Restitutio

Last time we evaluated two popular single-translator Bibles: the Message and the Passion Translation.  This time, we’re switching gears to consider committee-based versions.  I want to shine a spotlight on the whole subject of bias in translation in an effort to point out what often goes unnoticed.  We’ll consider both the committee effect that tends to eliminate non-traditional renderings as well as how the concept of sola scriptura exerts immense pressure on evangelicals to nudge their translations in the direction of their doctrinal commitments.

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Last time we looked at the King James version which is one of the strictest formal equivalence Bibles every made.  This time we are going to analyze two Bibles on the other end of the spectrum: the Message Bible and the Passion Translation.  These two versions share a number of characteristics in common.  For example both are very popular, both were done by single translators, and both employ a very free application of dynamic equivalence.

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What do you know about the King James Version?  Is it an accurate translation?  Does it have flaws?  Should you use it as a measuring stick for other translations?  In today’s episode, we’ll cover the making of the KJV of the Bible, going back to William Tyndale’s courageous work before delving into four areas of evaluation.  We’ll examine the KJV’s manuscript base, translation accuracy, lexicography, and vocabulary in an effort to objectively decide how the KJV compares to other English versions.

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Did you know that controversies surrounding how to translate gender in the Bible had a major impact on Bible translation over the last 30 years?  In this episode we’ll briefly overview various feminist movements before examining the NRSV, which proved to be a forerunner for gender inclusive Bible translations.  Next we’ll take a journey through the NIVI and TNIV controversies at the turn of the 21st century before seeing how evangelical Bible translations both reacted against (ESV, HCSB) and appropriated (NIV2011, CSB) varying degrees of gender accuracy into their Bibles.

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Last time we focused on the two main translation theories: formal and dynamic equivalence.  This time, we need to take a look at five major default decisions translation teams make at the outset.

By becoming familiar with these five topics, you’ll be able to better assess English Bible translations and less susceptible to misunderstandings.

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Up until now we’ve focused our attention on the text of Scripture.  We took five episodes looking at the Hebrew Bible, including it’s sources, transmission, and how textual scholars go about deciding the initial text.  Then for the last seven episodes we did the same for the New Testament, examining the surviving source material and looking at the work of textual criticism.  Now, we are in a good position to shift gears and turn to the whole world of translation.  As it turns out, English Bible translators divide into two broad styles of translation: formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence.  In this episode we’ll explore these two translation philosophies and the trade offs each makes in order to produce English Bibles.

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Last time we covered two corrected corruptions (1 Timothy 3.16 and 1 John 5.7).  This time we’ll consider two uncorrected corruptions, including the long ending on Mark (16.9-20) and the passage about the adulterous woman that Jesus saves (John 7.53-8.11).  Although these two texts are not found in the earliest and best manuscripts and translators have known this for decades, they continue to include them in virtually all English translations.  What’s going on here?  In this episode you’ll learn the textual basis for both passages and the reasons why textual scholars don’t accept their authenticity.

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Today we move from learning about manuscripts and textual criticism to actually doing textual criticism.  I’ve chosen two well-known corruptions to illustrate the process of textual criticism: 1 Timothy 3.16 and 1 John 5.7.  In each of these cases scribes have altered the text of scripture and we have the manuscript evidence to show exactly what happened.

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Last time we surveyed five hundred years of New Testament textual criticism.  Today we address the process by which these scholars have done and continue to do their work.  We’ll see how they weigh internal and external evidence.  We’ll cover reasoned eclecticism, the refined documentary approach, and the computer-driven coherence based genealogical method.  (Don’t worry if these terms don’t mean much to you yet.)  Lastly, we’ll see what resources you can access to find out the inside scoop on what’s going on with a particular NT verse.

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Before we can understand how textual scholars do their work today, it’s important to understand the history of how they have endeavored to reconstruct the Greek New Testament over the years.  In this episode you’ll learn about the rich and important history of how our understanding of the Greek New Testament changed over the last five hundred years.  This history is vital for you to understand why older translations are often based on younger manuscripts–a key paradox we’ll return to in future sessions.

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