the english bible the origin, translation, and study of god’s word in our language

THE ENGLISH BIBLE

THE ORIGIN, TRANSLATION, AND STUDY OF GOD’S WORD IN OUR LANGUAGE

II Timothy 3:14-17

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,

and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Holy Bible, New International Version.

Terms you may recognize:

Authority This refers to the right of Scripture to

command belief or action Inspiration This does not refer to the translation but what

the writers experienced through the acting of the Holy Spirit

Inerrancy There are varying degrees and types Revelation This refers to the fact that God has made

himself known to us

The Bible was originally written in Hebrew (OT), Aramaic (some of OT and some of NT) , Koine- or common-Greek (NT).

The Bible was authored by approximately 40 individuals over a period of about 1500 years in a variety of settings.

The groupings of books in the English Bible is not based on the original text but the Septuagint, which is a Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament translated by a group of Jewish scribes in the third century B.C.

The Old Testament

OT is grouped into five categories:

Pentateuch

Literally “five in a case”

BOOKS OF HISTORY

JOSHUA Through ESTHER

WISDOM LITERATURE

Job through Song of Solomon

Major and Minor Prophets

Divided merely on the size of the books…not significance

Prophets

Major prophets include Isaiah through Daniel

Minor prophets include Hosea through Malachi

Manuscripts

There are no original manuscripts, or autographs , in existence today, however….

HOWEVER…

Copies were made of manuscripts using painstaking techniques, including counting the number of letters on the new copy and comparing it with the number of letters in the old copy.

If there was any discrepancy the copy would be destroyed and the process would start over.

MASORETES

masoretes

From the sixth century to the tenth century A.D. a group of scribes called Masoretes worked carefully to preserve the OT.

MASORETES

Several of their manuscripts are still in existence. Some of the most prominent Masoretic texts are the following:

Masoretic Texts

The Cairo Codex of the Prophets (895 A.D.)

contains the Prophetic books

Masoretic Texts

The British Museum Codex Oriental 4445 (ninth or tenth century A.D.)

Large portion of the Pentateuch

Masoretic Texts

The Leningrad Codex of the Prophets (916 A.D.)

The Prophets

Masoretic Texts

The Leningrad Codex (1008-1009 A.D.)

the entire Old Testament text

Masoretic Texts

The Aleppo Codex (900-925 A.D.)

originally the entire Old Testament text but a quarter of it is now missing

DEAD SEA SCROLLS

In 1947 and 1948 A.D. a bedouin shepherd boy discovered what is now referred to as the Dead Sea Scrolls. These scrolls are dated between 100 B.C. and 100 A.D.

These scrolls contain at least some portion of every book except Esther

Today’s Hebrew Text

The text scholars use as the authoritative, standard text is the Masoretic text known as the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia.

The Hebrew Text

The New Testament

The New Testament was written entirely in a span of about 50 years.

New Testament Organization Four Gospels Book of History (Acts) Letters (Epistles) Apocalyptic Letter (Revelation)

The earliest Gospel, Mark, was probably written about 50-55 A.D. John was probably not written until about 85-90 A.D. Tradition holds that Mark used Peter’s sermons as a foundation for his Gospel. Many hold that Matthew and Luke used Mark’s Gospel as a basis for their own. Galatians was probably the earliest of Paul’s writings (49 or 56 A.D.).

New Testament Manuscripts

Like the Old Testament there are no original manuscripts, or autographs.

It is one of the oldest fragments and contains a few verses of John 18-- dates around 110-125.

P46, or Chester Beatty Papyrus II (175-225) Contains all of Paul’s letters except for 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus.

Oxyrhynchus Papyri (various) Beginning in 1898, thousands of Papyrus fragments were found in the ancient rubbish heaps of Oxyrhyncus, Egypt. They included various items of literature, business and legal contracts, letters, etc. as well as over thirty-five manuscripts containing portions of the New Testament, including P1 (Matthew 1), P5 (John 1, 16), P13 (Hebrews 2-5, 10-12), and P22 (John 15-16).

The Chester Beatty Papyri (various dates from late first century through the third century) Purchased in 1930’s from an Egyptian dealer by Chester Beatty and the University of Michigan. P45 (third century) contains portions of all four Gospels and Acts. P46 (late first century) has almost all of Paul’s epistles and Hebrews. P47 (third century) contains Revelation 9-17.

The Bodmer Papyri –Named after the owner, M. Martin Bodmer—The three most important papyri are P66 (c. 175, containing almost all of John), P72 (third century, containing all of 1 Peter, 2 Peter, and Jude), and P75 (c. 200, containing large parts of Luke 3—John 15).

During the twentieth century nearly a hundred manuscripts containing portions of the New Testament were discovered.

