God's Word in Man's Language

John 20: 30, 31 NRSV: Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Romans 1:20 Enough can be known about God from observing his creation, that those rejecting God will have no excuse.

But:

God wants to give everyone not minimum opportunity for salvation, but maximum. He kept giving more evidence.

The story of the great flood, for example, is not limited to the Bible. Its memory is preserved in the legends of many cultures throughout the world.

The Hebrew people did have an advantage: Unto them especially were entrusted the oracles of God (Romans 3:2) With them God made a special agreement: If they would be in a special way His people, He would be in a very special way their God. If they would allow God to communicate through them to the world, there would be great physical and material advantages, as well as spiritual advantage. They failed to fulfill God's plan for them, but they did us all a great service: They did preserve the oracles of God.

God provided through Moses a written account of the world's creation, the flood, and the patriarchs. The information was not new. Most of it was very old, and had been passed orally within the family for thousands of years. But alphabetic writing was a new invention, and God used it to preserve and proclaim His Word.

The book of Genesis was enough, but God gave more. The next four books of our Bible tell of His special guidance to the Hebrew people, as He delivered them from slavery in Egypt and brought them to their promised land.

And God gave more, a history of their experience in that land, in Joshua, Judges and Ruth. Why did they want a king, and how did they fare under their kings? The story is recorded in the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles.

Surely God had been generous so far. But He gave more. He sent prophet after prophet to warn, guide and teach his wayward people. He sent repeated offers to his children to return home. And these are recorded for us. He provided many books of prayers, of hymns of praise, of everyday wisdom, and poems of love. There is literature for quiet reading, and script for dramatic performance. There are poems to make you shout for joy, and poems to make you cry.

God encouraged the many human authors to put their best art into the production of His word. Some chose epic poetry, some made acrostics. These are something like a crossword puzzle, in which each section starts with the next letter of the alphabet.

After leading patriarchs and prophets, after giving the scriptures, God did even better: He came Himself, in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus, the promised messiah, came to deal with sin, so we could all see clearly how sin destroys, and how God saves. By His life, His teachings, His death, His return to life, Jesus answered the questions, showed the way, revealed God's love, invited us home.

The followers of Jesus wrote down what He said and did; but not completely. John reminded us that Jesus revealed so much that the world could not contain all the books that could be written about him. "But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name."

Surely this would be revelation enough. But God gave more. Luke recorded not only the life of Jesus, but the experience of His followers, of the church He established. The Christians preserved many of Paul's letters, plus some from Peter, from John, and others.

When His people were suffering terrible persecution from the Roman government, when the last of the apostles was confined to a prison island in the Aegean sea, Jesus appeared personally to John, with a message of hope and encouragement. When things on earth get too bad, John and those who read his book are encouraged to look a little higher. See that despite of and behind the turmoil of nations and disasters, God is still in control. God will set everything right again. A million years from now whatever we thought was important in this earthly and temporary life will pale in the light of God's presence.

God has continued to provide more and more evidence of His love, His concern, His creative power. He is able to keep whatever we commit to Him. He is able to fulfill His promises.

When God's people spoke Hebrew, His word came in Hebrew. When many forgot Hebrew, and were more comfortable in Aramaic, His word was explained in Aramaic. When Jesus was here the people of Palestine read Hebrew but mainly spoke Aramaic. Outside of Palestine, the language of the Roman world was Greek. So the New Testament writers wrote in Greek. It was not the old Greek of Homer or of Aristotle. It was not the educated Greek of their day. They used the everyday common Greek of the marketplace. If you want to spread your message, use language that's easy to understand.

But many Romans felt more comfortable in their native tongue, Latin. In order to know the word of God, must they learn the original languages of Hebrew and Greek? Absolutely not. Remember, God has always wanted the study of His word to be better, easier. He guided the translation of the Bible into Latin as well.

Let us pause to define the term "version." Version does not mean a variation or personal preference. A version is a translation, and as such must accurately communicate the ideas of one language in the words of another.

As long as Latin was the language of living breathing people it kept changing, as do all living languages. After four hundred years of use, the Old Latin Bible sounded old. What should be done? A fresh new translation of course. Thus Pope Damasus commissioned Jerome to translate the Bible anew. This he did, translating from the Greek for the New Testament. Then he went to Jerusalem, learned Hebrew, and translated the Old Testament. What kind of Latin did he use? He chose the fresh new Latin of his day. It was the language not of scholars, but of the common people. In Latin it's not bad to be vulgar, it only means common, and Jerome's Bible is called the Vulgate, because it was written in the common language.

