Biblical

(((Disclaimer: I just want to emphasize the following relationship. I am not a scientist or a religious scholar. I am only a seeker who recognizes Jesus as my king and savior. He is the one who gives me the strength, inspiration and direction to put this together. He shows me the direction and I research and put it together. I am only one of many tools. 

All material has been researched and compiled over many years of my own studies. All history is both factual and subjective depending on the source material and versions used. It is my intention to show my interest in these issues and present this material that I have grappled with for many years. Perhaps it can be useful for others and ignite their own spark of interest and their own research. I have never intended to mislead or misrepresent historical events, people, years or places. It is my research that is reported. I look forward to your own research and analysis.)))

(((When three brackets are shown, it means that it is my own thoughts and analysis that are written within them.)))

Any sources and links are listed at the bottom of each chapter, where some more detailed explanations also may appear.

Best of greetings - Ray.

.....

The BIBLE.

The Bible is the written Word of God and thus the ultimate set of guiding principles governing all areas of life for the people of God. Through these writings, God communicates his will, his laws, his nature, and his saving purpose to humanity.

The Bible is a compilation of 66 books and letters written by more than 40 authors during a period of approximately 1,500 years. The original text of the Bible was communicated in just three languages: Hebrew, koine or common Greek, and Aramaic. The Old Testament was written for the most part in Hebrew, with a small percentage in Aramaic. The New Testament was written in Greek.

'Bible' Definition

The English word "Bible" comes from bíblia in Latin and bíblos in Greek. The term means book, or books, and may have originated from the ancient Egyptian port of Byblos (in modern-day Lebanon), where papyrus used for making books and scrolls was exported to Greece. Other terms for the Bible are the Holy Scriptures, Holy Writ, Scripture, or the Scriptures, which means "sacred writings." For Christians, the simplest definition of the Bible is "the Word of God to humankind."

Parts of the Bible

Beyond its two main sections (the Old Testament and the New Testament), the Bible contains several more divisions: 

The Pentateuch.

The Pentateuch refers to the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). For the most part, both Jewish and Christian traditions credit Moses with primary authorship of the Pentateuch. These five books form the theological foundation of the Bible.

The word pentateuch is formed by two Greek words, pente (five) and teuchos (book). It means "five vessels," "five containers," or "five-volume book." In Hebrew, the Pentateuch is Torah, meaning "the law" or "instruction." These five books, written almost entirely in Hebrew, are the Bible's books of the law, given to us by God through Moses. Another name for the Pentateuch is "the five books of Moses."

Written more than 3,000 years ago, the books of the Pentateuch introduce Bible readers to God's divine purposes and plans and explain how sin entered the world. In the Pentateuch, we also see God's response to sin and his relationship with mankind, and we gain keen insight into the character and nature of God.

The Historical Books.

The Historical Books of the Old Testament include Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah. These books tell the story of God's people in the ancient Near East, including the Israelite conquest of the Promised Land, the establishment of the monarchy, and the Babylonian exile. They provide a detailed account of Israel's history and form the foundation of the biblical narrative

The Historical Books of the Old Testament are also known for their historical context. Set against the backdrop of the ancient Near East, these books highlight the cultural and sociopolitical landscape of the time, providing readers with valuable insights into the world of the Bible. Historical accuracy plays a vital role in biblical interpretation, and this is particularly true of the Historical Books of the Old Testament. They offer a unique perspective on events and people and have been subjected to scholarly scrutiny for centuries.

The Poetry and Wisdom Books.

• Job - The book of Job confronts the problem of human suffering and the sovereignty of God. And while suffering is the chief theme of the book, no answer is given. However, in these pages, we learn what God expects from us during suffering. Job is the place to go in times of affliction.
• Psalms - The book of Psalms is one of the most beautiful collections of poetry in the Bible. Many people find that these verses describe human problems so well that the Psalms often make excellent prayers. Psalms is the place to run when you're hurting.
• Proverbs - The book of Proverbs is packed full with God's wisdom for living a happy life. It is among the most practical books of the Bible. Proverbs is a good choice when you're looking for timeless truth that is easy to understand and apply to your life.
• Ecclesiastes - In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon takes a unique approach to the pursuit of meaning. Success in life, we discover, can be found only in a right relationship with God. To find wisdom that will keep you from ruining your life, turn to Ecclesiastes.
• Song of Songs - The Song of Songs, sometimes called the Song of Solomon, is a touching portrait of love and affection within marriage. Go to Song of Songs to learn about the type of relationship every couple should strive for in marriage.

The writing of the Poetry and Wisdom Books of the Bible spanned from the time of Abraham through the end of the Old Testament period. Possibly the oldest of the books, Job is of unknown authorship. The Psalms have many different writers, King David being the most notable and others remaining anonymous. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs are primarily attributed to Solomon.

Believers seeking advice on everyday questions and choices will find answers in the Wisdom Books of the Bible. Sometimes referred to as "wisdom literature" these five books deal precisely with our human struggles and real-life experiences. The emphasis in this genre is teaching individual readers what things are necessary to gain moral excellence and obtain favor with God.

For instance, the book of Job addresses our questions about suffering, overthrowing the argument that all suffering is a result of sin. The Psalms portray nearly every facet of man's relationship with God. And the Proverbs cover a wide range of practical topics, all emphasizing man's true source of wisdom—the fear of the Lord.

Being literary in style, the Poetry and Wisdom Books are designed to stimulate the imagination, inform the intellect, capture the emotions, and direct the will, and therefore deserve meaningful reflection and contemplation when read.

The books of Prophecy.

Major Prophets

Isaiah: Called the Prince of Prophets, Isaiah shines above all the other prophets of Scripture. A long-lived prophet of the 8th century BCE, Isaiah confronted a false prophet and predicted the coming of Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah: He is the author of the Book of Jeremiah and Lamentations. His ministry lasted from 626 BCE until 587 BCE. Jeremiah preached throughout Israel and is famous for his efforts to reform idolatrous practices in Judah.

Lamentations: Scholarship favors Jeremiah as the author of Lamentations. The book, a poetic work, is placed here with the major prophets in English Bibles because of its authorship.

Ezekiel: Ezekiel is known for prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem and the eventual restoration of the land of Israel. He was born around 622 BCE, and his writings suggest he preached for about 22 years and was a contemporary of Jeremiah.

Daniel: In English and Greek Bible translations, Daniel is considered one of the major prophets; however, in the Hebrew canon, Daniel is part of "The Writings." Born to a noble Jewish family, Daniel was taken into captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in about 604 BCE. Daniel is a symbol of steadfast faith in God, most famously demonstrated by the story of Daniel in the lion's den, when his faith saved him from a bloody death.

Minor Prophets

Hosea: An 8th-century prophet in Israel, Hosea is sometimes referred to as the "prophet of doom" for his predictions that worship of false gods would lead to the fall of Israel.

Joel: The dates of Joel's life as a prophet of ancient Israel are unknown since the dating of this Bible book is in dispute. He may have lived anywhere from the 9th century BCE to the 5th century BCE.

Amos: A contemporary of Hosea and Isaiah, Amos preached from about 760 to 746 BCE in northern Israel on subjects of social injustice.