Codex Vaticanus (third century)has been in the Vatican since 1481, but was not made accessible to scholars until the mid 1800’s—contains both the Old Testament and New Testament in Greek excluding everything after Hebrews 9:15 and the Pastoral Epistles)

Codex Sinaiticus (350, The Entire New Testament)

Codex Alexandrinus (Fifth century, nearly all of the New Testament)

Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (Fifth century, partially erased and written upon with the sermons of St. Ephraem but later deciphered and containing a large portion of the New Testament)

Codex Bezae (Fifth Century, the Gospels and Acts)

Codex Washingtonianus, or The Freer Gospels, named after its owner Charles Freer (Fifth Century—all four Gospels and housed in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.)

The Greek New Testament Text Written in Koine (Common) Greek, not

Classical Greek

Greek New Testament Today

Probably the most reliable Greek New Testament used today is the latest edition by the United Bible Society

While there are more than 6,000 manuscripts in existence…

…and there are some differences among them…

…There are NO DOCTRINAL variances

How do we know which documents should be included in Scripture?

The Canon is what we call the accepted collection of Scriptural texts

TESTS FOR CANONICITY

Many factors were considered in determining which books to include in the final collection of Scriptural texts, including the following: historical considerations, comparisons to other canonical books, and affirmation by early Jewish and Christian leaders.

TESTS FOR CANONICITY

AFFIRMATION BY THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS:

Tertullian Polycarp Origen

Augustine Iraneus Justin Martyr

Clement of Alexandria Clement of Rome

TRANSLATION

We could have the very best Hebrew and Greek text available and it wouldn’t be enough!

A TRANSLATION STORY

EARLY TRANSLATIONS

English was not the first translated language!

EARLY TRANSLATIONS

By 500 a.d. Scriptures had been translated into over 500 languages, including the following:

Coptic (Egyptians) Syriac (Aramaic-speaking Countries) Gothic (Germanic peoples called

Goths) LATIN (Roman Catholic Church)

Vulgate– Translated by Jerome c 400 a.d. Is from the Latin meaning “common”

Vulgate

In England

In the sixth century missionaries from Rome brought the Scriptures to England

The text they brought with them was the Vulgate

In England

Christians living in England at that time depended on Monks for any kind of instruction from the Bible

The monks read and taught them from the Latin Bible.

Scriptures in English

Caedmon Bede Alfred the Great

Caedmon

A seventh century Monk and poet Produced the earliest known English

translation Made a metrical version of parts of both

the Old and New Testaments

Caedmon’s Hymn

Nu we sculon herigean heofonrices weard, Meotodes meahte ond his modgeþance, Weorc wuldorfæder, swa he wundra gehwæs, Ece drihten, or onstealde. He ærest sceop eorðan bearnum heofon to hrofe,

halig scyppend; Þa middangeard moncynnes weard, ece drihten, æfter teode firum foldan, frea ælmihtig.

Now [we] must honour the guardian of heaven, the might of the architect, and his purpose, the work of the father of glory — as he, the eternal lord, established the beginning of wonders. He, the holy creator, first created heaven as a roof for the children of men. Then the guardian of mankind, the eternal lord, the lord almighty, afterwards appointed the middle earth, the lands, for men.

Benedictine Monk who translated the Gospels into English

He was a noted poet and author in subject of history and science

Tradition holds he was translating the Gospel of John on his deathbed in 735

translating John

Entombed at

Durham

Cathedral

Alfred the Great

Ruled England from 871-899 Was a very literate king Included in his laws parts of the Ten

Commandments translated into English Also translated the Psalms

Other Early Versions

Lindisfarne Gospels Shoreham’s Psalms Rolle’s Psalms Wycliffe’s Version Tyndale’s Translation Coverdale’s version Thomas Matthew and The Great Bible The Geneva Bible

Anglo-Saxon Proto-English Manuscript

John 3:16 (995 A.D.)

God lufode middan-eard swa, dat he scade hs an-cennedan sunu, dat nan ne

forweorde de on hine gely ac habbe dat ece lif.

Lindisfarne Gospels

950 a.d. One of multiple interlinear versions,

which were word-for-word English translations written between the Latin lines

Shoreham’s Psalms

1300’s A translation of the Psalms

Rolle’s Psalms

Richard Rolle lived 1290-1349 Produced a translation of the Psalms that

included commentary

Wycliffe’s Version

John Wycliffe (c. 1329-1384), the most eminent Oxford theologian of his day

He and his associates were the first to translate the entire Bible from Latin into English

John WycliffeEarly Life and Career

Born at Yorkshire, England sometime between 1320 and 1330 (likely 1324)

Attended Oxford in the 1340’s (exact years of attendance, but he was certainly there in 1345, when he attended with some noted philosophers

Well grounded in Roman and English law, as well as in native history

Attained headship of Balliol College in 1360, but left in 1361 to take a parrish at Fylingham in Lincolnshire, though he was able to live at Oxford

