Center for Biblical Theology and Eschatology
Lesson Six: German, Spanish, and Early English Versions
The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.
(Psalm 68:11)
It has been argued that if the KJB is the word of God, what about the
time before 1611? Were believers who spoke English without the preserved
word of God until the KJB was published? Is the word of God limited only
to the English-speaking people? Such argumentation is clearly either a
misunderstanding or misrepresentation of the views of Bible believers who
hold to the KJB as the preserved word of God for the English-speaking people.
Our view, as has been stated before, is that there has always been the
preserved word of God ever since God gave it. This has been demonstrated
in lesson five. He inspired it through the original writers, and He keeps
it through His promise to do so. When the translators of the KJB set forth to do their task, they had
before them several texts and translations. In addition to the original
languages, they also had various foreign translations based on the Traditional
Texts of both the Old and New Testaments. In the original preface to the
KJB, which was entitled The Translators to the Reader, Dr. Miles Smith
wrote: "Neither did we think much to consult the translators or commentators,
Chaldee, Hebrew, Syrian, Greek, or Latin. No, nor the Spanish, French,
Italian, or Dutch." In the course of our studies of NT textual criticism, we have considered
the manuscripts and texts of the Syrian, Greek, and Latin. The four foreign
translations mentioned by Dr. Smith were the Spanish (Reina/Valera Version),
the French (Louis Segond Version), the Italian (Giovanni Diodati Version),
and the Dutch (Luther's German Version). All of these were based on the
Traditional Text used by Bible-believing Christians throughout the history
of the New Testament Church. For the purpose of our studies, we shall consider
two of them; the German and the Spanish. Perhaps no other translation of the Bible, apart from the KJB, has had
a greater impact upon its people and their culture than the German Bible
of Martin Luther. As was stated in our last lesson by Dr. Fred Craddock
and Dr. Gene Tucker of Emory University, "Translations of the Bible,
such as the Authorized Version (or King James Bible, 1611) and Martin Luther's
translation of the Bible into German (first completed in 1534) not only
influenced literature, but also shapedthe development of languages."
(cited from Encarta by Microsoft, 1995 ed). Not only has this version affected the history and language of Germany,
but many immigrants and early settlers to the United States carried a copy
of Die Heilige Schrift (the Holy Scriptures) by Martin Luther. Students of Church History can not but recognize the great contribution
made to the common Faith by Martin Luther (1483-1546). It was Luther who
echoed the cry of justification by faith, and brought Reformation to Germany.
He was born on November 10th, 1483. He began to study law in 1505, but
after a narrow escape from a storm, he decided to become a monk. He was
ordained in 1507 and in 1510 visited Rome. It was there he found corruption
within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church and began to question its authority.
After his study in Scripture on justification through faith and salvation
by grace, Luther published his 95 theses and nailed it on the door of the
church at Wittenberg in 1517. He spent the next few years defending his
charges, only to be excommunicated in 1521. In April of that same year,
Luther was summoned before the Holy Roman Emperor at the Diet of
Worms. There Luther refused to recant and was banished from the empire.
He fled to Wartburg, and for the next eight months worked on his translation
of the New Testament into German. The Greek text used by Luther was that of Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536).
This text was based on the Traditional Text and later became known as the
Textus Receptus. Church Historian Earle Cairns wrote, Making use of Erasmus' edition of the Greek New Testament, he (Luther)
completed his German translation of the New Testament in less than a year.
The whole Bible wastranslated from the original into German by 1534. When
it was published, it not only gave the German people the Bible in their
own tongue, but it set the standard form of the German language. (Christianity
Through the Centuries, Zondervan Pub., p. 318). Thus, we see that this line of Text was used by God to provide the Bible
in the language of the people and provided the basis for believers during
the Reformation. It should be noted that the Bible of the Reformers was
based on the Traditional Text, and not the Alexandrian or Western line
of manuscripts. The standard Spanish Bible is the Reina-Valera Version. The American
Bible Society refers to it as "the King James Bible of the Spanish-speakingworld."