Obadiah: Little is known of his life, but by interpreting the prophecies in the book he authored, Obadiah likely lived some time in the 6th century BCE. His theme is the destruction of the enemies of God's people.

Jonah: A prophet in northern Israel, Johan likely lived in 8th century BCE. The book of Jonah is different from the other prophetic books of the Bible. Typically, prophets issued warnings or gave instructions to the people of Israel. Instead, God told Jonah to evangelize in the city of Nineveh, home of Israel's cruelest enemy.

Micah: He prophesied from approximately 737 to 696 BCE in Judah, and is known for predicting the destruction of Jerusalem and Samaria.

Nahum: Known for writing about the fall of the Assyrian empire, Nahum likely lived in northern Galilee. The date of his life is unknown, although most place authorship of his writings at about 630 BCE.

Habakkuk: Less is known about Habakkuk than any other prophet. The artistry of the book he authored has been widely praised. Habakkuk records a dialogue between the prophet and God. Habakkuk asks some of the same questions people are puzzled by today: Why do the wicked prosper and good people suffer? Why doesn't God stop the violence? Why doesn't God punish evil? The prophet gets specific answers from God.

Zephaniah: He prophesied during the same time as Josiah, from about 641 to 610 BCE, in the area of Jerusalem. His book warns about consequences of disobedience to God's will.

Haggai: Little is known about his life, but Haggai's most famous prophecy has been dated to about 520 BCE, when he commands Jews to rebuild the temple in Judah.

Malachi: There is no clear consensus on when Malachi lived, but most Bible scholars place him at around 420 BCE. His primary theme is the justice and loyalty that God shows to mankind. 

When Christian scholars refer to the prophetic books of the Bible, they are talking primarily about the Old Testament Scriptures written by the prophets. The prophetic books are divided into categories of major and minor prophets. These labels do not refer to the importance of the prophets, but rather, to the length of the books authored by them. The books of the major prophets are long, while the books of the minor prophets are relatively short.

Prophetic Books of the Bible

Prophets have existed throughout every era of God's relationship with mankind, but the Old Testament books of the prophets address the "classical" period of prophecy — from the later years of the divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel, throughout the time of exile, and into the years of Israel's return from exile. The prophetic books were written from the days of Elijah (874-853 BCE) until the time of Malachi (400 BCE).

According to the Bible, a true prophet was called and equipped by God, empowered by the Holy Spirit to perform his job: to speak God's message to specific people and cultures in specific situations, confront people with sin, warn of coming judgment and the consequences if people refused to repent and obey. As "seers," prophets also brought a message of hope and future blessing for those who walked in obedience.

The Old Testament prophets pointed the way to Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and showed humans their need for his salvation.

The Gospels, and the Epistles.

• Number of Books in the New Testament: 27
• Types of Books in the New Testament: The Historical Books, the Pauline Epistles, and the General Epistles.

The Historical Books

The Historical Books of the New Testament are the four Gospels — The Gospel According to Mathew, The Gospel According to Mark, The Gospel According to Luke, The Gospel According to John — and the Book of Acts. These chapters together tell the story of Jesus and His Church. They offer the framework by which you can understand the rest of the New Testament because these books provide the foundation of Jesus' ministry.

The Pauline Epistles

The wordepistles means letters, and a good portion of the New Testament consists of 13 important letters written by the Apostle Paul that are thought to have been written in the years 30 to 50 CE. Some of these letters were written to various early Christian church groups, while others were written to individuals, and together they form the historical basis of Christian principles upon with the entire Christian religion is founded. The Pauline Epistles to Churches include:

• Romans
• 1 Corinthians
• 2 Corinthians
• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians
• 1 Thessalonians
• 2 Thessalonians

The Pauline Epistles to individuals​ include:

• 1 Timothy
• 2 Timothy
• Titus
• Philemon

The General Epistles

These epistles were letters written to a variety of people and churches by several different authors. They are like the Pauline Epistles in that they provided instruction to those people, and they continue to offer instruction to Christians today. These are the books in the category of General Epistles:

• Hebrews
• James
• 1 Peter
• 2 Peter
• 1 John
• 2 John
• 3 John
• Jude
• Revelation

How Was the New Testament Assembled?

As viewed by scholars, the New Testament is a collection of religious works written originally in Greek by early members of the Christian Church — but not necessarily by the authors to whom they are attributed. The general consensus is that most of the 27 books of the New Testament were written in the first century CE, although some were likely written as late as 150 CE. It is thought that the Gospels, for example, were not written by the actual disciples but by individuals who were transcribing the accounts of the original witnesses passed along through word of mouth. Scholars believe that the Gospels were written at least 35 to 65 years after Jesus' death, which makes it unlikely that the disciples themselves wrote the Gospels. Instead, they were likely written by dedicated anonymous members of the early Church.

The New Testament evolved into its current form over time, as various collections of writings were added to the official canon by group consensus during the first four centuries of the Christian Church — though not always unanimous consensus. The four Gospels we now find in the New Testament are only four among many such gospels that exist, some of which were deliberately excluded. Most famous among the gospels not included in the New Testament is the Gospel of Thomas, which offers a different view of Jesus, and one that conflicts with the other gospels. The Gospel of Thomas has received much attention in recent years.

Even the Epistles of Paul were disputed, with some letters omitted by early church founders and considerable debate regarding their authenticity taking place. Even today, there are disputes over whether Paul was actually the author of some of the letters included in today's New Testament. Finally, the Book of Revelation was hotly disputed for many years. It was not until around 400 CE that the Church reached a consensus on a New Testament that contains the same 27 books we now accept as official.

Originally, the Holy Scriptures were written on scrolls of papyrus and later parchment, until the invention of the codex. A codex is a handwritten manuscript formatted like a modern book, with pages bound together at the spine within a hardcover.

The Inspired Word of God

Christians and Jews have been called "people of the Book" throughout history. Both Judaism and Christianity are based on the Bible. A key doctrine of Christianity is the Inerrancy of Scripture, meaning the Bible in its original, handwritten state is without error. Since the Bible contains the word of a wholly truthful God, all of its teachings are true.

The Bible itself claims to be the inspired Word of God, or "God-breathed":

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. (NLT)

2 Peter 1:16–21
For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy." We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.
Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet's own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God. (NLT)

The Bible unfolds as a divine love story between the Creator God and the object of his love, humankind. In the pages of the Bible, we learn of God's interaction with humans. We discover his purposes and plans from the beginning of time and throughout history.

The Canon and Apocrypha

The word canon means "a rule" or "standard for measurement." The Canon of Scripture refers to the list of books that officially measured up to the standard, and, therefore, were worthy of inclusion. Only the canonical books are considered the "divinely inspired" authoritative Word of God, and, thus, rightfully belong in the Bible.

Both Jews and early church fathers agreed on 39 divinely inspired books as comprising the Old Testament Canon of Scripture. Augustine (400 A.D.), however, included the books of the Apocrypha. A large portion of the Apocrypha was officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as part of the biblical Canon at the Council of Trent in A.D. 1546. Today, Coptic, Greek, and Russian Orthodox churches also accept these books. The word Apocrypha means "hidden." The books of the Apocrypha are not considered authoritative in Judaism and Protestant Christian churches.

