Which version of the translation is correct?
1 Tim 3:16
Am. Std.: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
KJV 1789: ”And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”
This is a very meaningful verse; it is not at all inconsequential whether it is God who has appeared in the flesh, or only a man. If the correct translation is God, it would mean that Jesus is God who has appeared in the flesh. The Catholic manuscript – Vatican MS – for an understandable reason – wants to interpret this “God appeared in the flesh …” but another one – Alexandrian MS, interpreted it as “He who …” Which one is right? There is a small difference between the two texts. Panin studied the matter with Bible numerics and found that the version “He who” implements the code correctly and is the correct translation. This verse does not take a stand for or against the divinity of Jesus.
Another example:
Rom 16:7 – Junia or Junias
One of the Bible translations uses the name Junia but is uncertain giving a footnote: “According to another interpretation, the name in question is not a woman’s name, but a man’s name, Junias.” Panin removed the uncertainty in his numerics calculation. It is at the end of the Numeric English New Testament (NENT), in the annex “Paper VII”.
PAPER VII
ROMANS 16:7
(Read Junia.)
The hitherto uncertainty whether the Greek Ιουνίαν, Iounian is the accusative of Iounia, feminine, or Iounias, masculine, is now removed in favor of Junia by Numerics thus: Among the numerous persons saluted by Paul in Romans 16 are the following seven women.
102 Πρισκίλλα Priscilla
40 Μαρία Mary
67 Ιουνία Junia
101 Τρύϕαινα Tryphæna
120 Τρυϕσα Tryphosa
83 Περσίς Persis
65 Ιουλία Julia
578 or 17 x 17 x 2
The figures in the seven place values preceding the names are seventeen (Feature 1), their sum is 578, or 2 seventeens (Feature 2) of seventeens (Feature 3), of which the first name has 102, or 6 seventeens, and the other six have 476, itself 28 seventeens (Feature 4), with the sum of its figures seventeen (Feature 5). This division, moreover, is by 2 seventeens; thus:
578 is 17 x 17 x 2
102 is 17 x 2 x 3
476 is 17 x 2 x 2 x 7
The numbers with two figures have 255, or 15 seventeens; those with three have 323 or 19 seventeens (Feature 6).
The two women who are named together, Tryphæna and Tryphosa, have 221, or 13 seventeens, leaving for the others 357, or 17 x 3 x 7, or 21 seventeens (Feature 7).
The three middle names have 288, leaving for those on each side of them 290, each neighbor of 289.
288 is (17 x 17)-1 or 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 3 x 3
290 is (17 x 17)+1 or 2 x 5 x 29
so that this division is the nearest possible unequal division into two halves, each of seventeen (Feature 8) seventeens (Feature 9).
This enumeration of the Numerics of the seven women (whose sole bond is that they are named by Paul to be greeted among many others) is in nowise exhaustive; but these suffice for the present purpose. The chance for these Numerics to be a mere coincidence here, undesigned, is (with due allowance for the neighborhood feature which has not as good a chance as the direct features of 17) one in 17 x 17 x 17 x 17 x 17 x 17 x 17 x 17 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 or 446,000,000,000 or 446 billions.
An elaborate design of seventeens thus runs through the seven names possible only with JUNIA and is DESTROYED with its omission from the list.
It may be that this very question about Junia is not of great importance to the whole of the Bible. What is remarkable is that Panin has developed a method that helps to ensure the correctness of the Bible text and to ensure that the wrangle between scribes will stop. Using the NENT translation, we get so close to the original Greek text of the Bible as it is possible. For Greek-speaking bible students there is the equivalent Bible text as the original version. Some hold such a statement as prominent and inappropriate. However, all things considered, the Panin’s Greek Bible fulfills the requirements of numerics. Of course, the English translation (NENT) aspires to be as close to the original as possible.
But but. If the word of the Bible itself is now reliable and the errors in it are corrected, there remains an important question: what is the correct INTERPRETATION of each verse? In its turn, Panin used the modern phrase structures: The sentences begin in uppercase and end to the point. Subordinate clauses are separated by commas. It is Panin who has decided when the Bible talks about god and when about God. Would it have been better to write all the letters in either uppercase or lowercase letters? Well, that would not have been very readable to modern man. When reading Panin’s NENT, it is good to keep in mind that the commas and g:s are not necessarily the same as the apostle would have meant if they had used them. These questions are very difficult and demand interpretation. I have tried to shed light on alternative translations in the chapter “Translation and interpretation issues”.