("Remembering Casiodoro De Reina" in the Bible Society Record,
New York. 1969). Dr. Wilton Nelson writes, "(1969) marked the 400th
anniversaryof the Reina-Valera version of the Spanish Bible, which can
be thought of as the Hispanic-American counterpart of the King James Bible."
("New Light from the Old Lamp" in the Latin American Evangelist;
published by the American Bible Society, Jan/Feb. 1970, p. 9). What the
KJB is to the English-speaking world, the Reina-Valera is to the Spanish-speaking
world. It is not the KJB translated into Spanish, for it was translated
before 1611. It is the labor of two men, Casidoro de Reina and Cipriano
de Valera, who used the Traditional Text to provide the Spanish-speaking
world the word of God. Casidoro de Reina (1520-1594) was the first to translate the Bible into
Spanish. His work took twelve years to complete at the cost of much personal
sacrifice. He was born in Seville and became a Roman Catholic monk. While
at the San Isidro Monastery of Seville, he heard the lectures of the Superior
of the monastery, Dr. Blanco Garcia Arias, who had been influenced by the
preaching of the Albigenses. Being exposed to the writings of the Reformers
and reading the Old Latin Bible of the Waldenses, Reina was converted to
Protestantism. Upon his conversion to the faith persecution fell on Reina, who had
fled Spain never to return in order to escape the claws of the Inquisition.
Along with ten of his friends, Reina arrived in Frankfurt, Germany in 1557.
Two years later, he moved to London and became the pastor of a group of
Spanish Protestants who also had escaped Spain and the Inquisition. Later,
because of persecution found in England, Reina and his wife fled to Antwerp
in the Netherlands. During this time, he worked on his Spanish Bible. In
1569 he published 2,600 copies of the entire Bible in Spanish. It was nicknamed
the "Bear Bible" because it used as its symbol a bear retrieving
honey from a tree. The Inquisition soon seized as many copies of this version as possible
and had them destroyed, calling it the "most dangerous edition of
the Bible." (The Cambridge History of the Bible by Dr. S.L.
Greenslade. Cambridge University Press, 1983, p.126). The Roman Church
had issued a decree stating "(The) Bible in Castilian (Spanish) romance
or in any other vulgar tongue (is prohibited)" (Ibid. p.125). This
order came from the Council of the Holy General Inquisition. Consequently,
few copies of Reina's Spanish Version ever made it into Spain. However,
it was greatly used by Spanish-speaking refugees who fled Spain because
of the persecution. After the publication of his Bible, Reina organized a church which became
noted for its zeal and street evangelistic outreach in Frankfurt. He remained
the pastor of this church until his death on March 16th, 1594. To Spanish
Christians, Casiodoro de Reina was more than a Bible translator. He was
a hero in the Faith. Cipriano de Valera (1531-1602) was one of Reina's friends who fled Spain
in 1557. Like Reina, Valera had been a monk at the San Isidro Monastery
in Seville. And, like Reina, it was there he first heard the gospel of
redemption and was converted. Soon after he arrived in Frankfurt, Valera
moved to Geneva where he became a follower of John Calvin. He became a
street preacher and later moved to England to study at the University of
Cambridge. Afterwards, he taught at the University of Oxford. While in England, he translated Calvin's Institutes into Spanish
and wrote a book entitled El Papa y la Misa (The Pope and the Mass).
In it, he condemned the service of the mass calling it pagan in origin,
and the authority of the Pope. While in England, he married and began a
ministry to seamen as well as a ministry to those who were imprisoned. In 1582, Valera began to revise the work of Reina. His revision was
very slight but thorough. At the age of 70, after 20 long years of working
on his revision, Valera published what has become known as the Reina-Valera
Version. Valera wrote, "The reason that has motivated me to make this
edition was the same that motivated Casidoro de Reina. Who was motivated
by the pious Person, the Lord himself, and wanted to spread the glory of
God and make a clear service to his nation" (translated from Versiones
Castellanas De La Biblia. Published in Mexico by Casa De Publicasciones.
