Biblical Theological Seminary

Robert C. Newman

MODERNENGLISH VERSIONS OF THE BIBLE

Important Considerations in Evaluatinga Bible Translation:

1.Translators in agreement with teachings of Bible?

2.Translation faithful to best available text in original languages?

3.Translation conform to good contemporary (English) usage?

4.Translation clear for audience/readership envisioned?

5.Translation have stylistic beauty?

The Authorized (King James) Version (1611)

Acommittee translation, with 6 committees appointed by King James 1 meeting atWestminster, Oxford, Cambridge.

Involvedbest scholarship of England at a time when Biblical scholarship was at itspeak.

Allmen on committee had very high opinion of Bible.

ThusKJV seems to have satisfied all 5 considerations above at time it wastranslated.

Butwith the passage of nearly 375 years, it no longer satisfies ##2,3, and theaudience envisioned in #4 is long dead.

Changes in the English Language Since1611

Verb Changes:

disappearanceof "est" forms: thou knowest => you know

transformationof "eth" forms: he knoweth => he knows

Pronoun Changes:

disappearanceof distinct 2nd singular forms: thou, thee, thy

(notterms of respect when KJV made)

disappearanceof 2nd plural nominative: ye

replacementof above by 2nd singular/plural: you, your

replacementof relative pronoun "which" by "who" when a person isreferred to

None of these changes are likely toproduce serious misunderstanding of the meaning of the text, but they do givethe average person the idea that the Bible is written in some pious or stiltedlanguage or that its writers were illiterate.

Vocabulary Changes:

Farmore important because they hinder understanding:

Words Archaic or No Longer Used:

assuage (Job 16:5) straightway(Mt 4:22)

ensue (1 Pet 3:11) twain(often)

holpen (Ps 83:8) wot(Gen 21:26)

rereward (Num 10:25)

Words Changed in Meaning:

charity(1 Cor 13) meat(often)

fetch a compass (2 Sam 5:23) prevent (Ps 119:147‑8)

girdle (often) rent(often)

leasing (Ps 4:2) tire(Isa 3:18)

But the Bible was originally written incommon, everyday language and intended to be understood by eachindividual. To preserve God'sintention and to obey His command to make His message plain, it is necessary toundertake a revision or new translation as often as there is substantial changein our language.

Textual Discoveries & DevelopmentsSince 1611

The Textual Basis of the KJV:

      Ultimately basedon printed edition of Greek NT prepared by Erasmus in 1516; this edition wasbased on only a few manuscripts, of which the oldest (10th cen) was leastused. Erasmus had only a damagedmanuscript of Revelation, so last 6 vv supplied from Latin; so also Acts 9:6, 1John 5:7‑8.

      At time of KJV,work had just begun on collecting old manuscripts and sorting them by the kindof text they preserved.

Manuscript Discoveries:

      In England in1611, very few mss were known which were copied earlier than AD 1000.  Since then, several hundred earlier msson parchment have been found and studied, including two nearly complete onesfrom before AD 400.

      Since about 1900,many fragmentary NT mss have been found written on more fragile papyrus &copied before AD 400, including substantial parts of several mss from about AD200 and a small fragment of John from about AD 130.

Text Study Developments:

       The knownmanuscripts are now seen to fall into several families, of which the mostimportant are:

      Alexandrian:early (known by AD 150), short, but seems reliable; text used for recentEnglish versions

Western:early (known by AD 150), longer, erratic, tnedency toward additions

Byzantine:later (app not before AD 300), intermediate length, often seems to combine Alex& Western readings; text used for KJV

Passages Where Difference MostNoticeable:

Afairly complete list of differences can be found in NASB and New Scofieldmarginal notes; here are the most striking examples:

Matt6:13b ‑ doxology of Lord's Prayer; prob not before 3rd or 4th cen

Mark16:9‑20 ‑ end of Mark; most controversial; known before AD 150

John7:53‑8:11 ‑ incident of woman caught in adultery; not in earliermss; prob a real incident preserved elsewhere, later incorporated into some NTmss

1John 5:7 ‑ heavenly witnesses; not known in Greek before late medievalperiod, nor in Latin before 5th cen

Theological Trends Since About 1611:

Renaissance(1300‑1600): revival of interest in Classical antiquity; weakeneddominance of church and reintroduced many pagan ideas

Reformation(1500‑1700): return to Scripture as sole authority in matters of faith;priesthood of believer led to more variety of interpretation; occultism ofRenaissance suppressed

Liberalism(1700‑present): antisupernatural reaction, in which scientificdiscoveries viewed as replacing need for miracles, God; begins to enter Germanchurch in early 1800's, US church in early 1900's

PresentSituation (late 1900's): mainline denominations and their agencies dominated bya "Christianity" which rejects miraculous and thus many basic doctrinesof Biblical Christianity

CHOOSING ABIBLE VERSION

Apply numbered considerations listed atbeginning. For modern versions:

PASS FAIL

1. NASB,NIV, Berkeley, LB RSV,NEB, NWT

2. mostmodern versions KJII,New KJ

3. mostmodern versions                 Amplified

4. LBfor easiest reading NASBhardest

5. thinkNIV best NASBsomewhat weak