1 &2 chapters ( )

The King James Version Only controversy still rages in many churches throuout the world (as can be seen from some of the reviews of this book). The greatest problem in the debate seems to be that many people do not understand the process by which the eclectic text and the critical text have been assembled. This book is an attempt to clarify this process.

Dr. Comfort's effort to make the finer points of modern textual criticism is a laudable effort, and will serve as a springboard to a more detailed investigatio of this topic. It is not, however, an introductory work, and many readers will have to consult other volumes to fully appreciate what Dr. Comfort states in this text.

Comfort does a good job at providing an overview of the major texts that comprise the critical text that most modern translations are derived from. He also presents a brief history of the 20th century translations, giving an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of each. The real value of this book, however, lies in its treatment of the so-called "missing verses" that KJV Only advocates contend have been "removed" from the modern versions. If more people on both sides of the debate were familiar with this material, there would be less misunderstanding and namecalling.

That said, the flag-waving for the New Living Translation is a little annoying. I am not as familiar with this translation as some of the others, but the continual preferance for this version over all other modern versions makes me suspect the author's motivations in writing this book. ( )