John Wycliffe

As baccalaureate he busied himself with natural science and mathematics

As master he had the right to read in philosophy

After becoming a bachelor in theology he pursued his interest in Bible study

The archbishop of Canterbury placed him as head of Canterbury Hall in 1365

Between 1366 and 1372 he became a doctor of theology

This credential afforded him the right to lecture in systematic divinity

In 1368 he gave up his living at Fylingham and took over the rectory of Ludgershall in Buckinghamshire, near Oxford. This enabled him to maintain his connection with the university

Wycliffe has often been called the “Morningstar of the Reformation” because of his criticisms of the Catholic Church, including the following:

Questioning of Papal Authority

Questioning of Papal Authority Criticizing the sale of indulgences (Indulgences can be purchased to

release a person from punishment in purgatory)

Questioned the reality of transubstantiation

Questioning the reality of transubstantiation

Speaking out against church hierarchies

The pope reproved Wycliffe for his teachings and asked Oxford University to remove him.

Oxford and many governmental leaders supported Wycliffe and he was able to survive the pope’s opposition.

Wycliffe and his associates completed an English translation (from the Latin) of the New Testament in 1380 and the Old Testament in 1382

Wycliffe believed the best way to respond to be successful in his struggle with church authority was to make the Bible available to the people in their own language rather than in Latin—apart from any ecclesiastical authority.

Wycliffe concentrated his labors on the New Testament while an associate, Nicholas of Hereford, did a major part of the Old Testament.

LOLLARDSWent throughout England preaching and teaching the Common folk from the Scriptures. This caused Wycliffeto be loved …

…and hated. Although he was never martyred by the church (he died before they could kill him) during his lifetime, several decades after he died they condemned him for heresy. They dug up his body, burned it, and threw his ashes into the Swift River.

John Purvey (c. 1353-1428)Purvey finished a revision of Wycliffe’s

version in 1388. Within less than a century, Purvey’s version had replaced

the original Wycliffe Bible.

John 3:16 from Wycliffe’s Version-

“for god loued so the world; that he gaf his oon bigetun sone, that eche man that bileuth in him perisch not; but haue euerlastynge liif.”

John Huss1369-1415

Also Jan Hus (Hus means “goose”)

John Huss

Also Jan Hus (Hus means “goose” in his native Bohemian language)

Actively promoted Wycliffe’s ideas

John Huss

Also Jan Hus (Hus means “goose”) Actively promoted Wycliffe’s ideas In 1393 earned Bachelor of Arts at

University of Prague; the next year Bachelor of Divinity; two years later the Master of Arts

John Huss

Was ordained by the Roman Catholic Church as priest

John Huss

He taught at the University and preached on Sundays

John Huss

Taught at the University and preached on Sundays

Became rector of Bethlehem Chapel

John Huss

He began to boldly propound Wycliffe’s ideas in the form of written articles.

John Huss

He began to boldly propound Wycliffe’s ideas in the form of written articles.

The university, fearful of the consequences, prohibited him from teaching evangelical doctrines and placed his articles under ban.

John Huss

Martyred by being burned at the stake on July 6, 1415

His last words wereThat, “100 years from now God willraise up a man whosecalls for reform Cannot be repressed.”

Corruption and Persecution in the Church

Under Pope Leo X indulgences were being sold by the thousands, new offices were being created and sold to the highest bidder, and lavish parties were being thrown which were even more extravagant than those of the Royalty.

Corruption in the Church

Pope Leo X was actually heard to say that, “the fable of Christ was quite profitable.”

Corruption in the Church

Relics of all sorts were for sale by the church including the following (some 17,000 in all):

Part of the rock where Jesus wept Part of Mary’s gown and milk from her breast Part of the burning bush 35 pieces of the cross A skeleton of one of the babes killed in

Bethlehem Pieces of Jesus’ hair and clothing Pardons excusing all kinds of behavior (a

phenomenon which, for Martin Luther, was the last straw)

Desiderius Erasmus1466-1536

Criticisms from Non-evangelicalsReferring to the theologians of his day,

Erasmus stated their “brains were the rottenest, intellect the dullest, doctrines the thorniest, manners the brutalist, life the foulest, speech the spitefullest, hearts the blackest that I have ever encountered in the world.”

Erasmus’ Criticism of the Theology of the Day

Erasmus was disgusted at the useless topics at which theologians who professed to teach Christianity squandered so much of their time:

Can God create an infinite in all directions?

Could God have created the world better than He did?

Can He create a universal with no particulars?

Erasmus

Probably the most beneficial criticism was against the corruption of the Vulgate by that time

In his efforts to produce a better Latin text he also compiled his invaluable Greek text (same text used by Tyndale, Luther, and others)

Erasmus’ skull

Criticisms from non-evangelicals Dean John Colet from Oxford also sharply

criticized the priesthood In 1496 he began reading the New

Testament in Greek and translating into English. He shared his work with the public at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London

Criticisms from Non-evangelicals A spiritually-hungry crowd of 20,000

packed in to hear the Scriptures in English, with about the same number waiting to get in.

