EARLY HERESIES
The Bible warns that there would be those who would "corrupt the word
of God" (2 Corinthians 2:17) and handle it
"deceitfully" (2 Corinthians 4:2). There would
arise false gospels with false epistles (2 Thessalonians
2:2), along with false prophets and teachers who would not only
bring in "damnable heresies" but would seek to "make merchandise" of the
true believer through their own "feigned words" (2
Peter 2:1-3). It did not take long for this to occur.
In the days of the Apostles, and shortly afterwards, several doctrinal
heresies arose. Their early beginnings are referred to in the New Testament
in such places as Galatians 1:6-8; 1 John 4:3; 2
John 1:7; and Jude 1:3-4. They not only plagued the early Church,
but are still with us today, in modern form, in many contemporary Christian
cults. These false doctrines influenced
the transmission of scripture and account for some of the differences in
the line of manuscripts.
WESTCOTT AND HORT
Brooke Foss Westcott (1825-1901) and Fenton John
Anthony Hort (1828-1892) produced a Greek New Testament in 1881
based on the findings of Tischendorf. This Greek NT was the basis for the
Revised Version of that same year. They also developed a theory of textual
criticism which underlay their Greek NT and several other Greek NT since
(such as the Nestle's text and the United Bible Society's text). Greek
New Testaments such as these produced the modern English translations of
the Bible we have today. So it is important for us to know the theory of
Westcott and Hort as well as something of the two men who have so greatly
influenced modern textual criticism.
In short, the Westcott and Hort
theory states that the Bible is to be treated as any other book would be.
Westcott and Hort believed the Greek text which
underlies the KJV was perverse and corrupt. Hort
called the Textus Receptus "vile and villainous"
(Life
and Letters of Fenton John Anthony Hort, Vol. I, p.211).
If Westcott and Hort are the fathers of modern textual criticism
and the 'restorers of the true text', should we not know something of their
beliefs to see if they are consistent with Scripture? This would be harmonious
with the teaching found in Matthew
7:17.
What they said about............
The Scriptures:
"I reject the word infallibility of
Holy Scriptures overwhelmingly." (Westcott, The Life and
Letters of Brook Foss Westcott, Vol. I, p.207).
"Our Bible as well as our Faith
is a mere compromise." (Westcott, On the Canon of the New
Testament, p.vii).
"Evangelicals seem to me perverted.
. .There are, I fear, still more serious differences between us on the
subject of authority, especially the authority of the Bible."
(Hort, The Life and Letters of Fenton John Anthony Hort, Vol. I, p.400)
Dr. Wilbur Pickering writes that, "Hort did not hold to a high view
of inspiration." (The Identity of the New Testament Text, p.212)
Perhaps this is why both the RV (which Westcott and Hort helped to
translate) and the American edition of it, the ASV, translated 2
Timothy 3:16 as, "Every
scripture inspired of God" instead of "All scripture is given by inspiration
of God," (KJV).
The Deity of Christ:
"He never speaks of Himself directly
as God, but the aim of His revelation was to lead men to see God in Him."
(Westcott, The Gospel According to St. John, p. 297).
"(John) does not expressly affirm
the identification of the Word with Jesus Christ." (Westcott,
Ibid., p. 16).
"(Rev. 3:15) might no doubt bear
the Arian meaning, the first thing created."(Hort, Revelation,
p.36).
Perhaps this is why their Greek text makes Jesus a created god (John
1:18) and their American translation had a footnote concerning
John
9:38 "And he said, Lord
I believe and he worshipped him." which said, "The
Greek word denotes an act of reverence, whether paid to a creature, as
here, or to the Creator." (thus calling Christ
"a creature.")
Salvation:
"The thought (of John
10:29) is here traced back to its most absolute
form as resting on the essential power of God in His relation of Universal
Fatherhood." (Westcott, St. John, p. 159).
"I confess I have no repugnance
to the primitive doctrine of a ransom paid to Satan. I can see no other
possible form in which the doctrine of a ransom is at all tenable; anything
is better than the doctrine of a ransom to the father." (Hort,
The First Epistle of St. Peter 1:1-2:17, p. 77).
Perhaps this is why their Greek text adds "to salvation" in 1
Peter 2:2. And why their English version teaches universal
salvation in Titus 2:11
"For the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men," (ASV).
Hell:
"(Hell is) not the place of punishment
of the guilty, (it is) the common abode of departed spirits."
(Westcott, Historic Faith, pp.77-78).
"We have no sure knowledge of future
punishment, and the word eternal has a far higher meaning."
(Hort, Life and Letters, Vol. I, p.149).
Perhaps this is why their Greek text does not have Mark
9:44, and their English translation replaces "everlasting
fire" [Matt. 18:8] with
"eternal fire" and change the meaning of eternal as cited by Hort in the
above quote.
Creation:
"No one now, I suppose, holds that
the first three chapters of Genesis, for example, give a literal history.
I could never understand how anyone reading them with open eyes could think
they did." (Westcott, cited from Which Bible?, p. 191).
"But the book which has most engaged
me is Darwin. Whatever may be thought of it, it is a book that one is proud
to be contemporary with..... My feeling is strong that the theory is unanswerable."
(Hort, cited from Which Bible?, p. 189)
Romanism:
"I wish I could see to what forgotten
truth Mariolatry (the worship of the
Virgin Mary) bears witness."
(Westcott, Ibid. )
"The pure Romanish view seems to
be nearer, and more likely to lead to the truth than the Evangelical."
(Hort, Life and Letters, Vol. I, p. 77)
It is one thing to have doctrinal differences on baby-sprinkling
and perhaps a few other interpretations. It is another
to be a Darwin-believing theologian who rejects the authority of scriptures,
Biblical salvation, the reality of hell, and makes Christ a created being
to be worshipped with Mary his mother. Yet, these were the views of both
Westcott and Hort. No less significant is the fact that both men were members
of spiritist societies (the Hermes Club and the Ghostly Guild).