Faith

Israeli Scholar Completes Mission to ‘Fix’ 1,500 Inaccuracies in the Hebrew Bible

RAMAT GAN, Israel (TheBlaze/AP) — For the past 30 years, Israeli Judaic scholar Menachem Cohen has been on a mission of biblical proportions: Correcting all known textual errors in Jewish scripture to produce a truly definitive edition of the Old Testament.

His edits, which focus primarily on grammatical blemishes and an intricate set of biblical symbols, mark the first major overhaul of the Hebrew Bible in nearly 500 years.

Poring over thousands of medieval manuscripts, the 84-year-old Cohen identified 1,500 inaccuracies in the Hebrew language texts that have been corrected in his completed 21-volume set. The final chapter is set to be published next year.

Scholar Menachem Cohen Completes Project to Fix Bibles Errors

A Tuesday, July 31, 2012 photo, shows biblical scholar Professor Menachem Cohen, reading from a book, at the library of Bar Ilan University, outside Tel Aviv, Israel. For the past 30 years the 84-year-old Judaic biblical scholar has been immersed in a Sisyphean task of correcting all known errors in Jewish scripture to produce a definitive edition of the Hebrew Bible. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

The massive project highlights how Judaism venerates each tiny biblical calligraphic notation as a way of ensuring that communities around the world use precisely the same version of the holy book.

According to Jewish law, a Torah scroll is considered void if even a single letter is incorrect or misplaced. Cohen does not call for changes in the writing of the sacred Torah scrolls used in Jewish rites, which would likely set off a firestorm of objection and criticism. Instead, he is aiming for accuracy in versions used for study by the Hebrew-reading masses.

For the people of the book, Cohen said, there was no higher calling.

“The people of Israel took upon themselves, at least in theory, one version of the Bible, down to its last letter,” Cohen said, in his office at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv.

The last man to undertake the challenge was Jacob Ben-Hayim, who published the Mikraot Gedolot, or Great Scriptures, in Venice in 1525. His version, which unified the religion’s varying texts and commentaries under a single umbrella, has remained the standard for generations, appearing to this day on bookshelves of observant Jews the world over.

Since Ben-Hayim had to rely on inferior manuscripts and commentaries, numerous inaccuracies crept in and were magnified in subsequent editions.

Scholar Menachem Cohen Completes Project to Fix Bibles Errors

Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

The errors have no bearing on the Bible’s stories and alter nothing in its meaning. Instead, for example, in some places the markers used to denote vowels in Hebrew are incorrect; or a letter in a word may be wrong, often the result of a centuries old transcription error. Some of the fixes are in the notations used for cantillation, the text’s ritual chants.

Most of the errors Cohen found were in the final two thirds of the Hebrew Bible and not in the sacred Torah scrolls, since they do not include vowel markings or cantillation notations.

Cohen said unity and accuracy were of particular importance to distinguish the sacred Jewish text from that used by those sects that broke away from Judaism, namely Christians and Samaritans.

To achieve his goal, Cohen relied primarily on the Aleppo Codex, the 1,000-year-old parchment text considered to be the most accurate copy of the Bible. For centuries it was guarded in a grotto in the great synagogue of Aleppo, Syria, out of reach of most scholars like Ben-Hayim. In 1947, a Syrian mob burned the synagogue, and the Codex briefly disappeared before most of it was smuggled into Israel a decade later.

Now digitized, the Codex, also known as the Crown, provided Cohen with a template from which to work. But because about a third of the Codex – nearly 200 pages – remains missing, Cohen had to recreate the five books of Moses based on trends he observed in the Codex as well as from other sources, such as the 11th-century Leningrad Codex, considered the second-most authoritative version of the Jewish Bible.

Cohen also included the most comprehensive commentaries available, most notably that of 11th-century Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki, known as Rashi.

The result is the completion of Ben-Hayim’s work.

Scholar Menachem Cohen Completes Project to Fix Bibles Errors

Photo Credit: AP

“It was amazing to me that for 500 years, people didn’t sense the errors,” said Cohen, who wears a knitted skullcap and a gray goatee. “They just assumed that everything was fine, but in practice everything was not fine.”

He’s not the only scholar to devote decades to the task. In 1976, Rabbi Mordechai Breuer published a version of the Torah based mainly on the Aleppo Codex. The Hebrew University Bible Project in Jerusalem has also been working on a scientific edition of the Hebrew Bible, but theirs is directed toward scholars, while Cohen’s output is aimed at wider consumption.

