IV. Now the Church is in the "Dark Ages"
The "dark ages" or the "middle ages" was a dark time in Church History. It was the "cap stone
of the whole Babylonish system...the Jeroboam system was complete."[27] (Note: 1Kings.10 -12) This
was a false system of Worship and false House that was just like the real. "Christianity had now
became the dominant religion of the Roman Empire early in the 4th.century and for the next 1000
years it dominated philosophy and tolerated little opposition." Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia, 1996
A. The time of the dark ages
During the “dark ages" very little translation was attempted...the Word of God was locked
up in the Latin tongue which was unknown to the common people.[28]
B. The Roman Catholic Church was the only Church
The "scriptures were used only to confirm what the fathers said, and if contradiction
existed then the writings of the fathers were accepted above the authority of the scriptures."[29]
C. God still preserved His Word in spite of the corruption
Even though God's Word had been corrupted and locked into the Latin language, God
remained Sovereign and Providential and watched over His Word. (Jer.1:12, Psa.121:1-8,
Dan.4:35, Rom.9:19-20) He showed "himself strong (2Chron.16:9, 1Peter.3:12) in the behalf of
them whose heart (were) perfect toward Him."
1. Nicholas Lyra(1279-1340 AD)
His work had profound influence on Martin Luther and helped "seed" the Reformation that
would happen in 1517 AD.
2. John Wycliffe (1330 -1384 AD)
The "Morning Star of the Reformation." Wycliffe recognized scripture as the final authority,
not the Catholic Church. He translated the Bible from Latin into English. Wycliffe "declared
that people had the right to read the Bible and interpret it for themselves."[30] God
blessed Wycliffe because this is exactly according to the pattern. The people are the Priesthood
and have responsibility to teach and interpret the Word of God. (Deut.17:18; 24:18; 31:9-11,
2Chron.15:3; 34:15, Neh.8:2, Mal.2:7, 1Peter.2:5-9, Rev.1-6; 5:10)
3. Jan Hus
He widely preached Wycliffe's ideas in powerful sermons and was burned at the stake by the
Catholic Church.[31]
4. Martin Luther(1483-1546 AD.)
Wycliffe and Hus greatly influenced Martin Luther and he "set up the Bible as the
sole source of Christian truth."[32] "Luther's conviction concerning the role of the Church, the
authority of the scriptures, and the needs of the unenlightened masses, motivated him to light
the torch of the Reformation."[33]
NOTES
1. The Amplified Bible - Explanation of Arbitrary Punctuation. Italics
2. God Only Wrote One Bible, J.J. Ray, p.23 / English Revised Version, Preface, pp.9-10 / Westscott. History of the
English Bible, pp.321- 325
3. Evaluating Versions of the New Testament, E.W. Fowler, p.13
4. Samuel Hemphill - History of the Revised Version, p.54-55 / Evaluating Versions of the New Testament, p.4
5. The King James Defended - E. F. Hills, Chap.8,6.(a),p.225
6. Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia, Vol.21, p.288
7. Eusebius. Ecclesiasstical History, Book 3, Chap.24
8, 9, 10. Funk & Wagnalla, Vol.19. p,441
11. Encyclopedia Britannica, (Origen)
12. Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol.1, pp.434-435
13. Present day Truths - Iverson, p.14-1514. Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia, "Constantine"
15. Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, Book 5, Chap.8 / Encycloptian Tatian
16. Encyclopedia Britannica. "Arius" Arius was a ascetical, moral leader of a Christian community in the area of Alexandria,
and attracted a large following through a message integrating Neoplatonism, which accented the absolute oneness of the divinity as the highest
perfection, with a literal, rationalist approach to the New Testament texts.
