English Bible Translations Introduction to Bible Translations: Since everyone does not necessarily have the opportunity to learn the original Biblical languages (Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic), Christians must carefully consider the type of Biblical translation they will use for private and public worship and in-depth Bible study. When one accepts a particular Bible translation, one is accepting the translators’ or translating committee’s particular interpretation. These translators study a large body of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic manuscripts, dealing with a number of textual variants, in order to offer the best rendering of the original meaning and grammatical structure. In How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (2003), Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart provide simple definitions of the three ways to translate the Bible. (1) Formal Equivalence (literal) translations stay close to the original languages of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic; these translations maintain historical and factual matters, as well as language, grammar, and style (e.g., King James Version). (2) Functional Equivalence (dynamic) translations try to translate the meaning from the original language and author into the receptor language; they maintain historical and factual matters, but update matters of language, grammar, and style (e.g., New International Version and New Revised Standard Version). And, (3) Free translations translate the overall message and ideas from the original language to the receptor language without concern for the exact wording and grammatical structure; these translations are often called paraphrases (simply restating another individual’s thoughts in your own words) and act more like devotional commentaries (e.g., The Message). Early English Translations: Although the early English translations seem out-dated and inaccurate, they still hold a special place in the history of Bible translation by opening the door for our modern English translations. Using Jerome’s Latin Vulgate, John Wycliffe presented the first English translation in 1380 (later revised in 1388 by John Purvey). Following in Wycliffe’s footsteps and against increasing political pressure, William Tyndale completed his English New Testament in 1526 by using a Greek text as a textual basis. With the Renaissance emphasis on classical languages and the rapid changes taking place during the Protestant Reformation, scholars eagerly produced English translations of the Bible for the public. Many of the translations coming from the 16th century responded to doctrinal issues. Miles Coverdale completed his translation, the Coverdale Bible, in 1535, and John Rogers (a. k. a. Thomas Matthew) finished the Matthew Bible in 1537. The Great Bible (1539) was Coverdale’s revision of Matthew’s translation and was the first used in the Anglican Church. Following these translations were William Whittingham’s Geneva Bible (1560), Matthew Parker’s Bishop’s Bible (1568), and the Roman Catholic Church’s DouaiRheims Bible (1593). The King James Version: In 1604, King James I approved and authorized English scholars to produce a standard translation of the Bible for use in the Anglican Church—the King James Version or Authorized Version. This project was completed in 1611. They translated the Hebrew and Greek text (Textus Receptus) into formal 17th century English. You can find KJV at Ref BS 185 1

Two problems arise from using the KJV in the modern era. First, the only Hebrew and Greek manuscripts available to the translators at the time of the KJV’s production were late and limited and had acquired a number of textual mistakes, meaning that the KJV possesses inconsistencies and other weaknesses in translation. Second, since the KJV was written in 17th century English, it uses out-of-date English words and expressions, which do not always adequately communicate the passages to the modern reader. The New King James Version (1982) sought to update the vocabulary and phrasing of the KJV, but continued to carry the textual errors because the translators’ used the inaccurate Textus Receptus for the New Testament translation. The NKJV was a way of honoring the KJV translation and ensuring the use of the KJV for future generations. Problems arise, however, when one places the KJV above the importance of accurately and effectively communicating the message of Scripture. You can find the NKJV at Ref BS195 .N38 1990 Revisions of the King James Version: Realizing the need for a revision of the King James Version, the Anglican Church supported the English Revised Version project and gathered a committee of English and American translators. They used the Masoretic Text as the textual basis for Old Testament translation and the Westcott/Hort Greek texts for New Testament translation. They worked to render a word-for-word translation, completing the translation in 1885. The American Standard Version (1901) came as a result of differences the English and American scholars had over the English Revised Version. The ASV did not include the Apocrypha and translated a few passages/words differently. The New American Standard Version (1971, revised again in 1995) gave a word-for-word translation and revised the ASV. It used the Biblia Hebraica text for Old Testament translation and the Nestle Greek Text for New Testament translation. You can find the ASV at Ref BS 491.2 .B52 You can find the NASV at Ref BS 195 .N35 The Revised Standard Version (1952) was another American revision of the KJV. This revision used the Masoretic Text as the textual basis for Old Testament translation and an improved eclectic Greek text for New Testament translation. The New Revised Standard Version (1989) consulted the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia for Old Testament translation and the United Bible Societies’ Greek Text for New Testament translation. The RSV and NRSV tried to render a literal translation, as opposed to word-for-word translation. Most Biblical scholars consider the NASB and NRSV translation to be the best for technical and serious study. These revisions and other modern translations try to divide the passages into chapters and paragraphs (with headings) and form poetic structure. The translators also set off Old Testament passages quoted in the New Testament with indents, italics, or quotation marks. You can find the RSV at Ref BS 191 .A1 You can find the NRSV at Ref BS 191.5 .A1

