Bible Versions, Part 1

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Bible Versions, Part 1</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id290.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Bottom Line Evidence"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id292.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bible Versions, Part 2"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Bible Versions, Part 1</B></div> <div> <B>Why We Can Trust the Bible, Part 7</B></div> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, November 18, 2001pm</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Three Questions To Consider. . .</B></div> <div> A. Are our Greek and Hebrew copies reliable?</div> <div> B. What about when versions are different?</div> <div> C. Is the King James the only (or the best) version? (Next lesson)</div> <bR> <div> <B>Consider these verses:</B></div> <div> A. Prov 30:5-6, "Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."</div> <div> B. Psalm 119:89, "For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven."</div> <div> C. But what about the fact that modern versions do not include all of 1 John 5:7-8 as it is in the King James Version, or set apart Mark 16:9-20 as very questionable?</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Question One: Are Our Greek and Hebrew Copies Reliable?</B></div> <div> <B>The Bible has historical reliability.</B></div> <div> A. The Dead Sea Scrolls.</div> <div>      The Scrolls took available OT manuscripts back 1000 years from our previous earliest.</div> <div>      The Scrolls demonstrate agreement between our OT manuscripts and the Greek version of the Old Testament.</div> <div> B. Abundance of NT manuscripts.</div> <div>      We have more than 5400 manuscripts (most are partial). Some are as early as the second century. There are more than 8000 manuscripts of versions (other languages).</div> <div>      For comparison, Homer's I<I>liad</I>, is preserved in 647 manuscripts. Of Tacitus' <I>Annals</I>, the first 6 books are in only one manuscript from the ninth century.</div> <div> C. Early quotations of the New Testament.</div> <div>      Almost every verse of our NT (except 11) was quoted in the early centuries (2nd and 3rd). If necessary, the NT could be reconstructed from the quotations of the Church Fathers.</div> <div> D. The New Testament demonstrates the historical reliability of the Old Testament.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Question Two: When Versions Are Different</B></div> <div> <B>Manuscript Issues</B></div> <div> A. No two available manuscripts agree in every detail.</div> <div>      The original languages of the Bible were Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. It was copied by hand, and a few errors were introduced, as could be expected. Unintentional errors include spelling, word order, skipping or adding a line; sometimes errors were intentional, such as including a word or phrase from a parallel passage, or trying to harmonize passages like in the Gospels. Even in printing, some errors can be introduced. For example, a1613 printing left out "not" in 7th command, thus "thou shalt commit adultery." This is called the "Wicked Bible". The KJV printed in 1716 said "sin on more" in John 5:14, rather than "sin no more."</div> <div>      The manuscripts are in 98% agreement. Most differences are very minor (spelling, word order). The important thing is that major doctrine is affected. We have every reason for confidence in our copies of the Bible.</div> <div> B. Textual criticism is the science and art of getting as close as possible to the original.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Three Theories of Translation</B></div> <div>      Even if our Greek and Hebrew texts were perfect, translation into another language is difficult. No two translations are or would be the same.</div> <bR> <div> <B>1. Formal Equivalence</B></div> <div> a. Examples: King James, New American Standard.</div> <div> b. Basically word-for-word, as “literal” as possible.</div> <div> c. Reading level: grade 11 or 12.</div> <bR> <div> <B>2. Dynamic or Functional Equivalence</B></div> <div> a. Examples: New International, New Revised Standard, New Living Translation</div> <div> b. More interpretive, less word-for-word, more thought-for-thought. It tries to interpret figures of speech to achieve the same effect in the target language (such as English). This theory seeks the closest equivalent meaning to original text. For example, Luke 23:48 literally says "they beat their breasts." The New Living Translation translates it by its meaning: "they went home in deep sorrow."</div> <div> c. Reading level: grade 7.</div> <div>  </div> <div> <B>3. Paraphrase</B></div> <div> a. Examples: Living Bible, The Message.</div> <div> b. Freely interpretive, thought-for-thought, phrase-for-phrase.</div> <div> c. Very easy to read and understand.</div> <bR> <div>      This is a continuum, a range. All translations require some level of interpretation. One factor is the variety in meanings for most words. For example, the Hebrew word "nephesh" can mean soul, life, heart, man, beast; as figure,  neck, throat, desire (according to context, of course). Another factor is the different ways to express figures of speech in various languages. For example, in English you can express “hoarse” by saying he has “a frog in his throat.” In French, you would say he has “cat in his throat.”</div> <bR> <div> <B>An Example: Ecclesiastes 11:1</B></div> <div> KJV: Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.</div> <div> NIV: Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.</div> <div> NLT: Give generously, for your gifts will return to you later.</div> <bR> <div> <B>An Example: I Corinthians 5:5</B></div> <div> KJV: To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.</div> <div> NIV: Hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.</div> <bR> <div> (See the next lesson for a discussion of <A HREF="id292.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bible Versions, Part 2"><U>question three</U></A>.)</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2002, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>