, but the AV started in black letter.



2323

On the back of its dustjacket The NewCambridge ParagraphBible describes its pur-

pose:– ‘The New CambridgeParagraph Bible gives the readeras closely as possible the exacttext that the King James trans-lators themselves decided on’.This text therefore does nothave all the improvementsmade in the translation since1611. In fact, David Norton,the editor of this Bible, says that thereare 1,550 significant variations fromtoday’s King James Bible.1 These varia-tions are in wording or the spelling ofnames—about one per chapter of theBible.

David Norton tells us on page 131 of thecompanion volume, A Textual History ofthe King James Bible,2 that he has twomain principles in his revision of the KJB(hereinafter to be called the AuthorisedVersion [AV], as is common practicealthough the KJB was never officiallyauthorised).‘The first principle is that thetext should be that of the translators, notthat of subsequent revisers.’‘The secondprinciple is that the text should be mod-ernized’, by which he means its spellingand punctuation. However,‘thou’ is notto be changed to ‘you’.There are no ital-ics, to the great loss of accuracy, becausethe English reader can no longer discov-er so much about the words used in the

original Greek andHebrew.

What was it, then, thatlater editors were trying todo? Usually, says Norton,they were ‘making the KJBa still more literal represen-tation of the originals: theeditors test the text againstthe original languages andmake changes where theyjudge that the translatorswere loose in their treatment

of the originals’ (p. 86).This is surelyexactly what believers want.We want toknow exactly what God has said. Arough approximation of God’s holy Wordwill not satisfy us.This is where moderntranslations fail—they are not accurateenough.They also fail to copy the AV ingiving us, not the English of 1611, whichthe AV never was, but English influencedby the original Hebrew and Greek lan-guages.For proof of this note howEnglish was used in 1611 as seen in TheEpistle Dedicatory found in the front ofmost editions of the AV.

There is some value in discovering whatthe translators of 1611 decided was thecorrect translation. But since 1611 edi-tors of the AV have made what theybelieved were corrections and improve-ments.These changes have been madeunder the providence of Almighty God.The church and modern believers do

The New CambridgeParagraph Bible

by the Rev.B.G.FelceVice-Chairman of the Society’s General Committee



24

not want or need to go back to the1611 translation.What we have today inthe AV is the best available translation ofthe original Hebrew and Greek of theHoly Bible. None of the modern transla-tions of the Bible is as accurate as the

AV. Nor is this new edition of the AV asaccurate as the ordinary version of theAV which you can buy in the shopstoday or from the Trinitarian BibleSociety.

The advertising on the dust jacket of ATextual History claims that this two-vol-ume set ‘will be indispensable to schol-ars of the English Bible’.That is exactlywhat this new edition of the AV is: it is aBible for scholars only. It is not for thegeneral Christian public.

The AV is not perfect. But a succession

of editors have done their best to trans-late as exactly as possible the originalHebrew and Greek of the Old and NewTestaments to give us the most accurateBible available today.There is no point,except perhaps to aid scholars, in going

back to the 1611 AV, which is less per-fect than the AV which we already have.In God’s good providence we have theAV as the best and most accurate Biblefor the church and the individualChristian.

Endnotes1. Norton terms it ‘King James Bible’—KJB—rather than ‘King James Version’, as it ismore commonly known today.2. David Norton, A Textual History of the KingJames Bible. Cambridge, UK: CambridgeUniversity Press, 2005.

2 Chronicles 6.27: ‘send rain upon thy land’. ‘send rain upon the land’.

Ezekiel 48.8: ‘ye shall offer’. ‘they shall offer’

Hosea 4.4: ‘thy people’. ‘this people’.

Hosea 6.5: ‘Therefore have I hewedthem by the prophets’.

‘Therefore have I shownthem by the prophets’.

Mark 5.6: ‘he ran’. ‘he came’.

John 11.3: ‘his sisters’. ‘his sister’.

1 Corinthians 4.9: ‘ appointed to death’. ‘approved to death’.

1 Corinthians 12.28: ‘helps,governments’.

‘helps in governments’.Norton admits that this is a

mistranslation of the Greek (p.34).We do not want a mistranslation of

1611 restored to the AV.

