Written and translated by different men over thousands of years

The King James Bible 1611 ed. ends the Epistle to the Hebrews with “Written to the Hebrewes, from Italy, by Timothie” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today there are still people in english speaking countries who claim the King James Bible to be the only true Bible. They do seem to forget that God did not require everybody to be able to speak and read English fluently. They also seem to forget that the original language God had chosen was Hebrew and that His only begotten son spoke Aramaic, whilst Jeshua‘s pupils (Jesus’ apostles) wrote their texts in the business language of that time, Greek.

The collection of 66 books were written by about 40 men over a period of 1500 years or more of which 39 are in Hebrew with parts in Aramaic (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 + 2 Samuel, 1 + 2 Kings, 1 + 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi) with the 27 Messianic Scriptures in Greek (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts of the Apostles, letters to the Romans, Corinthians 1 + 2, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians 1 + 2, Timothy 1 + 2, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, Letters of James, Peter 1 + 2, John 1-3, Jude, and the most difficult book of the Bible, the Revelation or Apocalypse of John). In total those 66 books count for 31 102 verses divided over 1 189 chapters.

According to the denomination different arrangements or order of books may be preferred. Generally  a majority goes for the first part the Torah or Law, followed by the Old Testament Narrative, then the Major and minor prophets which lead up to the New Testament narrative with the Gospels. After the life of Jesus in the Gospels we get the Pauline letters or epistles before the General epistles, having the prophesy of the end times and apocalyptic letter of John (John‘s Book of revelation)

To claim that only the King James Bible or Authorised Version is the “only inspired Bible,” and that it alone is “the Word of God”  is limiting the Hand and Work of God.

(KJV) 1631 Holy Bible, Robert Barker/John Bill, London. King James Version (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Several people do attack the other translations, without ever having them compared with the original Hebrew and Greek texts. When you know the knowledge about original texts and about the original language of the Bible was much more restricted in the time of the translation of the King James Bible, from 1604 until 1611, people should come to understand that the limitations of that time had their effect on the credibility and similarity of the Bible writings from the 17th century with those of the time before Jesus was born.

Many contestants claim that the newer versions versions corrupt the purity of God’s Word or even say that those newer translation want to obscure or even take away the deity of Jesus. But that they forget that nowhere in the Bible is written that Jesus is God, though everywhere can be found clearly that he is the sent one and son of God. And when they are afraid people could become more confused about the Trinity, when they come to see that at places it is God Who is speaking and not Jesus or the other way round, they should better question if their human doctrine of the Trinity is of biblical value.

It is true that certain modern bible translations do reprint the Name of God where it was written in the original versions of the manuscripts. But also do know that in the original King James print of 1611 and later versions until the second World War in many places the Name of God could still be found (Iowwah/Yehowah/Jehovah/YHWH/Yahweh), whilst in later editions that name was changed to GOD and later to God (not showing any more the difference between GOD or God and god) and to Lord (not showing the position of that lord, being a lord, the lord Jesus, or being the LORD, Lord of lords or Host of hosts, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah).

Too many people overlook that there is one consistent theme of the Bible which would be most clear when the text would use the names of the original Hebrew and Greek writings. That way people would be able to see how from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible consistently refers and prophesies about a solution Jehovah God was going to give to mankind and how His sent one, Jeshua, was this man, Who God declared to be His only begotten son. This son of man and son of God is the thread of God’s Word that shows why this Jeshua or Jesus Christ ultimately is mankind’s ‘Lord & Saviour’.

When people would be confronted with the original names and find back the tetragrammaton or God’s Name where it originally stood, it will be so much easier for them to understand the Gospel message and see the connection between those more than 300 specific prophecies in the Old Testament that are fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

When Jesus read and quoted from the Old Testament he did not do so in English. Lots of English speaking people are even convinced the son of God had this English name “Jesus” though they forget that the corruption or change of his name took only place in the 4th century when the church had to comply to this name of “Issou” or  “Hail Zeus” in accordance of the Roman ruler Constantine to coincide with the three deities of the Roman Greek culture.