Rafael Zer, the project’s editorial coordinator, called Cohen’s work “quasi-scientific” because it presents a final product and does not provide the reader a way of seeing how it was reached. He credits Cohen for bringing an exact biblical text to the general public but said it “comes at the expense of absolute accuracy and an absolute scientific edition.”

With the assistance of his son Shmuel, a computer programmer, Cohen launched a digital version he hopes will become a benchmark of the Israeli education system. He said his ultimate goal was to “correct the past and prepare for the future.”

As a former teacher, Cohen said he took particular pride in a sophisticated search engine that allows even novices to explore his work with ease. He called computers a “third revolution” to affect Jewish scripture, following the shift from scrolls to bound books and the advent of the printing press.

“I want the Bible to be user-friendly,” said Cohen, a grandfather of eight. “Today, we can create sources of information and searches that allow you to get an answer to everything you are wondering.”

Comments (69)

  • Constantine Ivanov
    Posted on August 9, 2012 at 12:28pm

    A question from a student in the far corner of the classroom:
    Who and how many years will now check and edit the quality of edits, as well as the new errors and omissions made by this scholar?
    What a wonderful life: read and learn only one book the entire life!

    Report Post » Constantine Ivanov  
  • Verity58
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 8:13pm

    The very idea that the God of the Jews is the same as the God of the Christians defies logic. The Talmud is the doctrine of the Jew not the Holy Bible.

    Report Post » Verity58  
    • Passerby
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 8:27pm

      Uhhh…The “Old Testament” is Jewish. Same God, you betcha. Granted the Second Century Gnostics thought the Father of Jesus wasn’t the God of the Old Testament. Multiple gods with the Old Testament God being the bad guy and the snake in the Garden of Eden being the good guy…Riiiiight.

      Many Jews at the time of Jesus didn’t believe in the Oral Law (which became the Talmud centuries later when they wrote it down.) The Sadducees that ran the Temple, were the High Priest, and most of the Sanhedrin, for instance didn’t believe in the Oral Law/Talmud.

      Report Post » Passerby  
    • Verity58
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 8:54pm

      Judaism did not exist before Christ. The oral tradition of the elders was committed to writing and compiled as the Mishnah, comprising the first portion of the Talmud. At that juncture, the religion of Judaism was born. It is the Talmud, not the Bible, which is the hermeneutic system of orthodox Judaism.

      Report Post » Verity58  
    • Passerby
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 9:19pm

      Total comical nonsense, only the Pharisees believed in any Oral Law.

      And the other Hebrews, proven by genetics, and even more observant to the Torah and Written Law than Orthodox Jews, the Samaritans, don’t believe in any Oral Law either.

      Judiasm at the time of Jesus was very diverse. But most were Pharisees which is where Christianity came from. The other Jews didn’t believe in an Oral Law, a Messiah, Judgement Day, dietary laws, etc. etc.

      Christians are an offshoot of the Pharisees, who are today’s Jews. The are NOT like the other Jews of the time.

      Report Post » Passerby  
    • LaughingAtU
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 10:03pm

      Sorry people, Jesus ref. (and lived) the Talmud. Has anyone here even researched the schools of thought of Shammai and Hillel? The flame that builds in my heart makes me pray for the ignorance of the christians who have not read the Hebrew, Aramaic, septuigant, Lexicon. They read a NIV text (the worst translation ever) and come up with their own conclusion. LEAST IN THE KINGDOM. AMEN.

      Report Post »  
    • Verity58
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 11:02pm

      You make my points exactly except that the Christians are the fulfilment of the Old Testament as foretold by Moses and the Jews are still the Pharisees and yet they have the same God? How can a glass be both empty and full, it defies logic. The spurious claim of an oral tradition of the elders bequeathed by God to Moses (Talmud), is anti-Biblical and it was denounced by Jesus Christ Himself. In the divine brilliance of Jesus upon which the cunning and cleverness of the Pharisees was turned against them time and again, Jesus very simply and forthrightly illuminated the fact that if the Pharisees’ tradition had been from Moses, then the Pharisees would have become Christians: “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me, for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” (John 5: 46-47). Jews are Pharisees who did not accept Christ therefore they could not exist until after Christ.

