English Bible Translations, Commentaries

English Bible Translations, Commentaries

 

■ English Bible Translations

 

-How many are there?

--over 400 throughout the history of the Eng language

 

- Since when?

-- John Wycliffe (1384) and William Tyndale(1536)

 

- Most popular?

-- KJV - King James Version(1611)

-- NIV - New International Version(1978)

 

 

■ Translation Type

- Philosophy of Translation

-- Formal Equivalence - literal, word-for-word translation

-- Functional Equivalence - fluid, meaning-for-meaning translation

 

- English Translaitons and Translation Philosophy

-- Formal Eq - KJV, NASB, RSV

-- Functional Eq - GNT, LB

 

 

 

 

■ Translations Spectrum

- Formal Equivalen

Goal " Comprehension After form until the text Is comprehensible

Maintains metaphors, verbal allusions, and ambiguities

Ofen awkward Eng obscure, and incomprehensible

 

- Mediating

Goal : Clarity Alter form until the text is clear

Achieves both accuracy and clarity

More interpretation and something ....

 

- Functional Equivalent

Goal : Naturalness Alter form until the text is natural

Greatest comprehension

Most interpretation and loses texture of original

 

 

■ Contemporary Eng versions

 

- Categorized by relationship(Fee, HTC Translation, P. 146)

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■ Revisions of the KJV

 

■ King James Version

- 1604, completed until 1611

-- Translation by 47 of the most learned scholars and clergymen in Britain at that time, divided into 6 companies: 2 at OXford, 2 at Cambridge, and 2 at Westminster; revised in 1881 with magisterial authority; 1901 by the American Revision Committee

 

- Strength : Marvel of English literature, excellent formal equivalence translation; meet neesds of the church; bestseller

 

- Weakness: Based on inferior Textus Receptus; antiquated English expressions; "KJV only" movement

 

 

■ Revised Standard Version

 

- RSV, full bible in 1952, revision of ASV(1901)

-- ASV : American Standard Version is a revision of the RV; Revised Version(1881), which was a major rev. of KJV

-- Freer renderings that the ASV; Largely rejected by conservatives, but NT was better acceptied.

 

- Strength: Revision that stayed close to JFV

- Weakness: Revision that stayed close to KJV; famously rendering Isaiah 7:14 - "a young woman shall conceive"

 

 

■ New American Standard Bible

- NASB(1971), revised in 1995(NASU)

--New revision of ASV against the perceived liberal bias of RSV

-- Funded by the Lockman foundaion in california

-- Preseves literalness of ASV, but influenced by RSV interpretations(Christology in Rom 9:5)

 

-Strength: Literal renderings make original language strong

-Weakness: "Strong in Greek, weak in English; sometimes incomprehensible.

 

 

■ New king James Version

 

 

- NKJV(1982) IS A DIRECT REVISION OF kjv, RATHER THAT THRU ASV or RV

-- initiated by conservative Baptist Arthur Farstad and sponsored by Thomas Nelson Pubishers.

- Strength; Preserves KJV strength with

 

 

 

 

■ New Revised Standard Version

 

NRSV(1990) , a connissioned revision of RSV by the National Council of Ch.

-- Committee chairman of was Bruce Metzger, NT Textual scholar

-- Tried to preserve the formal equivalence model of RSV

-- First major ET(english translation) to us "gender inclusive" language(e.g. Rom 8:19-23)

 

- Strength: Scholarly and accurate translation that reads well

- Weakness: Gender inclusive language has limits and is largely rejected by the church(2 Cor 6:18)

 

 

■ English Standard Version

 

- ESV(2001) by permission of National Council of Ch. Revised RSV to reflect more conservative and evangelical readings

-- Largely rejected NRSV's inclusive language, but moderately uses; NASB too literal, slightly more litter than RSV

-- "Corrects" liberal bias of RSV (Isaiah 7:13; Romans 3:25)

 

- Strength : Literal yet readable ; increasingly preferred by conservatives

- Weakness: Inconsistency in use of gender inclusive language; some sections of literal incomprehension

 

 

■ New International Version

- Sponsored by the New York Bible Society by a tea of 1- interdenominational scholars

--Fresh translation using the functional equivalence tethod , but also deferential to KJV and formal equivalence

-- Revised as TNIV(2005) with gender inclusive language(1996 NIV inclusive Lang. Ed.); largely rejected by conservatives in the US

 

-Strength : Highly readable with higher degree of accuracy than most functional equivalence translations; widely used in Eng world

- Weakness: Over-interpretations(e.g. "Flesh" in Rom 8:3; Propitiation" in Rom 3:25)

 

 

■ British Translations

NEB(New English Bible 1970)

 

REB(Revised English Bible 1989)

 

 

■ Catholic Translations

- Jerusalem Bible(1966) JB

- New Jerusalem Bible(1985) NJB

- New American Bible (1970; rev.1991) NAB

 

 

■ Pharaphrase versions

LB the Living Bible(1972)

NLT the New Living Translation(1996)

the Message

 

■ Other Significant Versions

GNT, CEV, HCSB, NET Bible(First online Bible translation sponsored by bible. org)