Lots of people do also forget that the Nazarene Essene Jew Jesus knew very well the Torah, the Nevim or Prophets and Kethuvim Aleph or First (Hebrew) Writings. This master teacher, of the early times of our current Gregorian calendar, was willing to be obedient to do what the Tanakh (Tenakh, Tenak, Tanach) or Mikra or Hebrew Bible teaches and has put his own will aside to do the Will of his heavenly Father.

His words were written down by his disciples who got the message to continue to spread the Good News. Their words were also notated and scribes continues to meticulously copy the previous sacred writings. Crossing the borders the preachers got further and further, coming across much opposition, but getting others also to know Jesus and his God.

When the German craftsman Johann Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg got mold, with punch-stamped matrices (metal prisms used to mold the face of the type) with which type could be cast precisely and in large quantities; a type-metal alloy; a new press, derived from those used in wine making, papermaking, and bookbinding; and an oil-based printing ink.

When the German craftsman Johann Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg got a mold, with punch-stamped matrices with which type could be cast precisely and in large quantities; a type-metal alloy together with a new press, derived from those used in wine making, papermaking, and bookbinding; and an oil-based printing ink, he could duplicate quite easily writings, which opened the way to make more copies of God’s Word available for more people.

The texts from 722 bce after the kingdoms of Israel and Judah had fallen and later, could be handed over to go under the presses in different languages. The Greek translation of the Old Testament had made it accessible in the Hellenistic period (c. 300 bce–c. 300 ce) and provided a language for the New Testament and for the Christian liturgy and theology of the first three centuries. but in the 15th and 16th century with an easier method of copying and more people wanting to get to know the Word of God better, more scholars took the time and patience to matriculate translate the text they could hold hands on. For years the Bible had been copied down by hand in Latin and had shaped the thought and life of Western people for a thousand years.

Martin Luther’s 1534 bible

After his religious crisis which would take him from the study of law forever, Martin Luther became aware of a world in which the supernatural was perilously close to everyday life and at the new university of Wittenberg he found time to create “a vehicle of proletarian education” as well as a monument in the spiritual history of Europe. Being placed under the ban of the empire, which designated him an “outlaw” whom anyone could kill without legally committing murder, he was brought to the the castle of Wartburg by the soldiers of his protector Frederick III of Saxony. There he spent a year writing pamphlets, preparing sermons on the Epistles and the Gospels, and translating the New Testament from Greek into German, which became first published in 1522. Twelve years later the Old and New Testaments and Apocrypha, completed the full Luther bible in 1534. Johannes Bugenhagen, Justus Jonas, Caspar Creuziger, Philipp Melanchthon, Matthäus Aurogallus, and Georg Rörer had co-operated to this vast six-part edition.  Luther worked on refining the translation up to his death in 1546: he had worked on the edition that was printed that year. Hans Lufft, the Bible printer in Wittenberg, printed over one hundred thousand copies between 1534 and 1574, which went on to be read by millions.

The German humanist Johann Cochlaeus complained that

Luther’s New Testament was so much multiplied and spread by printers that even tailors and shoemakers, yea, even women and ignorant persons who had accepted this new Lutheran gospel, and could read a little German, studied it with the greatest avidity as the fountain of all truth. Some committed it to memory, and carried it about in their bosom. In a few months such people deemed themselves so learned that they were not ashamed to dispute about faith and the gospel not only with Catholic laymen, but even with priests and monks and doctors of divinity.” { Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1910), 6}

Luther’s vernacular Bible acted as a force towards the liberation of the German people and would become a starting point for many others to follow his direction, as well as playing a role in the slow emancipation of western European society from a long phase of clerical domination. The then recently invented printing press took care that the work could reach many people, and contributed significantly to the development of today’s modern High German language as as braking the domination and unity of the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe.