That same church today averages about 200, which are mostly tourists!

From Wycliffe to Tyndale

The approach of the Renaissance brought with it a revival of the classics—including the study of Greek and Hebrew.

For the first time since around 500 a.d. scholars began to read the Scriptures in the original languages.

By 1500 Greek was being taught at Oxford.

Martin Luther

While he had a slight head start, he was a contemporary of Tyndale.

He declared his intolerance of the corruption of the Church by nailing his 95 Theses of Contention to the door of the Church at Wittenberg on Halloween in 1517

After having been exiled in 1521, he completed an entire edition of the Bible in German in 1530

William Tyndale1494-1536

William Tyndale was born during this period of re-birth. He graduated from Oxford in 1515 where he had studied Greek.

Tyndale’s Translation

By the age of thirty Tyndale had committed his life to the translation of the Bible from the original languages into English.

In 1521, he stated to a friar, “If God spare my life, ere many years, I will cause a boy that driveth the plow to know more of the Scriptures than thou dost.”

In 1523 Tyndale went to London to seek a place to work on his translation.

In 1523 Tyndale went to London to seek a place to work on his translation. Although he had hoped to find a place in the palace of Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall, Tunstall was not comfortable with Tyndale’s work and told him he did not have room for him in the palace.

He stayed with John and Lady Walsh at Little Saubry Manor until by 1524 Tyndale was forced to leave England because of the Church still strongly opposed placing the Bible into the hands of the laity.

Tyndale’s life and work very much paralleled the work of Martin Luther.

Tyndale possibly could have met Luther in Wittenberg. Even if he didn’t, he was well acquainted with Luther’s work. They used the same Hebrew and Greek Scriptures for their respective translations (Erasmus’ compilation of 1516).

Tyndale at Wittenberg?

Registry at Wittenberg from May 27, 1524 shows a visitor by the name of “Daltici”

The reformers would often cover their tracks by using code names such as spelling their names backward.

“Daltici” could actually be “Daltin” which, if reversed, is “Tyndale”

Luther was out of town during the time which “Daltici” or “Daltin” was visiting the University

Tyndale’s New Testament translation was completed in 1525 (Luther’s German translation was published in 1522).

15,000 copies of Tyndale’s New Testament were smuggled into England between 1525 and 1530.

Despite their efforts to stop it, the copies continued to circulate and Tyndale continued to revise his work until a final revision of his New Testament was finished in 1535.

In 1535 he was betrayed in “Judas fashion” by Henry Phillips in Antwerp, arrested, and carried off to a castle near Brussels

called Vilvoorde Castle.

He was imprisoned there for a period of eighteen months

On October 6, 1536 he was strangled and burned at the stake.

He would be martyred before he could finish his Old Testament translation.

His final words were, “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.”

Tyndale’s TranslationIn translating the Bible, Tyndale introduced new words

into the English language, and many were subsequently used in the King James Bible:

Jehovah (from a transliterated Hebew construction in the Old Testament; composed from the Tetragrammaton YHWH and the vowels of adonai: YaHoWaH)

Passover (as the name for the Jewish holiday, Pesach or Pesah),

Atonement (= at + onement), which goes beyond mere "reconciliation" to mean "to unite" or "to cover", which springs from the Hebrew kippur, the Old Testament version of kippur being the covering of doorposts with blood, or "Day of Atonement".

scapegoat (the goat that bears the sins and iniquities of the people in Leviticus, Chapter 16)

let there be light the powers that be my brother's

keeper the salt of the

earth a law unto

themselves filthy lucre

gave up the ghost

the signs of the times

the spirit is willing

live and move and have our being

fight the good fight

He also coined such familiar phrases as:

• It came to pass

Tyndale was careful to avoid words that carried with them strong “Catholic” meanings:

Penance “repentance” Charity “love”Priest “senior” (later “elder”)Confess “acknowledge”Church “congregation”Grace “favor”

There are two known copies of Tyndale’s 1525-26 First Edition.

In 1996 one copy went on a tour of the United States.

During the time Tyndale was a wanted man Books and Bibles flowed into England in bales of cotton, sacks of flour, etc.

Tyndale’s best customers were the Kings men who would buy his Bibles and then go burn them. Tyndale would use the money from the sales and go print more!

John 3:16 from Tyndale’s Translation:

“For God so loveth the worlde, that he hath geven his only sonne, that none that beleve in him, shuld perisshe: but shuld have everlastynge liif.”

Monument to Tyndale at Vilvoorde

Myles Coverdale

Coverdale and John Rogers (a.k.a. Thomas Matthew) had remained loyal disciples the last six years of Tyndale’s life.

Coverdale finished Tyndale’s Old Testament work and in 1535 he printed the first complete Bible in the English language, making use also of Luther’s German Bible.

This Bible was known as the Coverdale Bible.