      Report Post » Verity58  
    • Passerby
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 11:49pm

      Well, you claimed the Talmud had something to do with them not being Jews any more, and they definitely believed in the Oral Law/Talmud at the time of Jesus, it just wasn’t written down and commented on. And it was written down and commented on long after Jesus.

      Personally, I don’t think the Oral Law completely goes back to Moses, but then I don’t think all of the Torah does either. Some of the Talmud/Oral Law is obviously very old.

      Report Post » Passerby  
  • Passerby
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 7:29pm

    The Masoretic Jewish Version, where every single solitary character is frozen in place, like the Koran, was created between around 500-800CE. It was a noble effort to stop the inevitable changes that occur on manuscripts over time. They did the best they could and it’s not bad.

    But we can do much better now.

    He can’t use the Samaritan version or the DSS, or the Septuagint, because it’s VERY different from the Masoretic version, in the Samaritan direction and the Samaritans have been, until recently, enemies of the Jews for 3000 years. He uses the Samaritan flavored DSS, there would be an uproar.

    Report Post » Passerby  
  • Passerby
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 7:16pm

    There are two different versions of the Torah, the first five books of the Christian Bible, written by Moses, the Jewish version, and the Samaritan version. They are very similar. Those two split around 3000 years ago. The Christian versions tell the Jewish side of the story, but, depending on sources has some Samaritan elements.

    The Dead Sea Scrolls, despite being the Jewish version of the story, differ from the Jewish version in about as many places as it does with the Samaritan version. That’s why they were censored and kept secret for a half century. The further you go back in time, the more the Jewish version starts looking like the Samaritan version. Genetics now demonstrates the Samaritans (the only proven lost tribe of Israel) did split with the Jews 2,800 years ago, and their Torah split probably split some time before that.

    Despite it’s importance, it’s never been translated into English, although it’s supposed to be in the works. It‘s primary difference from the Jewish Version is the Temple isn’t in Jerusalem, almost all the contradictions aren’t there, and God never has human charistics. For Instance, the Jewish/Christian version would say, “God is a mighty warrior.“ while the Samaritan version says ”God is mighty in war.” Also that there are no other supernatural beings other than God. No angels.

    Jesus was accused of being a Samaritan, and there might have been some truth to it.

    The current

    Report Post » Passerby  
  • NILAP
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 4:49pm

    Does it state that men and women have always been equal in the eyes of God ? Does it support monogomous marriage gay or staright ? If not, this Bible needs updating. Some folks in those days just were not listening carefully to God or chose their prejudices over what God spoke plainly to them.

    Report Post » NILAP  
  • The Bald Eagle
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 3:51pm

    Aleppo Codex….? Flawed approach in my opinion, since Cohen discards the most significant discovery in 2000 years, Qumran, the Dead Sea scrolls codex’s the oldest known copies of the Bible. While there is a closer alignments of the Dead Sea scrolls with the Greek than the Masoretic, given the temple period which these codex’s had been produced, still the Great Isaiah scroll is more aligned with the Masoretic in important passages. This work is a redaction of rabbinical source from Pharisee stream of Judaism….

    I suppose the Qumran Liturgy codex’s are to Enochen and Messianic in nature for Cohen to palate, then again not surprised really given Josephus has more in common with these codex’s than Talmudic works from antiquity.

    Report Post »  
    • Passerby
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 7:21pm

      The DSS had over 400 different scribes. It either came from all over Israel, or the Temple itself.

      Typically the DSS Torahs will differ from the Masoretic version in 4000 places, and differ from the best available Samaritan Torah in about 6000 places. AND, it’s the Jewish version of the story, ain’t got the Temple on the Mountain in the 10 Commandments etc. So, in the common parts, the DSS is closer to the Samaritan Torah than the Jewish/Christian Torah.

      Report Post » Passerby  
    • Passerby
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 7:25pm

      The Septuigint is also about midway between the Jewish and Samaritan version. It‘s detractors often claim it’s Samaritan, not Jewish.

      Report Post » Passerby  
    • Passerby
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 7:42pm

      Qumran is a pottery factory. Nothing to do with the semi-mythical Essenes that are never mentioned in any Christian or Jewish religious source. There were even thousands of brand new pottery stacked up. Quman is only big enough for a couple dozen pottery makers/Essene scribes.

