The Family Tree Method          

                   

Our modern translations except this "family tree method"
This "family tree method"1 begins with the original scriptures. (The hand written copies of copies from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, (who also wrote Acts) John and the Epistles of Paul, John, Peter, Jude and Revelation) This is the first generation of scriptures. If copy 2 gets lost, they copy 1 of the second generation would out weigh copies 1-5 of the third generation. This would be true if there was no malice or falsification!2  However there was malice! (a deep seated and often unreasonable dislike that takes pleasure in seeing others suffer3) There were"...deliberate falsification.." Corrupted copies were so prevalent that agreement between them was hopeless.4 
 (Review: Phase 1, pages 1 and 2)

                       

Westcott and Hort were responsible for this method
When Westcott and Hort joined the Revision committee of 1870 AD they had to convince the revision committee of their "Family Tree Method." They said that Sinaiticus and Vaticanus were the oldest and closest manuscripts to the originals which made these two the most faithful and reliable manuscripts. This is the foundation (the root) of these footnotes come from!
                                                     The evidence is in the "fruit"
                                                          _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

                        

1. To do this they had to show there had been no corruption. (falsification)
      Hort did this by simply declared it so! He wrote,"the text showed  no signs of of  
      deliberate falsification."5                                                                                                                       
           a. There were "signs" of corruption                                   
           The apostles warned about this! Paul told the Ephesians that "after
           my departing shall  grievous wolves enter in among you, not 
           sparing the flock.
           (1) From inside the Church
                 Also "of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse
                 things, to draw away disciples after them."
           (2) Watch and Pray
                 Therefore "watch, and remember, that by the space of three
                 years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with 
                 tears." (Acts.20:29-31)
     b. There are those that twist the scripture
           Paul writes, "For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God:
           but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in
           Christ." (2Cor.2:17)
           (1) Unlearned, unstable, blown in the wind
                Peter said that those the "corrupt the Word of God" are 
                  "unlearned and unstable." He wrote, that they "wrest" (torture,
                  twist) the scriptures, "unto their own destruction." Therefore,
                  "beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye
                  also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own                    (Review: Samson)
                  steadfastness." (2Peter.3:16-17)
          (2) They are "learned" in man's wisdom but not God's! 
                  Where "is the wise? where is the scribe? (Westcott and Hort) where is the disputer of this world? hath not  
                  God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (by preserving His Word in spite all the man has tried to do
                  Jer.1:12, Matt.5:17-19) For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom (The Family tree Method)
                  knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." (1Cor.1:20-29;  
                     1Cor.2:1-14)
     b. Then there are those the changed (delete and add to) scripture                      
           These "certain men" have "crept in unawares" (stealthily, under the radar) while the Church was sleeping.
           (Note; Matt.1324-30, 36-43 / Samson) They (Westcott and Hort) say "...by their own published statements they
           acted on the basis of the natural man's view (Note: 1Cor.1:19-29; 2:1-14) of the New Testament text, priding
           themselves on treating the text of the New Testament as they would any other ancient book making little or
           nothing of inspiration and providence."8 (Westcott and Hort gave no regard to the fact that God is all powerful
           (Sovereign Jeri.1:12, Psa.24:1; 121:1-8) and can over ride any of man's manipulation of His Word. (Providence
           Dan.4:35)
           (1) Don't "diminish" (Take away) the Word!
                 You "shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may
                 keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you." (Deut.4:2, 32)
           (2) Don't add to the Word 
                 Add "thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be
                 found a liar." (Prov.30:6-7)
            (3) God's judgement if you add  
               If "any man shall add unto these things God shall add unto him 
                 the plagues that are written in this book." (Rev.22:18)
     c.  After the death of John. (approx.100 AD.)
           A spiritual decline began to happen in the Church and they began to
           "turn aside" from God's Word. Within a 100 years corruption was
           so "notorious" that agreement between copies was hopeless, 
           and each one was claiming to be correcting the manuscripts.
           Just like today! This is why the Council of Nicaea was called 
             (325 AD) To correct this Notorious" corruption.

                                                         There was "falsification"
                            which denies Westcott and Hort theory! 
                                                     (Remember: Modern day scholarship upholds Wescott and Hort as their measuring stick)
                                

This corruption was corrected by Erasmus  (Review: Page.2)
Erasmus knew all about Origen, Constantine, Eusebius, and Jerome and rejected their work because of the corruption that was in them.

1. Who was  Desiderius Erasmus?
     a. Erasmus was world famous  
        Erasmus was the most famous scholar and author of his day. One of the most prolific (productive, creative, high
          volume) writers of ALL time. There was NO man in ALL Europe better prepared than Erasmus for the work of
          editing the FIRST Greek New Testament text. (This became known as the Textus Receptus)
          (The King James Defended - Edward F. Hills, Chap.8, p.194-196)
     b. Erasmus new all about Jerome, Eusebius and Origen
          He translated, edited or annotated the works of the greatest names of the classical and patristic world. One of   
          which was Jerome!(The King James Defended - Edward F. Hills, Chap.8, p.194-196)

                         

          Note: Erasmus knew ALL about  Jerome, and his text and rejected them!  He also knew about and
          published editions, "...the works of...Origen." (Compton Interactive Encyclopedia, 1996 "Erasmus")
      
Conclusion: The "Family tree Method"

The "Family tree Method is "flawed" because there is evidence of "falsification," and the oldest Bible on record called "The Peshitta" (157 AD.) agrees with the Greek Text of Erasmus. (Review: Phase.1 Pages 1 and 2)

                          .


Notes-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.  Indentity of the New Testament Text. W. Pickering, p.22
2.  Indentity of the New Testament Text. W. Pickering, p.22 / The Text, P.201. Metzger
3.  Webster's Dictionary
4.  Eusebius, Ecclestial History. Book, 5. Chap.8
5.  (F. Jones; The Text, p.201, Metzger of the New Testament Text Revised, W.H. Pickering, p.41)
6.  Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History. Book-5, Chap.28 / Encyclopedia Tatian
7. Strong's OT:1639 - a primitive root; to scrape off; by implication, to shave, remove, lessen, withhold: KJV - abate, clip, (di-) minish, do  
    (take) away, keep back, restrain, make small, withdraw.Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006
8.  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.80 / Dr. Phillip schaff. Companion to Greek Testament, p.115. / Intro. to the New  
     Testament - Vol.2, p.270