Then over the next thousand years of European history, a shadow passes. The Roman empire decayed from within, and broke into many pieces. Threatened by change, people tried to fight change. If it's good enough for Grandpa, it's good enough for me. Christians became afraid to think for themselves; they ceased to study for themselves. Eventually they blindly followed tradition, and worshipped they knew not what. Ignorance became normal, and worst of all, people were ignorant of the word of God. Ignorance and arrogance go together. The institutional church forbade people to share God's word, to read it for themselves, even to possess the Bible.

Yet despite decrees of kings and popes against the Bible, brave men quietly translated and distributed it. There were translations into the Gothic, Arabic, Saxon, French, Slavonian, and Dutch. In the piedmont valleys of northern Italy the Waldensians studied the Bible for themselves. Then, disguised as merchants, they distributed their handwritten documents wherever people seemed receptive to the love of God.

While the continent remained in intellectual and spiritual darkness, the monks of Ireland continued to copy and circulate the scriptures, sharing with the Picts and Celts of Scotland and England. The beautifully illuminated Lindisfarne Gospels date from this period.

In 1199 Pope Innocent III forbade anyone to interpret the Bible different than did the Roman church, but admitted that "The desire to understand holy Scripture and the attempt to encourage others to live in accordance with its teachings... is indeed praiseworthy."

But in 1229 when the bishops met in Toulouse, France, they forbade any but the clergy to own a Bible in any language.

Despite that declaration, King Louis IX immediately thereafter commissioned a new translation of the Bible into French.

In 1233 James I of Aragon banned the production of Bibles in the Spanish language. But this order was reversed by Alfonso III who commissioned the translation of the Bible into the Catalan language.

There were other Bibles translated into Spanish, one the result of collaboration among Franciscan and Dominican friars and a rabbi.

Good King Wenceslas of Bohemia, about whom we sing at Christmas, promoted the preparation of a German Bible in 1390.

In the late 1300's John Wycliffe was brightest of Bible scholars at Oxford University. He taught that to know the will of God, you should ask not the bishops, but the Bible. The Bishop of London was displeased with this point of view, and brought Wycliffe to trial in 1377. However the trial ended not with condemnation, but with a riot, and Wycliffe survived to die a natural death in 1384. He and his followers produced several English Bibles, translated from the Latin in the 1380's and early 1390's.

The church tried diligently to discover and burn these hand-written Bibles, but nearly 200 survive. Wycliffe's central doctrine was this: "Every Christian ought to study this book because it is the whole truth."

Wycliffe's teachings spread to Bohemia, where Jan Hus took the Bible as his authority and preached in the Czech language. The Bohemian people heard him gladly, but at the Council of Constance in 1415 Hus was condemned and burned.

Meanwhile technology came to the rescue of religion: in 1454 Johann Gutenberg published the first book printed with movable type. It was the Latin Bible. He did his best to make it look as if it were handwritten, including in his type case eight different styles of the lower-case "a". With the invention of printing, it was impossible prevent the spread of knowledge. Without the help of a priest, anyone who had some money and who understood Latin could study God's word for himself. Forty-eight copies of Gutenberg's Bible survive, and one is displayed at the Huntington Library in Southern California.

In 1516 Erasmus published the first printed text of the Greek New Testament, so that thereafter translators could work from the original language.

When in 1517 Luther posted his 95 theses against the sale of indulgences, his words were immediately printed and widely distributed

In 1521 Luther was condemned by the Diet at Worms, and might have suffered the fate of Hus. But friends kidnapped Luther and hid him at Wartburg Castle. There he had the enforced peace to translate the Bible into German. He revised his work with the help of Greek scholar Phillip Melanchthon

After Luther carried his manuscript to the printers in secret, 3,000 copies of the New Testament were prepared in May of 1522. By August all had been sold. Eventually Luther's Bible sold 100,000 copies.

After studying at Oxford and Cambridge, in 1523 William Tyndale determined to translate and publish the Bible in English. Since he was a priest, he first asked permission of the Bishop of London, Cuthbert Tunstall. The bishop denied his request. Tyndale concluded it would be healthier for him to do his work on the continent. A great admirer of Luther's work, Tyndale went to Germany. By 1526 he had finished his New Testament, and began smuggling it into England. The market was good. Bishop Tunstall bought all the copies he could find and burned them. Only two survive. But the bishop's money sustained Tyndale as he worked on the Old Testament and revised his New Testament.

