Everything about Modern English Bible Translations totally explained
There are many attempts to
translate the
Bible into
modern English which is defined as the form of English in use after 1800. Since the early 19th century, there have been several translational responses to the rapid spread of Christianity throughout the world. Various denominational and organizational goals have produced, and continue to produce, Bibles that fit the needs of English speakers in all walks of life. Differing base texts, theological emphasis, style, and translation aims (for example readability vs literality) are just a few of the variables that contribute to the wide range of Bibles available today.
The Development of English Bible Versions
There was a long gap between the creation of the
King James Version of the Bible and the
Revised Standard Version. The
formal equivalence or literal translations have now been continued with new versions of the Revised Standard, the American Standard and the King James.
One of the biggest changes in the late 20th century was the appearance of Bibles which were much less literal in their style, and considerably more approachable for modern readers.
This was led by the introduction of
paraphrased editions of scripture, for the most part, editions of the New Testament. In 1958,
The Reverend Canon John Bertram Phillips (1906-1982) led the way, with "
The New Testament in Modern English". Phillips began his work during the
Second World War by producing in 1948 an edition of the
New Testament letters in paraphrase,
Letters to Young Churches so that members of his youth group could understand what the New Testament authors had written. The introduction to the book was contributed by
C. S. Lewis.
Many others followed suit for similar reasons. For example
The Living Bible, published by its author,
Kenneth N. Taylor in 1971. Taylor had begun quite simply because of the trouble his children had in understanding the literal (and sometimes archaic) text of the
King James version of the Bible. His work was at first intended for children, but then he wondered if he could also make it easier for adults to understand the whole Bible. He took as his basis the literal
American Standard Version of 1901, and what he produced was like Phillips' version, a dramatic departure from the
King James version.
Taylor began, like Phillips, producing paraphrases of the New Testament epistles, in his "Living Letters" published in 1962. What made the difference was that
Billy Graham endorsed the
Living Letters in 1963, offering them to those who would receive them, and that in 1971, Taylor went on to be the first to provide a paraphrase of the whole Bible. It proved to be a watershed in Bible versions, awaking the world to the advantages of reading the Bible in modern English. However, although
The Living Bible is regarded by many as a good version, it has received
criticism from various quarters.
In spite of this widespread criticism, the popularity of
The Living Bible, itself a
paraphrase rather than a translation, created a demand for a new approach to translating the Bible into contemporary English called
dynamic equivalence, which attempts to preserve the meaning of the original text in a readable way. Realizing the immense benefits of a Bible which was more easily accessible to the average reader, and responding to the criticisms of the Living Bible, the American Bible Society produced a new English Bible translation in this more readable style, the
Good News Bible. This translation has gone on to become one of the best selling in history. In 1996 a new revision of Taylor's Living Bible was published. This
New Living Translation is a full translation from the original languages rather than a paraphrase of the Bible.
Another project aimed to create something in between the very literal translation of the
King James Bible and the very informal
Good News Bible. The goal was to create a Bible that would be scholarly, but not too formal. The result of this project was the
New International Version.
The debate between the formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence translation styles has increased with the introduction of inclusive language versions, in which various terms are employed to defend or attack this development, such as
feminist, or
gender neutral, or
gender accurate, with new editions of previous versions being printed, alongside new translations, either furthering the number of inclusive versions or reinforcing the availability of conservative versions.
A further process that has assisted in increasing the number of English Bible versions exponentially, is the use of the Internet in producing virtual bibles, of which a growing number are beginning to appear in print – especially given the development of "
print on demand".
Today, there's a range of translations running the full gamut from the most literal, such as the
New American Standard Bible to the most free such as
The Message and
The Word on the Street.
18th and 19th century translations
20th and 21st century translations
American Standard Version and derivatives
In America, one of the primary versions has been the
American Standard Version, an American adaptation of the English
Revised Version (1885) and versions which stem from it, shown in date order:
Dynamic translations and paraphrases
One of the most notable aspects of the latter half of the 20th century was the appearance of translations which took a much more dynamic approach to translation.
Internet-based translations
The
New English Translation is a project to publish a translation of the Bible using the Internet. It is freely available and accompanied by extensive translator's notes. Another Internet based translation is the
The Free Bible. It is a wiki, collaborative project--based on Wikisource.
Jewish translations
» Main article: Jewish English Bible translations
Jewish translations follow the
masoretic text, and are usually published in bilingual editions with the Hebrew text facing the English translation. The translations often reflect traditional Jewish exegesis of the bible. As translations of the masoretic bible, Jewish translations contain neither the
apocrypha nor the Christian
New Testament.
King James Version and derivatives
The
King James Version of 1611 still has an immense following, and as such there have been a number of different attempts to update or improve upon it.
New International Version and derivatives
The biggest selling version of the 20th century has been the
New International Version, which has appeared in a number of different editions:
Messianic translations
Some Bible translations find popular use in, or were prepared especially for, the
Messianic Judaism movement.
New English Bible and derivatives
Public Domain Translations
Roman Catholic translations
¹Second Catholic Edition released 2006.
Septuagint translations
Simplified English Bibles
There have been a number of attempts to produce a Bible which greatly simplifies the English. (Some of these versions are also listed in other categories: for example, the NIrV is also found under the NIV section). These are translations which are not necessarily a very dynamic translation, but go beyond simply everyday English into a restricted vocabulary set, often aimed at non-native speakers of English.
Translations published by Jehovah's Witnesses
Other translations
Partial translations
Old Testament
New Testament
| Abbreviation |
Name |
Date |
| Diaglott |
Emphatic Diaglott by Benjamn Wilson |
1864 |
| |
Sinai and Comparative New Testament by Edwin Leigh |
1881 |
| |
The Twentieth Century New Testament |
1902 |
| |
Weymouth New Testament (New Testament in Modern Speech) |
1903 |
| |
Centenary New Testament (by Helen Barrett Montgomery) |
1924 |
| |
The Four Gospels, by E. V. Rieu, Penguin |
1952 |
| |
The Authentic New Testament, by Hugh Schonfield |
1955 |
| Phi / PME |
Phillips New Testament in Modern English and Four Prophets (by J. B. Phillips) |
1958 |
| |
The Simplified New Testament, by Olaf M. Norlie |
1961 |
| WET |
Wuest Expanded Translation (by Kenneth Wuest) |
1961 |
| |
, by William Barclay |
1968 |
| |
TransLine, by Michael Magill |
2002 |
| CPG |
Cotton Patch Gospel |
1968-1973 (4 vols) |
| |
The Four Gospels, by Norman Marrow, ISBN 0-9505565-0-5 |
1977 |
| |
The Original New Testament, by Hugh Schonfield, ISBN 0-947752-20-X |
1985 |
| |
McCord's New Testament Translation of the Everlasting Gospel by Hugo McCord |
1988 |
| |
by Heinz Cassirer, ISBN 0-8028-3673-9 |
1989 |
| |
Jewish New Testament, by David H. Stern |
1989 |
| Gaus |
The Unvarnished New Testament |
1991 |
| |
The New Testament, by Richmond Lattimore, ISBN 0-460 87953 7 |
1996 |
| TCE |
The Common Edition New Testament |
1999 |
| ALT |
Analytical-Literal Translation |
1999? |
Further Information
Get more info on 'Modern English Bible Translations'.
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