King James I of England vindicated of the charge of homosexuality

It's one of those perennial questions:  Wasn't King James a homosexual and a terrible human being?  Didn't he persecute true Christians?  I've seen ansswers to this many times but I'm not good about keeping records of where I come across information.  It leaves me helpless to answer even when I KNOW there are good answers and I can even state them, but that's useless against such a tide of opinion when you can't prove it 

I was thinking about this again yesterday, thinking I needed to track down this information, and lo and behold -- you know how the Lord works so often to give us help when it's something that glorifies Him, even when we haven't directly asked Him for it -- just wishing it is sometimes a prayer it seems -- Chris Pinto's radio show today wasn't about King James at all but for some reason he just happened to mention an article written to answer all the usual accusations by a Dr. Phil Stringer.  There's also a book on the subject written by a Stephen Costen published in the '90s that costs over $200.  That book I won't be quoting from here, too bad because it sounds like it's the definitive work on the subject.   But I can reproduce this article by Dr. Phil Stringer which covers the same information in less space, and I can embed a You Tube video of Dr. Stringer talkiing about the same subject.

Here's the video.  You can start at 6:30 on the counter if you want to skip some general comments and get right to King James:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHDiV4EB0Ns

DIGRESSION:
Stringer apparently believes what many fundamentalist King-James-Only supporters do, that the Septuagint could not have been the Bible used in Jesus' time, which always strikes me as a very strange idea.  They HATE the Septuagint and I've never understood why.  The only thing he says in this talk to suggest a reason is that opponents of the KJV say since Jesus used the Septuagint therefore any translation should be acceptable.  Which doesn't hang together logically but anyway.  Greek was the common language of the day in that part of the world ever since Alexander the Great's conquests.  The Jews of the day also spoke Greek, as did their Roman captors.  The New Testament books were all written in Greek.  It makes sense that they would have used the Greek translation of the Old Testament as well and as I understand it most of the commentaries of the early church fathers made use of the Septuagint.  What's the problem?   Nobody read Hebrew and the Hebrew texts didn't become available until much later.  What's the problem?

One more digreesion:  Read the Wikipedia article on King James I after hearing the talk by Stringer.  Quite a different portrait.  Certainly seems that someone was out to smear the man and succeeded only too well.

Anyway, here's the article by Stringer, covering pretty much the same material as his talk above:

The Real Story of King James I

by Dr. Phil Stringer

WAS KING JAMES REALLY THE UNGODLY MAN THAT HIS MODERN CRITICS PROCLAIM HIM TO BE?

MISUNDERSTOOD CUSTOMS OF THE TIME

...King James's critics ask: isn't it true that King James publicly kissed men on the cheek and called men affectionate names like darling and sweetheart? Didn't men routinely sleep at night in his bed? Didn't King James often lean on male members of the royal household? These allegations are true. Similar evidence is also used by modem homosexual activists to assert that William Shakespeare (a contemporary of King James) was a homosexual. But this is all a misreading of the customs of the time.

...Assassination of royalty was a common event and it was a customary thing for kings to have bodyguards sleep in their bed. No one accuses the promiscuous, womanizer, Henry VIII of being anything but a heterosexual. Yet he routinely slept with bodyguards in the royal bed. King James survived two kidnappings and four violent attempts on his life. Such experiences did nothing to cause King James to break with the normal procedure of always keeping his bodyguards close at hand. In sharing his bed with royal bodyguards, King James was only following the normal practice of the royalty of his time.

...Terms of affection like "sweetheart" and "darling" were normal terms used between men in the seventeenth century in England. In Psalm 22:20, God the Father calls Christ the Son "My Darling." He does so again in Psalm 35:17. In the 1990's African-American women routinely called each other "girlfriend." This is not a homosexual term but a normal expression of the time. Anyone who presents the use of terms like "sweetheart" and "darling" as proof of homosexuality in seventeenth century England is a very shallow historian (or has a very vulgar mind). King James (or for that matter William Shakespeare) does not deserve such treatment.

...Men kissing men as a form of greeting was a common innocent custom in seventeenth century England Oust as it is in twentieth century France).

...Erasmus wrote of the English: "Wherever you come, you are received with a kiss by all; when you take your leave, you are dismissed with kisses: you return, kisses are repeated, They come to visit you, kisses again: they leave you, you kiss them all round. Should they meet you anywhere kisses in abundance: in fine, wherever you move, there is nothing but kisses."