Myles Coverdale

Thomas Matthew’s TranslationJohn Rogers (a.k.a. Thomas Matthew) went

on to print the second complete English Bible in 1537.

His was the first printed Bible from the original Hebrew and Greek.

He used a lot of the work of Tyndale and Cloverdale.

The Great Bible

Seemingly as an answer to Tyndale’s last prayer, King Henry VIII commissioned Thomas Cranmer (who subsequently hired Coverdale) in 1539 to the printing of this Bible.

Called the Great Bible because of its size, this was the first authorized Bible for public use.

The Geneva Bible and the Bishop’s Bible

Around 1540 Henry VIII had a change of heart in his support of the Church and he renounced Catholicism and declared himself to be pope (creating the Anglican Church).

The succession of Queen Mary to the throne after King Edward VI made matters worse; people were burned at the stake simply for being Protestant.

Included among the Martyrs were John Rogers and Thomas Cranmer.

This renewed persecution caused an exile for Protestants to Geneva. In this context in 1560 the exiles chose William Whittingham (c. 1524-1579) to translate a new Bible, which would be called the Geneva Bible.

This was the first Bible to add numbered verses to the chapters, with extensive marginal notes and references. This would make it the first English “Study Bible.”

The Geneva Bible was the Bible of choice for English-speaking Christians for over 100 years. Between 1560 and 1644 at least 144 editions of this Bible were published.

It was the first Bible to be brought to America, and was the Bible of the Puritans and Pilgrims.

The Geneva Bible has been out of print since 1644.

In 1568 a revision was produced by which never really had much success among the people. This Bible, known as the Bishop’s Bible, was produced by the English clergy and considered a “rough draft” of the King James Bible.

Immediate Precursors to The King James Bible

By the 1580’s the Church finally conceded to the long-fought battle by the Reformers for an English Bible.

In this light, the Douay Old Testament and the Rheims New Testament were introduced by the church as a combined work (the Douay/Rheims Version), although it was based on the inferior Latin text.

Queen Mary

Queen Elizabeth

The King James Bible

English Puritans during the time of Queen Elizabeth were very irritated at both the Church and the government, as well as the Scripture they had available to them.

After King James VI of Scotland (James I of England) took the throne in 1603 they were afforded new opportunities.

In 1604 King James held a meeting of diverse religious groups to discuss the question of religious toleration. This meeting was known as the Hampton Court Conference.

King James I

During the Hampton Court Conference Dr. John Reynolds of Oxford raised the possibility of a new translation.

King James welcomed the idea to have a less protestant-oriented translation.

By 1604, the new King James I had taken a personal dislike to the Geneva Bible, largely due to the marginal notes which propounded Protestant ideals—namely the challenge to the “divine right of kings.”

He commissioned a new edition of the Bible—one that would take the place of the Geneva Bible.

King James laid down the ground work for the translation and by 1607 the project was well on the way.

A hand-picked group of 47 Hebrew and Greek scholars were selected and divided into six working companies.

Richard Bancroft

Two companies were at Westminster, two at Oxford, and two at Cambridge.

The responsibilities were divided as follows:

At Westminster: ten were assigned Genesis through II Kings, seven had Romans through Jude

At Cambridge: eight had I Chronicles through Ecclesiastes, seven had the Apocrypha

At Oxford: seven had Isaiah through Malachi, eight had the Gospels, Acts, and Revelation

The King James BibleFifteen General Rules

1. The ordinary Bible read in the Church, commonly called the Bishops Bible, to be followed, and as little altered as the Truth of the original will permit.

This new Bible would be read in the Church and they wanted it to be kept similar to the Bishop’s Bible (which was produced by the Church).

2. The names of the Prophets, and the Holy Writers, with the other Names of the Text, to be retained as nigh as may be, accordingly as they were vulgarly used.

They were not to take liberties with names.

3. The Old Ecclesiastical Words to be kept, viz. The Word Church not to be translated Congregation &c.

This is to keep the Scriptures in line with the church’s teachings.

4. When a Word hath divers Significations, that to be kept which hath been most commonly used by the most of the Ancient Fathers, being agreeable to the Propriety of the Place, and the Analogy of the Faith.

They were to reference earlier English versions.

5. The Division of the Chapters to be altered, either not at all, or as little as may be, if Necessity so require.

The chapter divisions were first introduced in the Geneva Bible.

6. No Marginal Notes at all to be affixed, but only for the explanation of the Hebrew or Greek Words, which cannot without some circumlocution, so briefly and fitly be expressed in the Text.

Some of the marginal notes from the Geneva Bible were blatantly anti-Catholic.

KJV Misc Info

Example of marginal notes:

In Exodus 1:17 the marginal notes commend the example of civil disobedience by the Hebrew midwives.

7. Such Quotations of places to be marginally set down as shall serve for the fit Reference of one Scripture to another.

There was to be a cross-referencing system in place.

