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The New International Version
When Evangelical Protestants received the Revised Standard Version, certain texts regarding the virginity of Mary and other Old Testament passages whose Christian interpretation referred to Jesus did not follow traditional Evangelical translation. The New International Version project was started after a meeting in 1965 in Palos Heights, Illinois between the Christian Reformed Church, National Association of Evangelicals, and a group of international scholars. The New York Bible Society (now the Colorado Springs-based International Bible Society) was selected to do the translation. The New Testament was released in 1973 and the full Bible in 1978. It underwent minor revision in 1984.
The NIV Bible is an explicitly Protestant translation. The deuterocanonical books are not included in the translation. It preserved traditional Evangelical theology on many contested points for which the Revised Standard Version has been criticized. Apart from these theological issues, the manuscript base of the NIV is similar to the RSV, using older Greek New Testament texts rather than the later Textus Receptus.
Bible Teachings
One of the most famous bible quotes comes from Luke 6:31, which specifically reads…”do unto others, as you would have them do unto you”. This quote represents one of the most important bible teachings, specifically because of the language used in this sentence. It is important to recognize that the sentence is not “do unto others, as they have done unto you”; rather it is “as you would have them do unto you”. This is important because it emphasizes that even if someone has cause you hurt, you should not hurt them, but rather treat them as you would want to be treated.
This and many other teachings accentuate the importance of the New American bible as a religious text and as a philosophical piece of literature. No other piece of literature created in the last thousand years has as much philosophical and moral significance.
Bible Inheritance Traditions
To read from the same bible as your grandfather, father, and ancestors read from is a way to carry on a family tradition of God’s wisdom. If one thing can be stressed about Christianity, it is the importance of introducing God’s word to younger generations, and carrying on religious family traditions—I can still remember when my dad passed on his Vulgate bible to me. Inheriting a bible from past generations teaches not only the value of family, but develops a connection between the reader and family members who may have passed on. Starting a bible inheritance tradition is not all that difficult; mostly it involves finding a bible that will last several decades despite use.
You should start by looking for a leather bible, as these covers will protect the pages inside from being damaged. You’ll want to look for a bible with sturdy pages as well; some bibles have pages made of thin parchment that are partial to rips and tears. Once you’ve found your bible, write your name in it, and when you’re ready to pass it on to another generation, they will know where it came from.
Hidden Texts of the Bible
The canon for the New Testament of the bible has been developed over several thousand years. Outside the canon, there are ancient scriptures which exist, but most do not feel are pertinent to the bible. These forgotten scriptures are called apocrypha, a term derived from the Latin meaning “that which was hidden”. Rejected by Catholics, orthodox, and protestants alike, common apocrypha for the New Testament are mostly gospels and accounts of the lives of apostles.
Though these hidden scriptures often have little relation to key bible events, they are sometimes included in printings or in bibles designed for a specific sect of a religion. Apocrypha can be quite interesting for examining and extricating passages as they do provide fragments of mostly unknown history from the times of Christ, but don’t expect to find them in your New American bibles.
The KJV Bible
In 1604, King James I of England gave translators instructions to retranslate the various books of the bible and compile a new version. In 1611, the labors of several years were realized and the KJV Bible was created. This Bible was conceived in response to problems of inaccuracies in earlier translations, and is hailed to this day as one of the most exact translations. The translators of the King James Bible used original scriptures written in Hebrew and Greek as their sources for the translations, and compiled both the Old Testament, New Testament, and Apocrypha.
The King James Bible is often the choice for studies of literature conducted at universities, and for bible study. In terms of sales, there are more copies of the King James Bible today than most any other printed book throughout history.
FEAR of the Lord, Part 1
Proverbs, Chapter 1, verse 7 has always been a problem for me. In the King James Version it states, “The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: …” I have a problem fearing the God of love. Modern translations do little to help me. The Revised Standard Version changes the colon following “knowledge” to a semi-colon. The New International Version changes it to a comma.
My first help came from the New Jerusalem Bible. It uses the name, Yahweh, instead of “Lord”, but it has a footnote that says essentially that, “The fear of Yahweh…” means, “… devotion to God.”
Avoid Eye Strain During Bible Study
Reading small text can be extremely stressful on the eyes. Especially if you’re going to be reading for extended periods of time, the strain can result in headaches. And over the long-term, it can even lead to diminished eyesight. For many people, the Bible is something they read for many hours at a time, studying passages and making notes. This becomes a problem, as the text in Bibles is usually small to accommodate for the breadth of the work.
One simple solution to this problem is purchasing an audio Bible. These Bibles eliminate the need for extended reading and make learning the Bible an easy endeavor. I gave a audio Bible to my grandmother for Christmas because I saw how she struggled with her old, small print Bible. She was delighted with the gift, and it accompanies her everywhere she goes now.
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible (RSV) issued in 1977 is a rather unique modern translation of the Bible. It is unique because it was authorized for use by Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, and Roman Catholic churches. It includes the books common to all of these denominations as well as the books unique to any one of them. The RSV was initially published in 1952. Many changes were included in editions published after the initial publication.
The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) was completed and copyrighted in 1989. It was produced because of significant new material and all the changes already included in editions of the RSV. A few pages titled “TO THE READER” at the beginning of the NRSV explains the development of this translation of the Bible from the original King James Version of 1611. The Committee charged with the revision contains Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish members. At one time it included Canadian and English members.
A significant feature of the NRSV is the attempt to fix a major weakness of the English language, the non-existence of a third person singular pronoun that is not gender specific. This is particularly noticeable to people familiar with previous translations. Where it is obvious that both men and women are included, the NRSV uses inclusive language. There are three editions of the NRSV, the American version, an “English” version, and a Roman Catholic verion.
A Moral Guidepost in Modern Times
Like any good Christian, I recognize that I am not perfect. Still, it’s important for a man or woman of faith to strive hard to live life the way Jesus taught us to do. At times when my faith is tested and I’m led into the temptation of sin, I like to be able to fall back on a cornerstone of strength called the New Jerusalem bible. Its wording is plain and straightforward, and the parables within are easily relatable to my own life experiences.
This Catholic translation was first published in 1985. Since then, many Catholics from around the globe have sought it out time and again as a moral and religious guidepost in these confusing modern times. By now my copy has become well worn with use, and I’m planning to go online to purchase a replacement very soon. With any luck, I’ll get just as much spiritual advice from it as I have the old one.
The Inspirational Story of David and Goliath
My son’s religious education began early, and over the years I’ve purchased various bible translations for him to study. The first few were little more than glorified picture books. In time, his knowledge base and reading skills matured enough to allow him to graduate to the actual translations of the bible. His favorite bible story comes from 1 Samuel, chapter 17. It should be immediately familiar even to those who don’t study the Old Testament.
The story of David and Goliath is a rather violent one, but like many Old Testament parables it teaches a solid moral lesson. My son grew up enjoying the story so much in part because of his own diminutive size, which he used to view as a detriment. Now it’s clear to him that if David could go from being a nobody to the king of the Israelites, he could also grow up to do great things. Most recently I bought him an NIV audio bible so that he could enjoy the story even in the car.