1 Peter 2.1: ‘all evil speakings’. ‘evil speakings’.

1 Deuteronomy 26.1: ‘the LORD thy God’. ‘the LORD’.

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Passage Hebrew/Greek & AV Norton AV

Following are ten examples of places where the AV of today is moreaccurate than the AV of 1611:



25

travelled there by Eurostar and by theRER (Réseau Express Régional), we didnot see any signs of either the riotingor the burnt-out cars and any otherdamage it may have caused. Even in theafternoon and evening when we againwent shopping in the centre of Paris,there was no evidence of the riots.

In the evening we returned to the hotel,and feeling hungry we went to thehotel restaurant, ordered food, and toldthe waiter our room number and oursurname of Cook, which one whopassed by heard and said out loud, ‘notmore Cooks’. I recognized the wife ofthe man who spoke, as I had spoken toher last year at our stand. The couplewere missionaries with the Baptistchurch, and have the same surname ofCook, and they joined us at our table. Itwas they who told us that the riotsbegan in the area where we were stay-ing.

That was not the only coincidence: lis-tening on the next table was anotherEnglish-speaking Christian brother whoheard the other Mr Cook say that theywere involved in radio work and thathis name was Roger. The latter noticed

Afavourite hymn of assembliesthat we attend in France is ‘À toila gloire, O Ressuscité! À toi la

victoire pour l’éternité!’ which translatesas ‘Thine is the glory, O resurrectedOne! Thine is the victory for eternity!’Our Lord Jesus Christ is head over allthings to the church, and we saw Hishand at work in France. Reports in thepress of the rioting in France certainlypainted a very black picture; the riotingwas still going very strongly about aweek before the exhibition was due tocommence and could have had a verydetrimental effect on the exhibition, butthis was not the case.

When we arrived at the hotel in Noisy-Champs on Saturday afternoon, having

Exhibition, November 2005 by J. Cook, Foreign Sales



2626

him listening and so he spoke to him. Thebrother then introduced himself, sayingthat he was with Trans World Radio.

We were all relative strangers one toanother, but that did not inhibit our con-versation at all, and the next evening weall shared the same table, feeling verymuch at home though we were away fromhome. Furthermore, we were indebted toMr and Mrs Cook for warning us of theimpending French Railway strike on theTuesday—that it was affecting the RER—and who very kindly gave us a lift early inthe morning to the exhibition.

The assembly in the north of Paris, whichwe have always attended during our pastvisits, warmly welcomed us on the Lord’sDay morning for the breaking of bread.They love having visitors and for a visitingbrother to minister from the Word of Godat the end of the meeting. Though myFrench is not as fluent as I would like, yet Iwas able to share a few thoughts about theglory of Christ, whilst speaking in French.There were two brethren at loose ends, sowe invited them to join us for lunch. Onewas an Algerian refugee who spoke hardlyany English and was finding living in Parisfinancially difficult; it was also hard beingbeing away from his family. The other wasan elderly Englishman from Stafford, wholiked to involve himself in personal evan-gelism.

It was a busy time on the Monday, inwhich we spoke to many people. Amongstthe first was a pastor from an Armenianchurch in Paris who wanted ArmenianBibles. These we could not provide, but hewas quite happy with Armenian NewTestaments, of which we had only twocopies. He would have taken many moreif we had them; however, he took a cata-logue and said he would order. Althoughhe had asked for Bibles in western

Armenian, as many of his congregationcame from areas where it is spoken, it didnot seem to bother him that ours are ineastern Armenian.

Again we had a visit from a gentlemanwho runs a bookshop in la Réunion. Hehad found that the carriage costs werecheaper for him if he ordered our prod-ucts from an outlet in France, but nowthis had become expensive. The problemhe had with ordering from us had beenthat carriage by bulk surface mail hadbeen very slow and unreliable. The prob-lem now is where to find a carrier thatoffers a rapid service at an economicprice!

Another visitor to the stand was a manag-er of a Paris bookshop, who has madethree large orders of our products sinceApril 2005 and who is keen on the TextusReceptus, and therefore keenly interestedin our Society. He said there was gooddemand in France for ‘reformation’ trans-lations of the Bible, and our translationwas very popular. He stressed severaltimes that we need to print our Frenchtranslation in a bigger print, similar tothat used for our English ConcordReference Bible which we had on display,if we are going to keep and expand ourmarket. In times past, he said, there hadbeen hardly any interest in textual criti-cism in France; however, there is nowmuch interest in it.

There was a request, which is a commonrequest, for a bilingual French-EnglishBible, to assist Bible teachers who teach inFrench-speaking countries in Africa andother parts of the world. Another requestwas for small, low-cost French Bibles suit-able for evangelising.

