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BRUCE METZGER AND THE CURSE OF TEXTUAL CRITICISM
Jeffrey Khoo
 Bruce
Manning Metzger passed away on February 13, 2007 at the age of 93. He taught
New Testament language and literature at Princeton Theological Seminary
(PTS) since 1938. He is known particularly for his textual criticism of the
New Testament. For his textual-critical work, many
are
now singing his praises, and extolling him in no uncertain terms as one of
Princeton’s “greatest intellectual ornaments,” and an “absolutely preeminent
New Testament scholar.” Iain Torrance, President of PTS, called Metzger,
“the greatest American New Testament critic and biblical translator of the
twentieth century.”
Metzger’s Influence
Metzger is adored by modern-day
textual critics who hail him as a “legend.” Here is one anecdote that shows
how Metzger is practically worshipped, “Kathleen Maxwell told us in her
presentation at the SBL in Edinburgh that she had phoned Bart Ehrman
concerning a special feature in a manuscript (a red cross marking out the
place where there was an illumination in the exemplar of the MS). Ehrman had
told her to phone his Doktorvater Metzger to see if he had encountered this
feature in MSS. Bart gave her the number and she got Metzger on the line. To
us she remarked, ‘I felt like I was calling God!’” If this is not blasphemy
(cf Acts 12:20-23), it is surely idolatry! This is the curse of textual
criticism—the glorification of the scholar and his mind, instead of Christ
and His words.
Although Metzger has died, his
books and his students live on. One of his students is bestselling author Bart
Ehrman who under Metzger’s tutelage ended up an agnostic. Metzger’s mantle has
fallen upon Ehrman, and the latter will no doubt continue the Bible-denying
legacy of his master! Metzger’s textbook on textual criticism—The Text of
the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration—has just
been revised and published with Ehrman as co-author and is likely to remain as
the standard for all aspiring textual-critical scholars. Dan Wallace of Dallas
Theological Seminary, a Metzger fan and TR/KJV-basher, wrote, “Metzger-Ehrman’s
Text of the New Testament remains the standard handbook on NT textual
criticism. Even with its few flaws, this volume should be read, underlined,
digested, and quoted by all students of the NT text. It rightfully deserves to
be within arm's reach of all who study the sacred Greek Scriptures.” Wallace’s
influence at Dallas will no doubt lead more Dallas students to close
textual-critical encounters of the deadly Metzger-Ehrman kind.
At this juncture, let me offer a
Biblical fundamentalist perspective of Metzger’s contributions to New
Testament scholarship. Faithful and true Biblicists ought to be warned that
Metzger’s scholarship is not one to be desired nor admired. Metzger could well
be a gentle, courteous, and nice man as described in many a eulogy, but such
adulations are no sure gauge of his biblical and theological orthodoxy. Let us
beware lest we fall into the snare of unbelieving scholarship, and the
seduction of worldly honour and glory. Every biblical scholar or theologue who
is committed to the total infallibility and inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures,
and the authenticity and integrity of the Greek New Testament of the
Protestant Reformation which is the Textus Receptus must know that the
adoption of Metzger’s philosophy and methodology will only lead to chronic
uncertainty and perpetual unbelief of the total inspiration and perfect
preservation of the Holy Scriptures.
Metzger Rejected
Let me share with you my
experience. Metzger’s book on textual criticism—The Text of the New
Testament—was introduced to me when I was a student at the Far Eastern
Bible College (FEBC, 1985-1989). It was required reading for a couple of New
Testament courses that I had to take. Those lecturers of mine had earned their
theological degrees from top seminaries and universities in the USA and UK.
They used and quoted Metzger favourably. When I myself pursued further studies
in the States, at Grace Theological Seminary in the years 1989-1991, I found a
modernist like Metzger highly regarded in what was a conservative evangelical
and fundamentalist institution. (The Grace Seminary catalogue of 1989-1991
proudly advertised Bruce Metzger to attract prospective students. Page 63 of
the catalogue contained a handsome photo of Metzger with this caption, “Dr.
Bruce Metzger, one of the dozens of noted authors and theologians who have
lectured to Grace Seminary students.”)
By the grace of God, the contents
of Metzger’s book, in particular his textual methodology and interpretation of
history, never sat well with me. For instance, one lecturer at FEBC during my
student days, quoting Metzger, taught that the teachings of Jesus were not
unique to Him, but merely an improvement on the existing traditions Jesus had
access to in His day. What an attack on the integrity of our Lord and His
Word! Also, I was taught the so-called “eclectic” method of textual criticism
which favoured the critical theories of Anglican liberals, Westcott and Hort.
