Thought for Today
Genesis 10:5 From these the coastland peoples spread. These are the descendants of Japheth in their lands, with their own language, by their families, in their nations.
Genesis 11:1 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.
Romans 9:17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh, "I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth."
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
Last night during our Zoom Bible Study, we spent some time talking about the various different translations of the Bible. As we look at various passages, we always look at the verses in the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) and compare it against Eugene Peterson’s The Message. Peterson’s Bible is not technically a translation; it is described on the title page as, “a contemporary rendering of the Bible from the original languages, crafted to present its tone, rhythm, events, and ideas in everyday language.”
Many of us are old enough to remember when almost all Protestant churches used only the King James Version (KJV). The Revised Standard Version (RSV) I received as a presentation Bible in 1956 was a first edition. The copyright information on the title page does say that the New Testament Section has a copyright date of 1946, but the Old Testament Section has a copyright date of 1952.
The history of our holy scriptures is interesting. If you have a Bible that suggests the date of origin for each book, take a look at the dates for the various books. Our scriptures were written and compiled over a long period of time. During that long epoch, our ancestors-in-the-faith spoke and heard many different languages. Many of the oldest books seem to have originated from an earlier oral tradition, long before the Hebrew people had a written language. Most of the scholars I studied in seminary dated the origin of written Hebrew to the reign of King David, about 1000 BC (or BCE).
The faith tradition that ordained me requires that clergy study biblical Hebrew and the koine Greek of the New Testament. So too did both the seminaries I attended. I know that the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew. There was a Greek version, the Septuagint. “The very first translation of the Hebrew Bible was made into Greek, probably as early as the third century BC. This, the so called Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, is traditionally dated to the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus of Egypt (285-246 BC).” (biblearchaeology.org)
I suspect that there has been argument and controversy over Bible translation ever since Ptolemy allowed that Septuagint to arise. The history of our English translations is long, complex and sometimes even violent. Even that KJV so many of us remember reading as children sparked some controversy. I have long suspected that King James VI & I commissioned the preparation of the KJV as a personal convenience so that he would no longer have to read one English language Bible in London and a different version in Edinburgh.
I thoroughly enjoy reading the Bible in various translations. I’m not fluent in any language other than Texican, but I can (with some difficulty) read the Hebrew and Greek shown on my software for each passage we study. I also have my screen show each passage in 8 different English language translations. I have read several books written about the Dead Sea Scrolls. I was even privileged to see some of those ancient scrolls when they toured the United Sates some years ago.
The Greek New Testament I used in seminary also has what is known as a critical apparatus. Each page has footnotes referencing the plethora of varying codices and papyri discovered by archaeologist which present slightly differing words or grammar.
At the end of the day, we are all presented with a wealth of differing words and verses, different translations both modern and new. As I survey them all, I am always amazed at how little they vary. When I think about the issue, when I am asked about which translation or version is the best, I always advise that the best translation or version is the one you yourself will pick up and read. The truth is that there is very little difference in the theology from one to the other. Eugene Peterson was wise in the title he chose, The Message.
Over the long history of our faith, from the earliest ancestors-in-the-faith to each one of us, God’s message to us has been the same. Jesus told us, love God, love each other. Live lives of love.
Stay safe, love, trust God,
Pastor Ray