A short history of the English Bible

Compiled by : Hofstätter Manuel, Leithinger Christoph ( 8.A)

Hurth Helene, Knittl-Frank Daniel, Keiblinger Julian, Miglbauer Lena, Weishäupl Katharina (5.B)

2.Tim 3, 15-17

15 for thou hast knowun hooli lettris fro thi youthe, whiche moun lerne thee to heelthe, bi feith that is in Crist Jhesu.

16 For al scripture inspirid of God is profitable to teche, to repreue, to chastice, to lerne in riytwisnes, that the man of

God be parfit, lerud to al good werk.

Wyclif Bible (late) 1395

15Since childhood, you have known the Holy Scriptures that are able to make you wise enough to have faith in Christ Jesus and be saved. 16Everything in the Scriptures is God's Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them

and showing them how to live. 17The Scriptures train God's servants to do all kinds of good deeds.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

• Today there are over 500 translations of the Bible in English, available at bookstores, the library,

and even on the Internet.

• But once, there was just one.

This one

Oure fadir that art in heuenes,halewid be thi name;

thi kingdoom come to;be thi will don in erthe

as it is in heuene;yue to vs this dai oure ech dayes

breedand foryue to vs oure dettis

as we foryuen to oure dettourisand lede vs not in to temptacioun,

but delyuere vs fro yuel. Amen

This is

The Lord‘s Prayer

in John Wyclif‘s translation

of the Bible.

There were translations before, e.g. an Anglo Saxon

one. As you can easily recognize, the following

passage is a version of the LORD‘S PRAYER, too.

Anglosaxon Translation of the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father)

Middle Ages (600– 1100)

Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum, Si þin nama gehalgod. to becume þin rice,

gewurþe ðin willa, on eorðan swa on heofonum. urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us todæg, and forgyf us ure gyltas, swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum. and

ne gelæd þu us on costnunge, ac alys us of yfele. soþlice.

The first who translated the Bible into English was...

John Wyclif (1328-1384)

He studied and taught philosophy and theology in OxfordStudierte und lehrte Philosophie und Theologie in Oxford

Later he became a pastor in a little villageSpäter wurde er Pfarrer in einer kleinen Landgemeinde

He didn’t like the political power of the pope, because “God alone gives authority” he was banned by the popeVerneinte politischen Machtanspruch des Papstes, weil Gott allein Autorität verleiht vom Papst verbannt

Preachers at his time often mixed biblical stories with folk tales and superstitionWanderprediger seiner Zeit vermischten oft biblische Geschichten mit Fabelnoder Volksaberglauben

People only heard Latin Words from the bible in the church, but didn’t understand what they heardVolk hörte in der Kirche lateinische Worte aus der hl. Schrift ( verstand sie aber nicht)

From 1380 on he sent out preachers (lollards) to spread his teachings Ab 1380 schickte er Wanderprediger um seine Lehrer zu verbreiten

In 1382 his writings were not accepted in Oxford lost his jobs in the church, but he wasn’t accused/ persecuted1382 wurden seine Schriften in Oxford als ketzerisch verurteilt verlor seine kirchlichen Ämter, wurde aber nicht angeklagt

In 1383 he translated the New Testament into English in 1384 he died; his followers were persecuted and murderedübersetzte 1383 als erster das neue Testament ins Englische, starb 1384 in seiner Pfarre; verbliebene Anhänger verfolgt und hingerichtet

William Tyndale (1494-1536)

Historic Facts Everybody Ought To Know . . . Tyndale, An Ana-Baptist, Was Hanged . . . His Body Burned . . . For Translating The Bible Into English.

No Tyndale, No Shakespeare

Tyndale's sense of rhythm and poetic proportion gives force to such classic sentences as these: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7)

Tyndale was a pioneer in the use of ordinary language for poetic aphorism. His phrases are as widely used as Shakespeare's "the milk of human kindness," or "to be or not to be," and it well may be that he made Shakespeare possible.

Miles Coverdale (1488-1569)

Coverdale's was the first complete Bible printed in English, published in 1535 and

printed at Zurich.

King James (1566-1625)

Born in 1566 to Queen Mary of Scots

Ascended the Scottish throne in 1567

Ascended English throne in 1603

Initiated translation of English Bible, which is now known as

King James Version (Authorised Version)

Why are there so many Bible translations?

•Important old manuscripts were found in the last 200 years

•Ancient languages are very different from modern languages

•All living languages continually change and develop over time

•Cultural developments require new sensitivities in language

Translation Philosophies:

Formal Correspondence Translations

Stick as closely as possible to the original wording of Hebrew and Greek texts, are good for in-depth academic study but difficult to read and understand (YLT)

Dynamic Equivalence Translations

Put the sense of the original text into best modern English, faithful to the original text, better suited for public proclamation (NIV)

Biblical Paraphrases

Not accurate translations, freely change wording of original, easy to understand and relevant for readers (CEV)

Books of the BibleGenesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy,

Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1+2 Samuel, 1+2 Kings, 1+2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther,

Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Salomon,

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi,

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John,

Acts, Romans, 1+2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1+2 Thessalonians, 1+2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon,

Hebrews, James, 1+2 Peter, 1+2+3 John, Jude,

Revelation

Now read the first verses of the Bible in different

versions

Genesis 1: 1, 2 :: William Tyndale Translation (WTT)

(1530)

In the begynnynge God created heaven and erth. The erth was voyde and emptie, ad darcknesse was vpon the depe, an the spirite of god moved vpon the water ... .

Genesis 1: 1, 2 :: The Coverdale Bible (TCB) (1535)

In ye begynnynge God created heauen and earth: ye earth was voyde and emptie, and darcknes was vpon the depe, and ye sprete of God moued vpo the water.

Genesis 1:1,2 :: Young's Literal Translation (YLT)(1898)

1 In the beginning of God's preparing the heavens and the earth --2 the earth hath existed waste and void, and darkness [is] on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God fluttering on the face of the waters.

Genesis 1:1,2 :: King James Version (KJV) or Authorized

Version(1611), Revised Standard Version (RSV)(1901)

   1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Genesis 1:1,2 :: New International Version (NIV)

(1966) 1 In the beginning God created the heavens

and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Genesis 1:1,2 :: New King James Version (NKJV)(1982)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Genesis 1:1,2 :: Contemporary English Version (CEV)(1992)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 The earth was barren, with no form of life; it was under a roaring ocean covered with darkness. But the Spirit of God was moving over the water.

Genesis 1:1,2 :: New Living Translation (NLT)(1996)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface.

Sources:

www.bible-researcher.com

www.bible.org/netbible

www.williamtyndale.com

www.bible-history.com

www.gospelcom.net

Much can be found with the help of search engines. Just look for „English translations of the Bible“

For more information see webpage About the Bible from the Canadian Bible Society

or

http://clwww.lmu.edu/faculty/fjust/Bible/English_Translations.htm

„Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my

path.“Psalm 119, 105 (NIV)