Matthew 1:25
 
Matthew 1:25
(KJV) And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
(1611 KJV) And knewe her not, till shee had brought forth her first borne sonne, and he called his name Iesus.
(1587 Geneva Bible) But he knew her not, til she had broght forth her first borne sonne, & he called his name Iesus.
(1526 Tyndale) and knewe her not tyll she had brought forth hir fyrst sonne and called hys name Iesus.
 
Counterfeit Versions
(1901 ASV) and knew her not till she had brought forth a son: and he called his name JESUS.
(CEB) But he didn’t have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. Joseph called him Jesus.
(CEV) But they did not sleep together before her baby was born. Then Joseph named him Jesus.
(ERV) But Joseph did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And he named him Jesus.
(ESV) but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
(GNB) But he had no sexual relations with her before she gave birth to her son. And Joseph named him Jesus.
(HCSB) but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son. And he named Him Jesus.
(NASB) But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
(NIV) But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
(RSV) but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.
(NRSV) but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
(NAB-Roman Catholic) He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.
(NWT-Jehovah’s Witness) But he had no intercourse with her until she gave birth to a son; and he called his name Jesus.
 
Textus Receptus - Traditional Text
kai ouk eginwsken authn ewV ou eteken ton uion authV ton prwtotokon kai ekalesen to onoma autou ihsoun
 
Hort-Westcott - Critical Text
kai ouk eginwsken authn ewV [ou] eteken uion kai ekalesen to onoma autou ihsoun
 
Corrupted Manuscripts
This verse is corrupted in the following manuscripts:
Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit
B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century
1 (Minuscule) - Seventh century
13 (Minuscule) - Eighth century
33 (Minuscule) - Ninth Century
071 - Fifth/Sixth century
 
Manuscripts which agree with the Textus Receptus for this verse
Byzantine Text (450-1450 A.D.)
C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century
D 05 - Bezae Cantabrigiensis - Fifth century
K 017 - Ninth century
W 032 - Fourth/fifth century
Delta 037 - Ninth century
PI-041 - Ninth century
28 (Minuscule) - Eleventh century
565 - (Minuscule) - Ninth century
700 - (Minuscule) Eleventh century
892 - (Minuscule) - Ninth century
1010 - (Minuscule) - Twelfth Century
1079 - (minuscule) - Tenth Century
1241 - (Minuscule) - Twelfth century
 
Published Critical Greek Texts with Corruptions
Omit “her firstborn”
Lachmann, Karl - 1842
Tischendorf, Constantine - 1869
Tregelles, Samuel - 1857
Alford, Henry - 1849 revised in 1871
Westcott and Hort - 1881
Weiss, Bernhard - 1894
Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941
Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition
Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition
United Bible Societies - 1983 - Fourth Edition
Von Soden, Freiherr - 1902
 
Affected Teaching
The Greek word for “firstborn” is omitted in both (B) and (Aleph). By removing this word in the modern versions, it endorses the Roman Catholic doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary. The word “firstborn” automatically indicates that Mary did have other children and the Bible tells us that she did in the following:
 
(Mark 6:2-3 KJV) And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? {3} Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
 
By removing the word “firstborn” it can also set up erroneous beliefs that Mary had children before she had Jesus. That word “firstborn” is pivotal to the doctrine of the Virgin Birth. The removal of this word is a serious breach of truth and can lead to the denial of the Virgin Birth of Christ. If Christ was not born of a Virgin, then we will still be in our sins and bound for Hell. The modern versions, along with the Jehovah’s Witness version, all agree with the Roman Catholic Institution’s teaching that Mary was a perpetual Virgin. For someone to say that the modern versions do not stem from Roman Catholic Manuscripts is willful denial of the truth, keep in mind the two manuscripts which omit “Firstborn.” The two are Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, both manuscripts were in the hands of the Roman Church, yet have become the primary manuscripts underlying the modern versions.
 
So tonight or tomorrow when your Pastor reads the narrative about the birth of Jesus from the book of Matthew in a modern version, then realize he is perpetuating the Roman Catholic error of the perpetual virginity of Mary which has caused many true Christians to be put to death under their inquisition because they refused to believe what was false in light of Mark 6:1-3.

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