Another British missionary Robert Morrison equally undertook the struggle of publishing the complete Bible in Chinese language. This task was practically an impossibility because of death penalty imposed on any Chinese that tutors a foreigner of the Chinese language.
Another law from Chinese authority put death sentence upon any one that publishes the Bible or such related books in Chinese language. At the presence of such horrible opposition, Morrison completed his translation of the book, produced and circulated it to Chinese territory and beyond.
Again, another missionary Adoniram Judson faces tough challenge during his translation of the scriptures into Burmese language. He faces linguistic problems. Shortly, there was civil war in Burma and he was arrested and prosecuted as a spy. This led him into detention and after his released, he managed to produce the translation. These intractable challenges influenced the translation negatively.
In 17th century, the church issued an edict termed as “The index of forbidden books” and imposed tough restrictions on the use or circulation of vernacular Bible.
With all these frictions, can the Bible be trusted? Can it pass through these furnace and remain unadulterated? The Bible defenders are of the submission that though the book passed through worst identifiable opposition over registered by any literature worldover, yet it remained undiluted because it is the word of Yahweh who personally preserved this books through his appointed saints.
As Yahosheans, we believe that the book is originally written by inspired men and aimed at communicating of Yahweh’s mind. We equally believed that Yahweh is able to safe-keep the book against any manner of adulteration but our submission is that Yahweh reserved the final account for the comforter who will manifest as the last great messenger of Yahweh.
So, all efforts of translators and revisers do not guarantee for the textual harmony or authenticity as claimed. Though they tried but their efforts were not good enough to safeguard such holy relies of all generations. Even the translators on their own have additions or subtractions they profer on the works. As humans, they have their interest and convictions that they integrate into the scriptures.
For example, a 17th century young translator Ferrira Da Almeida translated and published the Bible into Portuguese. Almeida carried out the translation when Portugal (his country) was under the strong influence of Catholic inquisition.
Any one that attempts to translate the book in Portuguese will be handed to the inquisitors for action. As a protestant, Almeida was seen as traitor and apostate by Catholic faithfuls.
After series of attacks from Catholic clergies and laities, the Almeida translation was submitted to a group of Revisers who showed no interest because of their stain relationship with the translator. The revisers who were termed the consistory made bold attempts to prevent publication of the work but Almeida boldly took the manuscripts for publication without reviser’s knowledge. After the demise of Almeida, his work was adulterated by the revisers as accounted in a book A Biblia em Portugal (The Bible in Portugal) by G.L. Sontos Ferraira made a submission as Follows “The revisers made significant changes in Almeida’s excellent work, disfiguring and corrupting what beauty of the original had escaped the revisers of the first edition”.
In simple comment, since the authors, translators and revisers were often in disarray, how can we hold that the outcome of their work? Many people have come to the conclusion that Bible is the most produced and circulated book in the globe, has greatly influenced humanity in terms of morals and ethics, provided inspiration for literature and has supported millions of people to gain accurate knowledge of Yahweh. By these calculations they assume that Bible must certainly be accurate as original ordained.
But Prophet Yahmarabhi and his followers are always in disagreement with such hasty conclusion because all enumerated points above are not vital points that suggest that the book represents the mind of Yahweh as original set.
These conclusions are punctured by the rate of illiteracy that existed during the early age of humanity. Lack of textural order, materials, production and circulation were obstructive forces that militated against the early works of faithful ones of Yahweh.
Next was the ability to preserve the information on a durable and sustainable textual formats that will endure all erosions and challenges.
Over the centuries, people have preserved information in many ways. Early writers recorded their works on monuments, stone, or woodtablets, leaves of parchment etc.
By 1st century C.E. the use of scrolls become established on Middle East territory. Scroll format gave way for codex which later became the universal form of storing writing materials.
The codex was the earliest form of present day book format. It was made of sheets that were folded, assembled, tied along the fold and articles written on both sides and protected by a cover. The modern writing format is a modification of codex of old.
As codex form of writing came into existence, scholars favoured it more than the older scroll form of writing. Scroll model was generally tedious and cumbersome. A scroll was usually made up of standard number of streets of papyrus or parchment glued together to make a long strip which was then rolled up.
Then texts were written in columns on the front face of the scroll and to read it, the user unfold the scroll to suit the passage that he desired. As the scroll form is cumbersome, it requires many scrolls for a single literary work.
These undurable forms of recording works or texts must play negatively towards accurate preservation of original information from the earliest writers of the Holy Scriptures.
This means that inefficient writing materials and availability of writers influence the early scriptures. This negative influence was noticeable in ancient scriptural writing days and equally extended to the era of Yahoshea Meshiyach and his immediate followers.
The glad news of Yahoshea’s ministry and those of the works of his disciples faced this same problem of insufficient of writing materials as wells a illiteracy on the majority of key players of those days.
or instance, after the death of Yahoshea Meshiyach, Matthew (one of head disciples) apparently wrote down his account around eight years later while John wrote his own account about 65 years later.
By this distance, it is certain that they may not record the activities with tacit accuracy. The reason to the gap between the moments of actions and the moment of recording them may be caused by the inability of the early followers to be inclined in writing down the teachings and deeds of Yahoshea Meshiyach.
Defenders of Bible accuracy are of the belief that there existed a gap of several decades between the ministry of Yahoshea and its documentation by the authors of his works. They insist that although such gap existed by stories about Yahoshea was handed on orally.
Meshiyach Yahzitere Yahmarabhi
Email: thehaym87abba@yahoo.com