A man from an organisation dealing withBible programs asked who he should



27

approach regarding the copyright of ourHebrew/Greek Bible (The Holy Scripturesin the Original Languages) which he con-sidered to be good value for money inbook form; they were interested in put-ting it in digital form on CD. Otherrequests were for a Telugu Bible, a CzechBible, small Spanish Bibles and Italian cal-endars.

I had a surprise in that a Paris bookshopmade a purchase. In the past we had sentthem several catalogues but they hadnever responded, yet they bought the onlytwo copies of the PortugueseBible that we had. Duringneither of the past two exhi-bitions had there been anyinterest for them. Not longbefore the exhibition closedanother lady purchased fortyFrench Words of LifeCalendars on behalf of herchurch, taking practically allthat was left on the stand ofFrench calendars. Our mostpopular calendars in France,though, are undoubtedly theFrench Golden Thoughts.

The train strike kept manyaway on the Tuesday, and ourwork in dealing with cus-tomers was fairly leisurely.This was quite different fromthe previous day when we often had todeal with several customers at a time;nevertheless, we still sold quite a lot andsales over the two days were almost twicethat of last year.

Repacking all the exhibit in the boxes isalways quite a long task as they need to bepacked well enough for the journey homeby lorry, and it is not possible with thefacilities available to pack them quite aswell as in the TBS Packing Department.

Most exhibitors have either cars, vans orlorries in the car park outside, whichmakes it an easier operation for them.Certainly, with the train strike, having acar would have made it easier for us.

In spite of the strike it was no problemgetting back to our hotel at Noisy-Champs, and it was good to be able torelax knowing all had been accomplished,and that assuredly the Lord had made itall possible. Going home by the RER wasfine and without delays; the only delayswere on the Métro due to the strike, and a

forty minute delay on Eurostar due tosome operational problem at Gare duNord.

It was good meeting so many friendly andlovely Christians; many of them we hadmet in previous years but there were alsomany new faces. Each year it has been dif-ferent and unpredictable, with interest fordifferent publications!

John and Hazel Cook hosting the TBS stand



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For three decades, they have createda little corner of Christianity on aresidential street.

But the two posters of Biblical quota-tions displayed on the outside wall of ahouse are no longer regarded as inspira-tional. Instead, they are apparently adver-tisements.

The owner of the prop-erty has been orderedto remove them or facecourt and a £2,500 fine.No one has complainedabout the posterboards, originally putup by a previousowner, who preached ata nearbyCongregational church.

The current owners ofthe house, Hindu opti-cian Anil Chakowa andhis wife Aziza, aMuslim, agreed withthe church to continue

displaying the posters when they movedin with their three daughters in 1993.

Then, thirteen years later, they received aletter from the local council threateningcourt action over their failure to applyfor planning permission for the ‘advertis-ing hoardings’.

Mrs Chakowa, a phar-macist, said: ‘I am nota Christian, but it’s apositive message forthe community onthose posters. Theyhave been there for avery long time and Isee no reason why theyshould be taken down.’

The council gave thecouple twenty-onedays to take the boardsdown. But MrChakowa is still refus-ing to dismantle them,even though theauthority is preparing

The following article is reprinted from The Daily Mail, London,England, 29 March 2006, by kind permission. The posters at thecentre of this controversy are produced by the Trinitarian Bible

Society—and we even received a terse letter from Hackney Council requesting that we take them down!

After 30 years, how twochurch posters became

illegal advertsBy Rebecca Camber



29

to take legal action.

‘I could understand if I was profitingand making money by them being therebut I’m not. It’s for Him above,’ he said.

‘The council has no respect for God.The sign was there before I moved in,it’s been around as long as people canremember. It isn’t doing anyone anyharm and it’s for thechurch. It’s ridiculous.’The move comes weeksafter another councilcharged a church £75 toput up a cross which itclassed as an advertisingbillboard.

The poster boards wereerected on the house inHackney, East London,by a GP who preachedat the HighburyQuadrant Congrega-tional Church around1970. When he sold thehouse, parishioner AnnBarbara-Brenells tookon the responsibility,updating the posters every month.Highbury Quadrant minister RobertStivey is preparing a petition against thedecision to take the posters down.

He said: ‘These church posters havebeen displayed there for more than thir-ty years. They do no harm—this isbureaucracy gone mad.’

Under the Town and Country PlanningAct 1990, any structure that displaysposters is classed as providing advertis-ing.

