Bible Versions for Dummies
101
One
of the most intense ongoing debates between Christians
of all levels is which Bible translation is the best.
This whole debate is fueled by a number of parties. On
the one side are those who wish to sell their “latest
and greatest” translation to the public. These people
are generally motivated by greed rather than a sincere
interest in the spiritual well-being of the believer.
Proof for this statement is simply in the stringent
copyrights that the publishers enforce. Did you know
that most modern translations have very strict rules
about how you may and may not use the translation!
Then
there are those who have a vested interest in a
particular translation. Most of the hype surrounding
various translations is very emotional, irrational and
even fanatical. Then there are the “King James Only”
people who regard the King James Version as the only
valid and inspired version of the Bible. Although I very
much doubt that any translation is inspired by Satan
(except the Jehovah’s Witness’, New World Translation),
I have no doubt that we have played right into the
Devil’s hands as we battle each other about which is the
“right” translation in stead of getting on with
preaching the gospel. By this I do not mean that there
are not “the good, the bad and the ugly” amongst
translations. But I am concerned about the intense
passion with which folk defend and promote their
translation, often with more zeal than they defend and
promote the Gospel.
The
following couple of articles are not intended to be a
scholarly and detailed investigation into the subject.
There are many books written on this matter by much more
qualified people than I. My intent is simply to provide
you with a broad background of the issues in order that
you may make an informed decision.
First
we need to look at the matter of manuscripts. We do not
have the original documents that were written by the
original men like Moses, David and Paul. Also the
original books were not written in English but in
Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. So the translators have to
use manuscripts that have been copied by hand many times
over. One of the debates is about which is the best
manuscript. The short answer is there are no “best”
manuscripts, yet every translator will claim to have
used the “best manuscripts”. What they mean is they are
best in their estimation. So you will find the
margins of some translations will say something like
“the most early reliable manuscripts do not include
verse …” They thus create the impression that earlier is
better and therefore such verses must be excluded. In
theory earlier may be better because they have been
copied less times and are closer (in time) to the
original. Earlier manuscripts are not necessarily
better, especially when the quality of the workmanship
is not the best. Thus some of the most relied on
manuscripts come from Egypt.
In my view Egypt was theologically suspect as it
was Alexandrian Christians who brought much of the Greek
philosophy and Gnosticism into the early church. Thus a
text from this environment will hold less credibility
than another for me.
The
point is that no single set of manuscripts can be
crowned as “the best”. We have more than 4,000
manuscripts of the Greek New Testament and about 300 of
each book of the Old Testament. The differences between
these texts are small and each has its own strengths and
weaknesses. None of the variances between the documents
change anything about what we believe. The Christianity
and doctrine taught by one is essentially the same as
that of another text. We should never build an entire
doctrine on one verse only anyway. So if the presence or
absence of one verse changes your theology, you have a
serious problem. We should and can defend The Faith
without relying on any of the verses that are in
question. One of the remarkable things about the Bible
is just how few and small the differences between the
texts are and how many texts we have from many different
sources and that they all confirm one another in more
than 99% of the words. We can clearly see God’s hand in
the preservation of the Bible as we have it today. So
the preference for a particular set of manuscripts is a
matter of personal preference.
Very
few of us have the skills to evaluate the strengths and
weaknesses of the different texts and so have to rely on
the judgment of scholars. Yet, the scholars are strongly
divided in their views. So how do we choose between the
scholars? Well that is not too hard. You simply apply
the same criteria you would to any Bible teacher. What
is his background? Where does he come from? Is he a
liberal, modernist, post-modernist? Is he Reformed,
Romanist, Orthodox, Evangelical, Charismatic? In other
words what are the background, theological, academic and
environmental factors that will color his views and
work? In fact, the same questions should be asked about
translators. You will be surprised to discover to what
degree these factors influence the judgment of scholars
who evaluate texts and who do translation work.
Amazingly, many believers will trust a scholar’s
judgment on texts or swear by a translator’s work but
would not endure the same men in their pulpit for one
moment!
I am
not trying to confuse you. Most believers do not have
the skills even to evaluate the scholars, let alone the
texts themselves, yet these same believers will argue
emphatically for one text or one translation over the
other. So what is my point? Simply this. Don’t let
anyone con you into arguing for or against any
particular set of manuscripts. Very few people have the
skills to do so. And don’t listen to anyone who wants to
tell you their translation is based on the best or the
only valid manuscripts. Choose a translation based on
the criteria I will provide next week and more
important; get to know the contents of the Bible.
– To
Be Continued.
"How
sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to
my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding;
Therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to
my feet And a light to my path. " (Psalm
119:103-105, NKJV)
Anton
Bosch
antonbosch@sbcglobal.net
www.abcd.co.za/offi
www.abcd.co.za/plumbline
Tel 818 846 5520
Fax 818 846 4357
3310 West
Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, California
91505-2907
USA