00900
 
 

HISTORY OF SCRIPTURE
 
 

First of all, I would like to list the readability index for some of the different translations. It might be handy if a person begins working with different age groups or possibly people with diminished mental capacity.
 
 

King James Version 14.0 years of education

American Standard Version 11.6 years of education

New American Standard Bible 11.3 years of education

Revised Standard Version 10.4 years of education

Jerusalem Bible 10.1 years of education

Phillips translation 9.6 years of education

New King James Version 9.1 years of education

New English Bible 8.5 years of education

Living Bible 8.3 years of education

New International Version 7.8 years of education

Today's English Version 7.3 years of education

International Children's Version 3.9 years of education
 
 

(Adapted from "WHICH BIBLE TRANSLATION IS BEST FOR ME?"; Kohlenberger, John, III; Moody Monthly, May 1987)
 
 

The following information is gleaned from three sources. Rather than footnote each quotation, I have adapted the information. The three sources are listed at the end of the information.
 
 

This is some information on some of the more prominent works of translation and paraphrase through the years since the Bible was originally written.
 
 

SEPTUAGINT (LXX)
 
 

Date: Work started 250 B.C.

Author/translator: Seventy Alexandrian Jews
 
 

This was the first translation of the Old Testament into Greek. Most of the Jewish people of the time spoke Greek, and they wanted to read the Old Testament in their own language.
 
 

LATIN VULGATE
 
 

Date: Completed 405 A.D.

Author/translator: Jerome
 
 

This translation was done from the original languages. I would like to quote from the introduction of a Revised Standard Version, Catholic edition, "In the Old Testament it has not been thought necessary to make any changes in the text. There is however the very important difference in the number of books. Catholic Bibles include seven extra books and parts of two others. These are known to Catholics as 'deuterocanonical' and are regarded as an integral part of the Canon of the Old Testament. They are here printed in the order in which they appear in the Latin Vulgate, with the exception of the extra parts of the Book of Esther."
 
 

We see that the Latin Vulgate contained the apocrypha.
 
 

WYCLIFFE BIBLE
 
 

Date: 382 A.D.

Author/translator: Wycliffe
 
 

This was the first complete English Bible. Wycliffe worked from the Latin Vulgate.
 
 

GUTENBERG BIBLE
 
 

Date: 1456 A.D.
 
 

This was the first Bible to be printed on a printing press, rather than being copied by hand. It was done from the Latin Vulgate also.
 
 

TYNDALE BIBLE
 
 

Date: New Testament 1525 A.D.

Old Testament 1535 A.D.

Author/translator: Tyndale
 
 

This Bible was the first to be translated from the original languages into English.
 
 

THE GREAT BIBLE
 
 

Date: 1539 A.D.

Author/translator: Cranmer and Coverdale
 
 

This was a revision of the Tyndale Bible.
 
 

COVERDALE BIBLE
 
 

Date: 1535

Author/translator: Coverdale
 
 

This was the first printed in English.
 
 

STEPHANUS TEXT
 
 

Date: 1550 A.D.
 
 

GENEVA BIBLE
 
 

Date: 1560 A.D.

Author/translator: Whittingham, et. al.
 
 

This Bible was the first to use verse divisions.
 
 

RHEIMS-DOUAY
 
 

Date: New Testament 1582 A.D.

Old Testament 1610 A.D.
 
 

This was the first authorized English version for Roman Catholics. The work was done by two committees from the Vulgate.
 
 

KING JAMES VERSION
 
 

Date: 1611 A.D.

Author/translator: fifty four protestant scholars
 
 

This is also called the Authorized Version at times. I would like to list a quotation for your interest from Dr. Miller's notes. ". . .formally a revision of the 1602 edition of the Bishop's Bible. This translation was done in 1611 and established itself as the English Bible. Present day translations, however, have several changes. The spelling has been modernized, and other alterations have been introduced. One obvious misprint has persisted in most editions since the first one of 1611 in Matthew 23:24 where 'strain at a gnat' should be 'strain out a gnat.' Many of the earlier translations were carelessly printed. Thus the 'Wicked Bible' of 1641 left out the word 'not' in the seventh commandment. As to the Greek text, the Authorized Version is in considerable agreement with the Textus receptus."
 