      Report Post » Passerby  
  • RamonPreston
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 2:47pm

    I want to know if he fixed it so it says “Verily I say unto you this day, ‘You will be with me in paradise’“ instead of ”Verily I say unto you, ‘This day you will be with me in paradise.’”

    Christ did not ascend into heaven until 3 days and 3 nights passed…the sign that He was the messiah.

    Report Post » RamonPreston  
  • Patrick74
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 1:44pm

    That’s ok – Christians have used the Septuagint since Christ, anyway. And there was an entire copy of the Septuagint even with the Dead Sea Scrolls, so we know that it is accurate (as far as over time). The Masoretic texts, which were written over the course of several centuries in an attempt to remove “Christian” references believed to be in the Septuagint since the Jewish community rejected Christ and rejected the Christian use of the OT to prove Christ was, and is, the promised Messiah. So, basically, the OT most Christians in the West use today was an OT specifically designed to cut off any prophetic claims by Christians to Christ as the messiah.

    Report Post »  
  • Bearfoot
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 11:36am

    Is this Bible available for purchase?
    What is the official title to identify this “work”?
    Is it called ‘the Cohen Bible’ ?

    Report Post » Bearfoot  
  • HYPNOTOAD
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 11:35am

    Like I‘m going to listen to some guy who is not a Christian interpret God’s Word for me? I don’t think so. Just read what he thinks of Christians “Cohen said unity and accuracy were of particular importance to distinguish the sacred Jewish text from that used by those sects that broke away from Judaism, namely Christians and Samaritans.”

    Report Post » HYPNOTOAD  
    • truthnstuff
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 12:12pm

      You must be really hypnotized!! Who do you think God’s revelation was given to???? “Christians”? What do you think God’s revelation was given in???? It was,,,,it was,,,,,,Hebrew and given to the Jews!!!!!!

      Sometimes ignorance is so loud it is deafening.

      Report Post »  
  • john vincent
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 10:40am

    ‘The Torah scroll is considered void if there is an incorrect word or misplaced letter.’

    I would hope so, after all, we are not talking about the editing of Readers Digest. I appreciate the seriousness in which these rabbis approach the work, and have tremendous respect for the effort.. Sadly, they have more respect for God’s word than most so called believers. I would be curious however, to know whether Mr Cohen ‘believes’ what the prophets have written, or if they are just ‘tales of yore.’

    You just do not sense this reverence for the word of GOd by most ‘new’ translators; but I would not want the job of changing one word, comma, etc. A formidable task.

    I asked a rabbi once this ques: How is it possible that David in the spirit called his son: ‘Lord?’ For a very long and quietly awkward 10 seconds, he frustratingly said ‘mistranslation.’Now THAT was not a matter of translation., but one of interpretation, for he knew the implication of the question. ‘Sharper than any two edged sword’ is ever God’s word.

    Sha alu shalom Yerushalayim

    Report Post » john vincent  
  • Individualism
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 10:13am

    The whole book is a lie.

    Report Post » Individualism  
    • Pakinpastor
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 10:40am

      So let me ask you this. What happened some 2000 year ago that made the entire world change their calendars? Why do we call September, October, November and December the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th months? They actually mean the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th months. Why does the majority oif the world, recognise the life death and ressurection of Yeshua? Maybe you should do somem research before you just spout out what you don’t know.

      Report Post » Pakinpastor  
    • THERAPTURCOMES
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 10:46am

      If it is a lie then how come there are THOUSANDS of fulfilled prophecies down the the very last detail and is 100% accurate to date?

      Shouldn’t that be a clue to you?

      Report Post »  
    • Seede
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 11:48am

      INDIVIDUALISM
      I could simply say to you. Prove it. That’s the report that is most common with all liberals. If it is good enough for the atheist to banter “Prove It” then I want the same advantage that you spiel. Prove to me that the Hebrew or for that matter the Christian bible is a lie. The burden of proof lays with the first party which in this case is you. I don’t have to prove because I never committed myself to either belief or disbelief. Put your proof where your mouth is. Just prove it. .

      Report Post »  
    • Pontiac
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 12:42pm

      Pakinpastor, what did happen? Because 2012-2008ish years ago your human-sacrifice-to-himself-to-save-yourselves-from-himself wasn’t believed to had been born yet.

      Janus, februa, Mars, Aprilis, Maia etc etc aren’t christian saints. They’re Roman gods.