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Roman Catholic Translations: The Roman Catholic Church produced two significant English translations: the New American Bible (1941-1970) and the Jerusalem Bible (1966; revised in 1985 - the New Jerusalem Bible). Until the papal letter of 1943, the Roman Catholic Church did not allow scholars to translate the Bible from the original languages; they were only permitted to use Jerome’s Latin Vulgate for their translations. Therefore, these two translations were the first scriptures that the Catholic Church translated out of the original languages. In the beginning, the translating committee for the NAB merely revised the Douay-Rheims-Challoner Version of the New Testament, but they later updated it using the Nestle-Aland’s Novum Testamentum Graece. Catholic scholars consulted the Biblia Hebraica for Old Testament translation. The JB used the Masoretic Text and eclectic Greek text for Old and New Testament translation. The NAB and JB translating committees tried to produce a literal translation with added footnotes for clarification. You can find the JB at Ref BS 195 .J4 Translations Since 1960: The Good News Bible (1966-1976, also called Today’s English Version) offers a dynamic equivalence translation, using the Biblia Hebraica and the United Bible Societies’ Greek Text. The translating committee’s main goal (under the sponsorship of the American Bible Society) was to make the translation understandable as opposed to technical and to use modern English (simple enough for a 3rd grader to understand). You can find the GNB at Ref BS 195 .T6 1979 The New International Version (1973-1978) provides a literal to dynamic equivalence translation, using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and the Nestle-Aland and United Bible Societies’ Greek text. The committee of translators was made up of 110 evangelical scholars (sponsored by the New York Bible Society) who used an internationally recognized, standard form of English grammar and vocabulary. Due to the diversity of translators, the NIV carefully approaches passages which can be ambiguous and does not use very technical terminology. This version provides more of a formal English structure than the GNB. Similar versions followed the NIV in technique: the New International Reader’s Version (1995-1996) and Today’s New International Version (2001). You can find the NIV at Ref BS 195 .N37 The New Century Version (1987) and the Contemporary English Version (1991-1995) render a thought-for-thought approach, making these two translations very functional. The English Standard Version (2001) and the Holman Christian Standard Bible (1999-2004) are recent attempts at offering a word-for-word or literal approach while still producing a translation with strong literary form. You can find the NCV at Ref BS 491.2 .N37 You can find the CEV at Ref BS 195 .C66 2000 You can find the ESV at Ref BS 195 .E64 2001 You can find the HCS at Ref BS 198 .H64 2004 3

Free Translations (Paraphrases): Kenneth N. Taylor (founder of Tyndale House Publishing) used the American Standard Version of 1901 as the textual basis for his paraphrase translation–the Living Bible (1967-1971). Although the LB does help occasionally, Taylor took the freedom to change several words and phrases which do not follow the original language and vocabulary. In this way, the LB acts more like a commentary than an accurate translation. You can find the LB at Ref BS 550.2 .T38 The New Living Translation (1996) sought to revise the Living Bible. Sponsored by Taylor and Tyndale House Publishing, 90 evangelical scholars worked to produce a dynamic equivalence translation, using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and United Bible Societies’ Greek text for translation, rather than the ASV. Therefore, the NLT follows the language and style of the original text much closer, rendering more of an accurate and understandable text. You can find the NLT at Ref BS 195 .N394 1996a Eugene H. Peterson worked (with NavPress) to produce another paraphrase of the Scriptures - The Message (1993-1997) - into modern English idiom, using the Hebrew and Greek texts. It does not include verse divisions, but does offer a better paraphrase than the LB. You can find The Message at Ref BS 195 .M47 2002 For Further Reading See: Duvall, J. Scott and Hays, J. Daniel. 2005. Grasping God’s Word: A Hand’s On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. BS 476 .D88 2005 Ewert, David. 1983. From Ancient Tablets to Modern Translations: A General Introduction to the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. BS 475.2 .E93 1983 Fee, Gordon D. and Stuart, Douglas. 2003. How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. BS 600.3 .F44 2003 Foster, Lewis. 1983. Selecting a Translation of the Bible. Cincinnati: Standard. BS 450 .F67 1983 Smith, W. M. and Bromiley, G. W. 1982. ―English Versions.‖ The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. 2:83-102. Ref BS 440 .I6 1979 Wegner, Paul D. 1999. The Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origin and Development of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic. BS 445 .W38 1999

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Parallel Bibles: The Complete Parallel Bible. 1993. New York: Oxford University.

Ref BS 125 .O9 1993

Contains the following Bible versions: New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, and New Jerusalem Bible. Kohlenberger, John R., ed. 1995. The Contemporary Parallel New Testament. New York: Oxford University. Ref BS 2025 .K64 1997 Contains the following Bible versions: King James Version, New American Standard Bible, New International Version, New Living Translation, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version, New King James Version, and The Message. Kohlenberger, John R., ed. 2003. The Evangelical Parallel New Testament. New York: Oxford University. Ref BS 2025 2003 .K64 2003 Contains the following Bible versions: New King James Version, New International Version, Today's New International Version, New Living Translation, English Standard Version, Holman Christian Standard Bible, New Century Version, and The Message. Kohlenberger, John R., ed. 1995. The Precise Parallel New Testament. New York: Oxford University. Ref BS 2025 .K6 1995 Contains the following Bible versions: King James Version, Rheims New Testament, Amplified Bible, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, and New American Standard Bible. The Layman's Parallel Bible. 1973. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Ref BS 125 1973 .Z65

Contains the following Bible versions: King James Version, Living Bible, Revised Standard Version, and Modern Language Bible.

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