It made me proud to think that I could judge or emend the Holy Scriptures
based on human reasoning and man-made rules. For over a decade, I had used the
modernistic United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament edited by Metzger et
al, but am thankful to the Lord for delivering me out of ignorance and error
through the writings of J W Burgon, E F Hills and D A Waite. Dr Waite, who is
President of the Dean Burgon Society, visited Singapore in 1992. He spoke at
Calvary Pandan Bible-Presbyterian Church and FEBC on the textual issue and
defended the KJV and its underlying texts. The glory of God and the logic of
faith then led the Rev Dr Timothy Tow, the principal of FEBC and his faculty,
to see the wonderful truth of the verbal and plenary preservation of the Holy
Scriptures (Ps 12:6-7, Matt 5:18, 24:35). FEBC now requires the use of only
the Traditional Hebrew Masoretic Text and the Greek Textus Receptus published
by the Trinitarian Bible Society in its biblical language and literature
classes. The KJV continues to be the only acceptable version for use in its
English Bible courses.
Metzger’s Myth
Many an evangelical textual critic
are impressed by the “awesome” footnotes of Metzger’s scholarly writings.
Metzger’s texts and his annotated footnotes are said to be indispensable stuff
in scholarly text-critical research. O, how we must be wary! Metzger’s
“Bible” of textual criticism is filled with unbelief and deception. One
example of deception is the myth Metzger concocted to question the
authenticity of the Trinitarian verse called the “Johannine Comma” (1 John
5:7). Metzger in his textbook—The Text of the New Testament—pontificated,
“Erasmus promised that he would insert the Comma Johanneum, as it is
called, in future editions if a single Greek manuscript could be found that
contained the passage. At length such a copy was found—or was made to order!”
For decades, Metzger’s story has been parroted by anti-preservationists, TR/KJV
opponents as if it was gospel truth. Erasmian expert, Henk J de Jonge of
Leiden University, in his paper on “Erasmus and the Comma Johannuem”
has convincingly proven that Metzger’s story on Erasmus is utterly baseless.
This was no small embarrassment to Metzger and all his followers. Metzger,
however, did not remove his misleading story about Erasmus in subsequent
editions of his book, but placed a corrigendum in a footnote on a distant page
(p291) in his third, enlarged edition confessing that what he had written on
page 101 about Erasmus and 1 John 5:7 “needs to be corrected.”
Metzger’s Ecumenism
Let it be known that Metzger was a
fervent promoter and leader of the ecumenical movement. The ecumenical New
Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of 1977–1990 was Metzger’s baby. Without
Metzger there would be no NRSV. Metzger saw no better way to promote ecumenism
than to produce a Bible that would unite both Protestant and Catholic
elements. Metzger was actively involved in the translation of the Apocrypha
and even expanded it to include 3rd and 4th Maccabees
and Psalm 151. He did this to please the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek
Orthodox Church. In 1976, he personally presented the ecumenical edition of
the RSV to Demetrios I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and titular
head of the several Orthodox Churches. In 1993, Metzger presented a Catholic
edition of the NRSV to Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. Why did he do all
this? PTS President, Iain Torrance, tells us why, “Bruce Metzger understood
and was passionate about the significance of biblical translation for
ecumenical dialogue. … It was important to him that Roman Catholic, Greek
Orthodox, and Protestant Christians be able to have recourse to a common
biblical text as an instrument of unity.”
Is such an ecumenical ethos shared
by Biblical fundamentalists and separatists? If not, why are fundamentalist
pastors and scholars from Bob Jones University, Central, Detroit, Temple and
other fundamental Baptist Seminaries which believe and practise separation
commending and recommending Metzger, his ecumenical RSV/NRSV and the many
modern versions that stem from his corrupt Greek Text? Is this apostasy,
hypocrisy, compromise, or what?
Metzger Defeated
“For we can do nothing against the
truth, but for the truth” (2 Cor 13:8). Despite the evangelical/fundamentalist
compromise today, and the denial of God’s special providence in the days of
the Great Protestant Reformation in the restoration of His true Church and
reception of His true Word, the promise of God holds true for He has
supernaturally preserved His inspired Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New
Testament words on which the King James Bible—the Reformation Bible—is based,
and has surely raised up in these last days a remnant of Biblicists
from all over the
world who remain true to the spirit of the Reformation, who refuse to
kowtow to the ecumenical idolatry and textual-critical scholarolatry of this
postmodern and neo-deistic age. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal 6:7).
- Published in
True Life
Weekly
dated 25 March 2007.
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