pp.38-39). Valera believed his Bible was the perfect word of God for the Spanish-speaking
people. This is reflected in the Spanish History of the Bible stating,
"The authors(Reina and Valera) claim to have penetrated to the depths
of Holy Scriptures andhave translated with perfection the Greek and Hebrew
languages." (Ibid. p.19). Since 1602, however, this Spanish version has undergone a few major
revisions. The two most noteworthy were done in 1909 and 1960. Like Reina, Valera is a hero in the Faith. Because of his belief in
personal salvation by grace alone through faith, and his desire to see
the word of God published in Spanish, "Valera sufiro grande miseria"
(Valera suffered great misery) (Ibid. p.39). This book further states,
"El Señor recompense a sussiervos, Cipriano de Valera recibira
un muy grande galardon de maños de su Salvador. (When the Lord rewards
his servants, Cipriano de Valera will receive a great prize from the hand
of the Saviour.) (Ibid.). In order to better understand the KJB, we must understand something
about the translations which preceded it into English, and the times in
which the translators of these versions lived. There was no English Bible until 1382. In order to better understand
this, we must clarify two points. First of all the study of our language
is divided into three periods. They are Old English which dates
from about 700 to 1100 AD. Next comes Middle English which dates
from 1100 to 1500 AD. Finally, we have Modern English which dates
from 1500 to the present (This is attested to by Dr. Marjorie Anderson
and Dr. Blanche Williams, both from Hunter College in New York City, in
their book Old English Handbook, pp.6-7). This is important because
some of these early versions date to Middle English. This leaves the date
of the KJB clearly in the Modern English era. Thus, we can understand why
there was a need for revision as the language changed in form, and we can
also see that the KJB is in fact a modern English translation and not an
Old English one as some have claimed. Secondly, we must understand that during this time the right to translate
the Bible into English was prohibited by the Roman Catholic Church. In
fact, to have the Bible in any language other than Latin was forbidden.
The belief of the Church was that men would misunderstand and mistranslate
the scriptures, and they had the power of the state to enforce this belief.
Their view was that those who could read, read Latin. Those who could not
read would not need a Bible in their language. However, as stated in lesson
five, simply because one could not read would not stop others from reading
to him. It would do that person little good if all he heard was Latin and
not the Bible in his own language. Also, history has proven that once the
Bible is in the language of the people, they learn to read. For these and
other reasons, there have been those who were willing to risk their lives
in order to provide the common man the word of God. The name of William Tyndale has bore the slander of the Roman Catholic
Church. Catholic historian Rev. Henry G. Graham refers to Tyndale as an
inept rebellious priest who "was utterly unfitted for such a great
work (i.e. translating the NT into English)...a mediocre scholar, and could
not boast of anything above the average intellect." (Where We Got
the Bible: Our Debt to the Catholic Church, Tan Books and Pub., p.
123) And yet despite the defamation of some, God saw fit to use William
Tyndale to give us the first English Bible printed on the printing press.
And to set the stage for the translations which followed. John Foxe, in his Book of Martyrs, provides us with a differing picture
of this saint of God. Foxe informs us of his early training at the Universities
of Oxford and Cambridge, and as the schoolmaster who taught the children
of the Knight of Gloucestershire. Foxe also points out it was in this capacity
that Tyndale earned himself a reputation for being contentious with local
priests who would visit the Knight and his family. In reference to this,
Foxe writes: And when they (i.e. Catholic priests) at any time did vary from Tyndale
in opinions, he would show them in the book, and lay plainly before them
the open and manifest places of the Scriptures, to confute their errors,
and confirm his sayings. And thus continued they for a certain season,
reasoning and contending together divers times, till at length they waxed
weary, and bare a secret grudge in their hearts against him. (Foxe's
Book of Martyrs, p.136). Despite his leanings towards Biblical debate, Foxe describes Tyndale
as a gracious man who opened his heart and home to strangers and offered
fellowship to all who wished it. It was his openness and generosity that led to his demise. While in
Antwerp, Tyndale befriended a fellow Englishman, Henry Philips. Tyndale
showed Philips all his works, translations, plans, and personal theology.
He trusted Philips as a good man and fellow believer. Philips was neither.