The Story of Salvation

The central message or theme of the Bible is God's plan of salvation—his way of providing deliverance from sin and spiritual death through repentance and faith. In the Old Testament, the concept of salvation is rooted in Israel's deliverance from Egypt in the book of Exodus.

The New Testament reveals the source of salvation: Jesus Christ. By faith in Jesus, the promised Messiah, believers are saved from God's judgment of sin and its consequence, which is eternal death.

In the Bible, God reveals himself to humankind. We discover his nature and character, his love, his justice, his forgiveness, and his truth. Many have called the Bible a guidebook for living the Christian faith. Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." (NIV)

History of the Bible

On so many levels, the Bible is an extraordinary book, from its diverse content and literary styles to its miraculous preservation through the ages. While the Bible is certainly not the oldest book in history, it is the only ancient text with existing manuscripts that number in the thousands.

In ancient days, the authors of the Bible recorded its messages with whatever resources were available at the time. The Scriptures themselves reveal some of the materials used: engravings in clay, inscriptions on tablets of stone, ink and papyrus, vellum, parchment, leather, and metals.

For a long period in the history of the Bible, common men and women were forbidden access to the Scriptures and their life-transforming truths. The first full copy of the Bible was completed in the Greek language around A.D. 312. It was called the Codex Vaticanus, as it was kept in the Vatican library. By 405 A.D., Jerome had translated both Old and New Testaments into Latin, which the Catholic church made the official language of the Bible in A.D. 600. It wasn't until the 16th century that the entire Bible was translated into English.

Today the Bible is the best-selling book of all time, with billions of copies distributed throughout the world in more than 2,400 languages.

-learnreligions.com-

.....

Bible: Versions, Translations, Types & Differences

The Bible is the most widely read book in human history. It has been translated into over 500 languages and has sold billions of copies over the centuries. Yet with so many Bible versions available today, it can be confusing to know which one to choose.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the key things you need to know about the top Bible versions and translations. We'll cover the history behind the Bible, how the various translations compare, and tips for choosing the right Bible version for your needs.

A Brief History of the Bible

Let's start with some background on where the Bible came from in the first place. The Bible is a collection of 66 books written by over 40 authors over a period of 1500 years. The books include historical accounts, poetry, prophecy, and letters.

The Old Testament contains 39 books written primarily in Hebrew that cover God's interactions with mankind up until a few centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ. The New Testament contains 27 books written in Greek that detail the life and teachings of Jesus Christ in the 1st century AD.

Here is a quick history of how the Bible was written and compiled into the book we know today:

• 1400 BC – 400 BC – Old Testament books authored
• 200 BC– From 1400 BC to 200 BC, Hebrew Old Testament texts being translated to Greek known as the Septuagint
• 45-95 AD – New Testament books authored
• 90-100 AD – Council at Jamnia determines Jewish canon of Old Testament books.
• 100-400 AD - Several Apocrypha books (today defined as Non-canonic books of the New Testament were written) and also some books from the Old Testament was moved from the Roman Empire and the middle east area primarily to  mountain areas in Ethiopia (see the Ethiopian Bible). Several Bible versions of today consider them non-canonic, while other versions include them fully or partly.

• 325 AD. The First Council of Nicaea was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I. The Council of Nicaea met from May until the end of July 325.This ecumenical council was the first of many efforts to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all Christendom. Influencial for coming interpretations and formulations.

• 367 AD – Athanasius defines New Testament canon
• 382 AD – Pope Damascus commissions the Latin Vulgate translation
• 500s-1400s AD – Scriptures translated into common languages after the fall of the Roman Empire
• 1380s AD – Wycliffe translates the Bible into English
• 1516 – Erasmus publishes the first printed Greek New Testament
• 1522-1610 – Tyndale, Matthews, Geneva and King James Bibles translate from Hebrew & Greek into English

As you can see, the development of the Bible we have today spanned across languages, continents, and centuries. This will be important to keep in mind as we look at the different Bible versions available now.

A Brief History of Bible Translation

The necessary work of Bible translation has been going on for over 2000 years. Here is an overview of the key milestones in Bible translation history:

200-100 BC: Septuagint

The Hebrew Bible is translated into Greek, allowing diaspora Jews and early Christians to read the "Old Testament" scriptures in a common language.

405 AD: Vulgate Latin Bible

Jerome finishes translating the Bible into Latin, creating what becomes the standard Catholic Church version for over 1000 years.

1384 AD: Wycliffe's Bible

John Wycliffe oversees the first handwritten manuscript Bible translation in English.

1516 AD: Erasmus Greek New Testament

Desiderius Erasmus publishes the first printed critical edition Greek New Testament which informs many later translations.

1522-1534 AD: Luther's German Bible

Martin Luther's German translation of the New Testament sparks greater scriptural accessibility for common people.

1611 AD: King James Bible

The authorized King James Version becomes the standard English Protestant Bible for centuries.

1885 AD: English Revised Version

British scholars update the KJV into more modern English based on revised Greek source texts.

1901 AD: American Standard Version

An American version is produced using the ERV and updated scholarship as a basis.

1946-1958 AD: Revised Standard Version

New archaeological discoveries from the Dead Sea scrolls influence this updated Bible translation.

1978 AD: New International Version

A committee of evangelical scholars produce the NIV using modern English.

Digital Bible Revolution

Bible translations proliferate and become accessible worldwide through print, websites, apps, audio, video and social media.

Types of Bible Translations

There are four main translation philosophies that Bible versions can fall under. The translators' approach impacts how literally or freely they translate the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek into modern languages.

The four main translation philosophies are:

• Word-for-word: Translates the original words and phrases as literally as possible. Follows the original languages very closely.
• Thought-for-thought: Translates the meaning and ideas behind the words. More readable but less literal.
• Paraphrase: Translates freely for readability and simplification. The most loose translation style.
• Dynamic equivalence: A balance between word-for-word and thought-for-thought. Aims to be readable yet faithful to the original.

Most Bible versions fit into the word-for-word or dynamic equivalence translation philosophies. The right approach depends on your needs as a reader. Word-for-word versions are great for in-depth Bible study, while dynamic equivalence aim for smooth readability.

How the Bible Came to English

Now let's trace how the Bible first came to the English-speaking world. This journey from Hebrew and Greek to English was driven by people passionate to make the Word of God available in common tongue…

Early Anglo-Saxon Translations

The first attempts to translate portions of Scripture into Old English date back to the 7th and 8th centuries, including Caedmon's metrical Genesis and the Venerable Bede's translation of the Gospel of John.

John Wycliffe's Bible

The first complete translation of the Bible into English was done by theologian John Wycliffe and his associates in the late 14th century. Since copying manuscripts was illegal, these early handwritten Bibles were scarce.

William Tyndale's Bible

William Tyndale was determined to make the Bible available to the common man. He worked from Greek and Hebrew sources to produce the first printed English New Testament in 1526. Copies were smuggled into England, where authorities burned them.

Coverdale's Bible

After Tyndale's execution, Myles Coverdale continued Tyndale's work to produce the first complete printed English Bible in 1535. This Coverdale Bible was a compilation of several sources including Tyndale's Pentateuch and New Testament.

