Not really my theory, Joe. As I said, I was told this by someone who knows a whole lot more about it than I do. I have been a bit of a Bible scholar (occasionally force to be out of self-defence), but not as much as some folks of my acquaintance. Perhaps it was not the greatest example, but it was supposed to be illustrative if the manner in which texts were altered over a long period of time and the purposes for which they were altered.

Back in "historical times," I took a course in the University of Washington English Department in "The Bible as Literature." In it, we read large chunks of the Bible as stories, novellas, poetry, i.e., as literature (the prof promptly stepped on any sallies into religious interpretation or discussion).   So now, when someone starts quoting Bible verses out of context at me in an attempt to support some religious notion they happen to cherish, I'm often able to put it into context and tell them what it really said.

I'm pretty sure I don't really disabuse these folks of their goofy ideas, but it saves me wear and tear in that they usually tend to leave me alone.

I have talked to a number of folks who are pretty knowledgeable in the history of the Bible about such things as early copyists and their superiors altering texts to reflect personal hobby-horses. One piece of evidence for the veracity of this the number of differences between texts copied more or less simultaneously, but in different places.

Don Firth