Like Judas of old, Philips arranged with officers for the arrest of William
Tyndale and then while in the public street, pointed to Tyndale so the
officials knew who to arrest. His crime was the publishing of God's word
in the language of the people. Tyndale was charged with heresy and sentenced
to death by burning. While tied to the stake and awaiting his fiery death,
William Tyndale offered his final prayer before being ushered into eternity;
"Lord! Open the King of England's eyes." (Foxe, p.15). Thus once
again the English Bible was purchased with the blood of the saints. Tyndale used the Traditional Text and laid the foundation for the KJB
which followed in the years to come. Although Tyndale translated a few
Old Testament books, his work was on the New Testament. The following passages
are from Tyndale's New Testament and compared with the KJB. The spelling
has been modified to match the spelling found in the KJB. It is evident
the work of William Tyndale lives on, both in copies of his translations
and in those who used his New Testament as a basis for their labors. TYNDALE KJB William Tyndale had prayed that God would open the King of England's
eyes. The King was Henry VIII. The prayer was answered in the work of Miles
Coverdale. Coverdale had befriended Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King
Henry. In addition, the chief minister to Henry was Thomas Cranmer the
Archbishop of Canterbury who encouraged Coverdale in his translational
work. Thus, the Lord was providing England and the English-speaking world
with it first translation with the approval of the King. Biblical historian, F.F. Bruce correctly stated, "Next to Tyndale,
the man to whom lovers of the English Bible owe the greatest debt is Miles
Coverdale." (The English Bible, p. 53). God used Miles Coverdale
in an unique way because Coverdale labored with three early English translations.
His own Coverdale's Bible (1535), the Great Bible (1539), and the Geneva
Bible (1560). Indirectly he helped with the Matthew's Bible (1537), and
the Bishops' Bible (1568), as these were revisions of his works. All of
these early translations, along with Tyndale's Bible, were based on the
Traditional Text and used by the translators of the KJB in their work.
These were the translations referred to by the KJB translators when they
wrote: Truly, good Christian reader, we never thought from the beginning that
we should need to make a new translation, nor yet to make of a bad one
a good one,...but to make a good one better, or out of many good ones,
one principal good one, not justly to be excepted against; that hath been
our endeavour, that our mark. (The Translators to the Reader original
Preface in the KJB by Dr. Miles Smith) Miles Coverdale was born in Yorkshire, the birthplace of John Wycliffe,
in 1488. He was educated at Cambridge and became an Augustinian friar.
In 1528, after embracing the teachings of Martin Luther, Coverdale left
the priesthood and was forced to leave England. Coverdale soon became a
disciple of William Tyndale and took up his work of translating the Bible
in the English language. His first translation of the Old Testament as
it is found in the Coverdale's Bible was not translated from Hebrew, but
from German and Latin. His New Testament was a revision of Tyndale's New
Testament. When he published his Bible in 1535 it became the first complete
Bible printed in English. Thomas Matthew was the pseudonym of John Rogers (1500-1555). Rogers
received his degree from Cambridge in 1525 and became a priest in London.
In 1534 he went to Antwerp as chaplain to the Merchant Adventurers. There,
he became associated with William Tyndale and was converted to Protestantism.