By his teaching on the “priesthood of all believers,” which grew directly from the proclamation that all Christians lived by the same grace through faith in the same Christ without distinctions between them, and by making the Word of God available in the common language, he opened the way for lay people to study the Word of God. From than onwards more people studying the Word of God, found it also interesting to bring it in the language spoken in the region they were living and preaching.

Any baptized Christian, when able to read the bible, was eligible to be called by the believers to preach, to baptize, and to administer the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper on either a short- or long-term basis. With one stroke, Luther at least theoretically destroyed the very social class that helped constitute the social and political — as well as religious — reality of late medieval Christendom. {Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World | 2004 | Kittelson, James M.}

From above and from translations in other languages we can see that several people often worked together to create a first Bible translation in the language of their nation. We also can see that afterwards many corrections and revisions were made. Luther was not the first to attempt at a German bible, but was able to present a superior version to all its predecessors. Previous translations had contained poor German, and had been from the Vulgate Latin translation, i.e. translations of a translation rather than a direct translation into German from the originals. In the same way we may find first Bible translations from translations in other languages and not being based on the original manuscripts.

Luther’s translation influenced the English translations by William Tyndale and Myles Coverdale who in turn inspired many other translations of the Bible such as the Bishops’ Bible of 1568, the Reims-Douai Bible of 1582–1609, and the King James Version of 1611.

People to day, should know that modern translations take different approaches to bring a contemporary translation. On one site there are those scholars and Bible-students who try to bring a literal translation which is still readable in the vernacular. they sincerely try to bring a formal equivalence translation (sometimes literal translation or formal correspondence) in which the greatest effort is made to preserve the meaning of individual words and phrases in the original ancient writings, with relatively less regard for its understandability by modern readers, or by trying to make the chosen words and order of them acceptable fluently for a contemporary reader.

For some people it is advisable to have the fluidity and understandability as a priority, which makes the translators look for a dynamic equivalence, sometimes called Paraphrastic translation. The main goal is more to create what the original writers supposed to bring over to the listeners. In such translations the translator focusses on rendering the sense and intent of the original. Examples of these versions include Tree of Life Bible, The Living Bible (‘renovated’ years later to become the NLT) and The Message.

For those who want to bring a Bible translation in the vernacular it is not always simple to bring over the meaning of the original script in acceptable easy to read language. Too many people do forget that those involved in such vast work are sincerely devoted to bring the best translation they can. Often they think or discuss a long time about the right word to use. Often they also look at previous translations and notes of those translations, plus take into account many criticisms which are being made in the past about certain translations.

There are a few bibles, like The Word and the Amplified Bible produced jointly by Zondervan (subsidiary of News Corp) and The Lockman Foundation (1954-1965 ) which is largely a revision of the American Standard Version of 1901, with reference made to various texts in the original languages. In cases where a word or phrase admits of more than one meaning the Amplified Bible presents all the possible interpretations, allowing the reader to choose one.

Not all translations are a work of one singular person or of a team, nor are they always from people from the same denomination. Several bible translations where made by a team of people for Judaism, trinitarian and non-trinitarian Christians from different denominations. They also do not always start from the same singular or several sources.

While most translations attempt to synthesize the various texts in the original languages, some translations also translate one specific textual source, generally for scholarly reasons. A single volume example for the Old Testament is The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible (ISBN 0-06-060064-0) by Martin Abegg, Peter Flint and Eugene Ulrich.

The Comprehensive New Testament (ISBN 978-0-9778737-1-5) by T. E. Clontz and J. Clontz presents a scholarly view of the New Testament text by conforming to the Nestle-Aland 27th edition and extensively annotating the translation to fully explain different textual sources and possible alternative translations. { See the New International Version, the Revised Standard Version, The New King James Version and the New American Standard Version of the Bible. + Genesis 1 AMP – In the beginning God (prepared, formed”. Bible Gateway. Retrieved 2012-10-31.}

A Comparative Psalter (ISBN 0-19-529760-1) edited by John Kohlenberger presents a comparative diglot translation of the Psalms of the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint, using the Revised Standard Version and the New English Translation of the Septuagint.

