Tu quoque / parity argument

The Argument Being Made

The challenger's logic:

"If you can claim the KJV's underlying text (the Textus Receptus / Masoretic Text) is perfectly preserved, then by the same reasoning I can claim the underlying texts of the ESV or NIV (the Nestle-Aland / UBS critical text) are equally perfect."

This is essentially a tu quoque / parity argument — "your logic applies equally to my position."

Who Has the Stronger Logical Position?

The challenger wins the logical exchange — but with important qualifications.

Here is why:

1. The Argument Exposes an Inconsistency

The KJV-Only advocate who claims perfect, error-free preservation for the TR is making an extraordinary epistemological claim that goes beyond what manuscript evidence alone can establish. If that standard of claim is valid, there is no principled reason to deny the same claim for the NA28/UBS5. The challenger correctly identifies this inconsistency.

2. The KJV-Only Position Has an Additional Burden

The TR-preservation argument typically requires claiming:

• God specifically promised to preserve His Word perfectly
• That preservation was uniquely channeled through one textual tradition
• All other manuscript traditions are therefore corrupt

This is a theological assertion, not just a textual one. The challenger is right that asserting this without further argument is arbitrary.

3. However, the Challenger's Argument is Also Incomplete

Winning this particular exchange doesn't mean the ESV/NIV underlying text is perfect. The challenger has only demonstrated that the KJV-Only argument as stated proves too much — it doesn't positively establish the perfection of any text. The argument is defensive, not constructive.

The Real Theological & Textual Issues

Issue	KJV-Only Claim	Critical Text Position
Manuscript basis	Textus Receptus (later, fewer MSS)	Earlier, more numerous MSS
Preservation doctrine	Specific, providential channeling	General providential superintendence
Inerrancy claim	Original and transmitted text	Original autographs only
Scholarly consensus	Minority position	Broad consensus
Theological grounding	Psalm 12:6-7; Matt 5:18	Same passages, different application

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The Theologically Honest Answer

Most conservative evangelical and Reformed scholars would say:

No transmitted manuscript tradition is "100% error-free." The doctrine of inerrancy applies to the original autographs, not to any copy or translation. Textual criticism exists precisely because scribal transmission introduced minor variations — none of which affect any doctrine.

The Westminster Confession (1.8), often cited by KJV defenders, says the Scriptures are "kept pure in all ages" — but most Reformed scholars interpret this as substantial preservation of all essential content, not the perfect errorlessness of one specific edition.

Bottom Line

	Winner?
Logical exchange	✅ The challenger wins — the parity argument is valid
Positive case for any text being "perfect"	❌ Neither side establishes this
Best theological position	Inerrancy of autographs + substantial providential preservation across manuscript traditions

The strongest ground is not to claim any copied text is "100% without error," but to affirm that God has preserved His Word sufficiently and faithfully across all major manuscript traditions, such that no Christian doctrine hangs by a textual thread.