In the ongoing war between fundamentalist Christians about the meaning of the gospel James White’s Alpha & Omega ministry drops quite a bombshell. Here is the post:
The often quoted saying of Jesus from the cross “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” is described, rightly, as a ‘Dubious Textual Variant’. The article says this problem will have ‘theological implications’ for pastors and other Christians. It certainly will! All the Bibles we have include this dubious verse. Also, the article questions God’s unconditional forgiveness.
What else is dodgy and doubtful too? What other suspect textual variants exist that pastors use in preaching but somehow fail to tell their congregations? Hopefully we can look forward to further disconcerting revelations from the ministry of James White. (Cue the wrath of Sam Shamoun).
Categories: Bible, Biblical scholarship, Christianity
Blogging Theology 
Thank you for proving my point about this man and his ministry. What is sad is that he doesn’t see the damage he is doing, but actually thinks he is helping believers and standing for the truth.
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Sam, stop with your inconsistency.
You repost stuff from Dr Mike Licona. Do I need to go through a few of Mike’s comments for you to see how at odds they are with the fundamentalist Christian ideology?
Don’t use this opportunity to attack your brother in face. James has not changed his position, this is not new from James. Were you sleeping when he brought this up in the past? Or is it a case of you having fallen out with him and you’re willing to attack him on this now…just like you did with his comments about your heritage for some reason they are a big deal after you had a fall out with him but beforehand you had no issue.
I can see through you like glass. I hope others can too. Sam “Window” Shamoun.
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Yahya, stop pretending you care since you cannot be any better than your profit who went around subjugating Jews, Christians and others. And to correct you, much like Muhammad had to repeatedly correct himself and his Quran, I have also spoken out against Licona for putting a weapon in the hands of a vile thug like yourself who wouldn’t know decency, truth and consistency if it came up next to you and kissed and smooched the black stone like your profit did.
And stop acting like a man or toeing guy here and come and put me in my place by debating me on the claims of your profit and your Quran. So time and date!
And now let’s see how much this vile thug respects and loves my brother: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRoY8UJPu7JmuLDN5d0Sdig/search?query=james+white
Like I said you cannot be any better than your profit. And like a dog you are always returning to your vomit.
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Hang on… their calling forgeries and lies “textual variants” now??
Whahhahhahha oh that is priceless whahhaah !!
Next time someone commits forgery of a historical record he can tell the authorities it was a textual variant…
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Bravo Dr James White. Although I suspect his candid and continual public admission has something to do with his theological leanings, would Dr White have been made such a post if it was his group which argued based on the longer reading?
Surely James can see that he is relying on folks (non Christians in many cases) to find mansucripts of the NT which he calls “witnesses”. Surely James knows the possibility of finding another MS which contradicts a current reading in his collection of “witnesses” (MSS) is an issue if it is early and viable. James cannot have confidence in his book, 50 years after he passes away they could be digging up a MS which casts doubt on any of his favourite verses in the NT. For all he knows John 3:16 *could* be deemed to be a variant reading like Luke 23:34a or even clearer still like the long ending of the book of Mark.
Let’s have more admissions from fundamentalist Christians. This repetition from James on this variant is good but let’s start hearing about the fact Christians cannot have confidence in their text. Take away conservative Christians..
For now, it’s good James has written:
“In my estimation, given the judg[e]ment of the weight of both the external and internal support [internal support was not covered in this blog post], it is reasonable to place about a 75-90% degree of probability that the longer reading is a scribal insertion early into the transmission history”
And cited Petzer:
Analyzing this evidence shows that the short reading [i.e., omission] has in fact a wide basis of diverse evidence in its favour: The text is absent from almost all the earliest Alexandrian witnesses, notable P75, B and the Sahidic version, as well as some of the later Alexandrian or Egyptian witnesses, such as the Bohairic version and the minuscule 579. It is absent from some Western witnesses, notably the early Latin witnesses a and d, as well as Codex Bezae. It is furthermore omitted in the early Syriac tradition through its absence in the Synaitic Syriac version and the Syriac commentary of Cyril. Finally, it is even omitted in some of the early sources of the Byzantine text, such as W. [2]
Applauding James for that.
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Edit: Quote is from Alan Kurschner not James.
I just noticed the article was not from James himself.
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“Father forgive them for they do not know what they do” is one of the refutations to the Christian claim that Jesus is prophesised in Isaiah 53. For it says in Isaiah 53:7 He was opressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth…
Well he clearly opened his mouth (also in the Gospel according to John).
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There are so many loose ends, that NT Christianity is literally unbelievable!!
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Agree.
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He also complained to God about fulfilling his supposed mission
So clearly he opened his mouth
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dude that is below the belt
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