8. Every particular Man of each Company, to take the same Chapter or Chapters, and having translated or amended them severally by himself, where he thinketh good, all to meet together, confer what they have done, and agree for their Parts what shall stand.

Individual work would be brought to the group for approval or rejection.

9. As any one Company hath dispatched any one Book in this Manner they shall send it out the rest, to be considered of seriously, for His Majesty is very careful in this Point.

If there was disagreement among the Company it would be sent on to the other Companies.

10. If any company, upon the Review of the Book so sent, doubt or differ upon any Place, to send them Word thereof; note the Place, and withal send the Reasons, to which if they consent not, the difference to be compounded at the general Meeting, which is to be of the chief Persons of each Company, at the end of the Work.

Ultimately the general meeting at the end of the project would be the place to iron out any difficulties.

11. When any place of special Obscurity is doubted of, Letters to be directed by Authority, to send his particular Observations to the Company.

They could obtain the King’s input as well if necessary.

12. Letters to be sent from every Bishop to the rest of his Clergy, admonishing them of this Translation in hand; and to move and charge as many skilful in the Tongues; and having taken pains in that kind, to send his particular Observations to the Company, either at Westminster, Cambridge, or Oxford.

The company leaders were to submit their final work for approval.

13. The Directors in each Company, to be the Deans of Westminster, and Chester for that Place; and the King’s Professors in the Hebrew or Greek in either University.

This specifies the qualifications for leadership of a Company.

14. These translations to be used when they agree better with the Text than the Bishop’s Bible: Tyndale’s, Matthew’s, Coverdale’s, Whitchurch’s, Geneva.

Similar to rule 4, earlier work may be, and should be, referenced.

15. Besides the said Directors before mentioned, three or four of the most Ancient and Grave Divines, in either of the Universities, not employed in Translating, to be assigned by the vice-Chancellor, upon Conference with the rest of the Heads, to be Overseers of the Translations as well Hebrew and Greek for the better observation of the 4th rule above specified.

The leaders should not be busy with the translating work in order that they may be able to provide oversight.

After four years of translation, nine months were spent in Stationer’s Hall in London for review. Two men from each company participated in the finalization with Myles Smith and Thomas Bilson making the final revision. Smith provided a preface.

The completed work was issued in 1611, and the complete title page read as follows:

THE HOLY BIBLE, Conteyning the Old Testament, and the New: Newly Translated out of the Originall tongues: & with the former Translations diligently compared and revised by his Majesties Special Commandment. Appointed to be read in Churches. Imprinted at London by Robert Barker, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majestie. ANNO DOM 1611.

Title Page

The New Testament had had a separate title page reading as follows: THE NEWE Testament of our Lrd and Saviour JESUS CHRIST. Newly Translated out of the Originall Greeke: and with the former Translations diligently compared and revised, by his Majesties speciall Commandment. IMPRINTED at London by Robert Barker, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majestie. ANNO DOM. 1611. Cum Privelegio.

The King James BibleThe King James Bible had Many deficiencies:

Inadequate knowledge of Hebrew in that time period, although the text was sufficient (Masoretic Text).

Used an inferior Greek text known as Textus Receptus (compiled by Erasmus to be printed on the printing press).

Better manuscripts were discovered around 1630 (after the King James Bible had been completed in 1611).

KJV Misc Info

The “Authorized” Version underwent several editions and revisions.

KJV Misc Info

While the AV was meant to replace the Bishops’ Bible as the official version for readings in the Church of England, it was never specifically “authorized” like the Great Bible.

KJV Misc Info

It became the authorized version by default, as the King’s Printer issued no further editions of the Bishop’s Bible.

KJV Misc Info

In most parts of the world, the AV has passed out of copyright.

In the United Kingdom, the British Crown holds perpetual Crown copyright to the AV.

KJV Misc Info

With the rise of Bible societies in 1827 most editions have omitted the Apocrypha.

The British and Foreign Bible society threatened to withdrawal subsidies if the Apocrypha was included.

ENGLISH AND AMERICAN REVISIONS AND MODERN TRANSLATIONS

New Available Texts

The KJV did the best that they could with the text they had available to them.

However, the next centuries would see new developments, especially in a compilation of better Greek texts.

New Available Texts

Around 1830 a German scholar named Tischendorf discovered Codex Sinaiticus in St. Catherine’s Monastery.

Codex Sinaiticus dates around 350 and is one of the two oldest manuscripts of the Greek NT.

New Available Texts

The earliest manuscript, Codex Vaticanus (325), had been in the Vatican library since 1481 but was not made available to scholars until the middle of the nineteenth century. Around 1630 Codex Vaticanus was brought to England.

New Available Texts

Around 1700 John Mill assembled a new Textus Receptus.

In the 1730’s Johannes Albert Bengel began to deviate from the Textus Receptus.

