History of TranslationA look at where the Bible came from and other cool stuff along the way…

Blessed is the one    who does not walk in step with the wickedor stand in the way that sinners

take    or sit in the company of mockers,

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,    and who meditates on his law day and night.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,    which yields its fruit in seasonand

whose leaf does not wither—    whatever they do prospers.

-Psalm 1:1-3

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have

hope.

-Romans 15:4

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

-2 Timothy 3:16-17

History & ContextWho Wrote the

Bible?When was it finished?

SeptuagintOriginal scriptures were written in Hebrew, Aramaic & Greek. The Septuagint was the first known work of translation, creating a Greek version of the OT texts

Septuagint

Around the 2nd Century BCE, a group of around 70 (LXX) Jewish scholars produced a copy of the Hebrew Scriptures into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, or the “translation of seventy interpreters.”

This is the translation used by the NT writers when quoting OT material, which partially explains differences between NT quotations and the OT references as we read them today. Mainstream Judaism later rejected the translation in favor of the traditional Hebrew text, seeking to solidify distinctions between themselves and the new Christian movement.

CanonizatoinJewish canon (Torah + Nevim + Ketuvim) believed to have been finalized by 90 CE.

Christian canon agreed upon at Council of Nicea, 325 CE.

*James, 2 Peter, 2-3 John, & Jude were excluded by many early Christian communities. Some also wanted to include books such as Shepherd of Hermas, Epistle of Barnabas, & Apocalypse of Peter

Jewish Scripture (24 Books)

Torah

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Prophets

JoshuaJudgesSamuel (1-2)Kings (1-2)IsaiahJeremiahEzekiel“The Twelve” (Minor Prophets)

Writings

PsalmsProverbsJobSong of SongsRuthLamentationsEcclesiastesEstherDanielEzra-NehemiahChronicles (1-2)

Protestant OT (39 Books)

Pentateuch

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Historical/Poetic

JoshuaJudgesRuth1-2 Samuel1-2 Kings1-2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEsther

JobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of Songs

Prophets

IsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachi

Catholic OT (46 Books)Pentateuch

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Historical/Wisdom

JoshuaJudgesRuth1-2 Samuel1-2 Kings1-2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahTobitJudithEsther (+ additions)1-2 Maccabees

JobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsWisdom of SolomonSirach

Prophetic Books

IsaiahJeremiahLamentationsBaruchEzekielDaniel (+ additions)HoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachi

Orthodox OT (52 books)Historical

GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1-4 Kingdoms (Samuel & Kings)1-2 Chronicles1 Esdras2 Esdras (Ezra)NehemiahEsther (+ additions)JudithTobit1-3 Maccabbees

Poetic/Didactic

Psalms (+ Ps 151)JobProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsWisdom of SolomonSirach

Prophetic Books

HoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsBaruchEzekielDaniel (+ additions)4 MaccabbeesPrayer of Manasseh3 Esdras

Latin VulgateProduced largely due to the work of St Jerome under the commissioning of Pope Damasus I in the 4th Century CE.

He used Greek translations & available Hebrew & Aramaic texts to produce scriptures in language accessible to common readers (i.e. Latin).

Vulgate

By the 13th Century CE, it had become the “commonly used translation,” or versio vulgata. It became the most widely used version of the text in the Catholic church.

It wasn’t until the Reformation in the 1500s that Protestant churches once again made an effort to put the scriptures in the hands of the people by translating it into a language they could understand.

The rise of scholasticism and the printing press enabled bible translation to broaden.

Modern Translations

Formal Equivalence – word for word; helpful in Bible study, can be difficult to read from due to awkward sentence structure, etc.

Dynamic Equivalence – thought for thought; helpful in personal and group reading, can lack clarity regarding original intention of authors.

All translators have to make choices when dealing with nuances in meaning not readily passed from one language to another. Each translation falls somewhere on the continuum between formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence.

ApplicationQuestions

How does this shape the way you think of the Bible?

What does it mean that the Bible is scripture?

What does it mean that the Bible is authoritative?

How do we read and interpret the Bible faithfully?