      The Julian calendar, which was already wide spread in the most civilized world of the time, was used before the Gregorian calendar (introduced 1582). Seeing as it was now the most accurate and widespread calender it was adopted by other nations, not out of recognition of your inane “human sacrifice”, but for the sake of consistency.

      Report Post » Pontiac  
    • ModerationIsBest
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 12:59pm

      @Rapture

      “If it is a lie then how come there are THOUSANDS of fulfilled prophecies down the the very last detail and is 100% accurate to date?

      Shouldn’t that be a clue to you?”

      Hahahaha my oh my, where do I begin?

      Report Post »  
    • john vincent
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 2:59pm

      indy
      I’ll go easy on you.

      Please submit one lie, that’s right, just ONE.

      Report Post » john vincent  
    • antitheist
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 3:33pm

      @John Vincent
      19 For thus says the Lord God, “When I make you a desolate city, like the cities which are not inhabited, when I bring up the deep over you and the great waters cover you, 20 then I will bring you down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of old, and I will make you dwell in the lower parts of the earth, like the ancient waste places, with those who go down to the pit, so that you will not [m]be inhabited; but I will set glory in the land of the living. 21 I will [n]bring terrors on you and you will be no more; though you will be sought, you will never be found again,” declares the Lord God.

      Tyre still stands today and can definitely be found.

      Report Post » antitheist  
    • john vincent
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 3:43pm

      anti
      thanks,
      but God does not always collect the rent on Wednesday. As long as there is time, His word is sure; as certain as your death or mine. It actually speaks more to His nature of grace and patience while His anger is in abeyance. Tyre most certainly will be toast, its only a matter of WHEN.

      Report Post » john vincent  
    • Amadeus52
      Posted on August 9, 2012 at 9:51am

      especially Genesis, which contradicts itself constantly. Man or beast first? It has it both ways. God saw everything was “good,” then a few chapters later he’s so p—sed off he kills everyone except Noah and his family and starts all over again. New starts, SOS. In the OT he’s “a god of war,” in the NT, he’s “the god of peace.” Throughout the OT, he and his “chosen people” are committing mass murder on the biggest scale in history. God=the biggest joke in the universe.

      Report Post »  
  • watashbuddyfriend
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 9:34am

    Is there anyone out there who has any understanding about Bible Doctrine (The Truth about God’s Word)? Maybe we could dialog?

    Report Post »  
    • Pakinpastor
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 10:43am

      I have been doing a hard study on the bible for the last year. I do not assume I know alot, but I will be happy to correspond with you. I have been studying the first century socioeconomics, context of the language, covenants of the near east and other important studies related to understanding the scriptures.

      Report Post » Pakinpastor  
    • memyselfandi
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 6:01pm

      I have been digging into the Bible like never before over the last 5 years and I have been quite surprised by what I have discovered.
      1. The bible as we now have it in a single bound form, i.e. both OT and NT is simply for the sake of convenience and was not the way the scriptures were originally kept. They were grouped and identified as 7 or so specific groups of writings for a reason which has been all but lost. The groups are; The law, the prophets, the four fold gospel, the Apostle (the writings of Paul), Acts, Revelation, and the writings of other apostolic men.
      2. The Bible as we have it is really a book of two separate but interrelated religions; Judaism and Christianity. Genesis Ch. 12 through the middle of the book of Acts was almost exclusively Jewish and gentiles had no relationship with God unless they converted to Judaism.
      3. The Book of Acts declares the Offer of a promised literal Kingdom to Israel which was prophesied all over the OT if the entire Nation of Israel would repent and believe. In Isaiah 61 the sequence of events regarding the coming of Messiah, the Day of Judgment, and the coming Kingdom is clearly spelled out, but because the Jews rejected Jesus, the offer of the kingdom to them was suspended and God, in an act of judgment against them turned His attention to the Gentiles. The book of Acts shows the transition from Judaism to Christianity and it wasn’t pretty. The Jews didn’t like the idea of non-Jews having any part of “their” kingdom

      Report Post »  
    • memyselfandi
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 11:49pm

