Bible Versions for Dummies
103
One
of the hottest debates amongst some Christians is the
debate around the King James or Authorized
Version. Before the KJV there were a number of other
English translations. The first was that of John
Wycliffe c 1380 which, however, was not printed. After
the Wycliffe Bible came others like the Tyndale, Great,
Bishops and Geneva Bibles. All had their strengths and
weaknesses.
When
James I came to the English throne, the Geneva Bible was
the most popular with the people while the Bishops Bible
was the official Bible of the church. The Geneva Bible
was still the best English translation available and was
the dominant translation in
Scotland. James did not like the
Geneva Bible as it had references in the margin which he
felt to be politically threatening so when Dr Jon
Reynolds suggested a new translation, King James leapt
at the opportunity and “authorized” a new translation.
He organized the work himself and divided 47 of the best
scholars in England
into several teams. He also provided strict guidelines
such as that the new translation was to be based on the
Bishops Bible and that certain ecclesiastical words such
as church instead of congregation be
retained. The work was completed in 1611 and is referred
to by many as the “Authorized Version” because it
contained a preface which stated that it had been
authorized to be read in churches.
Since
first printed in 1611 it has gone through numerous
revisions and the copy many read today is not the same
as the 1611 version. Some in the King James Only camp
claim inspiration for the 1611 version while others
bestow this credential on any KJV Bible. However, at no
stage did the translators claim that their translation
was inspired by God, anointed by The Spirit or without
errors. In fact they candidly confessed that the work
was imperfect but the best they could do.
Indeed it is a good translation. The very fact that it
has lasted for 400 years attests to the quality of the
workmanship but does not prove God’s protection on this
translation as though it were authorized by the Lord
Himself. Even though it is a good translation, it is not
perfect and does have real shortcomings. If you use the
KJV and are aware of its weaknesses, then it becomes an
excellent tool to know God’s word. But if you blindly
follow the translators and believe that every English
word is inspired and the translators were anointed – you
will certainly miss some important nuances and could
even build some grave heresy on it’s weaknesses. This is
true of any and all translations. Only the original
manuscripts as written by the men who were moved by the
Holy Spirit to do so, were inspired and these authors
wrote under the direct unction of the Spirit. No
translation is anointed or inspired. I am not going to
try and disprove the KJV only theory as that would be a
waste of time because those who hold to it are not
really interested in the truth. I am writing simply to
help those who are open to the truth and want to
understand the issues better.
One
of the niceties the translators indulged in was that
where they had different English words for the same
Greek or Hebrew word, they would use as many variations
as possible. This they did by way of policy. So for
instance the same Greek word is translated in Romans 5:2
as rejoice, in v3 as glory and in v11 as
joy. In Ephesians 4:1 the same Greek word is
translated as vocation and called. A quick
look at a good concordance will show the extent of this
problem. Over the years uneducated preachers loved to
build entire messages and even doctrines around these
variations as though they contained some divinely
inspired hidden message.
One
of the strengths of the KJV is the poetic nature of the
language. It is the translation many of us have
memorized verses from and still quote from. In spite of
the beauty of the language it is also a problem. Firstly
because English is a living language that is constantly
changing. Thus very few modern readers understand all
the words in the KJV correctly. Many words have changed
their meaning completely over these four centuries. Take
the word “let” for instance. It used to mean hinder
or restrain. Now it means allow which is
the complete opposite. The word strife used to
include the concept of selfish ambition, it no
longer does. So we can go on. The other problem with the
language is that many have come to believe that God only
speaks in King James English. So we become more
“spiritual” when we pray or preach in King James. This
is simply not true. Neither is it true that thee
and thou is more respectful than you. Our
respect for the Lord is not shown in thee and
thou but in a real fear of the Lord which permeates
our whole life. And when we use King James English to
impress others with our super-spirituality we have
become full-blown Pharisees!
Many
malign modern translations saying that they stem from a
conspiracy to change God’s Word. These dear folk will
then tell us that the KJV translators had no ulterior
motives. The truth is they had a number of clear
instructions from the King. Underlying some of these
mandates was the fact that the new translation should
not jeopardize the status quo as far as the
monarchy and the church is concerned. Thus the word
episkopos is translated once as overseer and
six times as bishop. Overseer would be more
correct but they chose to introduce the word bishop
because it sanctioned an office that had been created by
their system. Even worse – they chose not to use the
English dip or immerse and rather opted
for a word (baptize) that stripped these
scriptures of their true meaning in order to sanctify
their custom of sprinkling a few drops of water on
ignorant babies!
So,
if you are in the process of choosing a translation
don’t be deceived into believing there is only one valid
translation. There are a number of good translations
but, sadly, no best translation. The KJV is one
of the better ones, but in my very humble opinion, not
the best. Choose wisely. Changing translations is
very hard as you will still remember how it was in the
old one. After using the NKJV for about ten years, I
still make mistakes when reading in public because I
quote the KJV from memory instead of reading what is
actually on the page!
Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.
– Psalm 119.89
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