Customer Reviews

Final Authority: A Christian's Guide to the King James Bible

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I had the pleasure of hearing brother Grady preach several years ago at my church, and I must say it was a blessing. He has an amazing way of teaching and preaching. My pastor let me borrow a copy of "Final Authority", and I loved it so much I bought my own copy. At first, I thought "Oh my soul, it's such a long book!", but once I started reading it, I couldn't stop. That was two years ago and I am currently rereading it for the third time.
Grady answers the question of what our final authority is, and brings to light some very interesting things people advocating modern translations don't tell you. He exposes Westcott and Hort's unorthadox theology, and clearly shows how the manuscripts used in translating the Authorized Version are not the same ones that all other modern versions are translated with; and so much more!
God never failed in His promise to preserve His Word. We have it in the King James Authorized Version.
I have learned so much from this book and I am immensly grateful to brother Grady for writting it.
~Abby Louise Allison

Grady does a good job of coming up with facts about the history of how we got the KJV. I think it is well researched. He will not appeal to those who are ecumenical in nature because he still espouses the ideals of the Protestant Reformation.

Grady's appeal is in his treatise on not just the KJV but those bibles that preceded it. Anyone wanting to understand how we got the English bibles must read this.

The argument is, the Textus Receptus verses the Revised Version and its tranlations and versions.

Grady does a good job chronicling the translators from Wyclif to Tyndale, down to the KJV translators.

There will be many detractors to his findings. Unlike the anti-KJV books which have weaker arguments and more emotional arguments, Grady pulls no punches.

What he needs is to appeal to all audiences by mentioning the hatred for the KJV from some audiences. A must read for those researching the KJV only study. (I call it the Textus Receptus only.)

Important book for those who are new to the issue. Be warned though of some of Grady's opinions which have nothing to do with the issue at hand (so-called 'race-mixing' etc).

This is a book for Christians. I think that all Christians can agree that when it comes to "manners of living" (works/sin) and of salvation (grace) it is only God's opinion that matters. So why do we have such diversity of thought within the Christian faith? Why do we get a different answer about salvation from a Catholic then we do from a Baptist? I can see differences in relation to "manners of living", but differences in relation to salvation are truly troubling. I mean, if the Catholics are right then the Baptists are going to Hell (or they will spend some quality time in purgatory) and if the Baptists are right then the Catholics are going to Hell (sorry, no purgatory for you). And yet we all claim to be Christians. The only difference is that we look to different Bibles (different Authorities) for our understanding of God's Word (His one true unchanging, don't matter what you think, going to Heaven or going to Hell, Word).

The reality is that for Christians there is only one Word of God. That is whatever God himself says about the way we should live and worship. Still, that doesn't help us much unless God makes his Word known to us, which he did. The question that this book is trying to answer is a question amongst Christians. Either the true word of God exists completely in written form or it only exists partially in written form. Many Christians (like me) believe that it exists completely in written form (KJV). Thus, I have a Final Authority to live my life by or more importantly to rest upon that good news of Gods saving grace through Christ Jesus. This seems to be a weaker position for me to take since I now have only one Book to argue my faith from, or to preach from. Christians that can pick and choose their passages from different Bibles seem to be able to believe whatever they want; whereas, I do not have that luxury (though I try sinful as I am). Still, there is something that I have that those other Christians do not. I have a Final Authority. However, what about those that do not have a Final Authority?

This is to say, that some Christians can only point at a Bible (any version/perversion) and say, "some of it is true while other parts are false". But then the question comes, "Which parts are false?" Maybe Salvation through Grace is false, maybe Jesus never existed, maybe the entire NT is false, maybe Jesus never wept? If you admit that it has false parts and you admit that it is not your Final Authority then you cannot know through it's reading what to believe.

Then, of course, you start to get people answering that they have discernment given to them by the Holy Spirit, but that is only discernment of Gods Word. Don't expect to read "The Satanic Bible" and get any discernment from the Holy Spirit. If you are reading a false gospel then all that the Holy Spirit can do is get you away from it (maybe by getting you to read some silly book review on Amazon). In any case, why do you think we have so many Koresh's running around preaching their false gospel? It's because some Christians believe enough in discernment to allow some bozo like Koresh to pick and choose their faith for them. This book is simply stating the much less obvious perversion (though much more consequential) that Christians cling to rather then clinging to the true Word of God.

I always find it strange that people can believe in God and in his saving Grace through Christ Jesus and yet those same people can't believe that God has the power to carry his Word completely intact in meaning throughout history. That is at the heart of the argument in this book.

"The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." (Psalm 12:6-7 KJV)

It simply speaks to those Christians that profess their faith in Christ Jesus and tells them that they need to be reading Gods one and only true Word (including the original manuscripts). To those that are unsaved, well you got bigger problems then choosing the right Bible. But if you do ever get around to reading one, or even if you plan on attacking my faith, make sure you argue your disbelief from the KJV. It is my Final Authority.

