Audio: Capital Error

Description

D. Bercot. When you read the New Testament, are you receiving the meaning the apostles intended? Bible translators can completely change the meaning of a given verse—or of a whole chapter—simply by deciding to capitalize a word or not. (The New Testament was written in all capital letters.) This is not some small, trifling matter. It affects the entire meaning of the Gospel.

For example, are we “not under law,” as most modern translations read? Or are we “not under the Law” as the 1611 KJV reads? It makes a huge difference. Either our obedience to God’s commandments plays no role in our salvation (as Luther taught) or it plays a significant role (as the early Christians taught).

However, the word law is not the only word affected by faulty capitalization. Bercot goes on to talk about the “letter of the law” that kills and the “spirit of the law” that gives life—and how the early Christians understood that expression. Again, it turns on what words the translators decide to capitalize.

60 minute audio message