It is the duty of the local planningauthority to regulate them. If thechurch can prove that the posters wereput up before 1974, planning permis-

sion is not required.

A spokesman for Hackney Council said:‘The deadline for this couple has nowpassed and the council is taking theappropriate action.’

In 2000, the council describedChristmas as potentially ‘offensive’ tonon-Christians and told staff to tone

down celebrations.

A spokesman for theOffice of the DeputyPrime Minister, whichis responsible for thelegislation, said: ‘Localauthorities do have thepower to take enforce-ment action if some-one has put one upafter 1974 withoutpermission.

‘But there is a right forindividuals to appealagainst discontinuancenotices and then gov-ernment planninginspectors will look atthe case.

‘Individuals can also apply for planningconsent for adverts which could costless than £100.’

Earlier this month, Dudley WoodMethodist Church in the West Mid-lands was told it had to pay £75 to erecta six-foot wooden cross in its grounds.Council planners claimed religioussymbols counted as advertising.

The church’s minister, the Rev PaulNzacahayo, said the rules ‘made moneyout of a symbol of faith’.

He added: ‘The only thing we want tosell is the word of the gospel. This ruleis ridiculous.’



30

From Cosne-sur-Loire, France Many thanks for the four parcels of calen-dars, received in good condition so quick-ly. I am glad to have the opportunity onceagain to distribute these calendars, theyare greatly appreciated by many people inthe villages here in Central France. Thereare several villages in the mountainswhere the gospel was preached in thepast by the Huguenots.It is not easy for me(84 years old) to climb. A Swiss brotherhelps me to put these calendars in everyhome.Thank you for your prayers and yourprecious help. May God bless you, dearfriends.

From a Ukrainian ministry in Liphook,Hants.,EnglandJust a little note to thank you once againfor all the calendars TBS so kindly donatedto us. They were such a blessing, each ofthem lovingly and prayerfully distributedthroughout the district of Ukraine towhich the Lord has called us. I thought Imust tell you of our time with the mayor ofone of our cities.During our time with him,he invited us to a very special concert of

music, which he said we would like. Wesaid we were very sorry,but we had anoth-er appointment at the time of the concert.He enquired about our appointment,thenpicked up his telephone, cancelled our

appointment, turned to us and said ‘Nowyou are free to come with me to the con-cert’. You can guess how we were feeling.As we left our meeting with the mayor,wegave him a Words of Life calendar. Laterthat day, at the concert, which I must saywas very good, the mayor had to make aspeech, and he started his speech by say-ing to the hundreds who were there,‘thismorning I had two friends from England inmy office; as they left they gave me a cal-

THE WORD OF GOD

AMONG ALL NATIONS

THE FIELD IS THE WORLD THE SEED IS THE WORD OF GOD

Europe

Ukrainian women receive the Words of Life



31

endar, and on the calendar were thesewords:What shall it profit a man, if he shallgain the whole world, and lose his ownsoul?’. He went on to say,‘That is my mes-sage to you all, as you go into this newyear’.We couldn’t believe our ears.How wepraise the Lord for the way in which He isusing these calendars, even in the lives ofthose in high office.

From Wembley,London,EnglandOne hundred Urdu Calendars were distrib-uted in Wembley at the beginning of theyear. The Wembley assembly has theunique privilege of being situated in ashopping area where 15,000 people,main-ly of Asian origin, visit each week from allover the country. Once Muslims saw theirown language they quickly took copies,and some women came back for more togive to their friends. One Muslim shopowner,after reading the Bible verses aloudto his friends,asked if he could have a Biblein Urdu,so he could know more.

From a Russian ministry in Armagh,Northern IrelandEnclosed is a photograph of some of thosewho received Scriptures. After a churchservice in Belarus three people receivedTBS Russian Bibles who had none before. Idid not get any photos of people getting

Ukrainian Bibles in Ukraine or TBS calen-dars because I did not have time andmostly it was very late at night and verydark! Many thanks!

From a prison in Bicester, Oxford,EnglandThank you for your recent gift of ‘GoldenThoughts Calendars’. I am sure that thenumber you sent will be sufficient forEnglish speaking requests in 2006. In par-ticular,we are very grateful for the ‘GoldenThoughts’in languages other than English.We have over 900 prisoners here at anyone time, and a considerable throughput,and so have men from a wide variety ofethnic backgrounds and extractions. EastEuropean languages including Russian arealso popular,so if you have half-a-dozen ofeach of any language, they would be verywell received for men who may feel partic-ularly cut off from home and need to beencouraged by Scriptures in their own lan-guage.