      4. Because of the Jewish rejection of Jesus, God called out a special person (Paul) to be the revelator to the gentiles in the same way that Moses was to Israel.
      5. Jesus work on the cross provided a way for gentiles to have relationship with God but Jesus earthly ministry was exclusively to the Jews. This is a fact that shocks the socks off of most Christians today. There are so many prophesies regarding the people of God, the early RCC took the liberty to claim them for themselves and replacement theology was born. 1948 put a serious kink in that idea.
      6. Conflict arose between the Jews who believed and the gentile believers regarding the keeping of the Law. The vast majority of Jews, including the 12 didn’t embrace Paul’s “gospel of the grace of God” and they kept the law and sacrifices their entire life. Peter dabbled in grace as long as the followers of the now temporal King of the Jews, “James, the just”, the Lords brother weren’t around, but in their presence he kept the Law. At the end of his life he finally did endorse Paul but qualified his statement saying that some of what Paul says is “hard to be understood”. It is unclear whether John embraced “grace” or not as both his writings and the writings of his successors can be interpreted either way.

      Report Post »  
    • memyselfandi
      Posted on August 9, 2012 at 8:50am

      7.The governmental powers that be in the days of the early Church, in an attempt to put an end to the conflict between the followers of Paul (Christians) and the followers of James (Ebionites) forced a truce and reverted back to Peter’s authority and coupled it with Pauline authority and created the Catholic or “universal” church rather than there being two groups fighting over relationship with the same God. The RCC is just about as Jewish as a gentile can be and still call oneself a NT Christian. To ensure an end to the 3-400 year old conflict, they took the scriptures away from common man and there it was kept under lock and key for a thousand years.
      8. It took a great deal of time, effort and bloodshed but we have finally got the Word out and we are now left with the daunting task of trying to figure it all out. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the invention of computers, and the internet has done a great deal to aid in the expansion of our knowledge in these last days. We now need to understand how to “rightly divide the word of truth” and understand that there are some biblical truths which are universal and apply to OT Jews and NT Christians, but some are not, i.e., we do not observe the Law of Moses in its entirety.

      Report Post »  
    • memyselfandi
      Posted on August 9, 2012 at 9:00am

      I know this is a lot to process and I would have to write several pages on each point to verify all that has been said and we can’t do that on this forum. I recommend using the KJV because it was produced before the reformation ended in 1645 when the denominational splits came to exist and have their own influence and doctrinal spin placed on their favorite translation of the Bible.

      Report Post »  
  • watashbuddyfriend
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 9:30am

    Ok, Menachem Cohen, I hear you, but, we are in the most least trustworty mode, the World has ever known!

    Report Post »  
  • cannon12pdr
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 8:59am

    Personally I would like to read what was left out of the bible when all those early christion leaders were hashing what was to go in and what was to be left out and why.

    Report Post »  
    • jhaydeng
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 9:18am

      Me too!

      Report Post »  
    • Patrick74
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 2:44pm

      Actually, that is a Dan Brown-type myth. Nothing was “left out,” except maybe some epistles from first century saints like St. Clement, St. Polycarp, and St. Ignatius. There was the Shepherd of Hermas, but it wasn’t considered necessary for the Faith. The idea that Church Fathers “hashed out” what was “in” and “out” is a myth. What they did was take the books that were everywhere accepted as authoritative and conformed to the pre-existing Faith (that’s right, both the Church and the Faith existed before one single book of the NT was written).

      The whole point of “closing the canon” was NOT to “limit the books,” but to exclude spurious books that started popping up in the 2nd and 3rd centuries that taught wildly inconsistent beliefs (like the gnostics, for example). Of course, these heresies were being fought even IN the NT (the Epistles are not instructions manuals but are corrective missives). Thus, the Faith was never intended to be, nor is it, constrained by Scripture. No written word, in any language, can capture the totality of Truth. As such, “closing the canon” was simply a way of preventing improperly taught individuals from being led astray.

      Also, you can get all of the writings of the Fathers, including things like the Shepherd of Hermas, online for free. They aren’t exactly secret (nor are the “forbidden” – only heretical works are anathematized).

      Report Post »  
    • RamonPreston
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 2:54pm

      They “left out” anything that did not support anything they WANTED to believe. At the Council of Nicea they VOTED on what was to be included into the Bible. Everything you need to know is included in the Holy Bible but it is so subtle most people miss it. Most people don’t understand that modern Christianity is the old pagan religion with the name of Christ put on it. That should ruffle your feathers.