Matthew's Bible

In 1537, John Rogers published the Matthew's Bible under the pen name Thomas Matthew. This was primarily a compilation of Tyndale's and Coverdale's work, with minor revisions to the text.

The Great Bible

The first authorized English Bible was the Great Bible first printed in 1539. This was ordered by King Henry VIII to be placed in every church in England. The text was prepared by Coverdale, based on Tyndale's work.

The Geneva Bible

Produced by Protestant exiles in Geneva, the Geneva Bible was published in 1560 with bold textual notes and commentary. The Geneva Bible competed with the Great Bible throughout the reign of Queen Elizabeth.

The Bishops' Bible

The Bishops' Bible was an authorized revision of the Great Bible produced by Church of England bishops in 1568. While never gaining much popularity, it did influence the later King James Version.

Popular English Bible Translations

Now let's take a look at some of the most prominent English Bible translations available today. We'll cover how they compare in terms of translation philosophy, readability, and intended usage.

King James Version (KJV)

• Publication date: 1611
• Translation philosophy: Word-for-word
• Readability: Difficult
• Best for: Literary/historical significance

The King James Version, also known as the Authorized Version, has had a profound impact on the English-speaking world and literature. This translation was commissioned by King James I of England and published in 1611 by a committee of 47 scholars.

The KJV uses formal wording and closely follows the original Greek and Hebrew texts. While this can make the language harder to understand for modern readers, it remains one of the most influential and well-known Bible translations.

New International Version (NIV)

• Publication date: 1973 (NT), 1978 (complete)
• Translation philosophy: Dynamic equivalence
• Readability: Easy to moderate
• Best for: Bible study and modern reading

The New International Version sought to make the Bible more readable and accessible to modern English readers. It balances readability with faithfulness to the meaning of the original texts. The NIV is the most popular modern English Bible translation, with over 450 million copies sold.

English Standard Version (ESV)

• Publication date: 2001
• Translation philosophy: Word-for-word
• Readability: Moderate
• Best for: Serious study, preaching, memorization

The ESV takes a word-for-word formal approach yet aims to use more modern English than the KJV. It is growing in popularity for its accuracy, readability, and suitability for study and memorization.

New Living Translation (NLT)

• Publication date: 1996
• Translation philosophy: Dynamic equivalence/thought-for-thought
• Readability: Very easy
• Best for: Clear understanding

The New Living Translation focuses mainly on readability and making the meaning of the Bible clear in modern English. It takes more of a thought-for-thought approach. The NLT is great if you want a very easy to understand Bible.

New King James Version (NKJV)

• Publication date: 1982
• Translation philosophy: Word-for-word
• Readability: Moderate
• Best for: Fans of the original King James

As the name implies, the New King James Version aims to update the language of the original KJV while maintaining its familiar style and accuracy. It keeps the eloquence of the KJV but replaces obsolete words to enhance readability.

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

• Publication date: 2017
• Translation philosophy: Optimal equivalence (balanced)
• Readability: Easy to moderate
• Best for: Evangelism and study

The Christian Standard Bible uses a balanced translation approach called optimal equivalence. It aims to convey the original meaning of Scripture in natural, expressive language. The CSB is a newer translation growing in use.

This covers some of the most popular full Bible translations. There are also numerous partial translations of the Bible focused on specific audiences and reading levels.

Study Bibles

In addition to the text itself, many printed Bibles now come as "study Bibles." These include extra commentary, notes, illustrations, and articles alongside the scripture.

Study Bibles help explain context, make connections, and generally enhance understanding of the Bible. They come in various translations and are targeted at specific demographics like men, women, youth, etc.

Here are some of the most popular study Bibles available:

• NIV Study Bible
• ESV Study Bible
• The Jeremiah Study Bible (NKJV)
• MacArthur Study Bible (NASB)
• Life Application Study Bible (NLT)
• The Woman's Study Bible (NIV)
• Lutheran Study Bible (ESV)

Study Bibles contain a wealth of helpful supplemental resources. The downside is that they can be bulky, expensive, and more subject to the commentary author's interpretation.

Word-for-Word Bible Versions

Word-for-word Bibles aim to preserve the precise original wording and sentence structure in translation. They adhere closely to formal equivalence. Here are some popular examples of word-for-word translations:

King James Version (KJV)

Completed in 1611 by 54 independent scholars, the KJV used the available Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic manuscripts of its day as source texts. It has remained the most influential English Bible version for over 400 years and is still beloved by many for its majestic language and poetic cadence.

New King James Version (NKJV)

Published in 1982, the NKJV is an update of the KJV in contemporary English yet preserving the literal accuracy of the KJV. It also uses the Textus Receptus manuscripts as its basis like the KJV.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The NASB, completed in 1971 and updated in 1995, is widely considered the most literal word-for-word English Bible translation. It is based on the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic manuscripts.

English Standard Version (ESV)

First released in 2001, the ESV seeks to be an "essentially literal" translation in updated English. It was translated by over 100 evangelical scholars and uses a word-for-word approach. The ESV is growing in popularity.

Amplified Bible (AMP)

The Amplified Bible, published in 1965, expands on the meaning of key words and phrases in the text by adding amplifications and alternative renderings inside parentheses and brackets. It aims for an ultra literal translation method.

Thought-for-Thought Bible Versions

Thought-for-thought translations place a higher priority on conveying the full meaning of phrases and passages over formal word-for-word accuracy. Here are some popular thought-for-thought versions:

New International Version (NIV)

The NIV, first published in 1978, is one of the most widely used contemporary English Bible translations in the world. It maintains the meaning of the original texts using modern, readable English suitable for public teaching, evangelism, and personal study.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Published in 1996 by Tyndale House Publishers, the NLT sought to communicate the meaning of the Bible in clear, natural English. It prioritizes readability and understanding and is increasingly used for personal devotions and reading.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Released in 1995 by the American Bible Society, the CEV uses contemporary, everyday American English vocabulary and grammar to convey the meanings of the original text. It aims to make the message of the Bible accessible.

The Message

Published in 2002, The Message was translated by Eugene Peterson over 10 years. It presents the Bible in the language of informal spoken English. The Message often uses paraphrases quite freely to get ideas across in very idiomatic language.

New Century Version (NCV)

The New Century Version was first published in 1987. It aims to use clear, natural English at an easy-to-understand reading level to accurately communicate the meaning of the original biblical texts. The NCV targets readers at a third grade reading level.

Paraphrase Bible Versions

Paraphrase translations convey the general thoughts and ideas of scripture passages using many words and phrases rather than formal equivalence to the original texts. Here are some examples:

The Living Bible (TLB)

Completed in 1971 by Kenneth N. Taylor, The Living Bible is an idiomatic paraphrase of the Bible in English. It conveys ideas thought-for-thought using informal language and creative paraphrasing for readability.

The Cotton Patch Version

This translation by Clarence Jordan was published between 1968-1976. It paraphrases much of the New Testament scriptures by translating them into the vernacular of the mid-20th century Southern United States.

The Voice

Published fully in 2014, The Voice translates the meaning of the biblical narratives into modern dramatizations of scripture passages and uses screenplay format. It takes translational freedom to convey ideas.

