Last week’s article focused on explaining the texts and documents that make up the Old and New Testament. This week’s edition will explain how the Bible was brought from the original manuscripts and copies into the English language.
The English language has a wealth of Bible translations. Over the last century, over 500 English versions of the Bible have been created. There are currently close to 100 English versions in print. One website, called biblegateway.com, provides sixty-two different versions of the English bible that can be compared and analyzed to see which translations communicate the original author’s words and meaning the most accurately.
The reason there are so many translations in English is because of differing goals and philosophies on the translation teams. The method of translation is often depicted on a chart with the most narrow “word-for-word” translations on one side and the most broad “paraphrase” translations on the other side of the chart. I refer to “word-for-word” translations as narrow because the translators are seeking to match each word from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek with the closest English equivalent.
The New American Standard Bible (1995), the English Standard Version (2001) and the Legacy Standard Bible (2022) are considered “dynamic equivalent” translations. They all share the same narrow philosophy of translation, which seeks “accuracy and consistency.” (LSB, 1). This has been the same goal of translators throughout church history, although not all translators have been able to meet that goal with the same results. One famous example of this is the “Place-makers Bible,” which is also known as the Geneva Bible of 1562. In it the printers created a typo and printed “Blessed are the placemakers” instead of “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Even though mistakes have been made in translation, modern translators are able to see them and ensure they are removed from current translations.
All English translations are derived, at least in part, from the three most ancient copies of the Old and New Testament. These copies are called codexes and are often referred to by their symbols, which are Codex A, Codex ℵ or Aleph (The first letter of the Hebrew alphabet), and Codex B. The latter represents Codex Vaticanus (AD 325-350), which is located in the Vatican Library in Rome. Codex Aleph is also known as Codex Sinaiticus (AD 330-360). Codex A refers to Codex Alexandrinus (AD 400-440). These last two codexes are located at the British library in London. These documents are unique because of their age and the large amount of the Old and New Testament that are contained in their pages.
The next major translation of the complete bible was into Latin. This version of the bible is called the Vulgate and was translated by a man named Jerome in the 5th century. This bible was used by the Roman Catholic Church for hundreds of years. You might be surprised to learn that the English language can trace its roots to almost a hundred years after the Vulgate was written. Old English developed from Anglo-Saxon immigrants to England in the 5th century. The language continued to change with the Norman conquest of England in 1066. This is when the language changed into Middle English. The first translation into English is actually a part of the Middle English era. This is when John Wycliffe was compelled to give his countrymen a version of the Bible that they could understand. The Wycliffe Bible was completed around AD 1395.
In 1525, the Tyndale Bible was printed in English. This was not a complete version of the Bible because the author, William Tyndale was imprisoned before it was completed. This Bible was printed amidst huge controversy because at the time it was illegal to have the Bible printed in English. William Tyndale was eventually executed for going against the government’s orders. The English used in this translation is a part of Modern English and although it would be difficult for a modern English speaker to read, it would be understandable.
Once the Tyndale Bible was translated, it opened the way for many other English translations to be completed. The Coverdale Bible (1535), Matthew’s Bible (1537), and the Great Bible (1539) were all printed in short succession. A significant breakthrough occurred with the Geneva Bible of 1560 because it was the first time an English Bible was printed that had been translated in full from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. This bible included annotations and notes to help readers understand the meaning of Scripture. This is the Bible that became the foundation for the King James Version of 1611 and many other modern versions of the English Bible.