Rogers then went to Wittenberg where he pastored a church with his wife
and eight children. Under the reign of Queen Mary, Rogers was charged with
heresy and was burned alive for the sake of the gospel. Once again the
trail of the English Bible was covered with blood. His work is a mixture of Tyndale and Coverdale. The NT is that of William
Tyndale's as are the first five books of the OT and a never before published
copy of Tyndale's translation of Joshua to 2 Chronicles. The rest of the
OT is the work of Coverdale. This was the second major work done by Miles Coverdale. It was called
the Great Bible because of its size. It is a very thick Bible with its
pages measuring nine inches wide and fifteen inches long. It was produced
for English Churches with full approval by the king, Henry VIII, in response
to the prayer of William Tyndale. To some, this is considered the first
"authorized" Bible, because the king approved it and the Archbishop
of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, oversaw it. This version was based on the Traditional Text of the NT, and was compared
with the Old Latin Text. It never became great with the public and
ceased publication within thirty years. The desire for an English Bible
still remained, one the average Englishman could hold in his hands and
read in his home. Not one that was the size of the Great Bible, which was
chained to the alter of English churches. This need was met with the Geneva Bible which followed. In 1553, Mary became Queen of England and began a fiery persecution
against Protestants. The Great Bible was removed from churches, and many
Christians fled the country in order to escape her religious wrath. Many
of these found refuge in Geneva. Knowing the need of preserving God's word
in English, many scholars who had either suffered persecution under Mary,
or had fled because of the persecution she produced, translated the NT
in 1557 and the whole Bible in 1560. This translation became known as the
Geneva Bible. This version was produced in a handy size using Roman type which made
it easier to carry and read. It also contained several notations which
the Catholic Church found offensive. For example, the notation found in
Revelation 9:3, which describes the locust coming out of the pit, reads,
"Locust are false teachers, heretics and worldly, subtle prelates,
with monks, friars, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, doctors, bachelors,
and masters, which forsake Christ to maintain false doctrine." The
Geneva Bible made use of not only the Traditional Text in the NT, but also
the Hebrew Masoretic Text in the OT. And, unlike the previous translations,
it was the work of a committee and not the work of one man or a revision
of one man's work. Perhaps the loveliest Bible printed was the Bishops' Bible, being endowed
with a plethora of woodcuttings throughout its edition. It was produced
after the terror of Queen Mary by the Church of England with the aid of
many English Bishops, hence its name. It had fewer notes than the Geneva
Bible, and was given for the purpose of standardizing the British subjects
with one standard Bible. However, it was not successful in this task. Because
this version was issued under the authority of Queen Elizabeth, it is considered
the second authorized Bible for the English-speaking world. One line from the Preface to the KJB is often cited by supporters of
modern versions. It has to do with the goal of the KJB translators in making
a good translation better. In his tract entitled, Pick a Bible, Any
Bible, Mr. Terry Alverson cites Dr. Miles Smith of the KJB translation
committee and states, "Obviously Smith and his co-workers did not
undertake the task of translating the KJB with the intent that it was to
be the only Bible. Quite the contrary. It appears the 1611 KJB translators
would be the first to applaud a modern day effort to 'make a good translation
better.' "(p.2). One wonders if the claim that the KJB translators would be the first
to applaud a modern day effort is correct in light of their full statement.
The context of Dr. Smith's citation is given below: Truly, good Christian reader, we never thought from the beginning that
we should need to make a new translation, nor yet to make a bad one a good
one, (for then the imputation of Sixtus had been true in some sort, that
our people had been fed with gall of dragons instead of wine, with whey
instead of milk:) but to make a good one better, or out of many good ones,
one principle good one, not justly to be excepted against; that hath been
our endeavour, that our mark. The history of all the "good ones" which predated the KJB
shows that they were all based upon the same Greek line of manuscripts;
the Traditional Text. Further, it should be noted that the translators
said their goal was NOT to make a bad one good, else the accusation from
the Pope that the translators were feeding their people with "gall
of dragons" might have some basis. Their goal was to make "one
principle one" from the good ones which predated the KJB. Clearly,
this is not an affirmation to alter the text based on either the Alexandrian
or Western line of manuscripts. Likewise, the KJB translators spoke of the need for many translations.
Some have used this to justify the use of modern versions based on a differing
line of manuscripts. Jame R. White writes, "When the very preface
to the KJB says, 'variety of Translations is profitable for the finding
out of the sense of the Scriptures,' it is obvious that the KJB Only position
is proven utterly ahistorical thereby. The position requires the translator
to be something its own authors never intended it to be." (The
King James Only Controversy, pp. 76-77). The context of this statement was the use of marginal notes to explain
the meaning of some Hebrew and Greek words which either carry several meanings
or for rare animals. Please note the full context of the phrase in question: There be many words in the Scriptures which be never found there but
once, (having neither brother nor neighbour, as the Hebrews speak) so that
we cannot be holpen by conference of places. Again, there be many rare
names of certain birds, beasts, and precious stones, &c., concerning
which the Hebrews themselves are so divided among themselves for judgement
. . .Now in such a case, doth not a margin do well to admonish the reader
to seek further, and not to conclude or dogmatize upon this or that peremptorily?