R. A. Knox’s Translation of the Vulgate into English is another example of a single source translation.

{Free Encyclopedia Wikipedia}

Natural where the translators came from originally and which language they use daily, at home and in their worship places, shall influence a lot the use of words for the particular translation.

While modern biblical scholarship is similar for both Christians and Jews, in Christendom there are those who want to hold on to tradition trinitarian teaching and as such prefer to use Christological interpretations and religious terms. Those trinitarian Christians are often not so keen to place God’s Name everywhere the tetragammaton is written in the original language. The use of that Holy Name of God they like to avoid for “not fearing their readers” (dixit some publishers) with God’s Name Jehovah and for not letting them think or come to see that on several levels the Jehovah’s witnesses give a right explanation to the literal translation of the bible text.

Non-trinitarian Christians and Jews in the Bible translation committees often have to give into the publishers wish to leave out that tetragrammaton or God’s Name, for being able to have a sellable product.

The Messianic Jews and some non-trinitarian Christians prefer to produce their own Bible translations. The Jewish academic scholars often prefer adherence to the Masoretic Text (at least in the main body of the text, as in the new Jewish Publication Society (JPS) translation) and greater use of classical Jewish exegesis as well as common Jewish, anglicised indigenous Hebrew and Judeo-Aramaic or Yiddish words.

For the names it is in many languages also a problem which one to choose. Some translations prefer names transliterated from the Hebrew or Judeo-Aramaic, though the majority of Jewish translations use the Anglicized forms of biblical names.

By the Messianic Jews as well by the so called “Messianic Chrisitans” we often find either the Yiddish form or older English form, like using the older I or Y where we now do use the J, giving names like Iovah or Yehovah and Yeshua instead of Jeshua.

Some complain that after the King James version more heretics and occultists came to work on the  translation committees of some of the “new” translations. those who say that should wonder if they prefer to be a translation to give what is really written in the original texts or do they prefer that the translations confirms with all the denominational teachings. It is true that on contemporary translation committees there are also atheists present, real linguists, who try to do their translation work professionally according to the linguistic rules and not according biblical nor human doctrinal rules.

Those objecting such mixed translation committee should wonder if a scholar’s personal or theological bias necessarily taint his or her work, or can he or she do good scholarship despite his own beliefs or lifestyle.

Why is this just as important a question for KJV Only proponents as it is for anyone else?

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For those who find there is a good reason to have a conflict over the different Bible translations we would like to recommend also to have a look at the three articles the graduate of the University of Illinois—Chicago, Master of Arts in Church History and Philosophy of Christian Thought and Master of Divinity (with honors) from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Luther Rice Seminary, founder and president of The John Ankerberg Show, Dr. John Ankerberg.

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Preceding articles

Bible Word from God

God’s Blog recorded in a Book

Creator and Blogger God 10 A Blog of a Book 4 Listening to the Blogger

Creator and Blogger God 11 Old and New Blog 1 Aimed at one man

Statutes given unto us

Absolute Basics to Reading the Bible

Looking at notes of Samuel Ward and previous Bible translation efforts in English