 

ROBERT AITKEN BIBLE
 
 

Date: 1782 A.D.
 
 

This was the King James Version, however it was the first King James printed in America.
 
 

WESTCOTT HORT GREEK TEXT
 
 

Date: 1881 A.D.

Author/translator: Westcott and Hort
 
 

This was a Greek text which most of the modern translations are based on. The other text being the Textus Receptus, upon which the King James Version is based.
 
 

REVISED VERSION
 
 

Date: 1885 A.D.
 
 

This was a revision of the King James Version.
 
 

AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION
 
 

Date: 1901 A.D.

Author/translator: A committee of American scholars
 
 

This was a revision of the Revised Version. It was partially based on the modern principles of textual criticism. The Old Testament is based on the Massoretic text. It is felt by most readers to be very stiff, however it is usually held as one of the more accurate translations.
 
 

NEW TRANSLATION IN MODERN SPEECH (Weymouth Translation)
 
 

Date: 1903 A.D.

Author/translator: Weymouth
 
 

This was done from the Greek and gives particular attention to the verb tenses. The author attempted to give the proper idea of the tenses as he set the information into English.
 
 

NESTLE GREEK TEXT
 
 

Date: 1904
 
 

This was based on Tishendorf, Westcott and Hort and the United Bible Society texts.
 
 

A NEW TRANSLATION (Moffatt)
 
 

Date: New Testament 1913

Old Testament 1924
 
 

Author: Moffatt
 
 

This is a paraphrase. He was of liberal doctrine and was not against making changes from time to time. John 1:1 for example mentions that the "logos was divine." Christ was not divine, He was deity.
 
 

AN AMERICAN TRANSLATION
 
 

Date: 1923

Author: E.J. Godspeed
 
 

This work reportedly shows the eunuch of Acts 8 sitting in his car.
 
 

NEW TESTAMENT IN THE LANGUAGE OF THE PEOPLE
 
 

Date: 1937

Author: C.B. Williams
 
 

This work also did some good work in bringing the tenses over into the English.
 
 

REVISED STANDARD VERSION
 
 

Date: New Testament 1946

Old Testament 1952

Authors: Done by 32 protestants and Catholics.
 
 

This was a liberal revision of the 1901 version. The Catholic Edition of the R.S.V. mentions, "The Revised Standard Version itself needs no lengthy introduction, being already well known and widely read. It is, as its preface states, 'an authorized revision of the American Standard Version, Published in 1901, which was a revision of the King James Version, published in 1611.'"
 
 

Many have rejected the RSV due to its translation of Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." The translation of the Hebrew term, young woman rather than virgin is the problem. This term is a vague term and always refers to a young woman, but not always to a virgin. When the RSV translates Matthew 1:23, a quote from the Isaiah text, it uses the term virgin, because the Greek term clearly speaks to the virginity of the woman.
 
 

NEW TESTAMENT IN PLAIN ENGLISH
 
 

Date: 1952

Author: C.K. Williams
 
 

Williams uses large words and some modern terms such as "police" and "handcuffs."
 
 

NEW TESTAMENT IN MODERN ENGLISH
 
 

Date: 1957

Author: Phillips
 
 

This is a paraphrase and was revised in 1966. He was a liberal in theology and reportedly did not believe in verbal inspiration.
 
 

BERKELEY VERSION
 
 

Date: New Testament 1945

Old Testament 1959
 
 

Author: Edited by Gerrit Verkuyl of Berkeley, CA
 
 

This is an evangelical work and many feel that it is a good work.
 
 

EXPANDED TRANSLATION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
 
 

Date: 1960

Author: Wuest, an instructor in Greek at Moody Bible Institute.
 