Tyndale thought he was safe in Antwerp, but in 1535 he was kidnapped and brought to trial. In 1536 he was burned, but his executioners did him the courtesy of strangling him first. His last words were a prayer, "Lord, open the King of England's eyes."

Meanwhile, his prayer was already being answered. In 1535 Miles Coverdale published his English Bible with the tacit approval of Henry VIII. Coverdale's Bible is also called the Bug Bible, because it reassures, "Thou shalt not nede to be afrayed for eny bugges by night."

Two years later Miles Coverdale revised the translation of Tyndale's friend, John Rogers, together with that of Tyndale, and produced the Great Bible (1539) financed by Henry's chancellor, Thomas Cromwell. The Great Bible was so called because of its great size, and if we're interested, was the first "authorized" English translation.

Copies of the translation were placed in St. Paul's cathedral for people to read, but they read out loud so enthusiastically, that they were forbidden to read the Bible during the sermon. Cromwell decreed that every church should have a Bible, and that people be permitted to freely read it and discuss it. But when Cromwell lost Henry's favor he was killed in 1540. In 1543 Parliament decreed that only the upper classes should read the Bible.

Ten years later when Mary Tudor became queen she attempted to restore papal authority to the rebellious English. She burned so many that the people called her "Bloody Mary." Many Bible believers fled to Geneva, where they revised Tyndale's Bible with the aid of the Great Bible, thus producing the Geneva Bible. This is the Bible that Shakespeare knew. Some have noted important parallels between the words of Job in this Bible, and those of Hamlet. The Geneva Bible is also called the Breeches Bible, because it reports that Adam and Eve "sewed figge-tree leaves together, and made themselves breeches."

Meanwhile, in 1546 at the Council of Trent, the Roman Church declared that Jerome's Latin Vulgate must be the only authoritative text. Yet the same council called for a new edition of the Vulgate. Its revision went on for almost forty years, until its completion under Pope Sixtus V. It was issued in March, 1590, along with a papal bull which threatened excommunication to anyone who should venture to modify it.

But after Sixtus died, the church went right ahead with a new edition, published under Pope Clement VIII in 1592. This Clementine Vulgate still remains the official Scripture of the Roman church.

When Elizabeth I came to the throne of England she restored the Bible to her people. In 1559 she ordered that Bibles should be printed and placed in every church. Her bishops then revised the Great Bible, producing the Bishops' Bible which went through 20 editions in 42 years.

Just as Mary had persecuted Protestants, Elizabeth persecuted her Catholic subjects. Many fled to the continent. Some worked first at Rheims, then at Douay, to produce the Rheims-Douay Bible, which was declared the official Roman Catholic English Bible. It is a very literal translation, not of the original sources, but of the Latin Vulgate.

When James VI of Scotland became James I of England in 1603, two Bibles were in general use: The Bishops' Bible was read in the churches, but the Geneva Bible was more popular among the people. James, who believed that kings ruled by Divine right, didn't like notes printed in the Geneva Bible which seemed "to allow disobedience to kings." He believed strongly that the Hebrew midwives were wrong to disobey the Egyptian Pharaoh. There were other notes which seemed to him "very partial, untrue, seditious, and savouring too much of dangerous and traitorous conceits."

In 1604 he heard a suggestion that England would benefit from a new translation of the Bible. In Scotland three years before, he had come to the same conclusion. Forty-seven of England's best scholars were to begin the work. Marginal notes were to be severely restricted. They were to revise the Bishops' Bible, but should feel free to use other translations if they found them better. Each translator had to read his work aloud to the others, so the language chosen was intended to make beautiful reading.

The first edition was published in 1611 and weighed 26 lb. It is sometimes called the "He Bible" because it misprinted Ruth 3:15, with "he" where it should read "she." It immediately replaced the Bishops' Bible for reading in churches. The people however still preferred the Geneva Bible, and it was 40 years before the King James Version gained general acceptance.

One printing of the King James Bible was called the Wicked Bible because it left out the "not" in the seventh commandment. Thus it read "Thou shalt commit adultery."

We often refer to the King James Bible as the "authorized version," but there is no record of its authorization, by King, bishop, or parliament. It was in fact a revision of the Bishops' Bible which was a revision of the Great Bible which was a revision of Rogers' Bible, which was a revision of Tyndale's Bible. And Tyndale was not authorized; he was burned.

But it was beautifully done, a work of lasting value. More than 250 years passed before any large-scale revision of the text was attempted. That came in 1885 with the English Revised Version.

Another revision took place in 1901 as the American Standard Version. This one has since been further revised in 1963 as the New American Standard Bible.

Better understanding of the original languages, with the discovery of better and still older manuscripts led in 1952 to the Revised Standard Version.

The most recent revision in this line is the New Revised Standard Version, completed in 1989.

What about the New King James Version, 1979? It is not a revision, nor does it take advantage of the last 350 years of biblical and archeological scholarship. It merely replaces many archaic words with their modern equivalents.

Why would that be useful? Because the language of seventeenth century Britain is not the language of contemporary America. As beautiful as is the language of the King James, it contains many passages that are hard to understand.

Are you puzzled by any of these passages from the King James?

Thou shalt be for booties unto them. –Habakkuk 2:7 [the plural of booty, material won in battle]

By his neesings a light doth shine. –Job 41:18 [referring to the sneezing of the mythological beast here described]

And thou shalt make ouches of gold –Exodus 28:11 [You shall make settings of gold filigree NRSV]

I trow not. –Luke 17:9 [I don't think so]

Oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto). –Romans 1:13 ["let" then meant to hinder, and still is in tennis, a let ball.]

We which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. –1 Thessalonians 4:15 [Prevent now means to hinder, then meant to precede.]

Those who prefer to use the King James Bible may find useful The King James Bible Word Book, which is a dictionary of 827 words and phrases which have significantly changed their meaning, due to development of our language since 1611.

Besides the Bibles mentioned, there are many others. In fact we may choose from over 350 translations and editions of the Bible in English alone. But let's mention some of the best known:

1922 James Moffat

1923 Edgar Goodspeed NT

1958 Phillips NT, Four Prophets 1963, revised NT 1972

1958 Amplified Bible NT; complete 1964

1961 New English Bible, NT, complete 1970; Revised English Bible 1989

1966 Today's English Version, the Good News Bible, NT; complete 1976; second edition 1992.

1966 Jerusalem Bible; 1985 New Jerusalem Bible

1970 New American Bible, revised 1986

1971 The Living Bible

1973 New International Version NT, complete 1978

1993 The Message NT; Wisdom Books, 1997

1995 God's Word

1996 New Living Bible

Careful translators follow these important rules: Nothing must be added. Nothing must be left out. The original meaning must not be changed.

Are there any "bad Bibles?" No, not really. But there are a few which advertise themselves as being a bit unusual. Some make extraordinary claims:

1951 The Authentic Version: "I set forth this work, not as of my own ability but alone through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit....Having been shown by divine revelation different truths, not in the then existing translations, which was [sic] brought out by the original Greek, I was led by the Holy Spirit, as the servant of God, that I might be used by his Spirit to accomplish the work set before me.. the best that can be produced....for I believe what God does, He does right."

There is also a New Testament revised by the Spirits:

"Dear reader, trust in God, who made all things after the counsel of His own will. The holy spirits feel much interest in this work. And the spirits who corrected this New Testament desire that the world will receive this correction as coming from them, directed by God Himself, which is true, Jesus, the Christ.

"Those who refuse to commune with, or hear from the spirits of the departed, especially those who are holy, or scoff or in any way insult them or oppose them, or make light of spiritual communion, sin against the Holy Ghost."

Special cautions would apply to such a Bible.

Some seem to find their use only within certain religious groups:

1950 The New World Translation, by the Watch Tower Society. This is circulated primarily by the Jehovah's Witnesses.

Mormon founder Joseph Smith, claiming guidance from the Holy Spirit, made a number of alterations and additions to the King James Bible. His work is preserved and circulated by both the Missouri and Utah branches of the Latter-Day Saints.

It is in this context that we must mention The Clear Word. It is advertised as a paraphrase, and that's true as far as it goes. In fact all translations must be to some degree paraphrases. To be slavishly literal is to be unreadable. For example, here is a faithful literal translation of the best known text in the Bible

John 3:16, 17

For thus loved God the world so as the Son the only he gave, that everyone believing in him may not perish but may have life eternal. For not sent God the Son into the world that he might judge the world, but that might be saved the world through him. [literal translation]

Compare that awkward literalism with the following contemporary language:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. [NRSV]

Note now the Clear Word:

For God loved the world so much that He freely gave his only Son [to come here and die], that whoever believes in him will not perish, but will be given eternal life. God didn't send His Son to the world to condemn people, but to [forgive them and] save them. [Clear Word]

In the above passage I have placed in brackets two phrases inserted into The Clear Word. The author's intent was to clarify the words of scripture, but these insertions are not supported by any manuscript evidence. In short these are additions to the Word of God, analogous to those offered by Joseph Smith.

Here is Psalm 23:1, 2 in slavishly literal form:

LORD my shepherd, not I shall lack. In pastures of green grass he me lie makes down. To waters of rest He leads me. [literal]

Now a translation in contemporary English:

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters. [NIV]

Here's an example of a modern paraphrase:

God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. [The Message]

Notice that the original thoughts have been offered in very different language, but the paraphrase does not add material not already in the text.

Now let's look at Luke 18:25, first an extremely literal translation:

Easier for it is a camel through eye of a needle to enter than a rich man into the kingdom of God to enter. [literal]

Now the same text in flowing modern English:

Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. [NIV]

Now a modern paraphrase:

It's easier to thread a camel through a needle's eye than get a rich person into God's kingdom. [The Message].

Again, the paraphrase has been very free in its use of language, but it accurately represents and limits itself to the thought of the original text.

Did Jesus speak of a real needle? Yes. Matthew and Mark use the word for a sewing needle. Luke, the physician, uses a medical term, meaning a surgeon's needle.

Jesus was talking about an impossibility, as witness the disciple's reaction: "Who then can be saved?"

Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." [NIV].

From a human standpoint it is impossible. And Christians have long had trouble accepting the plain words of Jesus. Some have thought to change the impossible into something merely difficult.

Consider now The Clear Word:

It's almost as hard to get rich people to give themselves fully to the kingdom of God as it is to lead a loaded camel through the tiny needle gate in the city wall. [Clear Word]

Here the Clear World ceases to be translation, ceases to be paraphrase, and becomes a commentary. In fact it changes the plain sense of the words of Jesus. There is no evidence that in Bible times there was ever a small gate called a needle gate, or that Jesus suggested that a camel, loaded or otherwise, could possibly pass through such a gate. Dr. Blanco sought to make the passage clear, but instead made it muddy.

There are many excellent Bible commentaries, including the SDA Bible Commentary. Their standard form is to quote a Bible text precisely as we have it. Then in a new paragraph the author offers his explanation. But in The Clear Word you can never be sure when you are reading the Bible, and when you are reading Dr. Blanco's commentary upon the Bible.

Consider Deuteronomy 14:26. God invited his people to take their tithe, with it purchase wine or strong drink, and rejoice before the Lord.

Here the word for wine is yayin, which means "that which bubbles." The word for strong drink is shekar, meaning "drink which intoxicates." We might spend a profitable hour studying the circumstances under which God gave such instruction, and what may have been His intention.

But the Clear Word short-circuits such a learning experience. In his attempt to clear up difficulties, Dr. Blanco replaces both "the wine that bubbles," and the "intoxicating drink" with "unfermented wine." Yes, it's clear, and yes, it clears up some troublesome questions, but that's not what God said.

Those who know the work of Ellen White will recognize many of her insights among Dr. Blanco's additions. But he selected his comments from a variety of sources.

Dr. Blanco is very straightforward about the purpose of his work: He writes, "It is not intended for in-depth study or for public reading in churches." "The amplification and expansion of each text came from lexicons, translations, commentaries, doctoral theses and numerous other helps." He concludes with these words: "I pray that God will... bring those... who prayerfully read this paraphrase back into fellowship with Him."

I believe The Clear Word accurately reflects Dr. Blanco's understanding of the scriptures. Read it, enjoy it, but at the same time, don't neglect the scriptures themselves.

If you wish to study the Bible with someone, by no means start by saying, "Well, first you've got the wrong Bible." The good news of God's care for us, and what He expects from us comes clear in any translation, even the most inferior. Seventh-day Adventists don't need any special Bible; we can happily use anybody's Bible.

If you are studying with a Roman Catholic, by all means use a Roman Catholic Bible. Among these are the Rheims-Douay Bible, the Catholic edition of the Good News Bible, the New American Bible and the Jerusalem Bible. These are all excellent Bibles, for Catholics and Protestants alike.

There is safety in studying with more than one translation before us. We will notice differences. There may be very good reasons for those differences, and we will learn thereby. I have used this much of our time reviewing translations, to assure us that we don't need to spend much time worrying about translations. We could better spend our time seeking to know God better, through the study of His word, in the translations of our choice.

Let us be grateful to God, who never settled for just enough, who always offers us more than the minimum. Let us again remember the words of the apostle John, who from the wealth of materials available did his best to select good things for us.

God has offered us ample evidence of His love and care. He is the physician who can heal and restore all the damage done. Let us study to know Him better. Let's be grateful for the wealth of Bibles He has provided.

� 1998 R. Wresch, M.D.