“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” ((2Tim 3:16).
Introduction
The above quotation
- Establishes, with other similar passages, the great importance our community attaches to the reading, understanding, and application of the Bible in our lives
- It is also quoted, not from the original language, but in the words of the KJV, or King James Version, also known as the Authorized Version (AV).
This version is the one most commonly used in The Tidings. By convention the use of other versions is usually acknowledged, although perhaps half of the articles do use one or other of the modern versions. And if you turn to the front of most copies of the KJV, you will find the “Epistle Dedicatory” to King James, dated to 1611. So as 2010 draws to a close, we come next year to the 400th anniversary of the publication of this version. It is indeed remarkable that this version is not only still being published, but is in common use not only among Christadelphians but by many others.
I might mention, in passing, that most of us would barely be able to read the original version of 1611 as shown. Not only is the typescript difficult to read, but the spelling is not that in modern usage. But this original translation is very close to the one we use, which is in fact that of the revision of 1769. (For those curious, the words in “roman” type, such as “is”, rather than in gothic script, serve the same function as words in italic do in modern versions. They indicate that the English words are not in the original Greek, but added to give sense.)
It is amazing, in our modern ever-changing society, that no significant translation was produced between 1611 and the Revised Version of 1881. Although this RV version is very little used today, until quite recently, an AV-RV (or KJV-RV) interlinear version, as shown here, was almost the “standard” version of
Christadelphians. This version is now very expensive and quite rare. (It is quite interesting to note that the RV version, shown in the upper words, is based on Greek which is identical to the source of the KJV — but is here translated quite differently.)
It is not my intention to describe the origin of the KJV, although we must acknowledge much of it was based upon the work of William Tyndale, who was burned at the stake in 1536, and is famous for saying “I will cause the boy that driveth the plow to know more of the Scriptures than thou [the Pope] dost.”1And it is not my purpose to address the controversial topic of the advantages (or disadvantages) of the modern versions, or of the various Greek versions that underlie them. But instead I will focus on the longevity of a translation that, despite its archaic language, is still capable of transmitting the gospel message to most who hear it. Despite the fact that Hebrew, Greek (and Aramaic) are understood by very few, the Truth is still transmitted to all who will hear it.
Longevity of the KJV
The very fact that the KJV was so dominant for so long lead scholars to undertake the immense task of developing concordances and the associated aides, with which one can search and further understand the message of the Bible. Despite the acknowledged dangers of “translating by concordance,” the use of such guides as the Strong’s concordance are very helpful. (I personally have the principle that if the usage I, or anyone else, would like is not supported by any modern translation, I am most reluctant to use it.) With the use of such a concordance, it is quite easy to find other uses of the same word in the original languages. But it is clear, simply by looking at the various usages of words, that the same word can mean different things depending on the context. We only have to think of the English word “dear.” Referring to an animal, I see many in my back yard. Referring to a person, it describes a relationship. Referring to an item, it describes its cost.
There are similar cases in any language. In Hebrew, “Ruach” can mean, as most know, both “breath” and “spirit”: not only this, but there are almost twenty other words that can be used to translate this one Hebrew word. Who would guess that it is this Hebrew word that is translated “courage” in Josh 6:11. So any translator must judge from the whole context which English word is appropriate, and this requires, of course, a deep and thorough knowledge of, in this case, Biblical Hebrew.
Strong’s concordance is the best known such tool, as it ascribes numbers to each Greek and Hebrew word, enabling anyone to find the same word elsewhere, despite different English translations. Young’s concordance is less well known, but it has the advantage is that for each English word, the various original words used are listed separately. It also has a special place in my library, as it was my first major purchase of a Bible tool. It still sits on my desk and is frequently consulted: it was quite a major purchase for an impecunious student.
Both works were published in the late nineteenth century, and both were the results of thousands of hours of work, with the authors and assistants confident in the fact that there was only one translation in common use. It is interesting to me that Young’s was published in 1869: Strong’s in 1890. This basically coincides with the major expansion of the Christadelphian community, with its major emphasis on Bible study and its distrust on academically trained clergy. Although John Thomas was reasonably fluent in Hebrew and Greek, few later members were so blessed. But, with the help of such tools, the depths of at least some of the riches of the original languages can be appreciated by all. From the first pages of The Christadelphian, exposition included references to such works as Parkhurst’s Greek Lexicon, published in 1809. Thus a lay congregation, with its members without academic training, could and did form a knowledgeable Bible based community, and debate on equal terms with other groups, with their professionally trained leaders.
Of course, with the advent of computer based Bible study tools, the need to consult the KJV to utilize the various concordances has somewhat disappeared, but the value of employing such tools in such contexts as Bible Seminars still remains, as many can testify. And I still turn to my Young’s, and the KJV which sits on my desk, more often than most other tools.
The last 400 years
As we look back 400 years, the ability of the population at large to read the Bible for themselves, and the consistency the domination of one version, has greatly helped to acquire familiarity with the word of God. This would lead, during the reformation, to many reject the erroneous non-Biblical doctrines of the Catholic Church. For hundreds of years, the priests could hide behind their restricted access to the Scriptures, but this disappeared with the advent of the KJV. (Other English translations preceded that of the KJV in 1611, but by the 1640’s the KJV had displaced all the others.)
So we follow in the footsteps of those who had searched out the Scriptures for themselves, as pride ourselves (perhaps more in intent than in actuality) as being the “people of the Book.” In North America of late our greatest preaching successes have been with the utilization of Bible Seminars, which seem to fill a hunger in many to obtain a better understanding of the Scriptures. And it is still the KJV that we most commonly hand out.
Other Versions
It is no part of our acknowledgement of the debt we owe to the KJV to suggest other versions are either unacceptable or to be discouraged. Indeed, many Christadelphians in England were brought up in the Suffolk Street fellowship, which used the RV as “their” Bible — and this continued for decades after the reunion of 1955. The version we use of little significance, as almost all are free enough from bias to let the true message shine through. The default version of the Tidings will remain the KJV for the foreseeable future, but as I scan the pages of this issue, I see many authors use different versions.
UK Website
So as we approach the 400th anniversary of the KJV, let us appreciate and celebrate its heritage. Our UK brethren have developed a preaching initiative, with most relevant information to be found on the website www.thebible4lifededication.org. This includes
- Bible — Hard back New King James Bible.
- Insert — This is planned to cover how the Bible came to us, translations, why we can trust the Bible and help on how to read the Bible.
- Newspapers —Designed to be able to be used for billing or in other ways you can think of.
- DVD — A selection of short films explaining why brethren trust the Bible, for example Archaeologists, Medical Doctors, Historians etc.
- Bible Reading Handbook and Planners
- Life’s Big Questions Distance Learning Course & DVD’s
- Other Seminar materials — for example Bible in an hour and Bible in a nutshell.
I know of no such initiative in North America, but if one is developed we would be pleased to publicize it in The Tidings.
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