Steven Avery
Thanks, Will.
Arthur Cleveland Coxe (1818-1896) noticed he modernist blunder here, even in 1857.
An Apology for the Common English Bible:
And a Review of the Extraordinary Changes Made in it by Managers of the American Bible Society (1857)
Arthur Cleveland Coxe
https://books.google.com/books?id=SCE-AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA40
Especially start on p. 42-43
(5.) But the next instance will shock every Evangeli-
cal believer. Will it be believed that the Committee
have ventured to tamper with the great beauty and
force of Rev. xiii. 8, so as to take away the devotional
and doctrinal use of it, forever, and to leave us no such
text as “ tub Lamb slain from the foundation of
tiie World?” They not only insert a comma after
elain, to divide it from what follows, but dogmatically
pronounce that what follows does not belong to “ the
Lamb slain,” but only to the names of his followers!
They justify themselves by a reference which proves
nothing against the received text, in this case, for every
Bible student knows how many and rich arc the varie-
ties even in the coincidences of Scripture. They pre-
sume to say, moreover, that “ the translators wrongly
insert a comma after Lamb.” If this is not “ going be-
hind the translators,” and shoving them into the ditch,
besides, I know not how to characterize it The Vul-
gate sustains the old pointing—quorum non mint scripta
nomina in libro vitcc Agni, qui occmis est ah origine
mundi. Few texts are dearer to the devout, and it is
a proof text with theologians. Bishop Pearson cites it
twice in his work on the Creed. “ As he was the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the icorhl”, says he, “so all
atonements which were ever made, were only effectual
by His Blood.” Besides, the same thing is said by St
Peter, (I Pet i. 20,) who speaks of “ the precious blood of
Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without
spot, who verily was foreordained before the foundation
of the world.” IIow indelicate the assumption, which
forbids us to understand St. John, as repeating the
same truth, when he uses almost the same words! The
text is one which reflects a glorious light from the last
pages of Scripture up to the first, and defines Jescs
CnRiST as the alpha and omega of the Bible. The altar
of Abel, and the sacrifice of Abraham, in Genesis, are
thus identified with the Lamb of the Apocalypse; and
the text, as received, adds significance to the passage in
which we read of the “ Song of Moses and the Lamb.”
I greatly misconceive the amount of devout affection to
this time-honoured Scripture, which exists among Amer-
ican Christians, and among the members of the Society
itself, if this perversion of the Word of God, will be
patiently submitted to.