Catholic Bible Versions

Catholic Bible versions include the books in the Catholic biblical canon known as the Deuterocanonicals or Apocrypha. Here are some notable Catholic translations:

Douay-Rheims Bible

Translated from the Latin Vulgate between 1582-1610, this is the traditional Catholic English Bible. It was revised by Bishop Challoner in 1749-1752. A very literal translation.

New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)

The NABRE, first published in 1970 and revised in 1986 and 2011, is the current official Catholic Bible translation in English approved for liturgical use. It uses modern scholarly linguistic methods.

Jerusalem Bible

Released in 1966, this Catholic translation was translated from Hebrew and Greek original texts primarily by Dominican Biblical scholar Reverend Alexander Jones.

Original Language Versions

Studying the Bible in its original languages can provide much deeper insight and meaning. Here are some original language Bible versions:

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia

This is the definitive Hebrew text of the Hebrew Bible published in 1967-1977. It is based on the Ben Asher manuscripts of the Masoretic Text tradition.

Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece

The Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament is the standard scholarly edition of the Greek New Testament published by the Institute for New Testament Textual Research. It uses full textual critical apparatus.

Septuaginta

The Septuagint is the primary Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament scriptures. It was created between the 3rd to 1st centuries BC and was used heavily by the New Testament authors.

Biblia Sacra Vulgata

This is the authoritative Latin Vulgate version of the Bible. Originally translated from Hebrew and Greek by Jerome in 405 AD, it was declared the official Catholic Church Bible translation in 1546.

Study Bible Versions

Study Bibles contain extra supplementary materials like: theological commentary, maps, charts, timelines, introductions for each book, definitions, and more. Here are some popular study Bible versions:

ESV Study Bible

The English Standard Version Study Bible, published in 2008, contains over 20,000 study notes explaining passages, introductions, doctrines, illustrations, and scholarly articles. Very comprehensive.

NIV Study Bible

With over 21,000 study notes and hundreds of additional resources, the NIV Study Bible is a tremendously useful tool for digging deeper into God's Word. First published in 1985.

Thompson Chain-Reference Bible

The Thompson Chain-Reference system contains over 4,000 thematic topical chains linking related biblical themes together as a unique study tool. Popular since 1908.

Scofield Reference Bible

First printed in 1909, the Scofield Reference Bible contains chronologies, thorough book introductions and divisions, and theologically conservative Cyrus Scofield study notes and commentaries interpreting passages.

Ryrie Study Bible

This dispensationalist study Bible includes detailed notes from Charles Ryrie emphasizing literal interpretation, dates of writing, historical and cultural context, and archaeological insights. First published in 1976.

-answerthebible.com-

.....

The Bible.

The Bible[b] is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally written in Hebrew (with some parts in Aramaic) and Koine Greek. The texts include instructions, stories, poetry, prophecies, and other genres. The collection of materials accepted as part of the Bible by a particular religious tradition or community is called a biblical canon. Believers generally consider it to be a product of divine inspiration, but the way they understand what that means and how they interpret the text varies.

The religious texts, or scriptures, were compiled by different religious communities into various official collections. The earliest contained the first five books of the Bible, called the Torah ('Teaching') in Hebrew and the Pentateuch (meaning 'five books') in Greek. The second-oldest part was a collection of narrative histories and prophecies (the Nevi'im). The third collection, the Ketuvim, contains psalms, proverbs, and narrative histories. Tanakh (Hebrew: תָּנָ״ךְ‎, romanized: Tanaḵ) is an alternate term for the Hebrew Bible. The Masoretic Text is the medieval version of the Tanakh—written in Hebrew and Aramaic—that is considered the authoritative text of the Hebrew Bible by modern Rabbinic Judaism. The Septuagint is a Koine Greek translation of the Tanakh from the third and second centuries BCE; it largely overlaps with the Hebrew Bible.

Christianity began as an outgrowth of Second Temple Judaism, using the Septuagint as the basis of the Old Testament. The early Church continued the Jewish tradition of writing and incorporating what it saw as inspired, authoritative religious books. The gospels, which are narratives about the life and teachings of Jesus, along with the Pauline epistles, and other texts quickly coalesced into the New Testament. The oldest parts of the Bible may be as early as c. 1200 BCE, while the New Testament had mostly formed by 4th century CE.

With estimated total sales of over five billion copies, the Christian Bible is the best-selling publication of all time. The Bible has had a profound influence both on Western culture and history and on cultures around the globe. The study of it through biblical criticism has also indirectly impacted culture and history. Some view biblical texts as morally problematic, historically inaccurate, or corrupted by time; others find it a useful historical source for certain peoples and events or a source of ethical teachings. The Bible is currently translated or in the process of being translated into about half of the world's languages.

Etymology

The term Bible can refer to the Hebrew Bible, which corresponds to the Christian Old Testament, or the Christian Bible, which in addition to the Old Testament contains the New Testament.[1]

The English word Bible is derived from Koine Greek: τὰ βιβλία, romanized: ta biblia, meaning 'the books' (singular βιβλίον, biblion).[2] The word βιβλίον itself literally means 'scroll' and came to be used as the ordinary word for book.[3] It is the diminutive of βύβλος byblos, 'Egyptian papyrus', possibly so called from the name of the Phoenician seaport Byblos (also known as Gebal) whence Egyptian papyri would be exported to Greece.[4]

The Greek ta biblia was "an expression Hellenistic Jews used to describe their sacred books".[5] The biblical scholar F. F. Bruce notes that John Chrysostom appears to be the first writer (in his Homilies on Matthew, delivered between 386 and 388 CE) to use the Greek phrase ta biblia ('the books') to describe both the Old and New Testaments together.[6]

The Latin biblia sacra ('holy books') is a translation of the Greek τὰ βιβλία τὰ ἅγια (tà biblía tà hágia), which also means 'the holy books'.[7] Medieval Latin biblia is short for biblia sacra 'holy book'. It gradually came to be regarded as a feminine singular noun (biblia, gen. bibliae) in medieval Latin, and so the word was loaned as singular into the vernaculars of Western Europe.[8]

Development and history

See also: Biblical manuscript, Textual criticism, and Samaritan PentateuchThe Book of Genesis in a c. 1300 Hebrew BibleThe Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa), one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, is the oldest complete copy of the Book of Isaiah.

The Bible is not a single book; it is a collection of books or texts whose complex development is not completely understood. The oldest books began as songs and stories orally transmitted from generation to generation. Scholars of the twenty-first century are only in the beginning stages of exploring "the interface between writing, performance, memorization, and the aural dimension" of the texts. Current indications are that writing and orality were not separate as much as ancient writing was learned in communal oral performance.[9] The Bible was written and compiled by many people, who many scholars say are mostly unknown, from a variety of disparate cultures and backgrounds.[10]

British biblical scholar John K. Riches wrote:[11]

[T]he biblical texts were produced over a period in which the living conditions of the writers – political, cultural, economic, and ecological – varied enormously. There are texts which reflect a nomadic existence, texts from people with an established monarchy and Temple cult, texts from exile, texts born out of fierce oppression by foreign rulers, courtly texts, texts from wandering charismatic preachers, texts from those who give themselves the airs of sophisticated Hellenistic writers. It is a time-span which encompasses the compositions of Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Thucydides, Sophocles, Caesar, Cicero, and Catullus. It is a period which sees the rise and fall of the Assyrian empire (twelfth to seventh century) and of the Persian empire (sixth to fourth century), Alexander's campaigns (336–326), the rise of Rome and its domination of the Mediterranean (fourth century to the founding of the Principate, 27 BCE), the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple (70 CE), and the extension of Roman rule to parts of Scotland (84 CE).

