3.  Translations of the Holy Bible for the Common Person

 

I.  Introduction

 

        The purpose of this brief article is to help you, the reader of the Holy Scriptures, to have some basic understanding of the development of the translation for the common people of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures.  By understanding the history of translations, you are better able to appreciate the Scriptures and to apply them effectively to your life.  Because of the complexities known in the translations of the Scriptures, it is important that you seek understanding from the Spirit of God, who inspired its writing, for your ease, assurance and comfort with it.

        The Scriptures or Bible used by Christian communities consists of two major sections, commonly known as the Old Testament and the New Testament.  These testament designations are Christian terms for the Hebrew or Jewish Scriptures and the Christian Scriptures, respectively.  In this article use of the latter terms recognizes the Hebrew Scriptures are just as viable and applicable today as the Christian Scriptures.  The term, the Scriptures, used here, refers to both testaments combined as one unit. 

  

II.  History of Translation

 

A.  Issues in Translation

        If you have taken a foreign language, such as Spanish, you know that you cannot translate word for word from one language to another.  Think how much more difficult it is to translate from languages that were in their time developing and using different alphabets, syntax, grammar, nuances, idioms, etc.  For example, idioms are particularly problematic as they have a totally different meaning than the literal words to a select group or a small region of people and are not understandable by someone outside that group or region.  Thus when reading the same verses involving idioms in several translations, you may find that the wordings are vastly different and give a very different message.  Sometimes the wording may not even make sense because it is a literal translation.  Modern translations do better with idioms than do older versions, such as the King James Version, because over time translators have also studied writings contemporary to the Scriptures’ authors to further understand the meanings and usage of words.  Today translators also consider the findings from archeology and anthropology.

        Translating the Scriptures into the common language goes back centuries before the printing press and the origins of the English translations.  The earliest mention of using the common language to explain the Hebrew Scriptures is within the Hebrew Scriptures itself.  Neh 8:8 (Hebrew Scripture TANAKH) states, “They [Ezra and Scribes] read from the scroll of the Teaching of God, translating it and giving the sense; so they [men, women and all who could hear with understanding being assembled] understood the reading.”  This passage is dated c450 BCE after Judah’s return to Jerusalem from captivity under Babylon and Persia.  It is thought that the common people now spoke Aramaic from being in Babylon and not Hebrew, thus necessitating the translation.^1,2  The scrolls appear to remain written in Hebrew.

        The earliest known major translation of the Hebrew Scriptures from the Hebrew to Greek is the Septuagint.  This translation was for the Greek speaking Jews in Alexandria, Egypt and is attributed as being commissioned by the bibliophile Egyptian King Ptolemy Philadelphus 285-247 BCE for the library at Alexandria.^3,4 

 

B.  Early Translation History

        Western Christians have been taught or assumed that Hebrew Scriptures have always been in Hebrew both oral and written and the Christian Scriptures were originally written in Greek.  However, Eastern Christians (that went forth eastward from Jerusalem and Antioch) hold that both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures were in Aramaic, the forerunner of the Syriac and Arabic languages.²   The Peshitta or the Scriptures in Aramaic is the authorized version for the Eastern Christian Churches, such as the Assyrian Church.  (This is used today by Christians who were established in the Near or Middle East, India, China and Japan before the advent of Western Missionaries into these regions.²)  By contrast Western Christianity scholars believe the Peshitta is a 5^th century CE translation of earlier texts in Syriac which is an Aramaic dialect.^2,5 

        From earliest Christianity there is evidence that all or portions of Scriptures have been translated into the language of the common people.^6,7  Origen (c185-254 CE) wrote the Hexapla, a six column interrelationship between Hebrew and five Greek versions of Scriptures.⁶  Jerome (c340-420 CE) translated the Scriptures into Latin forming the Vulgate (meaning the common language) from the Hebrew⁸ for the Hebrew Scriptures and from earlier Latin versions for the Christian Scriputres.⁶  Jerome’s use of the Hebrew text rather than the more commonly used Septuagint is the first known use of the original language in translation.  In so doing Jerome found that there were additional writings in the Septuagint that were not in the Hebrew Scriptures.  These additional writings are called the Apocrypha that Jerome refused to translate.⁸ 

 

C.  A Controversial Matter

        Because of the many translations being made, the Vulgate eventually became the standard in the Western Christian Church, later to be known as the Roman Catholic Church.  During the middle ages the Vulgate was treated as literally the Word of God despite Jerome’s word that it was his own translation.⁹ 

