The Holy Scriptures From God to Us

(Part 4)

By Carl Johnson

TranslationTranslation

• The last link in the chain “from God to us” is the translation of the Bible text into various languages.

• Translation – to render the meaning of a word or text from one language to another without the loss of the intended meaning of the original author.

From God to TranslationFrom God to Translation

Inspiration →

Canonization →

Transmission →

Translation

History of the English History of the English TranslationTranslation

At the end of the first century and early part of the second century Britain was captured by the Romans under Trajan (98-117 AD) and Hadrian (117-138 AD). As the early church grew within the confines of the Roman Empire persecution forced Christians to flee to the furthest parts of the empire. By at least the early fourth century there is significant evidence that Christianity had reached England. Latin was the language of the church at this time.

History of the English History of the English TranslationTranslation

Caedmon (c. 670 AD) – turn certain biblical passages into Old English Poems.

Aldhelm (d. 709 AD) – translated a portion of Psalms into Anglo-Saxon

Bede (c.675-736) translated portions of scripture into Old English. Was said to have finished the gospel of John before his death. No trace of his translation exists.

Alfred the Great (849-901 AD) – translated portions of the Psalms, portions of Exodus, and few verses from Acts.

History of the English History of the English TranslationTranslation

Lindisfarne Gospels (C. 698 AD)

- some clergymen penned English

words above their Latin

counterparts, producing

something like a interlinear.

History of the English History of the English TranslationTranslation

The Lord's Prayer in Old English

Fæder ureðu ðe eart on heofenumsi ðin nama gehalgodto-becume ðin ricegeweorþe ðin willa on eorðan swa swa on heofenum.Urne ge dæghwamlican hlaf syle us to-deagand forgyf us ure gyltasswa swa we forgifaþ urum gyltendumane ne gelæde ðu us on costnungeac alys us of yfle.

History of the English History of the English TranslationTranslation

Aelfric (c. 955-1020) – translated portions of the first seven books of the Old Testament. Also some portions from Kings, Esther, Job, Daniel.

Mid-twelfth century a new language – a mixture of Norman and English marked the beginning of Middle English. Two versions of the Psalms were translated into Middle English.

History of the English History of the English TranslationTranslation

John Wycliffe (1329-1384) is called the

“Morningstar of the Reformation.” He was a brilliant scholar and debater. He taught at Oxford before being removed by the Pope. Corruption in the church and papacy lead to Wycliffe speaking out against it. Wycliffe summoned people back to a more biblical Christianity while travelling England

preaching and rebuking the practices of the church. Wycliffe believed that the people needed the Bible in their own language for a revival to take place, he stated, “it helpeth Christian men to study the Gospel in that tongue in which they know best Christ’s sentence.” By 1382 Wycliffe had completed the first complete Bible in (Middle) English, though is was translated from the Latin Vulgate.

History of the English History of the English TranslationTranslation

John Wycliffe’s translation

“In þe bigynnyng was/þe word & þe word/was atgod/& god was/þe word.” John 1:1

History of the English History of the English TranslationTranslation

William Tyndale (c.1494-1536)

“The father of the modern English Bible.”

Realizing that both laity and clergy knew

very little of the Scripture, he desired to

produce an English translation for all to read.

Adding a further incentive for Tyndale to translate was Luther’s recent German Bible translation published in 1522. Knowing that he needed ecclesiastical permission to translate the Bible, Tyndale went to the continent to work on his translation. In 1526 Tyndale printed 6000 copies New Testaments in which only 3 have survived to this day. Tyndale was captured in May of 1535 and was burned at the stake in 1536.

History of the English History of the English TranslationTranslation

Coverdale Bible (1535) by Miles Coverdale. Coverdale dedicated this translation to King Henry VIII which in turn

caused the king to give official acceptance of the translation. This was pretty much a revision of Tyndale’s Version.

The Matthew Bible (1537) by John Rodgers. Also received royal license from the king Henry VIII and circulated

widely in England. The Matthew’s Bible was really made up of Tyndale’s NT and Pentateuch, with Ezra to Malachi, Rodgers translation. When England reverted back to Roman Catholicism under bloody Mary Tudor, Rodgers was one of the first people to be burned at the stake in 1555.