      Report Post » RamonPreston  
  • landofaahs
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 8:17am

    What makes Cohen the last word on what the Bible says? No thanks, I like the one I have because it is tried and true. Besides I could just about guess what erasures he would make in his editing, namely Isaiah chapter 53.

    Report Post »  
    • boltach
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 8:34am

      You have never read the Old Testament in the original language. Even in the many original writings, there are inverted an juxtaposed letters but have no change in meaning. My guess is that you read the NIV or some other English translation and think that the Bible has always been written in English. Also, you think that all languages translate easy into English.

      Report Post »  
    • searching for the Truth
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 9:05am

      I have an Interlinear – no thanks !

      Report Post »  
    • The Misanthrope
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 9:28am

      Isaiah 53 was dealing with Hezekiah and not some far-in-the-future messianic revelations. It is one of the many mistranslations existing in the Christian Bibles today. But… don’t take my word for it, please read the chapter before and after and you will then understand.

      Report Post »  
    • watashbuddyfriend
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 9:32am

      @ landofaahs
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 8:17am

      “What makes Cohen the last word on what the Bible says?”

      Are you on to something GOOD, like Bible Doctrine?

      Report Post »  
    • themmd
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 10:45am

      Why on earth would you make an unfounded accusation such as that. If someone or group had wished those verses to disapear, they had nearly 750 years to do so before the birth of Jesus, yet 2700 years later, it is still there for all to see. How uncharitable Sir!

      Report Post »  
  • ThePostman
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 7:41am

    On the seventh day, God rested… Honor the Sabbath and keep it holy…

    When did we Christians decide that it was OK to change the date? Just because some Roman leader told us to a thousand years ago?

    Every jot and tittle…

    Report Post »  
    • Zetareticuli
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 8:17am

      ThePostMan, since you asked the sabbath day was changed from the seventh to the first when Jesus was resurrected on the first day of the week. Thereafter, the disciples met to worship on the first day of the week.

      Report Post »  
    • willbedone
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 9:07am

      It was Constantine and the year was 332AD. Just a few years more than 1000. ;-)

      Report Post » willbedone  
    • wilsonj72
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 9:15am

      It has never change from sun down Friday to sun down Saturday. It’s about the money, that it. The Religious drunk and women chase can go to Sunday Mass Service and buy salvation.

      Report Post » wilsonj72  
    • Richio
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 10:39am

      The Roman Catholic catechism teaches that the Sabbath is on the 7th day, but that the church has the authority to venerate the first day of the week, instead.
      WILLBEDONE is correct, it was the Roman emperor, Constantine, who first mandated (circa 321) that his subjects all worship “on the venerable day of the sun” (not Son). The soon complied making it official. As for honoring the resurrection, God has already established an appointed time, it is called the Day of First Fruits (Yom Habikkurim). It represents the new day and falls on the first day of the week which follows Passover. He is our Firstfruits, the first raised from among the dead. (1 Cor 15:20)

      BTW: the resurrection actually occurred on what we know as Saturday. The gospels are not always consistent in the details of the exact timing, but Matthew 28:1 indicates that it was still on the Sabbath and only “dawning” into the first day of the week. It is easy for us to think of a sunrise, but the Hebrew day began at sunset and not midnight. The translation of “dawning” here is actually a transition, rather than a literal sunrise.

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    • Richio
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 10:42am

      Opps: Typo correction:
      “The CHURCH soon complied making it official.”

      Report Post »  
    • Pakinpastor
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 10:55am

      You are correct. There is nowhere in the Bible that says the Sabbath was changed to Sunday. THat was done by Constantine becasue he was a Sun god worshipper. For all who want to differ read Deut. Chapter 13. If Yeshua came do do away with the Torah, the Prophets and the customs (Holydays) then he is a false messiah and deserved to die the death. Yeshua said in Matthew 25 that many will say, “but lord, Lord, I have prophesied in your name, and cast out demons in your name and done many wonderful works in your name, and He said, Depart from me ye workers of iniquity (lawlesness) I never knew you.” The Aramaic says you who reject Torah. Till heaven and earth pass, not one jot or tittle will pass from the Torah until all things are fulfilled. We still have the heavens and earth. Therefore the Torah is not done away!