...Before evil minded men are quick to present this as proof of homosexuality, perhaps they should remember that this was also a common custom in Bible times: "Greet ye one another with a holy kiss." 1 Corinthians 16:20 (see also Luke 7:45, Romans 16:16, 2 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:26:1 Peter 5:14, Acts 20:37).

...Because of the weakness of his legs James often leaned on members of the royal staff as he was dealing with official business. Such a position is not unusual for a king (2 Kings 7:2,17). John leaned on Jesus (John 13:23, 21:20)· Homosexual activists toy to claim this as proof of homosexuality on the part of Jesus but Bible believers are quick to see through such foolishness, (Titus 1:15)·

...Anyone interested in the truth would be willing to understand King James's behavior in the light of the customs of the day.

WAS KING JAMES A SAVED MAN?

...James was around the preaching of the gospel and the teaching of evangelical theology from his early childhood. His coronation sermon was delivered by Reformation leader John Knox. Puritan theologian George Buchanan was one of James's early tutors and later dedicated a doctrines textbook to him.

...Historian Robert Chambers described James's Biblical knowledge this way, "He was deeply read in Scripture; he could quote its texts with great facility; knew it even with philological exactness." James wrote to a friend and said, "Praying God that as you are regenerated and born in him anew, so you may rise to him and be sanctified in him forever." In his writings James often refers to salvation as a free gift, salvation by faith and regeneration. He refers to one day receiving "white garments washed in the blood of the Lamb."

...In only one area does James ever seem to differ doctrinally with his Scottish Presbyterian tutors - the doctrine of civil government

...James was trained by evangelical Christians, claimed to be an evangelical Christian; wrote about evangelical doctrine and was accepted as a saved man by the born again Christians of his time. Nothing documented in his life gives anyone reason to question his salvation. In fact the real King James showed an interest in morality and holiness that is almost unique among the royalty of the period. James wrote "Holiness being the first and most requisite quality of a Christian (as proceeding from true fear and knowledge of God)."

...There is no legitimate reason to question James's salvation. The real King James was a professing Christian with a good testimony.

KING JAMES'S ROLE IN SPONSORING THE KING JAMES TRANSLATION

...From January 14-18, 1604 A.D., the leaders of the Church of England met at Hampton Court in London. This meeting was called by King James. The Church of England was divided into three main factions. The Anglo-Catholic faction wanted to keep all the trappings and much of the doctrine of Roman Catholicism without acknowledging the authority of the Pope. The Protestant faction wanted the church of England to be the state Protestant Church like the Lutheran in Germany and the Reformed Church in Switzerland·

...The Puritans were the most thoroughly evangelical and Biblically oriented of the three groups. They wanted a complete break with Catholicism and a greater degree of independence for local churches.

...The three factions were at considerable odds with each other. King James attempted to moderate between the different factions. John Rainolds, representing the Puritans, made a formal request that King James sponsor a new English translation. The Bishop of London opposed this suggestion but John Rainolds eventually persuaded King James to give his blessing! Because of this Rainolds is remembered as the Father of the King James Bible.

...King James became the first earthly monarch to successfully sponsor and encourage the distribution of the entire Word of God in the daily language of his people. (King Alfred had made an attempt to get part of the Scripture into the language of the people of England centuries earlier).

...William Tyndale, the Father of the English Bible, had been used of God to bring an early translation of the Bible in English to the English people. For this crime he was declared to be a heretic and was burned at the stake. His last words were "Lord, open the King of England's eyes." Now a born again English king was sponsoring an English Bible, produced openly on English soil for English churches and English Christians.

...King James appointed 54 learned men to make "one more exact translation of the Bible." Later others would be invited to join them. King James encouraged finances to this project and set the example by agreeing to underwrite the salary of several of the translators himself.

...Even though the official name for this translation would be the Authorized Version, it was soon known as the King James Bible. It was uniquely made possible and promoted by the King of England - King James. Laymen now had no fear of owning their own Bible - it was sponsored by the King for them.

THE LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND SCHOLARSHIP OF KING JAMES

...King James was fluent in Greek, Latin and French. He wrote a number of books and pamphlets on a wide variety of subjects. In his book Great Britain's Solomon Maurice Lee, Jr. wrote: "It would be difficult to imagine a more absorbing companion than this intelligent, learned, witty Scot, an author who wrote on subjects as diverse as theology, tobacco, witchcraft and the theory and practice of kingship and who was a poet to boot. And a king - a king almost from birth in his native Scotland, for forty of his forty-nine years and of England and Ireland for twenty-two. And be it said at once a successful king."

...King James did his own private translation of Psalms. He also wrote a commentary on the book of Revelation and a series of devotionals on the Lord's Prayer.

...Tobacco use began in England during the time of King James. Tobacco was being introduced from England's new American colonies. King James wrote a small book about tobacco and condemned both the smoking and chewing of tobacco as a disgusting habit. He wrote that "...a smoker and a non-smoker cannot be equally free in the same room."

...James wrote a book entitled Demonology. This book enraged the witches of England because it attributed their supernatural powers to demon possession. They swore their eternal hatred of James.

...James wrote often about moral matters including homosexuality. There is absolutely nothing in his writings to give evidence to the moral charges against King James and there is much to refute them.

...King James wrote more books than any royal monarch of any nation. As a result he is the most often quoted royal monarch of all time.

...The real King James was a respected scholar and an influential author.

KING JAMES POLITICAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

...King James was the first British monarch to bear the title "sacred majesty."

...King James united Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland under one royal throne. This created the United Kingdom. How different the world might have been if the United Kingdom had not had the strength to resist first the German fascists and then the Russian communists in the twentieth century.

...The leadership of King James was essential in planting an enduring English presence in the Western Hemisphere. These humble beginnings would lead to the foundation of the United States of America. Again, how different the world would have been in the twentieth century had the United States not been Great Britain's indispensable partner in resisting both fascism and communism in the twentieth century.

...Certainly all the credit cannot be given to King James for the strength and development of the United Kingdom and the United States but he played an important and positive role in the history of each.

...One of James's contemporaries described his rule this way: "... for he lived in peace, died in peace and left all his kingdoms in a peaceable condition."

...James is also credited with ending torture as a part of the English legal system. He also replaced burning at the stake as a means of execution.

...When James became King it was a common thing for Baptists (among others) to be executed by the state for being religious nonconformists. This continued through the early years of the reign of King James but he put an end to this policy in 1612. He wrote, "I will never allow in my conscience that the blood of any man shall be shed for diversity of opinions in religion."

...The peace and prosperity enjoyed by England during James's rule would be a credit to any civil ruler. Upon his death in 1625 James was compared (in his funeral sermon) to King Solomon.

..."King Solomon is said to be Brigentus Corm Matre Sua, the only son of his mother, Proverbs 4:3. So was King James. Solomon had a complexion white and ruddy, Song of Solomon 5:10. So was King James. Solomon was an infant king, Pver Parvulus, a little child, 1 Chronicles 22:5 - So was King James, a King at the age of 13 months. Solomon began his reign in the life of his predecessor, 1 Kings 1:32, so by the force and compulsion of the state (Scotland) did our late sovereign King James. Solomon was twice crowned and anointed a King. 1 Chronicles 29:22—so was King James. Solomon's minority was rough, through the quarrels of the former sovereign; so was that of King James. Solomon learned above all the princes of the East, 1 Kings 4:20. So was King James above all the princes of the universal world. Solomon was a writer in prose and verse, 1 Kings 4:32—so in a very pure and exquisite manner was our sweet sovereign King James. Solomon was the greatest patron we ever read to church and churchman and yet no greater (let the house of Aaron now confess then King James). Solomon was honored with ambassadors from all Kings of the earth, 1 Kings 4 - And so you know was King James... Solomon died in peace, when he had lived about 60 years and so you know did King James."

...Sir Fernando Gorges one of the founders of Jamestown, also compared James to Solomon.

..."This great monarch gloriously ascending his throne (1603) being born to greatness above his ancestors to whom all submitted as to another Solomon for wisdom and justice."

KING JAMES - UNJUSTLY ACCUSED

...Almost half of the information in this monograph comes from one source - the book King James the VI Of Scotland and The I of England Unjustly Accussed. This book was written by Stephen Coston Sr. and published in 1996. It is 392 pages in length. This book does a masterful job of refuting the moral accusations against King James. Coston's work is unanswerable.