History of the English History of the English TranslationTranslation

The Great Bible (1539) by Miles Coverdale.

The Upper House of Convocation of Canterbury petitioned the king in 1534 to authorize a translation into English. Thus Coverdale was asked to complete a revision of the Bible based on the Matthew’s Bible as it’s basis. It’s called the Great Bible because the pages were 16 ½ by 11 inches. Copies of the Great bible were to be placed in each church in accordance with King Henry VIII’s degree. Because the price of the Bible was so high many churches could not afford them, so the printers were forced to cut there price in half and many more churches in turn could afford them.

History of the English History of the English TranslationTranslation

The Geneva Bible (1560) by William Whittingham and others. During bloody Mary’s reign (1553-1558), Protestant fugitives fled

from England to other Protestant centers such as Geneva, Switzerland, home of Calvin and Beza. During this time William Whittingham and other scholars made a thorough revision of the Great Bible which appeared in1560 and was known as the Geneva Bible. With Elizabeth I now in power (1558), who favored Protestantism, the Geneva Bible gained wide popularity in England for many years among the English Protestants. The Geneva Bible can be considered the first “study” because of all of its notes, which were Calvinistic in nature, and greatly irritated King James I. Other notes were anti-Roman, such as Rev 11:7 where the beast that ascends from the pit is identified as “the Pope which hath his power out of hell and cometh hence.”

History of the English History of the English TranslationTranslation

Geneva Bible (1560) First’s for an English translation 1)The Geneva Bible is the first English translation to introduce

verse numbers into the text. Previous translations had only chapter numbers. 2) The Geneva was the first English translation to use Roman type rather than the Gothic type of all previous translations. 3) Words that are not found in the original language, but are needed for the English to read properly are found in italics – a practice that continued with the King James Version. It went through 120 editions, next to Tyndale’s translation the Geneva had the greatest influence on the King James Version.

The Geneva Bible is also called the “Breeches Bible” because of its translation of Genesis 3:7, “…and they sewed figge tree leaves together, and made themselves 'breeches’.”

History of the English History of the English TranslationTranslation

Bishop’s Bible (1568) Matthew Parker When Elizabeth I ascended the throne all churches were

ordered to have a copy of the Great Bible placed in their churches. But the superior quality of the Geneva Bible pointed out the weaknesses of the Great Bible. In 1563 Matthew Parker, the archbishop of Canterbury, initiated a project to revise the Great Bible. Bishop’s were invited to have a part in the work, hence its name. Queen Elizabeth was pleased with the translation and it was placed in all of the churches in England. Though the Bishop’s Bible superseded the Great Bible, it never rivaled or was as popular as the Geneva Bible.

History of the English History of the English TranslationTranslation

The Authorized Version (KJV) 1611 It looked now as if English-speaking Protestantism had two

versions of the Bible, one representing the Anglican (Bishop’s Bible) viewpoint and the other a Puritan (Geneva Bible) viewpoint. When King James I came to power in 1603 the Puritan party presented the king with a petition of a thousand signatures setting out grievances against the Church of England.

Textual CriticismTextual Criticism

Textual Criticism is the process of evaluating variations between biblical manuscripts and versions in order to determine the most plausible original reading of a text.

Textual VariantsTextual Variants

• A textual variant is simply any difference from a standard text that involves spelling, word order, omission, addition, substitution, or a total rewrite of the text.

• Textual scholars tell us there are approximately 400,000 variants among the NT manuscripts (which is about 10% of the text).

• In the OT there are fewer manuscripts and fewer variants but some of the variants are more significant.

Determining the Original Determining the Original Reading among the Many Reading among the Many

VariantsVariants1. The largest amount of textual variants (well over

half) involve spelling differences and nonsense readings that are easily detectable. These affect nothing of meaning in the text.

One manuscript spells “John” with one “n” instead of the more common two “n”.