The books of the Bible were initially written and copied by hand on papyrus scrolls.[12] No originals have survived. The age of the original composition of the texts is, therefore, difficult to determine and heavily debated. Using a combined linguistic and historiographical approach, Hendel and Joosten date the oldest parts of the Hebrew Bible (the Song of Deborah in Judges 5 and the Samson story of Judges 16 and 1 Samuel) to having been composed in the premonarchial early Iron Age (c. 1200 BCE).[13] The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in the caves of Qumran in 1947, are copies that can be dated to between 250 BCE and 100 CE. They are the oldest existing copies of the books of the Hebrew Bible of any length that are not fragments.[14]

The earliest manuscripts were probably written in paleo-Hebrew, a kind of cuneiform pictograph similar to other pictographs of the same period.[15] The exile to Babylon most likely prompted the shift to square script (Aramaic) in the fifth to third centuries BCE.[16] From the time of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Hebrew Bible was written with spaces between words to aid reading.[17] By the eighth century CE, the Masoretes added vowel signs.[18] Levites or scribes maintained the texts, and some texts were always treated as more authoritative than others.[19] Scribes preserved and changed the texts by changing the script, updating archaic forms, and making corrections. These Hebrew texts were copied with great care.[20]

Considered to be scriptures (sacred, authoritative religious texts), the books were compiled by different religious communities into various biblical canons (official collections of scriptures).[21] The earliest compilation, containing the first five books of the Bible and called the Torah (meaning "law", "instruction", or "teaching") or Pentateuch ("five books"), was accepted as Jewish canon by the fifth century BCE. A second collection of narrative histories and prophesies, called the Nevi'im ("prophets"), was canonized in the third century BCE. A third collection called the Ketuvim ("writings"), containing psalms, proverbs, and narrative histories, was canonized sometime between the second century BCE and the second century CE.[22] These three collections were written mostly in Biblical Hebrew, with some parts in Aramaic, which together form the Hebrew Bible or "TaNaKh" (an abbreviation of "Torah", "Nevi'im", and "Ketuvim").[23]

Hebrew Bible

Main article: Hebrew Bible

There are three major historical versions of the Hebrew Bible: the Septuagint, the Masoretic Text, and the Samaritan Pentateuch (which contains only the first five books). They are related but do not share the same paths of development. The Septuagint, or the LXX, is a translation of the Hebrew scriptures and some related texts into Koine Greek and is believed to have been carried out by approximately seventy or seventy-two scribes and elders who were Hellenic Jews,[24] begun in Alexandria in the late third century BCE and completed by 132 BCE.[25][26][c] Probably commissioned by Ptolemy II Philadelphus, King of Egypt, it addressed the need of the primarily Greek-speaking Jews of the Graeco-Roman diaspora.[25][27] Existing complete copies of the Septuagint date from the third to the fifth centuries CE, with fragments dating back to the second century BCE.[28] Revision of its text began as far back as the first century BCE.[29] Fragments of the Septuagint were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls; portions of its text are also found on existing papyrus from Egypt dating to the second and first centuries BCE and to the first century CE.[29]: 5 

The Masoretes began developing what would become the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible in Rabbinic Judaism near the end of the Talmudic period (c. 300–c. 500 CE), but the actual date is difficult to determine.[30][31][32] In the sixth and seventh centuries, three Jewish communities contributed systems for writing the precise letter-text, with its vocalization and accentuation known as the mas'sora (from which we derive the term "masoretic").[30] These early Masoretic scholars were based primarily in the Galilean cities of Tiberias and Jerusalem and in Babylonia (modern Iraq). Those living in the Jewish community of Tiberias in ancient Galilee (c. 750–950) made scribal copies of the Hebrew Bible texts without a standard text, such as the Babylonian tradition had, to work from. The canonical pronunciation of the Hebrew Bible (called Tiberian Hebrew) that they developed, and many of the notes they made, therefore, differed from the Babylonian.[33] These differences were resolved into a standard text called the Masoretic text in the ninth century.[34] The oldest complete copy still in existence is the Leningrad Codex dating to c. 1000 CE.[35]

The Samaritan Pentateuch is a version of the Torah maintained by the Samaritan community since antiquity, which European scholars rediscovered in the 17th century; its oldest extant copies date to c. 1100 CE.[36] Samaritans include only the Pentateuch (Torah) in their biblical canon.[37] They do not recognize divine authorship or inspiration in any other book in the Jewish Tanakh.[d] A Samaritan Book of Joshua partly based upon the Tanakh's Book of Joshua exists, but Samaritans regard it as a non-canonical secular historical chronicle.[38]

The first codex form of the Hebrew Bible was produced in the seventh century. The codex is the forerunner of the modern book. Popularized by early Christians, it was made by folding a single sheet of papyrus in half, forming "pages". Assembling multiples of these folded pages together created a "book" that was more easily accessible and more portable than scrolls. The first complete printed press version of the Hebrew Bible was produced in 1488.[39]

New Testament

Paul the Apostle depicted in Saint Paul Writing His Epistles, a c. 1619 portrait by Valentin de BoulogneThe Rylands fragment P52 verso, 125–175 CE, is the oldest existing fragment of New Testament papyrus, including phrases from the 18th chapter of the Gospel of John.[40]

During the rise of Christianity in the first century CE, new scriptures were written in Koine Greek. Christians eventually called these new scriptures the "New Testament" and began referring to the Septuagint as the "Old Testament".[41] The New Testament has been preserved in more manuscripts than any other ancient work.[42][43] Most early Christian copyists were not trained scribes.[44] Many copies of the gospels and Paul's letters were made by individual Christians over a relatively short period of time, very soon after the originals were written.[45] There is evidence in the Synoptic Gospels, in the writings of the early Church Fathers, from Marcion, and in the Didache that Christian documents were in circulation before the end of the first century.[46][47] Paul's letters were circulated during his lifetime, and his death is thought to have occurred before 68 during Nero's reign.[48][49] Early Christians transported these writings around the Empire, translating them into Old Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopic, and Latin, and other languages.[50]

New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman explains how these multiple texts later became grouped by scholars into categories:

During the early centuries of the church, Christian texts were copied in whatever location they were written or taken to. Since texts were copied locally, it is no surprise that different localities developed different kinds of textual tradition. That is to say, the manuscripts in Rome had many of the same errors, because they were for the most part "in-house" documents, copied from one another; they were not influenced much by manuscripts being copied in Palestine; and those in Palestine took on their own characteristics, which were not the same as those found in a place like Alexandria, Egypt. Moreover, in the early centuries of the church, some locales had better scribes than others. Modern scholars have come to recognize that the scribes in Alexandria – which was a major intellectual center in the ancient world – were particularly scrupulous, even in these early centuries, and that there, in Alexandria, a very pure form of the text of the early Christian writings was preserved, decade after decade, by dedicated and relatively skilled Christian scribes.[51]