From a prison in Wandsworth, London,EnglandI would like to thank you for the Bibleswhich I have received, and have distrib-uted them to people of various nationali-ties to read the Word of God. I am a solici-tor convicted and sentenced to nine yearsimprisonment for conspiracy to defraudthe Secretary of State. When I came toprison,though I was religious, I did not fol-low religion that much. However, I wasreborn and the Lord Jesus Christ hasentered my life. I read the whole Bible inone-and-a-half months, and now I read itdaily and pray for about one hour a day. Irealise that I have millions of victims, notonly my family but also the taxpayers ofthis country, whose taxes contributed tothe enormous costs involved in my case. Ihave now realised the impact of my crime.

Russian family with their new Bibles



32

As an act of my sorrow, not only do Itake full responsibility for my actions,Iam trying to give back to the commu-nity. I am doing that as best as I canfrom here by working as a mentorteaching prisoners with reading diffi-culties, and with the hope upon theirrelease they will continue in educa-tion and not re-offend.I am also doingBible Studies. Also I speak to otherprisoners and help to get them tohave faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.Thanking you for time in perusing myletter and may God bless you all.

From a hospital in Crowthorne,Berkshire,EnglandSeveral years ago the Trinitarian BibleSociety gave us some beautiful black KingJames Bibles. These have been greatlyappreciated.We have given them to select-ed patients who have treasured them.African and Caribbean patients have par-ticularly appreciated them. We now haveonly two left to give.These were no doubtexpensive Bibles as they were beautifullyproduced. I wonder what you may have,either to give or to sell,which could be usedin our ministry amongst very needypatients.They appreciate a good print,andone which is easy to read. They have alsoliked the dignified binding and paper ofyour King James Bibles. All these thingshelp a patient into the right frame of mindfor Bible reading and prayer,and help themto know the presence of the Lord withthem,bringing His healing,forgiveness,andlove.Thank you for a beautiful gift.

From a school in Newry,NorthernIrelandI have attached a photograph direct fromthe camera of some of our pupils who areusing the Bibles you sent.The pupils are allin Year 10 and 11. I think most of them are

aged between 14 and 15.

From a school in Gateshead,Tyne-and-Wear,EnglandMany thanks for your kind donation ofBibles. For some of our children it is likelythat this will be the only Bible in the house,and my prayer is that many may read itand find in the written word the LivingWord and in Him find salvation.

From a school in Dorset,EnglandOnce again, may I thank you for the Bibleswhich you have sent us to give to the chil-dren who are leaving our school.This is animportant time for them as they move on,and their ‘leavers’ service’ is a very specialoccasion when they know that they willreceive a Bible to take with them. It is alovely tradition that we have built up atthis school,with your help.

From El Salvador,CubaI have just received the parcel with Spanishcalendars of 2006.The calendars are beau-tiful with its Golden Thoughts for each day.

Central & LatinAmerica

Pupils using their Bibles



3333

The Calendar graces our office and the lit-erature will be used this month as I visit theprovincial prison.The inmates are avid forany Christian literature,and maybe you arenot aware of how scarce that is in Cuba.

From Yucatán,MexicoDear Brethren at the Trinitarian BibleSociety, I would like to thank you for thekindness you have shown me year afteryear in supplying me with Spanish Bibles,New Testaments,Bible Portions,and calen-dars, which are very important to me. Ihave received all the literature in goodcondition.Please pray for me and my fam-ily, and for the work that we are undertak-ing for the glory of the Lord.I have sent themajority of the calendars to Cuba where Ihave several contacts. I also have peoplewho receive the Bible CorrespondenceCourse living in Chile, Nicaragua,Honduras, and some here in Mexico. Thepeople unite with me in requesting Bibles,New Testaments,and Bible portions.

From Rio de Janeiro,BrazilI am writing to thank you for the consign-ment of Bibles and New Testaments yousent to us which are really important forour ministry. Our congregation is quitepoor as we are located in one of the poor-est neighbourhoods of Rio de Janeiro.There are so many needy people here, thepeople are abandoned by the publicauthorities and are tempted into all kindsof sin, especially alcoholism and prostitu-tion.These are the people that we want toreach with the Word of God.