2. The next largest group are those that do not affect translation or, if they do, involve synonyms. Variants such as “Christ Jesus” vs. “Jesus Christ” may entail a slightly different emphasis, but nothing of great consequence is involved.

Determining the Original Determining the Original Reading among the Many Reading among the Many

VariantsVariants3. Then there are the meaningful variants that are not viable. That is, they simply

have no plausibility of reflecting the wording of the original because the manuscripts in which they are found have a poor pedigree. This issue involves careful historical investigation and requires the scholar to take the transmission of the text seriously. We see that in the Greek manuscripts used for the KJV it reads in 1 John 5:8, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” (only found in 3 manuscripts)

4. Finally, the smallest category, comprising about 1% of all textual problems, involves those variants that are both meaningful and viable. Most NT scholars would say that these textual problems constitute much less than 1% of the total. But even assuming the more generous amount (by expanding on the scope of both “meaningful” and “viable”), even then not much theologically is affected.

Basic Principles of Textual Basic Principles of Textual PrinciplesPrinciples

1) manuscripts must be weighed, not just counted.

2) Determine which reading would most likely give rise to the others.

3) The more distinctive reading is usually preferred.

4) The shorter reading is generally favored.

5) Determine which readings is most appropriate to the context.

Determining the Original OT ReadingDetermining the Original OT Reading

1) Collect and evaluate External evidence (from various sources, including the Hebrew [MT] tradition, recensions, and ancient versions).

2) Collect and evaluate and internal evidence. (e.g. author’s grammar or spelling habits, use of parallel passages, etc.).

3) Determine the most plausible reading.

Determining the Original NT ReadingDetermining the Original NT Reading

Collect and evaluate :

1) External Evidence that comes from outside the text (e.g. various manuscripts, versions, quotes from church fathers).

2) Internal Evidence that comes within the text itself (e.g. author’s grammar or spelling habits, use of parallel passages, etc.).

3) Determine the most plausible reading.

Certainty of the Biblical TextCertainty of the Biblical Text

• Approximately 98% of the Greek NT text scholars believe accurately reflects the text of the original autographs. And the 2% not certain does not affect any major doctrines.

• Certainty for the Hebrew OT text is in the lower 90% and again does not affect any major doctrines.

Critical Greek TextCritical Greek Text Today there are 3 basic Greek NT texts.

• Eclectic Text (NA) – used by most scholars for all recent (20-21st century) English translations.

• Textus Receptus (1516) – used for the KJV, and most other English translations before the 20th century. Agrees with the Eclectic Text 97.5% of time

• Majority Text (1982) – the text represents what the majority of all the manuscripts read, this then becomes the established text. The NKJV used this Greek text for its translation. Agrees with Eclectic Text 98% of the time.

Differences in ReadingsDifferences in Readings

John 7:53 - 8:11

• KJV, NKJV – has this passage as part of the text.

• Modern Translations – puts brackets around this with a note that the most ancient authorities omit it. Most likely it was not part of the original text.

Differences in ReadingsDifferences in Readings

Luke 11:2

• (KJV,NKJV) And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

• (Modern Trans) And He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.

Differences in ReadingsDifferences in Readings

Mark 16:9-20 (there are 4 different endings found in the manuscript evidence)

• KJV, NKJV, NAB – includes this passage as part of the text.

• Modern Translations – these verses are lacking in many ancient manuscripts and a number of early translations.

Differences in ReadingsDifferences in Readings

Matt 17:21

KJV, NKJV - Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Modern Translations – either bracket it (NASB) or remove it completely (ESV, NIV) from the text. Based on earliest manuscripts do not have this reading.

Differences in ReadingsDifferences in Readings

Mark 9:44,46, (48)

• KJV, NKJV - Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

• Modern Translations put verses 44 & 46 in brackets

with the footnote not found in earliest manuscripts (NASB), or totally removes them (NIV,ESV)

TranslationTranslation

• Next time we look at the last link in the chain “from God to us,” and that link is the translation of the Bible text into various languages.

Why do we need so many English translations?