Bible’s translation history in two parts: The first is a look at the progress of the Bible’s creation and early translations. The second part will be a look a the nature of modern translations into English and how they fall into the categories of word-for-word, thought-for-thought, or paraphrase translations.
Part 1: History of the Bible’s creation.
450 BC
The Mikra, or Miqra, (מקרא) contains the Torah (literally ‘instruction’ or ‘law’), Nevi’im (prophets), and Ketuvim (writings or books of wisdom.) As time went on, it has become also known as the TaNaKh, which is an acronym made from the first Hebrew letter of each of these three divisions. The first use of the word Tanakh came into use in the European medieval period. While individual scrolls were written across the breadth of history, bringing those together into a collection occurred largely during the men of the Great Assembly in 450 BC, according to the Talmud. While largely written in Hebrew, some scrolls were in Aramaic.
The Tanakh [Full Text] (jewishvirtuallibrary.org)
~200 BC
The Septuagint (ˈsɛptjuədʒɪnt) is a translation of the Tanakh into Koine Greek at the request of the Greek Pharoh, Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–247 BCE). This is sometimes referred to as the “Greek Old Testament” or “The Translation of the Seventy” because 72 Jewish translators were involved. Six from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. This included some of the Apocrypha writings. The Apocrypha is considered non-canon because they could not be directly attributed to the claimed author and/or authenticated to the claimed period of time that they would have been written. Even though they are non-cannon, there are some references in the bible to these stories. As such, they are worthwhile to be aware of, but do not let them add to the canon.
~100 AD
The original manuscripts of what would become known as the New Testament writings in Koine Greek were completed somewhere between 100 and 150 AD. The New Testament consists of 27 books:
- Four canonical Gospels
- The Acts of the Apostles
- 13 Pauline epistles
- The Epistle to the Hebrews
- 7 General epistles
- The Book of Revelation
~330 AD – 425 AD
The great uncial codices: Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus, and Codex Alexandrinus, were created and contained most of the Greek Old and New Testament in each but omissions in each as well. Collectively they are the earliest collections of what would become the Christian Bible. The Codex Sianaticus wasn’t rediscovered until 1844 and contained two additional writings: the Epistle of Barnabus and Shepard of Hermas.
382 – 384 AD
Latin Vulgate completed by Jerome. The Vulgate also includes the Vetus Latina, which includes the Book of Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, 1 and 2 Maccabees, and Baruch (with the Letter of Jeremiah), which were not translated by Jerome but are included in the Vulgate.
1384 AD
The Wycliffe Bible was the first English-language Bible. It was produced by John Wycliffe without the permission of the church. It was a handwritten copy of all 80 books that include the 66 Old & New Testament books and the Apocrypha. The translation was from Latin to Middle English which would be barely recognizable as English to most people today.
Wicliffite project and Read the Wycliffe Free Online (biblestudytools.com)
1456 AD
The invention of the Gutenberg press resulted in the first printed edition of the Vulgate, known as the Gutenberg Bible.
1522 AD – 1535 AD
The Tyndale Bible was translated from the original Hebrew and Greek to Early Modern English by William Tyndale. Additionally, he cross-referenced other translations of manuscripts in Latin, Greek, and German, but ultimately his efforts were not approved by the church and were considered heretical. Bits and pieces of the translation were produced over time but were typically burned when located. William Tyndale was executed for his efforts in 1536.
1535 AD
The Coverdale Bible is the first complete printed Modern English translation of the Bible by Myles Coverdale. It was primarily translated from Latin and German. The folio edition carried the royal seal of England, making it the first technically authorized English translation. Several parts were derived from William Tyndale’s work. Protestantism was on the rise in England at this point due to Martin Luther’s Reformation.
1537 AD
The Matthew Bible, published under the pseudonym Thomas Matthew, was a compilation of Tyndale’s work complimented by Coverdale’s work.
