SOZO AND SOTERIA

  “Soteria” is a Greek word most often translated to the English as “salvation.” That word has split the Church into two. Its “sister” word in the Greek is “sozo” which is most often translated as “saved.”  Languages do not perfectly represent each other in intent, tense, person, or even gender. Remember God confused people with different languages at Babel. The original language is believed by the Hebrews to be an ancient form of Hebrew. And to that claim add, Why would it not be?

  Some claim that there are two Bibles, the Catholic Bible and the Protestant Bible. That is not the case; they are one and the same Bible, at least for the Roman Catholics and the Protestants (The Orthodox Church does have some differences in canon). There are seven books in the Roman Catholic Bible: Baruch, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Sirach, Tobit and Wisdom that are not included in the Protestant version of the Old Testament. However, neither does the Catholic Church consider those books as canon. But “deuterocanon” — “belonging to the second canon.”

  “Canon” are those books that are accepted as Holy Scripture. Deuterocanonical would indicate that those books support canon. Indeed, to understand the expectation of Jesus as warrior King, one would need to understand the civil situation prior to Christ under the Hasmonean and Herodian Kingdoms. The expectation was not for a King on the order of Melchizedek, but a King/General”Priest on the order of Judah Aristobulus of the Hasmonean Dynasty. Aristobulus claimed both the priesthood and kingship but he was not from the House of David and was more of a “president” than “king” because he was not a legitimate heir to the throne of David.  

  The “Apocrypha” means “hidden,” and yes, they were exposed as part of the 1611 King James Version of the Bible. But were removed from that version much later. They were part of the Geneva Bible, preceding the King James Version, for this reason, from its preface: “They were received to be read for the advancement and furtherance of the knowledge of history and for the instruction of godly manners.” Much like the Book of Esther, the Apocryphal books do not contain much about holiness, but they are part of the Septuagint translated from the Hebrew to the Greek.

  The early universal (catholic) Church decided canon (not what today is the Roman Catholic denomination.) Some Protestants excluded the Apocrypha for their own reasons, and most of the King James’s known translators were “reformed protestants” and are those called “Calvinists” in modern times. Reformers, including Martin Luther, endeavored to revise canon because canon did not support their doctrine, to wit: “Luther made an attempt to remove the books of Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation from the canon (notably, he perceived them to go against certain Protestant doctrines such as sola gratia and sola fide) but his followers did not generally accept Luther's personal judgment in this matter” (findanyanswer.com).

  However, Luther’s Calvinistic successors who translated from the Septuagint biased the King James Version to be more Calvinistic (Daniels, David W.; Chick Publications; “WHO WERE THE TRANSLATORS OF THE KING JAMES BIBLE?”; 2001).

  That history is important because the reformed Church both tried to change canon, and when that failed, to change the context of the Bible when it was translated despite the decree of canon:

¹⁸ For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: ¹⁹ And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Rev 22:18-19). 

  What book? Revelation? The Septuagint? The entirety of the Bible? It is logical that the reference is to the entire Bible. Deuterocanon should have remained in the Bible but it was segregated by John Wycliffe and removed entirely from the King James Version in 1885. After all those years some Protestants changed canon by removing deuterocanonical books.

  That history was reviewed to make a point: The Bible never changes but the different versions do. The King James Version is authorized? Authorized by whom? King James and reformed translators. It remains a reliable translation if and only of people understand that the translators were not inspired by God but inspired by King James and John Calvin!

  “Sozo”(Greek where translated “saved) has different meanings. For instance, “shall be saved,” used many places is from the Greek, “sozo;” meaning “to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction.” Is the proper context “save” or “safe?” Calvinists did not translate “safe” but “shall be saved.”

  Language even hemmed them in. “Shall be” was added but it is future tense! An Arminian translation, if there was one, would translate “sozo” as “safety.” Throughout the Bible, even the Hebrews of the Exodus traveled in the “safety” of God but eventually they perished and never entered “Paradise”… neither the Promised Land nor the Promised Heaven. Now consider the key verse:

KEY VERSE: But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation… (Heb 6:9)

  “Salvation” in the Greek is “soteria.” It has various meanings, to wit (Strong’s Dictionary): 

1)      Safety, salvation, preservation

2)      Salvation as a present possession

3)      Future salvation 

  Is “salvation” safe, saved, preserved? Is it present or future? That depends on which meaning the translators preferred. Perhaps salvation as a present possession would be the choice of Calvinists and future salvation of Armenians! The translation from one language to another causes discord among people. Is that not why the pure Hebrew language was confounded in the beginning? The people of Babel were in discord with God and surely with each other, so God separated them. Language remains a source of discord to this day.

  Those in Babel had the Hebrew language encrypted with numerous encryptions. The Holy Spirit had left them to their own devices. They could go forth and build as many towers to themselves as they pleased. They did just that with numerous ziggurats and pyramids all over the earth!

  But when God built the Church, His Holy Spirit came when they were of one accord (Acts 2:1). They built towers to themselves at Babel, but God built “pillars” from Christians in Jerusalem (Rev 3:12) from those who overcome the world by not building towers to themselves. Since they were finally in accord, God decrypted what he had encrypted at Babel and they all understood each other!

  Calvinism reformed Catholicism who had built towers to themselves in Rome with Saint Peter’s Basilca and such. Calvinism built a hidden “tower.” It divided the people, and the Church is in discord since Calvin wrote his five theses with the acronym “TULIP.” It is not a “house” of safety but one as if already saved. In that “house” is the liberty to sin with impunity. In that “tower” people are free to sin as if the Devil is already dead!

  Of course, there are many sincere and pious Calvinists, but that is because of God’s grace. The writer of Hebrews knew that they would have “the elementary principles” but not “perfection.” Perfection, according to that letter, includes the knowledge of “eternal judgment” (Heb 6:1-3). Judgment is not now but at the Great White Throne in Heaven after the end of the world. Those who have endured the world to the end will be judged righteous and “shall be saved” in a true sense. Those who have been judged unrighteous “shall perish” forever.

  Do not gamble on Calvinism as the “elementary principles” but the textus receptus itself. Always examine the original text and have the assurance of salvation — as if already saved perfecting in accordance to the Doctrine of Christ.

(picture credit: Perfect Circle)

to the Doctrine of Christ.