 

This is a technically accurate work. The accuracy took presidence over style.
 
 

NEW ENGLISH BIBLE NEW TESTAMENT
 
 

Date: 1961
 
 

This is normally accepted as a good work by conservatives.
 
 

AMPLIFIED BIBLE
 
 

Date: Completed 1964

Author: Mrs. Siewert, et. al.
 
 

THE NEW TESTAMENT: REVISED STANDARD VERSION CATHOLIC EDITION
 
 

Date: 1965
 
 

This was done as an ecumenical Bible and is accepted by the Roman Catholic Church.
 
 

GOOD NEWS FOR MODERN MAN
 
 

Date: 1966
 
 

This was done by a man that reportedly denied the deity of Christ and rejected verbal inspiration.
 
 

JERUSALEM BIBLE
 
 

Date: 1966
 
 

This is a Roman Catholic work which includes the Apocrypha.
 
 

NEW SCOFIELD REFERENCE BIBLE
 
 

Date: 1967

Author: Scofield
 
 

This was a revision of Scofield's original notes of 1909. The revising was done by John Walvoord, Charles Feinberg, Allan MacRae, E. Schyler English, Frank Gaebelein, Alva McClain, Clarence Mason, William Culbertson, Wilbur Smith, and Wilber Ruggles.
 
 

WILLIAMS TRANSLATION
 
 

This work was based on the Westcott and Hort text.
 
 

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
 
 

Date: 1970

Author: Done by fifty Catholic and five Protestant scholars.
 
 

NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE
 
 

Date: 1971

Author: Fifty four conservative Protestants. Lockman Foundation.
 
 

The work is technically good. The Greek tenses were translated so that the English reader could determine the tenses.
 
 

LIVING BIBLE
 
 

Date: Completed in 1971

Author: Kenneth N. Taylor
 
 

The work has some accuracy problems and tends toward personal interpretation rather than translation. It is a paraphrase. It was a work from the ASV.
 
 

NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION
 
 

Date: Completed 1978

Author: One hundred fifteen evangelical scholars.
 
 

It is a work from the critical Greek texts, which is fairly accurate. I personally have noticed however that in many cases it disagrees in content when compared to the King James and the New American Standard.
 
 

TODAY'S ENGLISH VERSION/GOOD NEWS BIBLE
 
 

Author: Robert G. Bratcher and six other scholars.
 
 

NEW KING JAMES VERSION
 
 

Date: 1982

Author: Done by one hundred nineteen scholars.
 
 

NEW JERUSALEM BIBLE
 
 

Date: 1985
 
 

This is a redo of the 1966 Jerusalem Bible.
 
 

THE NEW WORLD TRANSLATION
 
 

This was done by the Jehovah Witnesses. I have been told that Greek scholars took this translation to secular, unsaved, Greek scholars for evaluation. They reported that it was one of the poorest attempts at translation they had seen. It shows Christ as a god in John 1:1.
 
 

THE NEW TESTAMENT IN THE LANGUAGE OF TODAY
 
 

Author: William F. Beck
 
 

Beck was a Lutheran, and his version is well received for its accuracy.
 
 

THE COTTON PATCH VERSION
 
 

Author: Clarence Jordan
 
 

Jordan has a Ph.D. in New Testament Greek from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
 
 

He sets the New Testament in the modern day south. The Jews and Gentiles are viewed as black and whites. Acts is entitled the Happening, while the book of Romans becomes Washington.
 
 

There are many other works that have appeared. I have only listed some of the more prominent ones.
 
 

The following charts are hopefully accurate. I have gleaned information from many sources over the years to set these charts to paper.
 
 

SOURCES:
 
 

Miller, Dr. David; Theology Class notes, Western Baptist College; Salem, OR.
 
 

Kohlenberger, John III; "WHICH BIBLE TRANSLATION IS BEST FOR ME?"; Article in Moody Monthly, May 1987
 
 

Till, George A.; Class handout, Western Baptist College; Salem, OR.