Q.   I recently received my RSB and I’m very pleased with it. However, I have a friend that I frequently study with that refuses to even look at my RSB because he only studies Bibles that are translated from the Textus Receptus. My question to you is, is this important? My friend is pretty knowledgeable and is a wealth of information for me in my Messianic studies, but he sometimes seems to get hung up on trivial things. Yet he doesn’t seem to see a problem with referring to our Father and Messiah as God and Jesus. Can you please shed any light on the Textus Receptus, what it actually is, and what impact it has on modern Bibles and study resources?

A.   The Textus Receptus, also called the Received Text, is a collection of Greek texts that were used by those who translated the KJV and other English translations. Since the Restoration Study Bible is largely the KJV with the correct names/titles restored, it too would be based on the Textus Receptus. The other major collection of Greek texts is the Alexandrian texts. The Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus are the two most well-known and date approx. to the 4th century. The two main differences between these texts is the Textus Receptus is greater in number, but newer, while the Alexandrian texts are fewer, but older.

Since the KJV and most early English translations of the Bible were based on the Textus Receptus, many favor this text. We take more of a neutral position and study from translations based on both texts. The fact is, since we do not have the original copies of the New Testament, which we believe were likely Hebrew or Aramaic, it’s impossible to know which text is more accurate. However in our studies we have not seen where either text drastically changes the meaning of Scripture. There are differences, but minor.

For additional study, we would suggest reviewing the following Q&A: https://yrm.org/is-kjv-infallible.