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Additional literature

1. Necessary to be known all over the earth
2. True God giving His Word for getting wisdom
3. Bible Word of God, inspired and infallible
4. Eternal Word that tells everything
5. Challenging claim 1 Whose word
6. God-breathed prophetic words written torah and the mitzvot to teach us
7. Why is it that Christians don’t understand Muslims and Muslims do not understand Christians?
8. The Bible a book of books
9. Bric-a-brac of the Bible
10. Bible guide
11. Book of books and great masterpiece
12. Ketuvim, Writings, Hagiographa, Five Megillot and Messianic Scriptures
13. Appointed to be read
14. Unread best-seller
15. Bible, helmet of health, salvation and sword of the spirit
16. True God giving His Word for getting wisdom
17. Words to inspire and to give wisdom
18. Coming to understanding from sayings written long ago
19. People Seeking for God 7 The Lord and lords
20. Looking for wisdom not departing from God’s Word
21. Cleanliness and worrying or not about purity
22. King James Bible Coming into being
23. Dedication and Preaching Effort 400 years after the first King James Version
24. Rare original King James Bible discovered
25. Celebrating the Bible in English
26. TheBible4Life KJV Jubileum
27. The NIV and the Name of God
28. Lord in place of the divine name
29. Hashem השם, Hebrew for “the Name”
30. Archeological Findings the name of God YHWHUse of /Gebruik van Jehovah or/of Yahweh in Bible Translations/Bijbel vertalingen
31. יהוה , YHWH and Love: Four-letter words
32. Accuracy, Word-for-Word Translation Preferred by most Bible Readers
33. Hebrew, Aramaic and Bibletranslation
34. Bible Translating and Concordance Making
35. Comparisson Bible Books in English, Dutch and French
36. Some Restored Name Versions
37. Codex Sinaiticus available for perusal on the Web
38. What English Bible do you use?
39. The Most Reliable English Bible
40. 2001 Translation an American English Bible
41. NWT and what other scholars have to say to its critics
42. New American Bible Revised Edition
43. The NIV and the Name of God
44. Anchor Yale Bible
45. iPod & Android Bibles
46. Some Restored Name Versions
47. Perspectives on the Formation of the Book of the Twelve
48. Scripture alone Sola Scriptora
49. Who Gets to Say What the Bible Says?
50. Forbidden fruit
51. Obstacles to effective evangelism
52. The manager and Word of God
53. Incomplete without the mind of God
54. Feed Your Faith Daily
55. We should use the Bible every day
56. A treasure which can give me everything I need
57. Another way looking at a language #7 Lingua Franca
58. Of the many books Only the Bible can transform
59. The Bible and names in it
60. Americans really thinking the Messiah Christ had an English name
61. Does there have to be a Holy Trinity?
62. Comparisson Bible Books in English, Dutch and French
63. Old and newer King James Versions and other translations #1 Pre King James Bible
64. Old and newer King James Versions and other translations #2 King James Bible versions
65. Old and newer King James Versions and other translations #3 Women and versions
66. Souls and Religions with Nirvana and light