For as it is a fault of incredulity, to doubt of those things that are
evident, so to determine of such things as the Spirit of God hath left
(even in the judgement of the judicious) questionable, can be no less than
presumption. Therefore as S. Augustine saith, that variety of translations
is profitable for the finding out of the sense of the Scriptures: so diversity
of signification and sense in the margin where the text is not so clear,
must needs do good, yea, is necessary, as we are persuaded. With these thoughts in mind, let us consider for a moment the content
of these early English versions as they compare with any one of the modern
versions based on the theories of modern textual scholars.
THE GERMAN
THE SPANISH
THE EARLY ENGLISH BIBLES
WILLIAM TYNDALE (1494-1536)
Matthew 6:9-13
O our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Let thy kingdom
come. Thy will be fulfilled, as well in earth, as it is in heaven. Give
us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, even as we
forgive our trespassers. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil. For thine is the kingdom and power, and the glory for ever.
Amen. Matthew 6:9-13
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily
bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us
not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come unto me all ye that labor and are laden and I will ease you. Take
my yoke on you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye
shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is
light. Matthew 11:28-30
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in
heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and
my burden is light.
Romans 12:1-2
I, beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercifulness of God, that ye
make your bodies a quick sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God: which
is your reasonable serving of God and fashion not yourselves like unto
this world: but be ye changed in your shape, by the renewing of your wits
that ye may feel what thing that good, that acceptable, and perfect will
of God is. Romans 12:1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God. MILES COVERDALE (1488-1569)
MATTHEW'S BIBLE (1537)
THE GREAT BIBLE (1539)
THE GENEVA BIBLE (1560)
THE BISHOPS' BIBLE (1568)
A GOOD ONE BETTER
Matthew 6:13
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (KJB).
And leade us not into temptation: but delyver us from evyll. For thyne is the kyngedome and the power, and the glorye for ever. Amen. (Tyndale)
And leade us not into temptacyon: but delyver us from evyll. For thyne is the kyngdome and the power, and the glorye for ever. Amen. (Great Bible)
And lead us not into tentation, but deliver us from evill: for thyne is the kyngdome, and the power, and the glory for ever. Amen. (Geneva)
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evill: for thine is the kingdome, and the power and the glory, for ever, Amen. (Bishops')
And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (ASV)
And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. (RSV)
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (NIV)
Did you notice something is missing? But I thought that all they were doing is following in the line of the KJB and making a good one better? Or perhaps, they are doing more than that. Consider some further examples.
John 1:18
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (KJB)
No man hath sene God at eny tyme. The only begotten sonne, which is in the bosome of the father, he hath declared him. (Tyndale)
No man hath sene God at eny tyme. The onely begotten sonne, whych is in the bosome of the father, he hath declared hym. (Great Bible)
No man hathe sene God at any time: the onlely begotten Sonne, which is in the bosome of the Father, he hathe declared him. (Geneva)
No man hath seene God at any time, the onely begotten Sonne, which is in the bosome of the Father, he hath declared him. (Bishop's)
No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. (NASV)
No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known. (NIV)
No man has seen God at any time; the only-begotten god who is in the bossom [position] with the Father is the one that has explained him. (NWT)
Luke 9:56
For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. (KJB)
The sonne of man is not come to destroye mennes lives, but to save them. And they went to another toune. (Tyndale: note in this version the verse is found in verses 55 and 56)
For the sonne of man is not come to destroye mennes lyves, but to save them. And they went to another towne. (Great Bible)
For the Sonne of man is not come to destroye mens lives, but to save them. Then they went to another towne. (Geneva)
For the sonne of man is not come to destroy mens lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.(Bishop's)
And they went on to another village. (RSV: Note the phrase missing is not found in verse 55, as it was in Tyndales. It is removed altogether.)