From Santa Cruz,BrazilThank you for the consignment ofPortuguese Bibles you sent us for our workin Palmeiras. I distributed them to peoplewho do not have a Bible,and want to readthe Bible. My wife and I are going to visit

the neighbouring town of Tomba.It is oneof the most idolatrous towns in Brazil andit is difficult to preach the Gospel there. Apriest lives there who claims to have per-formed miracles,and he is deceiving many.We would ask you to pray for us.

From Danao City,Cebu,the PhilippinesGreetings to you and peace from Godthrough our Lord Jesus Christ, the Authorand Finisher of our Faith. My heartfeltthanks to our God that through the good-ness of your ministry,our request is alreadygranted.To let you know it is a great helpfor us, most especially to our newly bap-tised members. Christian bookshops hereare selling NIV.For us,we’re only using KJV.May you continue to share and help uswith your KJV Bibles.To God be the glory.

From Mindanao,the PhilippinesWarm Christian greetings to you all.To Godbe the glory. The boxes arrived in verygood condition. Praise God! The nightbefore your Grants Notice arrived, mydaughter called up asking me if I couldwrite to you for more Bibles. She badlyneeded Bibles for her youth Bible Study. Itold her to pray about it. I was a little bithesitant and ashamed because you havealways been sending us Bibles,yet withouta single centavo we could not help.The fol-lowing day, I got hold of your GrantsNotice and I was so happy. Tears were inmy eyes, praising and thanking God forBibles we badly need. Months passed, yetthe boxes haven’t arrived. I was worriedbut I kept on praying.After more than fourmonths, it did arrive, at a time when I didnot have even a centavo. I asked the post-master to keep the boxes for me and assoon as I have the amount, I’ll take it. The

Asia



34

payment for each box has doubled(around $2 each box), but I don’t mind aslong as those who for so long did want toown a copy of the Scriptures will now havea Bible of their own. Four dollars could bethree days’ food for us, but it is nothingcompared to souls led to Jesus and nur-tured with His Word. Thank you so much.We will prayerfully distribute those Bibles;I really don’t know how to thank you. Iknow words are not enough.In our hearts,we really would want to help you.Yes, wemay not have gold and silver.We are verypoor but we can pray for you and for TBS.We can be your partners in the ministrythrough prayers. Please continue sendingus Bibles. Some are looking for thoseComfort Bibles and some are asking if youhave Visayan or Abuano translations. Lastnight two young men came to the houselooking for Visayan or Abuano Bibles. Ifyou have these translations,we are askingyour very generous hearts to send uscopies. Thank you again and may Godbless you even more.

From Manali, Chennai, S. IndiaGreetings in the name of our Lord JesusChrist. I’m a pastor born in the year 1920,and born again in 1938, and since thenhave preached the Gospel of our LordJesus Christ to the remote villages ofSouth India, which have not beenreached with the Gospel. For the pastsixty-seven years we have reached fiftyvillages, establishing a church in each vil-lage.There are more than 4,000 villages inour zone,which are yet to be reached withthe Gospel of Christ. During our villageministry, the newly born again believersare in desperate need of Bibles.We requestyou to kindly send us Bibles and Tracts, so

that we can distribute the same to thesepoor people.

From Lahilpur, NepalThanks a lot for your support. All Hinditracts I distributed publicly and the Bible Idistributed to young people. Now, I onlyhave nine copies left. Kindly pray for ourcountry. You know the political situationis worsened, we cannot work openly,please pray for us. I am doing my Master’swork prayerfully. Please pray for me that Ican do this work very wisely.Please let meknow if you have Nepali New Testaments.It is most necessary here.

From a mission to central AfricaLast Thursday I returned safely after anunforgettable time in central Africa. Boththe Missionary Conference and theConference for national missionarieswere greatly blessed of God. In addition Iwas able to spend time visiting the tribalpeople who have my heart and cross theriver in a dug-out to visit a new workamong the unreached. There is greatpolitical unrest at the moment,so the factthat all the travelling was done withoutany problems was in itself testimony toGod’s protective hand.

During the Conference for national mis-sionaries we handed out the Bibles,which had arrived safely. As I told youbefore, unfortunately the calendars musthave found their way into other people’shands. We prayed for them as for thosewho will receive the Bibles that God willspeak to them through His Word. Most ofthe missionaries work among non-Christian peoples and they were thrilledwith the Arabic Bibles. One missionarytold me he could place thirteen right

India

Africa



35

away! Pray as these Bibles are given topeople of influence who read classicalArabic fluently.The French Bibles will findtheir way to Government officials who areall French speakers. So thank you onceagain for the wonderful gift you sent,which was received with much joy andgratitude.