These differing histories produced what modern scholars refer to as recognizable "text types". The four most commonly recognized are Alexandrian, Western, Caesarean, and Byzantine.[52]

The list of books included in the Catholic Bible was established as canon by the Council of Rome in 382, followed by those of Hippo in 393 and Carthage in 397. Between 385 and 405 CE, the early Christian church translated its canon into Vulgar Latin (the common Latin spoken by ordinary people), a translation known as the Vulgate.[53] Since then, Catholic Christians have held ecumenical councils to standardize their biblical canon. The Council of Trent (1545–63), held by the Catholic Church in response to the Protestant Reformation, authorized the Vulgate as its official Latin translation of the Bible.[54] A number of biblical canons have since evolved. Christian biblical canons range from the 73 books of the Catholic Church canon and the 66-book canon of most Protestant denominations to the 81 books of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church canon, among others.[55] Judaism has long accepted a single authoritative text, whereas Christianity has never had an official version, instead having many different manuscript traditions.[56]

Footnotes

1. "Definition of Bible | Dictionary.com". www.dictionary.com. Archived from the original on 15 October 2006.
2. Bandstra 2009, pp. 7; Gravett et al. 2008, p. xv.
3. Beekes 2009, pp. 246–247.
4. Brake 2008, p. 29.
5. Hamilton, Mark. "From Hebrew Bible To Christian Bible | From Jesus To Christ – The First Christians | Frontline". www.pbs.org. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018.
6. Bruce 1988, p. 214.
7. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert. "A Greek-English Lexicon, βιβλίον". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Archived from the original on 18 November 2019.
8. "The Catholic Encyclopedia". Newadvent.org. 1907. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
9. Carr, David M. The formation of the Hebrew Bible: A new reconstruction. Oxford University Press, 2011. p. 5
10. Swenson 2021, p. 12; Rogerson 2005, p. 21; Riches 2000, ch. 2.
11. Riches 2000, p. 9.
12. Lim 2017, pp. 7, 47.
13. Hendel & Joosten 2018, pp. ix, 98–99, 101, 104, 106.
14. Lim 2017, pp. 38, 47; Ulrich 2013, pp. 103–104; VanderKam & Flint 2013, ch. 5; Brown 2010, ch. 3(A); Harris & Platzner 2008, p. 22.
15. Wegner 2006, p. 59.
16. Wegner 2006, p. 60.
17. Wegner 2006, p. 61.
18. VanderKam & Flint 2013, pp. 88–90.
19. Wegner 2006, pp. 62–63.
20. Wegner 2006, pp. 64–65.
21. Hayes 2012, p. 9.
22. Hayes 2012, pp. 9–10.
23. Lim 2017, p. 40.
24. The Old Testament in Greek Archived 20 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine – Greek manuscripts. British Library. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
25. Segal 2010, p. 363.
26. Dorival, Harl & Munnich 1988, p. 111.
27. Lavidas 2021, p. 30.
28. Lim 2017, pp. 45–46, 58; Hayes 2012, ch. 1; Brown 2010, Intro.; Carr 2010, p. 250; Bandstra 2009, pp. 8, 480; Gravett et al. 2008, p. 47; Harris & Platzner 2008, p. 27; Riches 2000, ch. 3.
29. Dines, Jennifer (2004). The Septuagint. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-567-60152-0.
30. Hauser, Watson & Kaufman 2003, pp. 30–31.
31. Wegner 1999, p. 172.
32. Swenson 2021, p. 29.
33. Phillips 2016, pp. 288–291.
34. Lavidas 2021, p. 75.
35. VanderKam & Flint 2013, p. 87.
36. Lim 2017, pp. 46–49; Ulrich 2013, pp. 95–104; VanderKam & Flint 2013, ch. 5; Carr 2010, p. 8; Bandstra 2009, p. 482; Gravett et al. 2008, pp. 47–49; Harris & Platzner 2008, pp. 23–28.
37. VanderKam & Flint 2013, p. 91.
38. Gaster 1908, p. 166.
39. Hauser, Watson & Kaufman 2003, pp. 31–32.
40. Orsini & Clarysse 2012, p. 470.
41. Lim 2017, pp. 45–46; Brown 2010, Intro. and ch. 1; Carr 2010, p. 17; Bandstra 2009, pp. 7, 484; Riches 2000, chs. 2 and 3.
42. Gurry 2016, p. 117.
43. Rezetko & Young 2014, p. 164.
44. Wegner 2006, p. 300.
45. Wallace 2009, p. 88.
46. Wegner 2006, pp. 40–41, 300–301.
47. Mowry 1944, pp. 76, 84, 85.
48. Mowry 1944, p. 85.
49. Brown 1997, p. 436.
50. Lavidas 2021, p. 29.
51. Ehrman, Bart D. Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why (New York: HarperCollins, 2005) p. 72.
52. Parker 2013, pp. 412–420, 430–432; Brown 2010, ch. 3(A).
53. Lim 2017, p. 40; Hayes 2012, ch. 1; Brown 2010, Intro.; Carr 2010, pp. 3–5; Bandstra 2009, pp. 7–8, 480–481; Gravett et al. 2008, p. xv; Harris & Platzner 2008, pp. 3–4, 28, 371; Riches 2000, ch. 3.
54. Lim 2017, pp. 40, 46, 49, 58–59; Hayes 2012, ch. 1; Brown 2010, Intro.; Carr 2010, pp. 3–5; Bandstra 2009, pp. 7–8, 480–481; Gravett et al. 2008, pp. xv, 49; Harris & Platzner 2008, pp. 3–4, 28, 31–32, 371; Riches 2000, ch. 3.
55. Riches 2000, pp. 7–8.
56. Barton 2019, p. 15.

-Wiki-

.....

The King James Version (KJV).

King James Version (KJV), also known as the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Early Modern English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by sponsorship of King James VI and I.[d] The 80 books of the KJV include 39 books of the Old Testament, 14 books of Apocrypha, and the 27 books of the New Testament.[4]

The KJV does not include a commentary on the text as the King believed that might contain anti-monarchist sentiment as had its predecessor the Geneva Bible.[5]

Noted for its "majesty of style," the KJV has remained in continuous use for over four centuries, exerting more influence on English literature and Christian thought than any other English Bible translation. Its phrasing has been credited with shaping not only hymnody and liturgy, but also the idioms of everyday speech used in the English-speaking world.[6][7][page needed][8] It is considered[by whom?] one of the important literary accomplishments of early modern England. The original KJV is a 17th-century translation and thus contains a large number of archaisms and false friends—words that contemporary readers may think they understand but that actually carry obsolete or unfamiliar meanings—making understanding the text difficult for modern readers, even pastors and preachers trained in formal theological institutes.[9] While the 1611 text reflects Early Modern English usage, subsequent standardisations—most notably the 1769 Oxford edition and the more recent 1900 Pure Cambridge Edition—have made the KJV considerably more accessible to later generations. Many scholars note that its sentence structure is often clearer and more direct than some modern versions, despite occasional obsolete vocabulary.[10]

The King James Version was the third translation into English approved by the Church of England. The first had been the Great Bible in 1535, and the second had been the Bishops' Bible in 1568.[11] Meanwhile in Switzerland, the first generation of Protestant Reformers had produced the Geneva Bible in 1560,[12][13] which proved more popular among the laity. However, the footnotes represented a Calvinistic Puritanism.