CONCLUSION

...King James spoke eloquently of the role of the King as a moral example: "But it is not enough to be a good king, by the thralldom of good laws will execute to govern his people, if he joins not therewith his virtuous life in his own person and in the person of his court and company by his good example alluring his subjects to the love of virtue and hatred of vice..."

...King James believed his servant John Gibb had lost some important papers. In his anger he kicked him. Later he found out that Gibb had not lost them. In a display of humility, almost unheard of for a royal monarch, he knelt before Gibb and begged his forgiveness.

...As historian Steven Coston Sr. says "James was, no matter what tales some may tell, a virtuous man of good intentions, who did the best he could as God gave him strength."

================
Another defense of King James

The Truth about Constantine Simonides' claim to be the creator of Codex Sinaiticus Pt. 2

Today's radio show by Chris Pinto continues the discussion of the evidence for the creation of Codex Sinaiticus in 1840 by paleographer Constantine Simonides, The Simonides Affair Revisited, opposing the claims for it as an ancient manuscript that undermines the trustworthiness of our Bibles.

In this show he discusses how it came to be at St. Catherine's monastery at Mt Sinai in Egypt where Tischendorf found it many years later.  (I think I'm getting some of my dates mixed up, a few in the last post, so I'll have to correct them later if I'm able), and also how it came to have so many corrections in it, far more than any other Bible manuscript ever had, 14,000 as counted by Tischendorf himself, but 23,000 as counted by the library in England where it now rests.  Some of them were done by Simonides and his uncle as he himself says.  Which ones I wonder?  And how many?  And why didn't they make them in the original which was the basis for the one Simonides was making?

Overall I am convinced that Pinto's presentation of the evidence does support his own conclusion that Simonides is credible and that his reputation was unjustly smeared by those who had a vested interest in treating the manuscript as genuinely ancient. One piece of the evidence is that Tischendorf's story about how he found the manuscript isn't believed even by those who accept it as an ancient manuscript.

Listen to the show.  He covers a lot of issues.

The truth about Constantine Simonides' claim to be the creator of Codex Sinaiticus Pt. 1

Finally, I got to see Tares Among the Wheat (available from Adullam Films).   It certainly lives up to my expectations, does a masterful job of mustering the evidence for Codex Sinaiticus' having been the work of paleographer Constantine Simonides.  The story is that Simonides' uncle Benedict of Mt. Athos monastery in Greece, wanted to present Czar Nicholas of Russia with a fresh copy of the Greek Bible as thanks for the Czar's favors to the monastery.  Simonides had the knowledge and the talent for such an undertaking and found an old but mostly blank book of parchment at the monastery as a foundation for the work and spent a year on the project. 

But as it turned out, the death of his uncle and the unavailability of enough parchment to complete the intended project left the work unfinished, and eventually he was persuaded to give what he had done so far to St. Catherine's monastery at what is supposed by some to be Mt. Sinai, for their library.

Which is where Tischendorf found it a few years later and mistook it for an ancient text, or at least feigned to regard it as ancient although there is some evidence that he knew better.

The information presented in the documentary is quite credible it seems to me, VERY credible, which makes the information to be found from the usual sources to be highly suspect such as this Wikipedia entry on Simonides.  The lies on that page are staggering if what Pinto has presented is true, and I believe it is.  Just one small point:

On 13 September 1862, in an article of The Guardian, he claimed that he is the real author of the Codex Sinaiticus and that he wrote it in 1839. According to him it was "the one poor work of his youth". According to Simonides, he visited Sinai in 1852 and saw the codex.

It is quite clear from the letter Simonides wrote to the Guardian to give evidence that he was the creator of Sinaiticus, that he had done the work over a year at Mt. Athos monastery starting in 1839, and that a year or two later he GAVE the codex to the monastery at Sinai, and that after Tischendorf had published it he saw the Codex in Liverpool in 1860 and recognized it as his own work. 

Apparently there are powers in this world with the intention and the ability to slander a man beyond recognition if it serves their purposes.  After spending some time with Chris Pinto's work it's hard to avoid the impression that there really are true conspiracies in this world, one in particular for certain, or at least many emanating from one source in particular, the Vatican, in the service of their Antichrist project to bring down the true Church of Jesus Christ.

