Member-only story
Why ‘Prayer and Fasting’ was Banned from the Bible
Modern versions list it only as a footnote
Some critics of modern Bible versions point out where verses in the King James Version are “left out” or listed only as footnotes in more recent translations.
If you do not have a Medium membership, click here for a free version
The story of a man who was a “lunatic” who was healed by Jesus is told in the three synoptic gospels. The disciples had been given power and authority to drive out demons but in this case, they had failed.
Mentally ill people were thought to be demon-possessed in ancient times. Today we think we know better, but there probably are cases where the problem is more demonic than biological. Leaving that debate for another day, let’s consider why it is left out of the gospel of Matthew.
Jesus told them they had been unable to drive out the demon because of their lack of faith. In Mark’s gospel, he tells them this was a tougher case and needed prayer and fasting to bolster one’s faith, or in addition to faith.
The problem is, that this verse is not found in the oldest manuscripts of Matthew. Remember chapters and verses were not added until much later. The Gospel of Mark (9:29) tells the same story and includes the phrase “prayer and fasting,”…