New Available Texts

Due to contributions of Bengel and Tischendorf, in the 1800 scholars began to deviate from the Textus Receptus.

In 1831, a classical philologist named Karl Lachman produced a text based on the fourth century manuscripts.

New Available Texts

Tischendorf also was instrumental in deciphering the palimpsest Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus, collated countless manuscripts, and produced several editions of the Greek New Testament.

New Available Texts

With the help of British scholars Brooke Westcott and Fenton Hort, Tischendorf worked for twenty-eight years to produce The New Testament in the Original Greek (1881).

This work was based largely on Codex Vaticanus and became the standard text that was responsible for dethroning the Textus Receptus.

English Revised Version

In 1870 a motion to consider a revision of the KJV was passed by the Convocation of the Province of Canterbury.

The membership was inter-denominational, and included English and American translators.

English Revised Version1885

The English companies began their work in June 1870.

The NT committee met on 407 days over a period of 11 years.

The OT committee met on 792 days over a period of 15 years.

The entire ERV was completed in 1885.

American Standard Version1901

The ASV does not differ greatly from the ERV; however, on points of idiom, spelling, word order, etc. are Americanized.

American Standard Version

The 1901 version is based on a Greek text which is far superior to the text used by the KJV translators.

The text is rendered more accurately.

Misleading archaic words of the KJV were cleared up.

While some of the obsolete words were removed, others were retained—and even created.

CORRECTED TERMS

“GLORY” “PRAISE” (MATT 6:2)“DISPUTE” “DISCUSS (MARK 9:34)“DOCTOR” “TEACHER” (LUKE 5:17)“ALLEGE” “PROVE” (ACTS 17:3)

CREATED WORDS

“AFORETIME” “WOULD FAIN”“HOWBEIT”“LEST HAPLY”“US-WARD”“YOU-WARD”

Revised Standard Version1952

In 1929, the copyright of the ASV expired.A new committee of scholars was

appointed to produce a new revision that embodied the best results of modern scholarship and yet preserved the literary qualities of the King James translation.

The work was put on hold until 1936 due to the effects of the Great Depression.

Revised Standard Version

NT and OT committee members met on occasion from 1936 to 1952 when a complete Bible was finished on September 30.

Three reasons for the RSV:

1. A recognition of the many inadequacies of the KJV.

2. The failure of the ERV and ASV to overcome these inadequacies.

3. The discovery of new resources.

The RSV was able to take into account the labors of text-critical advances and the recovery of many Biblical papyri. This aided in more precise renderings.

IMPROVED ACCURACY “AFTER THE SABBATH” “LATE ON THE SABBATH”

(MATT 28:1)

“UNTIL AN OPPORTUNE TIME”” “FOR A SEASON”

(LUKE 4:13)

“ONLY” “ONLY BEGOTTEN”

(JOHN 1:14,18; 3:16,18; I JOHN 4:9)

“ALL OF THEM” “BOTH OF THEM”

(ACTS 19:16)

IMPROVED ACCURACY“GOD’S FIELD” “GOD’S HUSBANDRY” (I COR 3:19)“PEDDLERS OF GOD’S WORD”

“CORRUPTING THE WORD OF GOD” (II COR 2:17)“IN IDLENESS” “DISORDERLY” (II THESS. 3:6)

Translation Shortfalls:

“WILDERNESS” BETTER TO BE RENDERED “DESERT” (MATT 3:3)

“WALE” BETTER TO BE RENDERED “SEA MONSTER” (MATT 12:40)

“CONVINCE” BETTER TO BE RENDERED “CONVICT” (JOHN 16:8)

“DETERMINED” BETTER TO BE RENDERED “DECIDED” (ACTS 11:29)

Translation Shortfalls:“IF THEY THEN COMMIT APOSTACY’’

BETTER TO BE RENDERED “AND THEN FELL AWAY” (HEB 6:6)

“INTERPOSED” BETTER TO BE RENDERED “GUARANTEED” (HEB 6:17)

IMPROVED READABILITY EXAMPLE FROM MATTHEW 21:41

ASV crudely reads, “he will miserably destroy those miserable men.”

RSV reads, “he will put those wretches to a miserable death.”

New Revised Standard Version1990

The revision committee continued to meet periodically since 1952 and in 1974 a new

committee began work on the NRSV.

Led by Bruce M. Metzger, a 30-member committee worked for 15 years altering structure and punctuation, reducing archaisms, striving for greater accuracy and clarity, and eliminating masculine-oriented language. The NRSV was published in 1990.