I would like to present more of the facts from the film here and Lord willing I may yet, but let's put it this way:  I have some of the principalities and powers on my own case these days to such an extent that it's hard for me to get anything done at all.

The Testimony of Constantine Simonides who claimed to be the author of Codex Sinaiticus

I haven't seen Tares Among the Wheat yet, it must be in my mailbox, hope to get out there soon, but meanwhile Chris Pinto is doing some radio shows giving information about one of the most interesting parts of the film for some of us: the claim by Greek paleographer Constantine Simonides that he was the actual maker of the manuscript Codex Sinaiticus, which is one of the "Alexandrian" texts used by Westcott and Hort in their revision of the Bible in 1881.  

On today's show Chris reads from a letter Simonides wrote to the British newspaper The Guardian explaining how he came to create the manuscript: The First Letter of Simonides.  There was a lengthy exchange of letters and discussion in other publications on this subject that lasted a few years starting in 1862.  Chris reads from a book that contains the whole exchange, titled Codex Sinaiticus and the Simonides Affair. Unfortunately the book is not available online and is extremely expensive to buy outright.

Codex Sinaiticus had been presented as an authentic ancient manuscript by Constantine von Tischendorf, and when Simonides saw it publicized he came forward to tell his story.  He wasn't believed and the Codex is today revered as authentic and is used in the critical texts that underlie our modern Bibles. 

Simonides is usually represented as a professional forger and his testimony about this manuscript is treated as fraudulent but from the sound of it, as Chris Pinto reads his letter on his show, the man is quite credible.  He gives all sorts of particular circumstances connected with his claim -- names, dates, specifics concerning events, even the fact that he had to write around a worm hole in the parchment.

The worm hole is particularly telling it seems to me, since if the manuscript is really as ancient as is claimed by the textual critics, it would originally have been written on fresh parchment and the hole would have eaten into the writing itself later, but apparently it is quite clear that the writing was done around the hole, showing that the parchment was already old when the writing was done, which is consistent with Simonides' testimony.

There will be more on this subject on Chris Pinto's radio show on Monday, so I plan to keep adding to this information.

Codex Sinaiticus likely the creation of paleographer Constantine Simonides, not an authentic old manuscript at all

Wow, a paleographer called Constantine Simonides may turn out to be the linchpin to the whole controversy about the authenticity of the Alexandrian Greek Bible texts.

Chris Pinto brings out amazing information on this subject in two radio shows.  He says Simonides is always characterized as a forger but Pinto gives evidence that this is just a smear because Simonides has knowledge that would overthrow the authenticity of Codex Sinaiticus, claiming to have been the actual maker of that manuscript.  It wasn't a forgery but made to be a gift to the Czar (? I think he said Czar).  A series of letters in a British newspaper at the time, that apparently researchers into this subject usually overlook, exposes the likely truth.  And once again we see the dirty hands of Rome here in their campaign to discredit Simonides and undermine the true Bible.

Here's Part Two

And I'm sure there's still plenty more to be revealed in his forthcoming film Tares Among The Wheat.

Clips from TARES

Here are a few clips from Chris Pinto's new film, Tares Among the Wheat, about to be released -- by the end of next week he said on a recent radio show.

I'm eagerly looking forward to this film because I believe it's going to reveal some previously suppressed information about intentional tampering with the Greek manuscripts that now underlie our modern Bibles.

He's already said quite a bit about the film in a recent interview by Brannon Howse at Worldview Weekend, some interesting information.   The interview is dated September 20th and as always it will be free only for two weeks from that date.

(I only have one complaint about Pinto's films in general and this one as well:  the acting is sometimes not very good.  In this case Tischendorf is way overacted.  Oh well.  It's the information I'm interested in).

INTENTIONAL attacks on the Bible in the new versions. Yup, Conspiracy.

Chris Pinto's radio show today is Ian Paisley and The Bible of Antichrist about a Bible that came out in the 70s designed to undermine the Deity of Christ and faith in the Bible. A production of Rome of course. How they intentionally mistranslated parts of the Bible to create contradictions between one part and another, such as between Old Testament passages and the New Testament passages that refer to them.

Pinto says his new film Tares Among the Wheat shows how this attack on the Bible came about slowly over the centuries.

Many of today's Bibles continue the same practice, making many the Bibles of Antichrist.