      Report Post » Pakinpastor  
    • @leftfighter
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 10:57am

      Actually, I‘ve read the Book from cover to cover several times and I’ve never seen anything that said “The first day of creation was a Sunday.” Just because we consider Sunday the first day of the week doesn‘t mean that’s the day of the week that God said “Let there be light.” You’re looking at a tradition and casting doubt on the day most Christians meet to worship God and saying that because Jewish tradition (not the Hebrew bible) says it should be on a Saturday, then it should be on a Saturday.

      Worshipping on a Sunday isn’t strictly biblical, true, but is it in keeping with God’s word? Worshipping on Sunday is giving God the first day of the week. Tell me how that’s not in keeping with the principle of First Fruits.

      Personally, I believe God left the exact day the first day was out of the Bible because it’s irrelevant. The principle He wants followed is to rest and worship one day out of the week. If that happens to be on a Tuesday, then so be it. I do, however, believe that our Christian brothers and sisters keep us in check when we’re beginning to get out of line, so Sunday is, IMO, the best day to go.

      Report Post » @leftfighter  
    • Dougsopinion
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 11:31am

      The 4th commandment was written by the finger of God. No man should change it based on their own skewed views. The book of Daniel describes a beast that will seek to change times and laws. The only commandment that is both a time and a law is the 4th commandment. I’ve read the bible cover to cover 5 times, and I see no reason to change the Sabath to Sunday, other than that it correlates with the romans worship of the sun.

      Report Post »  
    • RamonPreston
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 3:04pm

      Jet…you are VERY misinformed. Christ was crucified on a Wednesday, not Friday, resurrected on Saturday at sunset and the women found the grave empty on Sunday morning. Nothing here to change the sabbath to Sunday; the pagan Roman Catholic church did that.

      “Having a form of godliness but denying the power therein” is saying Christ died on Friday and was resurrected on Sunday … a day and a half later.

      Report Post » RamonPreston  
  • LordChaos
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 7:24am

    I will be interested in reading it.

    Report Post » LordChaos  
  • StepByStep_InchByInch
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 7:21am

    “Meanwhile, the world around them is on the verge of entering another dark age” because they haven’t read the books. Peace.

    Report Post »  
  • LeFaux Jew
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 7:16am

    There is no doubt scribal errors, and additions etc. That is why during the time of Jesus there such argumentation of interpretation and very sectarian (some held to no blood sacrifice, God forgives without or beyond pagan sacrifice), and viewed these as alterations by redactors.
    Even worse is the christian NT, since translation is so often “interpretation”.

    Report Post »  
  • GerryMaine
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 7:13am

    You may be arguing about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin but many Christians are doing what Christ commanded all of us to do:

    “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
    (Matthew 28:19-20 NASB)

    Report Post »  
    • Pakinpastor
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 11:11am

      Yeshua is the Torah. Remember John 1:1 He was the Word and the Word was made flesh? So to reject the Torah is to reject Yeshua (Jesus). He always followed the Torah, and even said He came not to destroy the Torah or the prophest, but to fulfill. The word fulfill in the Greek, means to give it meaning, fill with meaning.
      1 John 3:4 says, “Whoever commits sin, transgresses the Law, for sin is the transgression of the law.”

      I know, many pastors who would like to take out this scripture, but the fact is, that we have been fed lies for centuries. Dresden James said it well,
      “A truth’s initial commotion is directly proportional to how deeply the lie was believed. It wasn’t that the world was round that agitated the people, it was that it wasn’t flat.
      When a well packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over centuries, the truth sounds utterly preposterous, and it’s speaker a raving lunatic!”

      Report Post » Pakinpastor  
  • historyguy48
    Posted on August 8, 2012 at 6:51am

    Typical of our Jewish brethren, now they can argue the veracity of the changes in this book endlessly forever.
    Not that Christians are any different, after all we are still arguing about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.
    Meanwhile, the world around them is on the verge of destroying itself and entering into another dark age.

    Report Post » historyguy48  
    • RWCT
      Posted on August 8, 2012 at 7:25am

      True enough. Many who call themselves Christians are NOT, as Revelation Ch 3 clearly spells out. The RC Church is reposnsible for many of the horros commited by Christendumb. Many so called Prptestant churches are guilty of the same. If I was a Jew, I would hate Christendumb, as it was repsonsible for many pogroms and murder of Jews over the centuries.Look at the RC Church and Islam. Many things in common beside their prayer beads. True hristians are Doers of Gods; word, not just readers and hearers. We are to be disciples of Christ, and disciple others to do the same.
      Maranatha

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