FTGF Lesson 269 | Assessing the Printed History of the Text (American Text 1840 & Beyond)

Summary: This teaching session examines the historical development and textual variations of the King James Bible in America from 1840 onwards. The lesson addresses common misconceptions within King James-only advocacy by demonstrating that orthographic (spelling) changes and textual variations existed from the earliest American printings. The instructor challenges the notion that only one specific edition represents the "pure" Word of God, arguing instead that different spellings of the same words do not constitute corruption but rather represent legitimate linguistic adaptation to American English conventions. The lesson emphasizes that these changes occurred before modernist criticism attacked biblical authority, and that generations of American Christians faithfully used Bibles with varying orthography without compromising doctrinal integrity.

Chapters
Chapter 1: Introduction and Review of American Bible Printing
0:00 - 5:00
We review the development of King James Bible printing in America from the Revolutionary War through the early 1800s, focusing on orthographic changes and the American Bible Society's role.
Chapter 2: David Norton's Analysis of the American Text
5:00 - 15:00
We explore David Norton's assessment of the American Bible Society's 1847 standardization effort, including their collation of 24,000 variations and their claim that the text remained unchanged except for orthography.
Chapter 3: Gordon Campbell and Lawrence Vance on American Editions
15:00 - 25:00
We review Gordon Campbell's observations about American text modernization and Lawrence Vance's concerns about the lack of standardization among American King James Bible publishers.
Chapter 4: Conclusions on Orthography and Textual Integrity
25:00 - 35:00
We establish that orthographic changes in American King James Bibles do not constitute corruption, as they represent different ways of saying the same thing without altering doctrinal content.

Key Points:
David Norton's analysis reveals that the American Bible Society's 1856 standardization effort essentially enshrined Blayney's 1769 Oxford text as the American standard, despite methodological concerns about their collation process.
Gordon Campbell notes three factors that shaped the American text: scholarly scruple, pursuit of consistency, and desire to use modern spelling conventions.
American editions consistently updated orthography (spelling) to reflect American English conventions, including words like "astonished" (vs. "astonied"), "thoroughly" (vs. "throughly"), and "always" (vs. "alway").
The American Bible Society's 1851 report claimed the text remained "unaltered in respect to its text, except in changes of orthography," though this methodology has been criticized by modern scholars.
Orthographic changes in American Bibles began as early as 1782-1792, long before German higher criticism or modernist attacks on biblical authority.
The position that only specific editions from Oxford or Cambridge presses represent the "pure" Word of God would logically invalidate millions of King James Bibles used by American Christians throughout history.
Different ways of saying the same thing should not be confused with substantive differences in meaning or doctrine.
The historical reality is "messier" than modern King James-only advocates acknowledge, and imposing current textual controversies on past generations is historically inappropriate.

PDF Notes
https://gracelifebiblechurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Lesson-269-Assessing-the-Printed-History-of-the-King-James-Text-American-Text-1840-Beyond.pdf

From This Generation For Ever Complete Class (GLBC Website Format)
https://gracelifebiblechurch.com/sermon-category/from-this-generation-for-ever/

Keywords
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