From Koudougou, Burkina FasoWe want to thank you very much fromthe very bottom of our hearts.The Biblesand booklets arrived safely to us on the12th July 2005. An old lady selling littlethings in a marketplace took one Bibletract from my team, and instead of read-ing it, she used it to wrap one of herthings that a man bought from her. Thisman, when he got home took the thingshe had bought from this old lady, andthen began to read the Bible tract. Wetake time to put our local church addressin all our literature, and that man came toour church and gave his life to the LordJesus. Isn’t that amazing? Once again,thank you for sending these Bibles andtracts to us in Burkina Faso. May the LordGod our Father continue to bless yourwork, and through it save many souls forHis Kingdom.

From a ministry to African policeToday I was out to the police college. I

had to see the Chief Chaplain, then wewent to the Commandant’s office andhad a nice chat.Even the Commandant iseager for this project we are doing forsupplying a Bible to every officer in theforce. Now, there are almost 1,500 newrecruits at the College now in training.Hehas about 800 Bibles left from the lastshipment. I saw them stacked in his ownpersonal office. There are about 18,000officers in the force countrywide.We havegotten for them 8,500 so far.Do you thinkit in the realm of possibility that we couldget another 10,000 Bibles? I won’t be ableto pay the full price. Could you send himmore Bibles? Say another 5,000? He hasno difficulty in getting them distributed.He calls all the District Officers to theCollege and gives them the Bibles to takeback to their stations or areas.

From Cape Town, South AfricaI am writing you to say that yesterday I col-lected the grant of Portuguese Bibles, sentfrom you, at the Post Office here in CapeTown, South Africa. For long time I havebeen trying to receive a VAT Exemptionfrom the government for the Bibles andonly last week I received that.So,I am send-ing to you a picture of the moment when

Portuguese Bibles being made ready fordistribution in South Africa

National missionaries with their Arabic Bibles



36

the pastors of the two churches and Ireceived the Bibles at the Post Office.

From Cotonou,BeninGreetings to you all in the name of oursoon coming King, Christ Jesus. Beloved,this is to acknowledge you for the receipt ofyour Scripture grant sent to me. Beloved,these Scriptures were carefully and prayer-fully distributed, and they were a spiritualblessing to those who received them. ToGod be the glory. Don’t be offended,beloved, for I am making another requestfor a grant of Scriptures from you.To tell youthe facts, this country (Benin) do not knowthe Only Living God. What they know,believe in, and worship is voodoo. Butthanks be to God,who through His infinitelove and mercy has started capturing themone by one, beginning from their GrandMasters to their members. Some of themwere beneficiaries of these Scripturegrants. They are now testifying to othersabout the goodness of the Lord towardsthem. How God has translated them frombeing voodoo worshippers to God’s chil-dren and servants, and how they havebeen converted to become new creatures!Many of them are still in need of Bibles.Many are still perishing in this country.Theyneed to be enlightened with the Word ofGod,and by His grace I will storm this coun-try with the Word of God,whether the devillikes it or not; no apology to him. Finally,beloved, for as at the time of writing youthis mail, I am sorry, I have no contributionto make,but I promise by His grace,I will dosomething to send my widower’s mite.

From Perth,WA,AustraliaWhen I visited the Aboriginal EvangelicalFellowship I had a very positive meeting.They talked about how the fifty Bibles that

we sent them were used and the greatblessing that followed.They reminded methat we had spoken of other Bibles beingsent,and requested another fifty or if possi-ble seventy-five. There were other thingsthey would like,such as bookmarks,colour-ing books, Bible texts for children, and thelarge texts for putting on the wall whichthey would put on display boards and usein their open-air outreach ministry aroundthe state.

This morning I phoned the College, justto see if it was convenient to pay them avisit. Before I made the call, they were talk-ing of the needs of the work as they pre-pared breakfast,and I interrupted their dis-cussion of their immediate needs. ‘May Ivisit your College this morning?’

‘Brother,you are always welcome here.’‘I have a box of fifty Bibles for you.’‘Brother, you are making me cry, we

were just saying, “how can we get moreBibles quickly?” Then the phone rings.Brother, I just want to cry, this is an answerto our prayers.They are to be used up northat Fitzroy Crossing.Brother,we have anoth-er problem,another team is going south toPort Augusta for outreach ministry, thereare various Aboriginal tribes to make con-tact with,the only problem is that we won’thave any Bibles to give away to those whorequire them.’

