Bruce Metzger (February 9, 1914 - February 13, 2007) was an American biblical scholar, Bible translator and textual critic. Metzger is a longtime professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and Bible editor who served on the board of the American Bible Society and United Bible Societies. He was a scholar of Greek, New Testament, and New Testament [...]
A manuscript was, traditionally, any document written by hand. Once practical typewriters became available, typewritten as opposed to being mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way.
The King James Version (KJV) Bible is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, begun in 1604 and completed in 1611. The books of the King James Version include the 39 books of the Old Testament, an intertestamental section containing 14 books of the Apocrypha, and the 27 books of the New Testament.The King James Version (KJV) of the New Testament was completed in 1611 by 8 members of the Church of England.
There were (and still are) no original texts to translate. The oldest manuscripts we have were written down hundreds of years after the last Apostle died. There are over 8000 of these old manuscripts, with no two alike.
The King James translators chose to use none of the texts. Instead, they edited previous translations to create the New Testament their king and parliament would approve.
So today, 21st century Christians believe the "Word of God" is a book edited in the 17th century from 16th century translations of 8000 contradictory copies of 4th century scrolls that claim to copies of lost letters written in the 1st century by unknown authors!