Dr. Grady give a witty thought provoking look at the AV VS the new translations. It is a slam dunk, those who try to defend new vesions will not be able to find any flaws in this book ................or THE BOOK it defends so very well. Grace and Peace

Did you know that the Codex Vadicainus contains a blank column between Mark 16:8 and Luke 1:1? The transcribing monk simply didn't finish the passage. Did you know that the Codex Sinadicus was damaged in this area and later pached with non-matching materials? Did you know that many 2nd century Church fathers quoted the disputed passage? These are a few of the tremendous facts established in this book. For this reason--and this reason alone--I give the book 4 stars. It is *highly* unfortunately that the author expresses such stinging, biting anti-Catholic and anti-Pentacostal prejudices. They damage the book tremendously. I happen to know that some of the best friends of the KJV-Only gang are Pentacostals. Further, his claim that the Catholic Church has been the foremost advesary of the scriptures is dubious at best. Ask any number of true liberals and they'll tell you another story. Alegations of "Jesuit agents" sent out by the Pope to subvert the KJV are more than absurd. They are bits of hate rhetoric.

First you must be English, then you must be Baptist...oh yes, and a bigot, too.

Grady could almost make me disagree with him based solely upon my distaste for his nasty rhetoric directed at those with whom he disagrees. His pompous, sarcastic dialogue, judgemental accusations, and seeming inability to rightly apply analogies and illustrations were almost too much to prolong the read. Yet, despite the bar-room brawl style of writing and his limited powers of reasoning, there is information in this book that you just won't get elsewhere; it's a gem!

What Grady does most successfully is nail the coffin shut on Hort and Westcott, those liberal change-agents who sought, not to revise the KJV (as was their assigned task), but to rewrite the Bible based upon a liberal Greek translation they had secretly written years prior to the revision process. Nearly all subsequent modern translations are based upon their work. Their work, in turn, is highly dependent on Alexandrian manuscripts. That these manuscripts were heavily influenced by the Thomas Jeffersonesque cut-n-paste style of the heretic, Origen of Alexandria, becomes apparent after reading Grady's text.

Would you be surprised to hear Westcott say, "Oh, the weakness of my faith... So wild, so sceptical am I. I cannot yield." or "...that simple faith and obedience which so many enjoy, I fear will never be mine." How about, "No one now, I suppose, holds that the first three chapters of Genesis...give a literal history..."
How confident do you feel with a Westcott and Hort derivative Bible, knowing Hort claimed, "I reject the word infallibility---of Holy Scripture..."
Yet these are the men behind the text of our modern versions; it does make one wonder...

Grady's book contains all this, and so much more. I'm glad to have read it, as it whet my taste for more scholarly work on the subject. If in earnest search for the truth, you seek all the facts, it wouldn't hurt to read a biased report on each side of the issue. You'll quickly see how supposed scholars routinely dismiss each other via circular reasoning, omission of contrary data, and assumptive reasoning. But in the process, you'll gain tremendous insight into what makes each side tick.

Obviously much work remains to be done. We need to better and more fully excavate the northern Mediterranean, plumb the depths of the Vatican (what do they have from early compilations of circulating Scripture?), and unearth the earliest texts of the testaments. We need better than translations and versions of interpolated copies. We need God's Word---as He gave it to us---in an interlinear fashion. And while we're at it, we need to stop dumbing down our society. We need to teach our kids to think, so we can give them the Word of God, literally translated, and expect them to be able to make sense of it.

The Word of God is the most important necessity our souls' need. How pure is the Word you read? You can find out in this book. Hard to read for me since English is my 3rd language, but not impossible to understand especially if dedicated to it. I recommend it to all. If you can read, understand, and enjoy this book, you know this language, and KJV will become the only Word you will seek. Very well documented, and reliable sources.

Puts the lid on the casket of the pseudo-scholasticism that have brought us the confusion caused by the explosions of versions. Great job, Dr Grady!

Grady's Final Authority is a disappointment. This is an issue that could (and should) be treated in both a scholarly and charitable manner. Grady's scholarship is fairly sound, though he tends to ignore that history which is problematic to his thesis. His charity . . . well it doesn't exist.

Grady's vitriol is disappointing as it so fits the stereotype of obnoxious, mean-spirited Fundamentalist. As a Fundamentalist myself I find that attack style sad and counterproductive. If his anger was directed at enemies of the cause of Christ, then it would be understandable. But much of Grady's venom is directed at his own brothers in Christ, and that is inexcusable.

"With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Eph. 4:2,3 The reader will find no lowliness, meekness, patience or forbearance in this volume. Brothers in Christ will come away from Grady's book anything but unified.

Grady starts by labeling everyone that disagrees with him as a Nicolaitan, even after admitting that he isn't completely sure what a Nicolaitan actually was (from Rev. 2). He just knows that it was a bad thing to be a Nicolaitan, just as he knows that it is a bad thing to disagree with him. By Grady's definition, beloved Fundamentalists such as Dr. Bob Jones and Dr. John R. Rice are Nicolaitans (and liberals at that)!

Perhaps the greatest weakness of the book is the contention that the KJV is inspired in the Biblical sense. Grady's "infallible preservation" concept is un-Biblical, illogical and contrary both to history and to the classic Fundamentalist view of Inspiration. Carried to its logical conclusion, there is now no need for any Greek version (Textus Receptus included) because the KJV now corrects any previous shortcomings and may serve as the basis for all future translations in all languages.

For those who are close-minded on the KJV issue and who simply desire to see KJV-only opponents castigated and insulted, you will love this book. If you are an honest reader who wants good information and scholarship on the subject, you will find some here, but you will have to sift through a lot of hostile rhetoric to get at it. There are far better treatments of the issue from the KJV-only side.