Question by Atom 74: Does anyone know of any sites or petitions to push for an accurate translation of the Bible?
I have been reading so many instances of Biblical translations that are wrong and oppressive. Everything from a Pagan animal fertility ritual being turned into a homosexual act, from further evaluations of the book of Paul and it’s really cryptic language.
There are tonnes of examples of mis-translations being used to oppress people and spread hatred. I just wondered if there was any sort of movement for a new translation from either Greek or Aramaic with the few hundred years of linguistic sciences that humanity has learned. Just a thought.
Seriously, get the best language professors on the planet and some members of the Church for balance and just get it over with. No I’m afraid it’s really badly translated. We need to start over with the new information we have learned in the past, well millenia.
Thanks for the info, and of course it was a personal question. I am actually at a huge crossroads in my life and am searching for answers. But I am the type to find them on my own, not so much for people’s rantings which are so often the outcome of Y!A
Well at least I have some recommended reading to order now. But I am feeling like the question may have been quite rhetirical. I am thinking there are as many books about the mistranslations as the actual translations out there. So it may have been a tad idealistic on my part, grin.
Best answer:
Answer by Eddy B
I don’t know if there is, but that’s a great idea!
What do you think? Answer below!
I was under the impression that the American Standard version was the most accurate translation from the original Hebrew and Greek.
The absolute best way is t actually learn the old language from the ancient texts.
That way there would be no translation errors.
Get A Grip
the New International version is a recent translation, (NIV) is a translation made by more than one hundred scholars working from the best available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. It was conceived in 1965 when, after several years of study by committees from the Christian Reformed Church and the National Association of Evangelicals, a trans-denominational and international group of scholars met at Palos Heights, Illinois, and agreed on the need for a new translation in contemporary English
Keep dreaming, 97 different versions and its the one true book. The followers for the most part will believe what the preachers say is in it, most haven’t read the whole thing.
I don’t know. But I’ve heard that the King James Bible is the most faithful of all. Of course it has its problems, like using a language out of date. If you want a perfect translation, then I’m afraid you’ll have to learn the original languages (which won’t be that hard if you really want it). Good luck!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism
Check that out…then Google “Deism”.
Peace to you.
actually there is a whole field based on it. its called textual criticism.
there is a good book called ” Misquoting Jesus, the Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why” by Bart D. Ehrman
it is a fantastically detailed and thoroughly researched book.
here is a link. http://www.skypoint.com/members/waltzmn/intro.html
EDIT: not idealistic at all…who says YOU can’t be one to help start it all off… Surely there is an abundance of scholars, collaborators and materials to join you in such an endeavor!
The problem may not necessarily be the translation as much as which Greek text is used in the translation. I only know of three Greek texts: textus receptus, Scrivener’s Greek text, Westcott and Hort.
GOD bless
Not sure.
The place to start would probably be:
http://www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm
Or. You couyld simply read the versiont hat talks to you personally and go with that translation. If there is nothing spiritual in your search then it probably is going to be a lesson in futility.
Good luck either way.
There was a translation done in South Africa, that was a literal translation. I had a copy, that I loaned a friend, and never got it back. It was called The Scriptures. This was done with the help of Hebrew Scholars, and other people. Since the words, lord and god, are not in the Hebrew, they were replaced with the original Hebrew names, in Hebrew.
This was as close as you can ever get to a literal translation.
Why not go to as site like
http://www.biblegateway.com/
where you can compare all the translations, verse by verse and see what you think?
The KJV and the NASB are accurately translated, especially where they agree.
Actually, if you really want it as accurate as can possibly be you will need to learn to read Aramaic and ancient Hebrew. Some of the words or expressions simply do not translate well into other languages, like the American West’s “howdy!” being translated into “enchantez” in French (which actually was witnessed by my dad during a John Wayne movie that he saw in France!) – the meaning is lost in translation. Also, a lot of what goes on in the Bible is better understood if you understand the history behind it. One example is the “eye of the needle” story, which supposedly refers to a very low passage way through the wall of Jerusalem – it is a real place, and not a metaphor. Another thing is the story of Lot, which was written by his ENEMIES, which explains a lot about why they claim he slept with his own daughters – they were calling his clan all the sons and daughters of the inbred!
The NASB is a good one for the ‘New’ Testament. Try the Tyndale 1525. Also, read the Hebrew ‘Old’ Testament (Tanakh).
