On Translation

Lost in Translation?
-The Story through the Centuries-

1. The vast majority of the OT was written in Hebrew, but was translated into Greek in the centuries prior to Christ. Legend developed about the miraculous nature of this translation work. The Septuagint (as it was called) was the common Bible for most early Christians.

2. Jesus spoke Aramaic, but the vast majority of the NT was written in Greek (so there was, even in the 1st century, a lot of ‘translating’ going on). Because the Gospel was so important, many copies were made. And because the Gospel was relevant to the whole world, it was translated into other languages.

3. In the early 5th century, Jerome finished a fresh translation of the entire Bible into Latin from the original languages. This new translation was rejected at first, but became the preferred Bible in Europe during the Middle Ages. In fact, it was the 1st book off the printing press.

4. In the 16th century, Erasmus published the 1st complete NT in Greek with a fresh Latin translation in a parallel column. As per usual, this ‘new’ work was rejected, but Erasmus’ project eventually gained approval and was used as the basis for translating into contemporary languages (like English).

- The Making of English Bibles -

Wycliffe Bible (1380’s)
John Wycliffe had a passion that the words of Scripture be given to the common people. He translated the Bible from Latin in English.

Tyndale Bible (1520’s)
The Renaissance and the printing press prepared the way for more/better translations. William Tyndale authored such a Bible, for which he died.

Other Bibles (1530’s)
The authorities soon realized that they couldn’t just condemn Tyndale’s Bible, they had to offer an alternative. The Bishop’s Bible, however, failed to gain wide usage. Others (Coverdale/Rogers) sought to improve/complete Tyndale’s work. The Great Bible (named for its size) became the dominant Bible in the mid 16th century.

Geneva Bible (1560)
William Whittingham compiled an underground Bible during the reign of Queen Mary. This was the first Bible with verse divisions and contained controversial notes on difficult passages.

Institutional Bibles (Late 1500’s)
RC Scholars, in response to the Reformation, translated the Douay-Rheims Bible from the Latin. A new version of the Bishop’s Bible was made to overtake the two most popular Bible’s of the day (Great Bible & Geneva Bible)
-The KJV & the Rise of Modern Translations-

King James Bible (1611)
King James appointed 54 scholars from Oxford & Cambridge to make a new translation from the original languages. This translation dominated the world of English translations for the next 300 years and is still a very popular translation today.

Problems with the KJV
1. The scholars were given guidelines
2. The scholars didn’t have many manuscripts
3. The scholars didn’t have the best manuscripts
4. The scholars were fallible human beings
5. The English language has changed over time

Problems with KJV-Onlyism
1. It misses the entire point of Bible translation, which is thoroughly evangelistic
2. It misplaces our faith by placing it in a translation rather than in God alone
3. It ignores the original intent of the KJV translators and their disclaimers
4. It may lead to a sense of superiority over other Christians who use a lesser (or evil) version

Why English Translations Differ
1. Based on different manuscripts (modern translations based on older manuscripts)
2. Based on different approaches to translation (word-for-word vs. thought-for-thought)
3. Translated by different people/teams
4. Translators for different audiences