        The Vulgate was initially used for the translation of the Scriptures into the English language starting with parts in the 7^th century CE by Bede and the entire Scriptures in the 14^th century CE by Wycliffe and his followers.¹⁰  The latter translation was accurate, but was condemned because it was not ecclesiastically approved and because of Wycliffe’s unorthodox teachings attacking the church abuses of his times.¹⁰   In the prologue to the Scriptures Wycliffe expressed unorthodox views of the sacraments leading to the ban of his translation and it was later confiscated and burnt.  Other translations in the early 1500’s met with the same result, and the Church put some translators to death for heresy.¹⁰

        Other noted translators of the early English Reformation were William Tyndale and Miles Cloverdale whose influence remained in the subsequent English translations.  The Authorized Version in England or the King James Version (KJV) in the United States was the last major translation from this period and became the English standard up to the modern times.  This version used notes only for cross-referencing and removed doctrinal and political bias notes making it more acceptable to a wider audience.  The KJV is still highly esteemed by the traditionally pious. 

 

III.  Today’s Translations

 

A.  Introduction

        All translations are technically paraphrases.  Modern translations are a blend of the two forms of translation:  formal and dynamic equivalence.¹¹  In formal equivalence translations, the wording closely matches the words and grammar structure of the original language.  In dynamic equivalence translations the wording captures the meaning or thought of the passage without regard for original language structure.  This is necessary in languages like Chinese that use characters for thoughts rather than an alphabet like English.  Treating these translation forms as end points of a scale, all modern English versions can be placed on this scale representing the degree that each of these translational forms are used.  The American Standard Version (ASV) is an example of being closer to formal equivalence.  The New International Version (NIV) is an example of being near the middle of these two forms.  The Good News Bible is an example of being closer to dynamic equivalence. 

        These and other translations help one understand the Scriptures through the evolution of modern English and the more recent findings of ancient Hebrew and Greek texts.  Today the Scriptures are being translated into many of the world’s languages.

        What is most important for you, the reader, is not how the Scriptures were translated (it may be helpful) or what version you use; but that as you read and/or study, you are able to draw support and comfort from the Scriptures for application in your experiences.  If the translation you are using gives support and comfort, use it; otherwise, find a translation that does.  It is all right if it is different from that used in corporate worship.

 

B.  Comparison of Five Bibles

        To aid you in selecting a version of the Scriptures to use in study, the following list compares pertinent publisher and content information included in five of the eighteen Bibles in the author’s collection, a small fraction of the over 100 different English translations.  Other aspects for selecting a Bible are discussed in “1. A Guide to Private Study of the Holy Bible II.C.”  As you look at the listing below under the subtitles:  i. “Introduction to version” and j. “Study aids included,” you find a wide variety of aids to assist your understanding of the Scriptures.  Different publishers of the same translation or version may include different content in their aids.

 

1.   The Holy Bible

1. Edition:  Family Reference Bible

2. Publisher:  Thomas Nelson, Inc.

3. Copyright:  1978

4. Authorized by:  Not specified

5. Version:  King James Version (KJV)

6. Version copyright:  Not given

7. Apocrypha included:  No

8. Translational form:  Formal Equivalence

9. Introduction to version:  Forward

10. Study aids include:

 1)   Historic Christian Symbols

 2)   Subject Index – Concordance

 3)   Between the Testaments

 4)   Harmony of the Gospels, Parables and Miracles

 5)   A Concise and Practical Dictionary of the Bible

 

2.   Holy Bible from the Ancient Eastern Text

1.  Edition:  1980 typesetting

2.  Publisher:  HarperCollins

3.  Copyright:  Not given

4.  Authorized by:  George M. Lamsa’s translation from the Aramaic of the Peshitta

5.  Version:  Peshitta

6.  Version copyright:  1968, A. J. Holman Co.

7.  Apocrypha included:  No

8.  Translational form:  Formal Equivalence

9.  Introduction to version: 

           1)   Preface, Introduction

                2)   Words Resembling One Another

 j.        j.   Study aids include: None

 

3.   The Holy Bible: New International Version

 a.   Edition:  1^st

 b.   Publisher:  Zondervan Bible Publishers

 c.   Copyright:  1984

 d.   Authorized by:  International Bible Society

 e.   Version:  New International Version (NIV)

 f.    Version copyright:  1978 by International Bible Society

 g.   Apocrypha included:  No

 h.   Translational form:  Blend of Formal and Dynamic Equivalence

 i.    Introduction to version:  Preface

 j.    Study aids include:

