Some of these were necessary in the light of new sources and improved scholarship, and some were simply an effort to reach people in the language style of their own time, sometimes as a paraphrase. Prices are hidden. For a more interesting read, The Murderous History of Bible Translation has much of the same information and is much easier on the brain. The fact that most modern Bible versions are copyrighted seems to be a small point at first. Metzger gives just a very brief overview about different translations and sometimes some information about the translator. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. Baker Publishing Group; First Paperback Edition (January 1, 2001), Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2017. It’s a rewrite of the Bible. After reading this with an open mind, it is impossible to hold a King-James-Only view. He was a scholar of Greek, New Testament, and New Testament textual criticism, and wrote prolifically on these subjects. Anyone who wants a fuller picture of the history and legacy underlying today's English translations. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Other points in The Passion Translation show a similar bias. There's a section about the English translations done before the King James Version in1611, a chapter on the KJV, and several chapters about the Bibles which made the most important contributions to our modern English versions. It has been a great strength to me. Excellent reference book if you need a long list of Bible translations with synopses. At first, just the Torah was translated, in the third century B.C.E. Bible translations are both a gift and a problem. This would include the LXX, Targums, Syriac, Latin, Coptic, Armenian, etc. Either the Tanakh or the New Testament was available in an additional 1,168 languages, in some kind of translations, like the interlinear morpheme-by-morpheme translation (e.g. I was intrigued by all the different issues that arise and cause problems for translators. He covers details including the circumstances under which these translations were undertaken, their aims, base texts, translation philosophies, idiosync. By the 13th century this revision had come to be called the versio vulgata, that is, the "commonly used translation", and ultimately it became the definitive and officially promulgated Latin version of the Holy Bible in the Catholic Church. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the Enter key is pressed. Bible translations are both a gift and a problem. Outlined here is the history of Bible translation, including a careful analysis of more than fifty versions of the Bible. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Don't get me wrong, the KJV is still my favorite translation! To see what your friends thought of this book. The first part of the book describes early translations of the Bible into several languages, which paved the way to the English translations. New American Standard Bible : which is a ‘Word For Word’ bible translation: There has been a long fight between the New American Standard Bible and the King James Bible, for first place in accuracy. The first half deals with ancient manuscripts that modern translators and textual critics use in attempts to ascertain the original text. Metz, Bruce Manning Metzger (February 9, 1914 – February 13, 2007) was an American biblical scholar and textual critic who was a longtime professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and Bible editor who served on the board of the American Bible Society and United Bible Societies. This book is very good for those unaware of some of the ancient versions, like the Syriac Peshitta used by christians in the East and other early versions of the NT, like the Vulgate. Not for the casual reader. This is a much more academic work which expects the reader to already know the relevant technical jargon (e.g., higher-criticism, pericope, deuterocanonical), as well as having a basic grasp of the history of christianity. The Bible in Translation is a good introduction to the realm of English Bible translations. being ‘in sorrow’ rather than ‘beating their breasts’) October 1st 2001 He focuses mainly on the highlights of biblical translation relevant for the English-speaking world, beginning with the first ancient translations (Jewish and Christian), then following the path of modern biblical translations up to the present. Full of information, easy to look up what you are looking for. Bruce M. Metzger (Ph.D., Princeton University) is George L. Collord Professor of New Testament Language and Literature Emeritus at Princeton Theological Seminary. by Baker Academic, The Bible in Translation: Ancient and English Versions. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Thanks to developments in archeology, throughout the nineteenth century many other ancient manuscripts have been found. The book is (predictably) well written and quite engaging. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. See 1 question about The Bible in Translation…. In his overview of English translations, he demonstrates the evolution of the English Bible up to through, and beyond the King James Version, deftly weaving details and analyses of these texts as he does. Please try again. Metzger provides a brief synopsis for every major English translation from Wycliffe to present day. This is a great survey of Bible translations through history. It was not until the publication of the Westcott and Hort Greek New Testament in 1881, which preferred the Alexandrian text-type, that the Textus Receptus lost its position as the Greek New Testament standard.. A Vivid History of Bible Translation, Scholarly Devotion from Origen to Metzger, Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2006, Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2011. Nor how many "original" King James Versions there were! Excellent overview of the history of the Bible. GOD’S WORD Translation Bible was produced using a theory of translation that combines accuracy with understandability. The Bible in Translation: Ancient and English Versions - Kindle edition by Metzger, Bruce M.. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Referring to it as a “translation” and calling it a good choice for a primary study Bible, as the author does, is deceptive. Meaning is influenced by culture, background, and many other details. Latin was the language of the church, and the few whole Bibles that did exist were handwritten in Latin and would have been inaccessible to the average person, even if he could read. The indulgent father, overcome by these blandishments, immediately divided all his fortunes..." Oh, those upper-crusty parables! For example, the book of Hebrews uses the Septuagint to … i am a muslim i want to read this book.......... but i know english a little.......so what can i do ...........???? The translation "Jubilee year" results from a mistaken application of cognates (similar words in different languages). The Bible is the most translated book in the world. Originally starting out as an effort to revise The Living Bible, the project evolved into a new English translation from Hebrew and Greek texts. Read More on This Topic. The Latin Vulgate translation was dominant in Western Christianity through the Middle Ages. Outlined here is the development of biblical translation, including a careful analysis of more than fifty versions of the Bible. Biblical translation, the art and practice of rendering the Bible into languages other than those in which it was originally written. Great book on History of Bible translations, Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2014. Available for iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone and more. The Bible has been translated more than any other piece of literature and is currently available in over two thousand languages, with several languages having numerous versions. Unable to add item to List. John Wycliffe (1329—1384) was the first person to oversee a translation of the entire Bible into English (NT in 1380, OT in 1382). Something went wrong. They give us the words God spoke through his servants, but words can be poor containers for revelation because they leak! He covers details including the circumstances under which these translations were undertaken, their aims, base texts, translation philosophies, idiosyncrasies, and critical and popular reception. I used it for my dissertation on Bible Translation and Gender in college and it helped a lot. Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2013. The result of his work, therefore, is a wonderful introduction and an enjoyable read. Another favorite of mine. Please try again. Please try your request again later. This book tracks the history regarding the translation of the Bible. Also contains a short history of other, early translations of the Bible. I rarely felt this book got too involved in obscure academic issues, and yet it provides many useful facts and some priceless copies quotations from lesser-known translations. A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (Ancient Greek Edition), The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance, Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origin and Development of the Bible, The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration (4th Edition), The New Testament: Its Background Growth and Content 3rd Edition, Understanding Scripture: An Overview of the Bible's Origin, Reliability, and Meaning, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: Fourth Edition, How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding and Using Bible Versions, The Complete Word Study New Testament (Word Study Series). He focuses mainly on the highlights of biblical translation relevant for the English-speaking world, beginning with the first ancient translations (Jewish and Christian), then following the path of modern biblical translations up to the present. In his overview of English translations, he demonstrates the evolution of the English Bible up to through, and beyond the King. The Bible in Translation is a good introduction to the realm of English Bible translations. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. This translation was called the Septuagint, a word that means 70 in the Greek language. Well organized and it gives you the important facts right away, without inserting too much fluff or a particular doctrinal view. He was a scholar of Greek, New Testament, and New Testament textual criticism, and wrote prolifically on these subjects. "There's a translation of the Scripture that this guy Eugene Peterson has undertaken. This is a much more academic work which expects the reader to already know the relevant technical jargon (e.g., higher-criticism, pericope, deuterocanonical), as well as having a basic grasp of the history of christianity. This includes some very rare and obscure translations, now out of print such as the Noah Webster version and others. In the original Hebrew, the year was called the "year of the horn," or, in Hebrew, "the year of the yovel." Produced by the USCCB with the Catholic Bible Association, it is the translation that is used for Mass readings. We’d love your help. OMG this book was so boring. KJV Onlyists fail to understand that and that the KJV is a product of the Anglican church; whose doctrines and practices they detest. An expert in ancient biblical manuscripts, he has participated in three major Bible translation projects and was chairman of the NRSV translation committee. Very informatative, yet written in a way that's easy to understand. This is a great survey of Bible translations through history. The Bible has been translated more often than any other piece of literature and is currently available in over two thousand languages, with several languages having numerous versions. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Outlined here is the history of Bible translation, including a careful analysis of more than fifty versions of the Bible. It didn’t fall from the sky, bound in leather, with every word in perfect English. In short, closest natural equivalence concentrates on accurately translating the meaning of the original languages into natural English. He’s no fan of the KJV, as he makes plain in several places. The Passion Translation of the Bible is not, therefore a “translation” of the Bible at all. Instead, the original translations of the Bible were written in mostly Hebrew and Aramaic for the Old Testament, and Koine Greek for the New Testament.So why is this confusing?Well, the English versions of the Bible that we are reading are mere translations of the original text.It’s best to think of the different translations of the Bible al… It seems the author is biased, as he was involved in the translation of the NRSV, Reader’s Digest Bible, and others. There is some interesting info. Had to buy this for a class in grad school, but it is a book you should have on your bookshelf if you need to look up anything about the different translations and the history of those translations. This (as well as the Freedman book) should probably be read before any serious attempt is made to read and understand the religious writings both authors are discussing (whatever your personal views on religion and belief). Both the Old and New Testaments have a long history of translation. The result of Metzger's labor is, more than a historical overview, a primer that equips readers to make critically informed judgments about available translations and achieve better understanding of the biblical text. His approach to the translation of the Bible into German, completed in 1534, influenced a number of translators in other languages, including William Tyndale, who, around the same time, was the first to translate the Bible into English entirely from its original languages. Began as a revision of The Living Bible but became a full translation from the original language Kept The Living Bible’s emphasis on accessibility Changes some metaphors from the Bible into more understandable phrases (e.g. That being said, I learned a lot by reading this short, but information-packed work. Depending on the article you read, you’ll see the New American Standard Bible in first place. God longs to have his Word expressed in every language in a way that unlocks the passion of his heart. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2015. Not much needs to be said about Metzger's book other than to acknowledge that it is an excellent survey of translation history. The Bible has been translated more often than any other piece of literature, with several languages having numerous versions. Such insights come from Metzger's own deep study of the Bible in various respects, as well as his long experience in translation projects, both of which show through in this study. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. BONO, LEAD SINGER OF U2. This is the most widely used Catholic Bible in the United States. Good overview of Bible translation history. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, No Import Fees Deposit & $20.98 Shipping to Norway. The 2005 Encarta Encyclopedia says this about the requirements for a document to be copyrighted: “To qualify for copyright protection, … t. e. The Bible has been translated into many languages from the biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Read more endorsements I found the material on English translations to be the most helpful. I'm not sure this is a book you need to sit down and read straight through, but I was intrigued enough to do so. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. I found the material on English translations to be the most helpful. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Interesting and from a different prospective than what I have seen in other books on the subject. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2014. ; the rest of the biblical books were translated later. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published It became the Bible of the early church, and many New Testament authors quoted from it rather than from the Hebrew text. Since then, the Bible has been translated into many more languages. I was thrilled to get such an affordable copy of this book. Very straight forward recitation of the history (and progression) of the Bible in English, current through about 2000. I skimmed this. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. This is more or less pure history. Bruce Manning Metzger (February 9, 1914 – February 13, 2007) was an American biblical scholar and textual critic who was a longtime professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and Bible editor who served on the board of the American Bible Society and United Bible Societies. That being said, I learned a lot by reading this short, but information-packed work. "The New Living Translation (NLT) is a translation of the Bible into modern English. A.D. 1537 - The Matthew Bible (commonly known as the Matthew-Tyndale Bible), a second complete printed English translation, is published, combining the works of Tyndale, Coverdale and John Rogers. Refresh and try again. It's a valuable reference tool on the story of how the Hebrew and Greek originals of the Judeo-Christian scriptures went through an enormous number of translations. Surprisingly enjoyable reading, though packed with scholarly info, Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2013. Part of the confusion when it comes to reading the Bible is that the Bible wasn’t originally written in English. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 will be long remembered as a Dumpster fire of a year. GOD'S WORD Translation (GW) accurately translates the meaning of the original texts into clear, everyday language. Metzger states that the KJV of the Bible is really a revision of the older Bishop's bible and he is probably correct despite the fact that the translators made use of the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts available. The United Bible Societies announced that as of 31 December 2007 the complete Bible was available in 438 languages, 123 of which included the deuterocanonical material as well as the Tanakh and New Testament. Metzger’s bible translation book is very different from H. Freedman’s (who credits Metzger as being one of the greatest scholars of the history of Judeo/christian writings). The ESV Bible is a relatively new Bible translation that combines word-for-word precision and accuracy with literary excellence, beauty, and readability. biblical literature: The Alexandrian canon. It describes the origin and features of several ancient Bible versions, then moves on to many English versions. This is a great book on the history of Bible translation. Bruce Metzger is to be commended for providing such an accessible history of the early Bible translations and a faily complete history of the English translations. The Bible has been translated more often than any other piece of literature and is currently available in over two thousand languages, with several languages having numerous versions. GOD'S WORD Translation GW. (Since the book was published in 2001, more recent developments like the ESV, TNIV, HCSB, and NET Bible are absent.) The Latin for yovel is iobileus, which just happens to sound like the Latin word iubileus, connected to the verb iubilare, "to celebrate." This is an excellent handbook for students and others interested in biblical translation. Welcome back. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Hear what people love about The Message Bible. etc. Read God’s Word at anytime, anywhere using the YouVersion Bible App. Outlined here is the history of Bible translation, including a careful analysis of more than fifty versions of the Bible. I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this book. Modern Bible Translations. The word of the Holy Bible isn’t always as clear-cut as we’d like it to be. However, in order to copyright someone else’s writings, a person has to make a significant amount of changes in the other person’s document, so that they can call it their own and qualify for copyright protection. He’s a poet and a scholar, and he’s brought the text back to the tone in which the books were written." But it's important to know its history, which you will find condensed here, along with the histories of many other translations. Metzger provides a brief synopsis for every major English translation from Wycliffe to present day. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. Metzger, who himself has served on the translation committees for three versions, provides a readable account of ancient translations before turning to a selection of English translations from John Wycliffe's, near the end of the fourteenth century, to Eugene Peterson's, still in process at the beginning of the twenty-first. Avoids polemic and gives some insight into translation theory, though that his not the focus of the book. The meanings of words change from one generation to the next. The first part of the book describes early translations of the Bible into several languages, which paved the way to the English translations. He informs you of the resistance and acceptance of new translations. The Passion Translation is a new, heart-level translation that expresses God’s fiery heart of love—merging the emotion and life-changing truth of God’s Word. Share Scripture with friends, highlight and bookmark passages, and create a daily habit with Bible Plans. Excellent survey of the history of translations of the Bible. The Bible has been translated more than any other piece of literature and is currently available in over two thousand languages, with several languages having numerous versions. This (as well as t. Metzger’s bible translation book is very different from H. Freedman’s (who credits Metzger as being one of the greatest scholars of the history of Judeo/christian writings). You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. I was hoping for more about the history of manuscripts and translation methods, but they’re only briefly mentioned. some Parallel Bible, with interlinear morphemic glossing). 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