and they went on to another village. (NEV)
And they went on to another village. (NASV)
Colossians 1:14
in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: (KJB)
in whom we have redempcion thorow his bloud, that is to saye the forgevens of synnes. (Tyndale)
by whom we have redemcion thorowe his bloude even the forgevenes of sinnes. (Great Bible)
In whom we have redemption through his bloode, (that is,) the forgiveness of sinnes. (Geneva)
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sinnes: (Bishop's)
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (NIV)
by whom we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. (TEV)
Through him we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins. (NAV)
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (NRSV)
Romans 11:6
And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. (KJB)
Yf it be of grace, then is it not of works. For then were grace no moare grace. Yf it be of works, then is it no moare grace. For then were deservinge no lenger deservinge. (Tyndale)
If it be of grace, then is it not now of workes. For then grace is no more grace. But If it be of workes, then is it now no grace. For then were deservynge nomore deservynge. (Great Bible)
And if (it be) of grace, it is no more of workes; or els were grace no more grace: but if it be of workes, it is no more grace: or els were worke no more worke. (Geneva)
If it bee of grace, then is it not nowe of workes: for then grace is no more grace. But if it be of workes, then is it now no grace, for then worke is no more worke. (Bishop's)
But if it is by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. (RV, 1881)
And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. (NIV)
But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace. (NRSV)
Mark 1:1-2
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; as it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before they face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. (KJB)
The beginnynge of the Gospell of Jesu Christ the sonne of God, as it is written in the Prophets: beholde I sende my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy waye befoe the. (Tyndale)
The begynnynge of the Gospell of Jesu Chryst the sonne of God, as it is written in the Prophets, behold, I sende my messenger before thy face which shall prepare thy waye before the. (Great Bible)
The begynnynge of the Gospell of Jesus Christe, the Sonne of God: As it is written in the Prophetes, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, whiche shal prepare thy way before thee. (Geneva)
The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Sonne of God, As it hath bene written in the Prophets, Bhholde, I sende my messenger before they face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. (Bishops')
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way; (NASV. The OT citation comes from Malachi 3:1 in verse two of Mark. It is not until verse three that there is a citation from Isaiah)
The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in Isaiah the prophet: I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way (NIV)
[The] beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ: Just as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: (Look! I am sending forth my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way;) (NWT)
These are but a few examples of the many changes made in modern versions. In each case the early English translations agreed with the KJB. To claim that what the KJB did in 1611 to the early English versions which predated it, is what modern versions are doing to the KJB simply is untrue. Dr. Miles Smith stated that their goal as translators in 1611 was NOT to make a BAD one good. Instead, from the many good ones based on the Traditional Text, to make one better. This they accomplished only by the good grace of God upon them. In our next lesson we will look deeper into the history and text of the greatest version the world has ever seen; the Authorized King James Bible of 1611.
QUESTIONS FROM STUDENTS
One student writes, "If the KJB is the only real Bible for Christians then why does it have errors in it? A book about different translations by Lewis points out more than quite a few. And I've found that in Romans 1:1 the word 'doulos' is translated as 'servant' when it should be 'slave.' And in Romans 1:3 the words 'Jesus Christ our Lord' appear when they should be at the end of verse 4."
The question begins with two false assumptions. First that the KJB is the only real Bible for Christians. Second that it has error in it. As we have stated time and again throughout these lessons, my belief is that the KJB is the preserved word of God for the English-speaking people without any proven error. Lessons one, two, five, and this one all state that I have not claimed the KJB to be the Bible for all the world, or the only Bible ever given. There were Bibles before the KJB and in languages other than English which were the preserved word of God without any proven error. I simply believe the KJB is for the English-speaking people. I further believe it stands without any proven error, and have for several years now been looking to see if anyone could prove an error in it. To date, they have not.
In lessons to come we will cover many of the so-called errors as given by James R. White, D. A. Carson, Jack Lewis, and others. In fact, a few lessons will be dedicated to the issues raised by these men. But for now, please allow me to address the issue at hand.