King James convened the Hampton Court Conference in January 1604, responding to Puritan grievances outlined in the Millenary Petition.[14][15][16] At this conference, a proposal for a new English translation of the Bible was presented, aiming to address perceived issues in existing versions. King James issued directives to ensure the translation adhered to the ecclesiology of the Church of England, reflecting its episcopal structure and doctrines, including the belief in an ordained clergy.[17] Notably, translators were instructed to avoid marginal notes whenever possible, a feature in the Geneva Bible that had been criticised for promoting Puritanical and anti-monarchical sentiments.[18] For the New Testament, the Textus Receptus was utilized; the Old Testament was translated from the Masoretic Text; and the Apocrypha was rendered from the Septuagint and Latin Vulgate.[19]

By the first half of the 18th century, the King James Version had become effectively unchallenged as the only English translation used in Anglican and other English Protestant churches, except for the Psalms and some short passages in the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England. Over the 18th century, the KJV supplanted the Latin Vulgate as the standard version of scripture for English-speaking scholars.[20] With the development of stereotype printing at the beginning of the 19th century, this version of the Bible had become the most widely printed book in history, almost all such printings presenting the standard text of 1769, and nearly always omitting the books of the Apocrypha.[21] Today the unqualified title "King James Version" usually indicates this Oxford standard text.

In surveys of English-speaking Christians, the KJV frequently ranks among the most read and memorised translations, with many citing its literary cadence and faithfulness to the original texts as reasons for its continued preference.[22]

Name

John Speed's Genealogies recorded in the Sacred Scriptures (1611), bound into first King James Bible in quarto size (1612)

The title of the first edition of the translation, in Early Modern English, was "THE HOLY BIBLE, Conteyning the Old Teſtament, AND THE NEW: Newly Tranſlated out of the Originall tongues: & with former Tranſlations diligently compared and reuiſed, by his Majesties ſpeciall Comandement." Underneath the title, it is written that the Bible is "[a]ppointed to be read in Churches."[23] Biblical scholar F. F. Bruce suggests it was "probably authorised by order in council," but no record of the authorization survives "because the Privy Council registers from 1600 to 1613 were destroyed by fire in January 1618/19."[24]

For many years it was common not to give the translation any specific name. In his Leviathan of 1651, Thomas Hobbes referred to it as "the English Translation made in the beginning of the Reign of King James."[25] A 1761 "Brief Account of the various Translations of the Bible into English" refers to the 1611 version merely as "a new, compleat, and more accurate Translation," despite referring to the Great Bible by its name, and despite using the name "Rhemish Testament" for the Douay–Rheims Bible version.[26] Similarly, a "History of England," whose fifth edition was published in 1775, writes merely that "[a] new translation of the Bible, viz., that now in Use, was begun in 1607, and published in 1611."[27]

King James's Bible is used as the name for the 1611 translation (on a par with the Genevan Bible or the Rhemish Testament) in Charles Butler's Horae Biblicae (first published 1797).[28] Other works from the early 19th century confirm the widespread use of this name on both sides of the Atlantic: it is found both in a "historical sketch of the English translations of the Bible" published in Massachusetts in 1815[29] and in an English publication from 1818, which explicitly states that the 1611 version is "generally known by the name of King James's Bible".[30] This name was also found as King James' Bible (without the final "s"): for example in a book review from 1811.[31] The phrase "King James's Bible" is used as far back as 1715, although in this case it is not clear whether this is a name or merely a description.[32]

The use of Authorized Version, capitalized and used as a name, is found as early as 1814.[33] For some time before this, descriptive phrases such as "our present, and only publicly authorised version" (1783),[34] "our Authorized version" (1731,[35] 1792[36]) and "the authorized version" (1801, uncapitalized)[37] are found. A more common appellation in the 17th and 18th centuries was "our English translation" or "our English version", as can be seen by searching one or other of the major online archives of printed books. In Britain, the 1611 translation is generally known as the "Authorised Version" today.

King James' Version, evidently a descriptive phrase, is found being used as early as 1814.[38] "The King James Version" is found, unequivocally used as a name, in a letter from 1855.[39] The next year King James Bible, with no possessive, appears as a name in a Scottish source.[40] In the United States, the "1611 translation" (actually editions following the standard text of 1769, see below) is generally known as the King James Version today.

Citations

1. "Bible Translation Spectrum". Logos Bible Software Wiki. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
2. "Bible Translation Spectrum". Logos Bible Software Wiki. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
3. KJV Dedicatorie 1611.
4. "Apocrypha".
5. Alter, Robert (2019). The Art of Bible Translation. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press. pp. xii. ISBN 978-0-691-18149-3.
6. "The King James Bible: The Book That Changed the World – BBC Two". BBC.
7. Norton 2011b.
8. McGrath, Alister (2002). In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture. Anchor Books. ISBN 978-0385722162.
9. "King James Bible Study Proyect".
10. Daniell 2003, pp. 453–455.
11. Daniell 2003, p. 204.
12. The Sixth Point of Calvinism, The Historicism Research Foundation, Inc., 2003, ISBN 09620681-4-4
13. The Holy Bible ... With a General Introduction and Short Explanatory Notes, by B. Boothroyd. James Duncan. 1836.
14. "Hampton Court – Attendees". King James Bible History. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
15. "Hampton Court – Activities Day 2". King James Bible History. 2 October 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
16. "Kings & Puritans: Bishops & Bible - The Hampton Court Conference | Christian Library". www.christianstudylibrary.org. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
17. "King James Instructions to the Translators". thekingsbible.com. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
18. foundersadmin (12 October 2011). "The Geneva Bible and Its Influence on the King James Bible". Founders Ministries. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
19. "The Texts | The King James Bible: A Translation for the Ages | Cedarville University". digitalcommons.cedarville.edu. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
20. "King James Version (KJV) | Bible, History, First Published, Commissioned By, Importance, & Background | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
21. "Changes in the King James version". www.bible-researcher.com. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
22. Smietana, Bob (17 March 2014). "Majority of American Bible Readers Still Prefer King James Version". Lifeway Research. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
23. "Museoteca - The general title page of the 1611 King James Bible, Cornelius Boel". museoteca.com. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
24. Bruce, F. F. (1961). The English Bible: A History of Translations. Oxford University Press. p. 101.
25. Hobbes, Thomas (1651). "33". Leviathan or the Matter, Forme, & Power of a Common-wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civill (PDF). London.
26. Pearse 1761, p. 79.
27. Kimber 1775, p. 279.
28. Butler 1807, p. 219.
29. Holmes 1815, p. 277.
30. Horne 1818, p. 14.
31. Adams, Thacher & Emerson 1811, p. 110.
32. Hacket 1715, p. 205.
33. Anon. 1814, p. 356.
34. Anon. 1783, p. 27.
35. Twells 1731, p. 95.
36. Newcome 1792, p. 113.
37. Anon. 1801, p. 145.
38. Smith 1814, p. 209.
39. Chapman 1856, p. 270.
40. Anon. 1856, pp. 530–31.

-Wiki-

.....