Translation of the Bible

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Throughout history, the text of the Bible has been translated into many different languages so that peoples of all cultures and times can understand God's redemption story for His chosen people. The Old Testament was mostly written in Hebrew, except for example, a few sections in the book of Daniel that were written in Aramaic. The New Testament was originally written in Koine Greek.

There are even times when people in the Bible are found interpreting and explaining the scripture so others around can understand it. While they may not have been translating, when Ezra was reading the law of God to the people of Israel who has gathered around, he had others with him that were helping explain and interpret the law.

Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. (Nehemiah 8:7-8)

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Timeline of Bible Translation History

The following timeline presents some of the key events in translation history, with particular reference to English-language translations.[1]

  • 1400 BC?: Perhaps the first written Word of God. The Ten Commandments delivered to Moses.
  • 500 BC: Completion of all original Hebrew manuscripts which make up the 39 Books of the Old Testament.
  • 200 BC: Completion of the Septuagint Greek manuscripts which contain the 39 Old Testament books and 14 Apocryphal books.
  • 1st century AD: Completion of all original Greek manuscripts which make up the 27 Books of the New Testament.
  • AD 367: Athanasius, the Bishop of Alexandria, identifies the 27 books of the New Testament which are today recognized as the canon of Scripture. [1] [2] [3] [4]
  • AD 382: Jerome's Latin Vulgate manuscripts produced which contain all 80 books (39 OT + 14 Apocrypha + 27 NT).
  • AD 500: The Scriptures have been translated into over 500 languages.
  • AD 600: Latin declared the only language permitted for Scripture.
  • AD 995: Anglo-Saxon (early roots of English language) translations of the New Testament produced.
  • AD 1384: John Wycliffe is the first person to produce a (hand-written) manuscript copy of the complete Bible, all 80 books.
  • AD 1455: Gutenberg invents the printing press. Books may now be mass-produced instead of individually hand-written. The first book ever printed is Gutenberg's Bible in Latin.
  • AD 1516: Erasmus produces a Greek/Latin parallel New Testament.
  • AD 1522: Martin Luther's German New Testament.
  • AD 1526: William Tyndale's New Testament. The first New Testament printed in the English language.
  • AD 1535: Myles Coverdale's Bible. The first complete Bible printed in the English language (80 Books: O.T. & N.T. & Apocrypha).
  • AD 1539: The "Great Bible" printed. The first English language Bible authorized for public use (80 Books).
  • AD 1560: The Geneva Bible printed. The first English language Bible to add numbered verses to each chapter (80 Books).
  • AD 1568: The Bishop's Bible printed. The Bible of which the King James was a revision (80 Books).
  • AD 1609: The Douay Old Testament is added to the Rheims New Testament (of 1582) making the first complete English Catholic Bible. Translated from the Latin Vulgate (80 Books).
  • AD 1611: The King James Bible printed, drawing on the Bishop's Bible and also Tyndale's earlier work, originally with all 80 Books. The Apocrypha was officially removed in 1885 leaving only 66 books.
  • AD 1841: English Hexapla New Testament. An early textual comparison showing the Greek and 6 famous English translations in parallel columns.
  • AD 1881: The English Revised Version Bible; The First Major English Revision of the KJV.
  • AD 1901: The American Standard Version. A major revision of the KJV, still in use today.
  • AD 1971: The New American Standard Bible is published as a modern translation of the Bible using the principle of formal equivalence.
  • AD 1973: The New International Version is published as a modern translation of the Bible using the principle of dynamic equivalence.
  • AD 1982: The New King James Version is published as a modern revision of the King James Version.
  • AD 2002: The English Standard Version is published as a translation to bridge the gap between the accuracy of the NASB and the readability of the NIV.

Translation ministries

  • Wycliffe Bible Translators

See also

References

  1. ↑ Timeline adapted from English Bible History at greatsite.com.

Further reading

  • The Word of God in English: Criteria for Excellence in Bible Translation, by Leland Ryken (ISBN 1581344643) (Review)
  • Why Is My Choice of a Bible Translation So Important?, by Wayne Grudem (ISBN 0977396800)

External links

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