Here is the fourth and last in this series on the history of the Bible: how we got the Bible. Although the title says “English Versions,” most of the material primarily covers the KJV. Below is the handout and PowerPoint. Please also visit the links further below as well.
Remember, that although we have studied some of the textual issues and the many mistakes in the KJV, nothing is changed in the teachings. Nothing is changed about salvation. This is important to remember. Just because some of the imperfections are pointed out within the KJV translation, please do not make this into an “us” versus “them” debate. We all want to know God’s word more accurately.
Also there should be a reminder about looking at the evidence. When looking at manuscripts and the evidence of early readings, it is important to look at the evidence objectively. When we begin to become hostile in our words and start making personal attacks then the discussion of looking at the evidence has moved into a whole different argument — thus making unclear the original intention of the discussion. There is a big difference between looking at the evidence objectively and a name-calling battle filled with emotional language. As Dan Wallace once wrote, “civility and substance will go a long way.”
Material
History of the Bible 4: English Versions (PowerPoint)
History of the Bible 4: English Versions (PDF)
History of the Bible 4: English Versions (handout–PDF)
Links for further readings, studying and browsing:
Translations
- Alexander Campbell’s The Living Oracles (New Testament translation)
- American Standard Version (1901). Or buy at Amazon.
- Revised Standard Version (RSV). At Amazon.
- New American Standard Version (1995). At Amazon.
- New International Version (NIV). At Amazon.
- New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). At Amazon.
- New Living Translation (NLT). At Amazon.
- New English Translation (NET) — browse the sidebar for the menu. At Bible.org.
- English Standard Version (ESV). At Amazon.
- Today’s New International Standard Version (TNIV). At Amazon.
There are many more translations, but here are a few representative translations. Visit the Bible Gateway for more translation choices. Please note that I am not endorsing any particular translation, nor am I encouraging one translation over another. I’m simply giving the links for your convenience to browse or study as you would like.
Here is another video: on the steps of taking photographs of these manuscripts — to preserve them digitally. For more information visit The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts. View the video below:
Here is a brief video from a news station interviewing Dan Wallace about New Testament Greek manuscripts. During his trip to Albania (summer 2007), Wallace and his team discovered manuscripts that were previously unknown. Take a look at the video below:
The next lesson in this series focuses on the printed editions of the Greek New Testament (throughout the centuries after printing was invented) and several English translations up to the KJV. The lesson covers up to a little history behind the KJV translation. Please note that this material is only a survey, which is not at all exhaustive. I have neither covered material concerning text criticism of the Old Testament nor printed editions of the Hebrew Old Testament. I would encourage any reader to further look into the books suggested earlier. Just below is the third lesson in this series in the formats of PowerPoint and PDF.
Downloads:
History of the Bible 3 — Printed Greek New Testament, Early English Versions (PowerPoint)
History of the Bible 3 — Printed Greek New Testament, Early English Versions (PDF)
History of the Bible 3 — Printed Greek New Testament, Early English Versions (handout–PDF)
Links
Here are a couple of links for further reading, study, or browsing:
Here is the next lesson on the history of the Bible.
Today we covered a few things:
Key word: How (we got our Bible)
Scribes
Manuscripts
General Rules of Text Criticism
Some text issues
Downloads:
History of the Bible 2 — Manuscripts (PowerPoint)
History of the Bible 2 — Manuscripts (PDF)
History of the Bible 2 — Manuscripts (handout–PDF)
Like before, if you decide to print the PowerPoint, please note it will take a lot of ink! The handout won’t have so much ink as it doesn’t have images.
* Many of you may not have heard this material before. Please remember that it is very important that our faith should not be troubled. Rather, it should strengthen our faith to know the Bible has such an outstanding and strong number of manuscripts.
Links
Here are a few links related to our discussion for further studying and browsing:
Aleppo Codex
The Great Isaiah Scroll (DSS)
Greek NT Papyri list
Codex Sinaiticus
Today we began the first lesson. We looked at several things:
Ancient Writing Materials
- Stone
- Clay
- Wood
- Leather
- Papyrus
- Vellum / Parchment
Languages of the Bible
- Hebrew
- Aramaic
- Greek
Formation of the Old and New Testaments
For downloading the files, if you choose the PDF make sure you have Adobe Acrobat Reader (Windows). It is a free download. *Warning!* The first two downloads, if you choose to print, you’ll be using a lot of ink from your printer!
History of the Bible 1 — Ancient Writing Materials & Formation of the Bible (PowerPoint)
History of the Bible 1 – Ancient Writing Materials & Formation of the Bible (PDF)
History of the Bible 1 — Handout. Ancient Writing Materials & Formation of the Bible (PDF)
Making Papyrus, Vellum and More
If you are interested in seeing more about the use of ancient writing material, visit this site: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~laulamb/
Also you might find this interesting — ancient amulets found with Scripture on them. One has Numbers 6.24-26 on it. To date, it is one of the oldest known texts of the Bible, dating to about 600-500 BCE. The link is here: http://www.classicalhebrewblog.com/2008/03/25/golden-amulet-with-hebrew-prayer/.
Thanks for stopping by! More will come as the class progresses along.
Welcome visitors! In order to provide material for a Bible class I will be starting soon, I will be providing
some basic material here.
The first matter is books. Although I will not be able to cover every angle of discussion in the class, this
site will supplement some of the material for further reading and studying on how we got the Bible — that is, the history of the Bible, how it was passed down through the centuries.
Here are a few books to recommend for those who are just starting to study this topic. Feel free to click on the links to Amazon if you are thinking about purchasing (or you can search other online bookstores, too):
- Neil Lightfoot, How We Got the Bible. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003. * This is a useful book for introducing someone to the subject in general.
- F. F. Bruce, History of the Bible in English. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford, 1978. * This is out of print, but there are several used copies at cheap prices. Useful survey of the history of the Bible in English translations, starting with John Wycliffe up to translations in the 1970s. This gives a basic understanding of the journey of English translations throughout the centuries.
- Paul D. Wegner, The Journey from Texts to Translations. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999/2004. * Useful book for the history of the text. A bit more technical, packed with information, but still it is a good read. It is also packed with pictures of manuscripts and printed Bibles.
- Jack P. Lewis, The English Bible: from KJV to NIV. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1991. * This book is out of print and may be hard to find. Useful survey for the history and evaluation of English translations. Dr. Lewis’ work is very good. I had the privilege of taking his graduate course on the History of the English Bible at Harding Graduate School in Memphis. Although it is a bit outdated now, I highly recommend this tool.
- Bruce M. Metzger, The Bible in Translation: Ancient and English Versions. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001. Any work by Metzger is highly recommended. This book surveys, like the title says, ancient and English versions of the Bible.
There are many other books I could recommend, but this list should be good enough to dive into the subject for those who haven’t studied it before. Not required, but recommended!
Check back for more posts. I will be posting more basic information about the class, including supplemental material and web links.
You’re welcomed to leave a comment — see below!