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Further reading

1. Amazing Tanakh, Or Five Reasons I Learned to Love the Old Testament
2. Of Gods and Languages: On “When God Spoke Greek”
3. Why Is God’s Name Missing From Many Bibles ?
4. Names of God in Judaism: EMET excerpt selected by אלוה אל
5. ΠΙΠΙ and the Use of Hebrew in Greek Manuscripts
6. The Divine Name and Greek Translation
7. I AM…………………….The name of God and endless potential
8. The Heavy Hands of Moses and the Heavy Hand of G-d
9. G-d is Married to the Jewish People
10. A Priest Forever at God’s Right Hand
11. The Suffering Servant in Jewish and Christian Theology
12. Foundations: The Tanakh – The Hebrew Bible
13. Foundations: The Weekly Torah Portion – Parashat ha-Shavua (פָּרָשַׁת הַשָּׁבוּעַ)
14. Yirmiyahu Thirty: All the People
15. Yirmiyahu Thirty-One: New Covenant
16. Yirmiyahu Thirty-Two: Relationships with God
17. The Sign of the Prophet
18.  a walk around #jewishlondon- שלם
19. Elijah and the Roman Exile
20. Israeli Leader Urges Bible Study
21. Antichrist
22. The Covenant of the Righteous Servant Sealed by G-d
23. The Reason I Named My Blog “Seeking Yehovah”…
24. Cyrus, “YHWH’s Messiah” (HaShems Anointed King)
25. The Bowyer Bible Ezekiel headpiece vignette by Loutherbourg for the Macklin Bible cap 1 v 4
26. Stop Doubting the Origin of the Bible
27. Facts and History of the Bible, Know ‘yer Bible
28. The Conflict Over Different Bible Versions/Part 1
29. The Conflict Over Different Bible Versions/Part 2
30. The Conflict Over Different Bible Versions/Part 3
31. Something Many English Bible Translations Have In Common
32. Six Reasons To Not Follow “King James Version-onlyism”
33. Our God is The One True God!
34. Today in Christian History: June 10: Kenneth Taylor, author of The Living Bible, died at the age of 88
35. Infographic on English Bible Translations
36. English Bible Translations
37. Rose Publishing Complete Kit For How We Got The Bible 6-Session DVD-based Bible Study Review – Rating: 9.7
38. 7 Bible Translations You Should Look At Regularly
39. Double Inspiration and the Debate Over the Best Bible Version
40. Freedom from the Bible Police
41. About Bible Translations
42. Why we need different Bible versions
43. The correct Bible Translation
44. The Challenge of Translating
45. The King James Bible
46. The KJV Is An Independent TR Variety
47. The King James Bible and the Restoration
48. Why King James Bible?
49. KJV Only
50. KJV Only?
51. The King James Only Controversy: Can We Trust Modern Translations?
52. King James Only? … The Final Word
53. King James Only–Refuted (part 3)
54. Thees, Thous, and Wot Nots
55. Everyday Phrases From The King James Bible
56. 65 commonly used English terms, proverbs, & idioms from the KJV
57. Reflections on an Old Bible
58. War on the Bible
59. NKJV vs. ESV: Thoughts on the Translation Wars
60. Blomberg Gives Clarity in the Translation Wars
61. How Trustworthy Are Bible Translations?
62. Book Review – William Tyndale: A Biography
63. Tyndale’s Task
64. More on English Bible Versions
65. A Succinct Critique of the Amplified Version of the Bible
66. What does “NIV” stand for?
67. Why I Use the ESV
68. ESV for “Joe the Bus Driver”
69. August 13, 2016 Resources: Voting (or not); Is God Pleased With You?; The Insider’s Bible
70. Challenge #3: Day 17: The Living Bible
71. Challenge #3: Day 15: New English Bible or Revised English Bible
72. Challenge #3: Day 14: Common English Bible
73. Challenge #3: Day 13: Good News Translation
74. Challenge #3: Day 12: New Jerusalem Bible
75. Challenge #3: Day 11: New English Translation
76. Was John R. Rice a Heretic?
77. Now there’s a book, chapter and verse for 😉 😦 and :p
78. Colossians 1:12 – Acceptable, Meet or Qualified?!
79. The Message
80. The Message Personal Size
81. Conditions Precedent to Blessings
82. I Dedicate…My Every-Day Life.
83. The Gospel Message
84. The Power of Words
85. Competition
86. Laudable Linkage
87. Is Adam made of Pixie Dust? Translation Alternatives to Genesis 2:7
88. Review and Giveaway: The CEB Student Bible
89. New Bible Translation Eliminates “Father, Son, Holy Spirit and Messiah” Because It Insults Muslims
90. ‘Edgy’ Bible Translations Often Overlooked
91. The Heavenly Chorus (Revelation 5:9-10)
92. Do you have a hard time defining your mission?
93. May 15, Sunday Bible Reading
94. Week 5: Rightly divide the Word of God
95. Truth Treasure: Do You Know Him?
96. No Faith, Little Faith and Great Faith
97. 9/9 The Weekly Best
98. How I read the bible
99. Study the Word: Spoudazo
100. Christian Song Funds Bible Translations

 

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Related articles

• The King James Controversy Revisited – Program 2 | John Ankerberg Show – John Ankerberg Show
• Bible Statistics
• Facts and History of the Bible, Know ‘yer Bible – Mormon a Go Go
• Back in print: Tyndale Bible
• The Bible’s View of Itself
• The Bible a book of books
• 2000 years of Christianity What remains of Bible Truth?
• Old and newer King James Versions and other translations #1 Pre King James Bible
• Old and newer King James Versions and other translations #2 King James Bible versions
• Looking at notes of Samuel Ward and previous Bible translation efforts in English

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