‘Don’t worry, dear Sister, I have anotherfifty Bibles that I can bring over this morn-ing,that is one hundred in total.’

‘Oh Brother,the tears just flow.’

Although certain phrases and expressionsused in these letters may not be doctrinallyaccurate or in correct English,we reproducethe letters essentially as received, knowingthat the Lord is using His Word to the gloryof His Name and the furtherance of HisKingdom as the Scriptures are distributedamong the nations of the world.

Australasia


Trinitarian Bible SocietyInternational Headquarters

Tyndale House, Dorset Road, London, SW19 3NN, EnglandTelephone: (020) 8543 7857 Facsimile: (020) 8543 6370

e-mail: [email protected] site: www.trinitarianbiblesociety.org

Office Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pmRegistered Charity Number: 233082

V.A.T. Registration Number: GB 215 9219 67

Auditors:Jacob Cavenagh & SkeetAcorn House,2 Greenhill Crescent,Watford Business Park,Watford,Herts.WD18 8AH

Solicitors:Bates,Wells & Braithwaite2-6 Cannon Street,London,EC4M 6YA

Bankers:Barclays Bank PLC7th Floor,United Kingdom House,180 Oxford Street,London W1D 1EASwift Code: BARCGB22 Sort Code: 20-32-29Sterling Account No.: 70023531GB34 BARC 2032 2970 0235 31 Euro Account No.: 72732599IBAN Euro Account No.: GB85 BARC 2032 2972 7325 99

InternationalBranchesAustralian BranchTrinitarian Bible Society (Australia),G.P.O.Box 777Sydney 2001, AustraliaTel.: 1300 303 827 Fax: 1300 783 827e-mail: [email protected]

Brazilian BranchPresident: The Rev. Dr.T. L. GilmerSociedade Bíblica Trinitariana do Brasil,Rua Julio de Castilhos, 108/120Belenzinho,03059-000 São Paulo, SPBrazilTel.: (011) 6693-5663 Fax: (011) 6695-3635e-mail: [email protected]

Canadian BranchCanadian General Secretary: Mr. G. den Boer, B.A.Trinitarian Bible Society259 - 7610 Evans RoadChilliwack, B.C.,V2R 2Z5, CanadaTel.: (604) 858-2354 Fax: (604) 858-8326e-mail: [email protected]

New Zealand BranchSecretary: Mr. U. HaringaTrinitarian Bible Society (New Zealand),17 Heatherlea Street,P.O. Box 740, Gisborne,New ZealandTel. & Fax: 06-863-3700

U.S.A. BranchPresident: Mr. J. StehouwerTrinitarian Bible Society (U.S.A.)927 Alpine Commerce Park,Suite 100, Grand Rapids,Michigan 49544,U.S.A.Tel.: (616) 735-3695 Fax: (616) 785-7237e-mail: [email protected]


THE MAGA

The Aims of the Society

To publish and distribute the HolyScriptures throughout the world inmany languages.

To promote Bible translations whichare accurate and trustworthy,conforming to the Hebrew MasoreticText of the Old Testament, and theGreek Textus Receptus of the NewTestament, upon which texts theEnglish Authorised Version is based.

To be instrumental in bringing lightand life, through the Gospel of Christ,to those who are lost in sin and in thedarkness of false religion and unbelief.

To uphold the doctrines of reformedChristianity, bearing witness to theequal and eternal deity of God theFather, God the Son and God the HolySpirit, One God in three Persons.

To uphold the Bible as the inspired,inerrant Word of God.

For the Glory of God and the Increaseof His Kingdom through the circulationof Protestant or uncorrupted versionsof the Word of God.

For introductory literature and pricelists please write to the Society at theaddress given

ISSN 0049-4712TrinitarianBibleSociety

Tyndale House, Dorset Road,London, SW19 3NN, England

e-mail: [email protected]

The Tyndale Monument Located at NorthNibley, Gloucestershire, England. Built in 1866 the 111fttower has a 120 step spiral staircase to the top. The towerprovides beautiful panoramas of the Cotswoldcountryside and the Severn Valley. The Plaque picturedabove is to be found at the base of the monument.

T h e W


Documents

THE MAGAZINE OF THETRINITARIAN BIBLE SOCIETY · The Magazine of the Trinitarian Bible Society 3 C onsider the following texts of Scripture, all from our Saviour’s own lips, and