NASB
http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/index.php?action=getVersionInfo&vid=49&lang=2
Tanakh
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0.htm
Tyndale
http://www.faithofgod.net/WTNT/
I don’t understand, Young’s Literal Translation is exactly that.
Sometimes it makes it a bit unreadable because of the verb and noun placement in a sentence, but it is the literal translation.
To answer your question as simply as possible, No, I don’t know that there are any efforts ongoing to create another translation of the Bible. That’s not to say that someone somewhere isn’t working on yet another translation at this very moment.
Every translation of the Bible is accurate as far as the group who commissioned the translation is concerned.
King James had the Bible translated into English in order to force the Scots to speak English. Today, many in the English speaking world feel that that version is the “Word of God”.
Much of the Old Testament was oral tradition for generations before it was ever committed to writing. There is no way the original stories could be restored.
Additionally, various sections of the Bible were written in various languages. New Testament books were written in Latin, Greek, Aramaic and possibly other languages.
Religion and its texts have always been used to gain control of others. As long as one man or woman can convince another that he or she speaks for God, one group will attempt to control another group. Unfortunately, that’s the human condition. Hopefully mankind might someday be able to escape that trap. However, religion doesn’t seem to be the way.
The best translation out is the King James Version (KJV).
They say it has 16 added verses that are not in all the old Hebrew and Aramaic and Greek copies in the Book of Mark.
Also one verse describing the trinity is in the KJV and missing in some of the other old copies.
75% of Bible errors are typical proof reading errors.
24% of Bible errors are word switching or out of order.
1% of Bible errors are the errors mentioned above.
The KJV does not have the Apocrypha and it does not have the gnostic gospels because these were not recognized as cannon by the early church fathers.
Of all the old Bible copies of which many thousands exist these errors have no prominent alteration of the context or intent of the authors of the books. Theologians agree that the Bible was copied throughout history with the most careful writings. I prefer the King James Version because it is not copyrighted (not bound) and I disagree with any business having a copyright on God’s Word. The “Good News” the gospel of Jesus is to be spread into all the world for a witness of Christ our Lord.
God is more than able to protect His Words.
Most modern, scholarly translations (not paraphrases) attempt to produce bibles exactly as you describe. Significant expense is made to hire scholars at the top of their respective fields when producing these translations. Some of the best (most scholarly and most recent) are:
New Jerusalem Bible, Regular Edition
http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FNew-Jerusalem-Bible-Henry-Wansbrough%2Fdp%2F0385142641%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1197743029%26sr%3D11-1&tag=wwwjimpettico-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325
Best translation, excellent study notes
New Oxford Annotated Bible, NRSV, Augmented Third Edition
http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FAnnotated-Apocrypha-Augmented-Revised-Standard%2Fdp%2F0195288815%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1189044490%26sr%3D8-1&tag=wwwjimpettico-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325
Most highly regarded study notes, translation accused of over-zealous use of gender-inclusive language
New Oxford Annotated Bible, RSV, Expanded Edition
http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FAnnotated-Apocrypha-Standard-Expanded-Hardcover%2Fdp%2F0195283481%2F&tag=wwwjimpettico-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325
Most highly regarded study notes, one of the most literal translations, but dated (1950s)
A new translation of the NJB is in the works
http://ebaf.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=173&Itemid=52
And a French version is already available
http://bibliotheque.editionsducerf.fr/par%20page/84/TM.htm
Jim, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/
That is a good question. However, in retranslating it, would one also need to consider discarded gospels? Do the original writings even exist? I know that they have found discarded versions over the years…
There were several “editorial” decisions made that drastically changed the book. It would be a fascinating project. There is a neat book called Misquoting Jesus – all about the changes made.
My family has switched to The Complete Jewish Bible because.
1. Native Hebrew speaker.
2. Scholar in the idiom of 2000 years ago.
3. Scholar in ancient Jewish culture.
4. Bible of choice of Netivyah in Jerusalem.
This Bible unknots the things that make no sense because they have always been mistranslated (sometimes intentionally). Example, Torah does not mean “law.” That word alone has colored Catholic and Protestant dogma for centuries and it’s not the right word.
It’s available in all the usual places, but I’ll link a few, plus Netivyah, Jerusalem (in English).