  1)   Introductions to each individual book

  2)   Footnotes for verses with cross references to other verses and word meanings

  3)   Passage theme headings for a group of verses

  4)   Tables giving timelines, Ministry of Jesus, Parables, Miracles

  5)   Concordance

  6)   Bible Maps

 

4.   The Holy Bible Good News Translation, Catholic Edition

 a.   Edition:  2^nd Edition,

 b.   Publisher:  Zondervan Publishers

 c.   Copyright:  2001

 d.   Authorized by:  United Bible Societies

 e.   Version:  Good News Translation

 f.    Version copyright:  1992, American Bible Society

 g.   Apocrypha included:  yes, (a non-Apocrypha version is available)

 h.   Translational form:  Dynamic Equivalence

 i.    Introduction to version: 

  1)   Forward

  2)   Reader’s Guide

  3)   How to Seek God

  4)   A Summary of the Bible

  j.   Study aids include:

  1)   Introductions to major classification of books and each individual book

  2)   Footnotes for verses with cross references to other verses and word meanings Word lists

  3)   Chronology of the Bible

  4)   Maps with index

  5)   Subject Index

  6)   New Testament Passages Quoted or Paraphrased from the Septuagint

  7)   Promises from the Bible

  8)   Perspectives from the Bible

  9)   Prayers of the Bible

10)   Miracles of the Old Testament

11)   Miracles of Jesus

12)   Ministry of Jesus

13)   Lectionary

 

5.   The New Oxford Annotated Bible

 a.   Edition:  3^rd Ed.

 b.   Publisher:  Oxford University Press

 c.   Copyright:  2001

 d.   Authorized by:  Oxford University Press

 e.   Version:  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

 f.    Version copyright:  1989 by National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA

 g.   Apocrypha included:  Yes

 h.   Translational form:  Formal Equivalence

 i.    Introduction to version: 

  1)   Editor’s Preface

  2)   To the Reader

 j.    Study aids include:

  1)   Introductions to major classification of books and each individual book

  2)   Footnotes for verses with cross references to other verses and word meanings, including weights and measures  correlation to current weights and measures, and pictorial renderings, such as maps and diagrams

  3)   General essays on:

    a)   Canons of the Bible, Textual Criticism

    b)   Translations of the Bible into English

    c)   The Interpretation of the Bible

    d)   Contemporary Methods in Biblical Study

    e)   The Geography of the Bible

    f)    Cultural Contexts

  4)   Tables giving timeline, rulers, weights and measures, calendar parallel texts and translation of ancient texts.

  5)   Index to study materials

  6)   Concordance

  7)   Bible Maps with index

 

 IV.  References

 

 ¹Alexander, Philip, “The Bible In Judaism,” The Oxford Illustrated History of the Bible, Oxford University Press, 2001

 ²Lamsa, George M., “Introduction,” The Holy Bible from the Ancient Eastern Text, Harper San Francisco 1968

 ³Khan, Geoffrey, “The Hebrew Bible,” The Oxford Illustrated History of the Bible, Oxford University Press, 2001

 ⁴”The Letter of Aristeas,” The Forgotten Books of Eden, World Bible Publishers, 1927

 ⁵Parker, David, “The New Testament,” The Oxford Illustrated History of the Bible, Oxford University Press, 2001

 ⁶Bebawi, George, “The Bible in the Eastern Churches,” The Oxford Illustrated History of the Bible, Oxford University Press, 2001

 ⁷Reventlow, Henning Graf, “The Early Church,” The Oxford Illustrated History of the Bible, Oxford University Press, 2001

 ⁸Davies, Philip, “The Apocrypha,” The Oxford Illustrated History of the Bible, Oxford University Press, 2001

 ⁹Evans, G. R., “The Middle Ages to the Reformation,” The Oxford Illustrated History of the Bible, Oxford University Press, 2001

¹⁰Dockery, John Berchmans, OFM “The English Versions of the Bible” The New American Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1971

¹¹Porter, Stanley E., “Modern Translations,” The Oxford Illustrated History of the Bible, Oxford University Press, 2001

 

© 2004 Christ the Master Ministries

Contact:  Jerome V. Scholle

Email:  jscholle@christianbear.org