New Revised Standard VersionExample of improvements from I Timothy:

“INSTRUCT” FOR “CHARGE” (1:3)“INNOCENT” FOR “JUST” (1:9)“SLAVE TRADERS” FOR “KIDNAPPERS”

(1:10)“DECENTLY IN SUITABLE CLOTHING” FOR

“SENSIBLE IN SEEMLY APPAREL” (2:9)“OLD WIVES TALES” FOR “SILLY MYTHS”

(4:7)“EXHORTING” FOR “PREACHING” (4:13)

New Revised Standard VersionExample of improvements from I Timothy:

“PUT ON THE LIST” FOR “ENROLLED” (5:9)“THEIR SINFUL DESIRES ALIENATE THEM

FROM CHRIST” FOR “THEY GROW WANTON AGAINST CHRIST” (5:11)

“MANAGE THEIR HOUSEHOLDS” FOR “RULE THEIR HOUSEHOLDS” (5:14)

“ORDAIN” FOR “LAYING ON OF HANDS” (5:22)

“TRAPPED” FOR “FALL INTO A SNARE” (6:9)

New Revised Standard Version

NOT-SO-GOOD TRANSLATIONS IN THE NRSV

In I Timothy 3 NRSV says that bishops (elders) and deacons are to be “married only once.” This language is ambiguous and would be better as “the husband of one wife,” in order to avoid committing in one direction or another.

The New American Standard Bible1963/1971

This is a revision of the ASV and not a new translation.

One noticeable feature is the printing of each verse as a separate unit, rather than in paragraph form.

The New English Bible1961

This version employs a sense-for-sense rather than word-for-word translation.

Example: John 1:1 in the NEB reads “When all things began, the Word already was. The Word dwelt with God, and what god was, the Word was.”

New International Version1973 (NT)/1978 (OT)

Has roots from the 1950’s due to dissatisfaction with what some thought was a too liberal translation in the RSV.

Considerable gains were made in accuracy and clarity. It is a thought-for-thought and not a word-for-word translation.

In 1965, over a hundred scholars began meeting in Palos Heights, IL to begin work on a completely new translation from the best available manuscripts.

The group was made up of individuals from the Christian Reformed Church and the National Association of Evangelicals.

In 1967 the group now known as the International Bible Society (formerly the New York Bible Society) undertook the financial sponsorship of the project.

The project utilized distinguished scholars from the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. This provided an international scope.

These individuals also came from a variety of denominational backgrounds—including Anglican, Assemblies of God, Baptist, Brethren, Christian Reformed, Church of Christ, Evangelical Free, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Nazarene, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, and others. This helped to safeguard from sectarian bias.

New International Version

1973 (NT)/1978 (OT)

For the Hebrew, the Masoretic Text was primarily used (from Biblia Hebraica) in addition to the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Samaritan Pentateuch.

New International Version

1973 (NT)/1978 (OT)

The Greek text was eclectic.

Footnotes are used to signify any uncertainties if variances are present.

The translation of each book was assigned to a team of scholars. Then one of the Intermediate Editorial Committees revised the initial translation, with constant reference to the original languages. Their work went to the General Editorial Committees, who then checked it again and then sent to the Committee on Bible Translation.

IMPROVEMENTS FROM OBSCURE EXPRESSIONS

“PLACE OF LEADERSHIP” FOR “OFFICE” (ACTS 1:20)

“CONVERTS TO JUDAISM” FOR “PROSELYTES” (ACTS 2:10)

“ALL PEOPLE” FOR “ALL FLESH” (ACTS 2:17)“CORRUPT” FOR “CROOKED” (ACTS 2:40)“SOLOMON’S COLONNADE” FOR

“SOLOMON’S PORTICO” (ACTS 3:11)

IMPROVEMENTS FROM OBSCURE EXPRESSIONS

“FROM THE LORD” FOR “FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD” (ACTS 3:19)

“MIRACULOUS SIGNS” FOR “SIGNS” (ACTS 5:12)

“MURDEROUS THREATS” FOR “THREATS AND MURDER” (ACTS 9:1)

“PRAYED REGULARLY” FOR “PRAYED CONSTANTLY” (ACTS 10:1)

New International Version1973 (NT)/1978 (OT) POSSIBLY TOO ADVANCED VOCABULARY IN PLACESEXAMPLES FROM ACTS

“BEWILDERMENT” (2:6)“CONSPIRE” (4:27)“DISPERSED” (5:36)“SHRIEKS” (8:7)“BAFFLED” (9:22)“CLUTCHES” (12:11)“ABUSIVELY” (13:45)“APPEASE” (16:39)“DEFYING” (17:7)

“SNEERED” (17:32)“MISDEMEANOR” (18:14)“OBSTINATE” (19:9)“PUBLICLY MALIGNED”

(19:9)“VENTURE” (19:31)“DISSUADED” (21:14)“PRETEXT” (23:15)“DESECRATE” (24:6)

“OBESESSION” (26:11)

Other Translations

Good News Bible (1976) –employs simple vocabulary and short sentence structure for ease of reading.

New King James Version (1982)–is appealing to those who used the KJV.

The Continuum of Accuracy and Readability

FORMAL EQUIVALENT

DYNAMIC EQUIVALENT

PARAPHRASE

ACCURACY VS. READABILITY

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