17. Constantine - Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia, 1996
18. Sir Robert Anderson, L.C.B.L.D. p.48, The Church and the Bible / E. H. Broadbent - The Pilgrim Church, pp.21-22
19. Dr. Ira M. Price - Ancestary of the Englisah Bible, p.70 / God Only Wrote One Bible- J.J. Ray, p.18
20. Encyclopedia Britannica, "Eusebius"
22. The Facts of the New Testament Criticism. The King James Defended, Edward F. Hills, p.119
23. Hort's Introduction, p.138
24. Dr. Fredrick Nolan - Integrity of the Greek Vulgate, pp.17-18
25. The King James Defended - E.F. Hills, Chap.5, p.119 / Thompson chain reference Bible, #4220, p.181
26. Burgon and Miller - The Traditional Text, p.163 / Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol.4, -.86 / Gregory - The Cannon and Text of the New Testament,
p.345 / Dr. Ira M. Price - Ancestry of the English Bible, p.70 / A.T. Robinson - Introduction to the New Testament, p.180 / Dr. Phillip Scahff -
Companion to Greek Testament, p.115 / Dr. Scrivener - Introduction to New New Testament, Vol.pp.36-37
27. Interpreting the Scriptures - K. J. Conner / K. Malmin
28. Thompson Chain Ref. Bible - The origin and Growth of the English Bible, English Versions. p.181
29. Interpreting the Scriptures - K. J. Conner / K. Malmin, p.31
30. Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia, 1996
31. Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia Jan Hus, 1996
32. Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia, 1996
33. Interpreting the Scriptures - K. J. Conner / K. Malmin, p.34
34. The King James Defended, Chap.8, p.199 / Works of Luther - Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1932 Vol.6, pp.476-89
35. The King James Defended - E.F. Hills, Chap.8, p.203
36. The King James Defended - E.F. Hills, Chap.,8 (e), p.198
37. The King James Defended - E.F. Hills, Chap.8, p.202
38. The Priesthood belongs to the people, the Body of Christ, NOT the Scholar. (1Peter.2:5-9, Rev.1:6; 5:10, Deut.31:9-11)
39. Thompson Chain Ref. Bible , F.C. Thompson, D.D., Ph.D
40. The King James Defended - E.F. Hills, Chap.8 (f), p.199
41. The Catholic Counter Reformation - Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia, 1996
42. The Catholic Counter Reformation - Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia, 1996
43. The Catholic Counter Reformation - Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia, 1996
44. The History of Roman Catholicism, New Religious Order - Encyclopedia Britannica
45. The Catholic Counter Reformation - Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia, 1996
46. The History of the Revised Version - Samuel Hemphil, pp.54-55
47. Wescott and Hort in their theory of the text built the work of several earlier men, such as Griesbach, Lachman, and Tischendorf, who around 1775 AD
published texts differing in many places from the Received Text. - E.W. Fowler. Evaluating Versions of the New Testament, p.4
48. The History of the Revised Version - Samuel Hemphil, pp. 54-55 / Evaluating Versions of the New Testament - E.W. Fowler, p.28
49. Evaluating Versions of the New Testament - E.W. Fowler, p.9
50. Core, New Commentary, Part.3, p.721
51. The Life and letters of Fenton John Hort - 2 Vols; London: MacMillan and Co. Ltd., 1896, 1211
52. The King James Defended, E.F. Hills, Chap.8,6, (a), p.225
53. The Traditional Text - Burgon Miller, p.163 / Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol.4, p.86 / The Cannon and text of the New Testament, p.345 / The Ancestry of
the - Dr. Ira M. Price, p.70 / A.T. Robertson, Intro of the New Testament, p.180 / Dr. Phillip Schaff. Companion to Greek Testament, p.115./ Intro to the
New Testament - Vol.2, p.270
54. Evaluating Versions of the New Testament, E.W. Fowler, p.4 / B.F. Westcott and F.J. Hort. The New Testament in the original Greek, Vol.ii, Introduction
and Appendix (New York Harper and Brothers, 1882, p.277 / The King James Defended - E.F. Hills. Chap.3,p.66
55, Evaluating Versions of the New Testament, E.W. Fowler, p.4-5