The Bible is considered the Word of God – so all Bibles should be the same, right? In fact, that is not the case.
Are all Bibles the same? No. There are slight differences in the basic texts that have been handed down. Thus, not all Bibles are the same. This is true for Protestant and Catholic Bibles, the latter using different basic texts (in Latin) than the Protestant version (which is based on Greek texts).
Table of Contents
Why are not all Bibles the same?
In Islam, it is considered a good argument that the Koran is identical all over the world without errors and to the letter – in relation to the original Arabic text. This is to confirm the divine origin of the Koran. (This argumentation is not true, by the way)
The basic texts of the Bibles do not make this claim. Every believer assumes that they are generally well preserved and that today we can reconstruct the original text without any problems. Therefore, a Christian does not even see a problem if there are differences of the basic text.
Today we have thousands of ancient scrolls that confirm the correctness of today’s Bible. There are some “branches” of text versions, but their difference is so small that it does not even begin to touch the core of Christianity.
Why it is not important for everyday life that all Bibles are exactly the same.
The complete basic text (the original languages of the Bible are Hebrew, Aramaic and ancient Greek) is usually only a problem for scholars. Believers read the Bible in their own language – knowledge for other languages is not needed. (Unlike, for example, in Islam).
Because: In all handed down writings the principles of the Bible are identical, there are occasionally deviations in single words. Principles are not thereby falsified, since these can be made clear by other Bible passages.
This is e.g. a big difference to the Koran: The Koran has rules, which must be kept word for word. (Including other writings that tell about the life of Mohammed) There it is important that the exact words are preserved, (Which they are also not always) to make the statement clear.
Conclusion: Are all Bibles the same everywhere?
Not all Bibles are the same everywhere. There are differences not only in the translation, but also in the text in which was translated. However, the fact that the Word was not transmitted accurately to the characters is not a claim in Christianity. The verifiable facts in each version are identical. This is true for Catholics as well as for Protestants.
