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Christ’s Words Shall Never Pass Away (4)

Christ’s promise that His "words shall not pass away" (Matt. 24:35) includes not only the preservation of the OT (see earlier issue) but also the rejection of the Apocrypha as uninspired. The Apocrypha, which includes I and II Maccabees and additions to Daniel and Esther, etc., was not reckoned part of the OT canon by the Jews, as is evident, for example, in the writings of Josephus, a Jew of the first century AD. This is particularly significant, for "unto [the Jews] were committed the oracles of God" (Rom. 3:2). Thus Christ and His apostles do not quote the Apocrypha.

The Apocryphal books were written later than the OT and even then not in Hebrew as the OT books. Moreover, some of the Apocryphal books disclaim inspiration or teach false doctrines such as free will, prayers for the dead or the worship of angels. Thus the true church understood that the Apocrypha was not God-breathed. Jerome, a fifth century church father, made this point in his Latin translation of the Bible. The Westminster Confession declares that the Apocrypha is "not ... of divine inspiration" for it merely consists of "human writings" (1.3; cf. Belgic Confession 6). The false church of Rome, however, in its Council of Trent (1546) calls down an "anathema" upon those who do not receive the Apocrypha as "canonical and sacred."

Not only the OT (which does not contain the Apocrypha) but also the NT has been specially preserved by God through the centuries. In the early days of the NT church, the 27 God-breathed NT books were recognized and grouped together. Uninspired materials, such as the Didache and the Shepherd of Hermas, were set aside. From the original autographs good copies were made. These were then copied, and so on. The original manuscripts in Greece, Turkey, Israel, Rome, etc., (and faithful copies of them) served as controls or checks upon the new copies that were made. Believing scribes labored in the consciousness that God threatened plagues upon those who add to or take away from God’s Word (Rev. 22:18-19). The invention of the printing press in the middle of the fifteenth century ensured wider availability of God’s inspired and preserved Word.

The number of NT manuscripts possessed today far outweighs those of any ancient book. For the History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides (c.460-c.400 BC) we have eight manuscripts. The works of Sophocles (an older Greek contemporary of Thucydides) are only found in one manuscript written 1400 years after his death! On the other hand, there are about 7,000 manuscripts containing all or part of the NT. Christ is faithful; His Word has not passed away and will not pass away.

Last modified on 05 March 2013
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Additional Info

  • Volume: 9
  • Issue: 7
Stewart, Angus

Rev. Angust Stewart (Wife: Mary)

Ordained - 2001

Pastorates: Covenant Protestant Reformed Church of Ballymena, Northern Ireland - 2001

Website: www.cprf.co.uk/

Contact Details

  • Address
    7 Lislunnan Road
  • City
    Ballymena
  • State or Province
    Co.Antrim
  • Zip Code
    BT42 3NR
  • Country
    Ireland
  • Telephone
    (01144) 28 25 891851
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