In Romans 1:1 Paul uses the Greek word "doulos." The claim is made that the KJB is in error because it translates the word as servant instead of slave. However, the claim is without warrant because "doulos" means both. One of the standard texts for learning NT Greek is J. Gresham Machen's New Testament Greek For Beginners. It was my first year Greek book when I attended Cedarville College. In the building of vocabularies under Greek-English Vocabulary, Machen states, "doulos, o; a slave, a servant." (p. 258).
Machen is not alone. In Dr. Ray Summers' book, Essentials of New Testament Greek, he translates "doulos, o, slave, servant" (Broadman Press, p.157). Both Machen and Summers are first year Greek studies. Dr. Harold Moulton expands on this in his Analytical Greek Lexicon: "doulos; enslaved, enthralled, subservient, a male slave, or servant, of various degrees" (Zondervan, p. 106). In An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, by W. E. Vine, he states "Doulos, an adjective, signifying 'in bondage,'. . .is used as a noun, and as the most common and general word for 'servant,' frequently indicating subjection without the idea of bondage" (Revell Company, p. 347). And finally, Dr. Jack Lewis in his book, The English Bible: KJB to NIV, states that the NASV translates "doulos" four different ways including both slave and servant (p. 343).
It would seem from this information that the objection is without substance.
The second part of the question deals with Romans 1:3-4.
Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: (KJB)
concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, (NASV)
The student is correct in stating that in the Greek the phrase "Jesus Christ our Lord" appears at the end of verse four and not in verse three in the Greek text. This is not, however, an error. It is the form of translation.
The question is a good one; why does the KJB read "his Son Jesus Christ our Lord" when the Greek has "tou uiou autou" (his Son) several words before "Iesou Cristou tou keriou emon" (Jesus Christ our Lord)? The answer has to do with the understanding of how Greeks worded sentences. In Greek the phrase "his Son" and "Jesus Christ our Lord" both have endings in "ou." Greeks tied word order together by the endings of Greek words. All of these stand in what is called the (masculine, singular) genative case. They are the same endings, showing they are to be tied together. Again, citing from Machen,
The normal order of the sentence in Greek is like that in English--subject, verb, object. There is no special tendency, as in Latin, to put the verb at the end. But Greek can vary the order for purposes of emphasis or euphony much more freely than English. . .The English translation must be determined by observing the endings, not by observing the order. (New Testament Greek for Beginners, pp.26-27).
It is a matter of choice, not an issue of mistranslation. The NASV is neither less correct nor more correct in translating the phrase at the end of verse four. It is a choice. As long as the reader understands that "Jesus Christ our Lord" has to do with "his Son" the translation is correct. The NASV, NIV, RSV, NRSV (and most all others) simply tie the thought together by having the phrase at the end. The KJB ties the thought together as a Greek reading it would. Both are correct translations.
There is one final thought. At least the whole phrase "Jesus Christ our Lord" appears in both translations in this passage. This is not true of either Acts 8:37 or Romans 16:24. In both of these passages the NASV, along with most modern versions, omit the verse and Jesus Christ our Lord altogether. In fact the NASV omits the name "Jesus" 58 times in the NT (such as in Matt. 4:12,18,23; John 3:2; Acts 9:29; and 1 Peter 5: 10,14). "Christ" is removed from the NASV 38 times (such as in Matt. 23:8; John 6:69; 1 Cor. 16:22-23; 1 Tim. 2:7; and 1 John 4:3). And "Lord" is missing 35 times from the NASV (such as in Mark 11:10; Luke 9:57,59; Rom. 6:11; Gal. 6:17; Col. 1:2; and Rev.16:5). Even in Romans chaper one there is an omission. Notice verse sixteen states, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: . . ." (KJB). Modern versions omit "of Christ." I would think that the omission of "Jesus," "Christ," and "Lord," are of a greater impact than the word order as it appears in the Greek NT; especially when that word order is in full agreement with the thinking, writing, and reading of Greek believers. I hope that this answers your question and that this lesson has been a blessing.
Yours in Christ Jesus, Thomas Holland Psalm 118:8
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