The Bible in Translation: Ancient and English Versions

Front Cover
Baker Books, Oct 1, 2001 - Religion - 200 pages
The Bible has been translated more than any other piece of literature and is currently available in over two thousand languages, with several languages having numerous versions. Outlined here is the development of biblical translation, including a careful analysis of more than fifty versions of the Bible.

One of the most respected living biblical scholars, Bruce Metzger begins this engaging survey with the earliest translations of the Old and New Testaments before proceeding to English versions dating from the eleventh century to the present. Metzger explores the circumstances under which each translation was produced and offers insight into its underlying objectives, characteristics, and strengths. Having served on a number of modern translation committees, his insights into the evolution of Bible translation flow not only from careful research, but also from personal experience.

Students, pastors, and interested readers will discover the history of the written Word and gain useful insight into which modern translations best serve their own needs.
 

Contents

Ancient Versions Intended Chiefly for Christians
25
English Versions
53
The British Revised Version 188185 and the Ameri
99
Early ModernSpeech Versions
105
Revision after Revision
149
Simplified EasytoRead Versions
163
Paraphrases of the English Bible
175
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2001)

Bruce M. Metzger (Ph.D., Princeton University) is George L. Collord Professor of New Testament Language and Literature Emeritus at Princeton Theological Seminary. An expert in ancient biblical manuscripts, he has participated in three major Bible translation projects and was chairman of the NRSV translation committee.

Bibliographic information