1539 AD
The Great Bible was the first English Bible specifically authorized by King Henry VIII of England. Myles Coverdale led the effort. This Bible was largely derived from Tyndales work as well as translations from Latin and German. It was known as the Great Bible due to its size but was also known as the King’s Bible, the Chained Bible (Because it was chained down to prevent its removal,) the Cromwell Bible (Vicor that oversaw its publication,) or the Whitchurch’s Bible (because they printed it.)
1557 AD – 1560 AD
The Geneva Bible was the first mass-produced English translation of the Bible. It included chapter summaries, maps, tables, illustrations, and indices. This was the bible carried to the new world on the Mayflower. The language was more forceful and became favored over the Great Bible. Notations had a Calvinist influence. The Geneva Bible was translated directly from the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.
1568 AD
The Bishop’s Bible was updated to remove Calvinist notations of Presbyterianism, where the church is overseen by elders instead of Bishops. It was updated with a major revision in 1572 with more “ecclesiastical” language that was more in line with the Geneva Bible. In 1602 the final revision laid the groundwork for what would become the King James Version.
1582 AD – 1610 AD
The Douay–Rheims Bible was an authorized English translation from the Catholic church in response to the Reformation and the rise of Protestantism. It was directly derived from the Vulgate. The English College in Douai, France, consisted of English Catholic exiles. The college was founded in 1568.
1604 AD – 1611 AD
The first King James Bible was commissioned by King James I of England in 1604 and completed in 1611. The authorization included 80 books of the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Apocrypha. Its creation was conceived in 1604 at the Hampton Court Conference in response to Purtian doctrine based on early translations. It was meant to reinforce the position of the church on ordained clergy and reflect the Episcopal structure. It was updated in 1769 to reflect the evolving English language.
1611 KING JAMES VERSION (1611 BIBLE) (kingjamesbibleonline.org) and King James I Bible – The National Archives
1881 AD – 1894 AD
The Revised Bible or Revised King James Bible is the only revision of the King James Version recognized in Great Britain today. The 1885 edition omitted the Apocrypha, which was later published in 1894. The original languages were consulted, and many thousands of updates were made to better align with the original language. While it is considered a closer translation to the original text, it is more of a flat reading as poetic language was removed.
1900 AD – 1901 AD
The American Standard Bible was created by a coalition of American denominational scholars that worked on the Revised Bible. One of the main differences is the use of “Jehovah” in place of “the Lord” or the Tetragrammaton (YWHY).
1947 AD
The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. This historically significant discovery helped to validate the accuracy of the Bible. For several biblical revisions following their discovery, they became a source to understand the intent of the Greek word usage more clearly because they were written in Hebrew and dated to the first century.
1952 AD
The American Standard Bible was revised against the Dead Sea Scrolls to produce the Revised Standard Edition. It served as the basis for the Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition (1965), as well as New Revised Standard Edition (1989) and the English Standard Version (2001)
1982 AD
The New King James Version was published to modernize English. It was one of the first editions that I could read without struggling. It was also one of my first encounters with people complaining about changes to the Bible. When people see that there is a verse missing from a new translation that was in the King James Version, they panic and become defensive about the King James Translation. Typically if you investigate why this issue exists, you will find that through the translational embellishment or error, the referenced passage never existed to begin with. I am not going to engage in debate on this topic because people just need to do a deeper dive instead of parroting what someone else said. You live in the information age, so it’s on you if you don’t know why “it changed.”
1987 AD
The Amplified Bible relied heavily on the Revised Standard Version and added additional connotations for the original words. These are captured in square brackets throughout “[].” It is a word-for-word translation from the original text, balanced with the dead sea scrolls. Its last revision was in 2015 and is one of my recommended references when doing a deep dive into specific scripture.
Part 2: Spectrum of translation for modern English versions.
There are many other modern translations that range from word to word, thought to thought, to paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is my personal least favorite. When studying, I use word-for-word or thought-for-thought translations. I recommend you research a translation prior to investing in it. My personal favorites are King James, New King James, English Standard, Amplified, and yes, the contentious Passion Translation. I am borrowing a graphic from an internet search that is attributed to Wesley Huff. This is the spectrum of recent translations:
