Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
The preface of the twentieth century New Testament. This is
a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Recording by J. A. Carter www dot authentic light dot org.
(00:24):
The twentieth Century New Testament by a company of about
twenty scholars. Preface. English speaking people of today have not
until quite recently had the opportunity of reading the Bible
in the English of their own time. Though in the
course of the last hundred years the Bible has been
translated into the vernacular of most countries, the language of
(00:45):
our Bible remains the English of three hundred years ago.
This translation of the New Testament is an endeavor to
do for the English nation what has been done already
for the people of almost all other countries, to enable
Englishmen to read the most important part of their Bible
in that form of their own language, which they themselves use.
It had its origin in the recognition of the fact
(01:06):
that the English of the Authorized version closely followed in
that of the revised Version. Though widely valued for its
antique charm, is in many passages difficult or even quite
unintelligible to the modern reader. The retention, too, of a
form of English no longer in common use, is liable
to give the impression that the contents of the Bible
have little to do with the life of today. The
Greek used by the New Testament writers was not the
(01:28):
classical Greek of some centuries earlier, but the form of
the language spoken in their own day. Moreover, the writers
represent those whose utterances they record as using the words
and phrases of everyday life. We believe that the New
Testament will be better understood by modern readers if presented
in a modern form, and that a translation of it
which presents the Original in an exalted, literary and antiquated dress, cannot,
(01:52):
despite its aroma and the tender memories that have gathered
around it, really make the New Testament for the reader
of today the living reality that it was for its
first readers. In this respect, the present translation differs altogether
in its aim from that of the revised version of
eighteen eighty one. No attempt is made in that version
to translate the Original into the language of our own time.
(02:13):
Its author's state in their preface, we have faithfully adhered
to the rule that the alterations to be introduced should
be expressed as far as possible in the language of
the Authorized Version or of the versions that preceded it.
Our constant effort, on the contrary has been to exclude
all words and phrases not used in current English. We have, however,
(02:33):
followed the modern practice of using an older phraseology in
the rendering of poetical passages and of quotations from the
Old Testament and in the language of prayer. The translation
of sixteen eleven, known as the Authorized Version, was the
outcome of many successive revisions of the translation completed by
Tyndale in fifteen thirty four, which was at least to
(02:53):
some extent, founded on that completed by Wycliffe about thirteen eighty. Further,
the last name translate was not made from the original Greek,
but from the Latin version known as the Vulgate. The
present translation is not a revision of any previous one,
but is made directly from the Greek. Nor is it
a paraphrase. A paraphrase might be useful as a help
(03:14):
to the interpretation of the New Testament, but it would
not be the New Testament itself. Yet, on the other hand,
our work is more than a verbal translation. No purely
verbal rendering can ever adequately represent the thoughts conveyed in
the idioms of another language. In this translation, not only
has every word been carefully weighed, but also the emphasis
placed upon every word, and the effort has been made
(03:37):
to give the exact force and meaning in idiomatic modern
English the Greek text. Since the publication of the Authorized
version of sixteen eleven, more than fifteen hundred manuscripts of
the whole or of parts of the New Testament have
been discovered or have become accessible, and among them are
the three oldest and most important. The Greek text here translated,
(03:59):
that of westcot In Heart, is mainly founded on the
oldest manuscripts, and may be said to represent that form
of the text of the New Testament which was generally
in use in the Church at the end of the
third century. Parallel passages. A large amount of time and
care has been expended upon those passages of the Gospels
which record the same or similar events or discourses, in
(04:22):
order to show the remarkable similarities and the no less
remarkable divergencies which abound in them. Such passages are common
in the first three Gospels, while in the fourth they
are more numerous than is generally supposed. Doctor Westcott writes,
the English reader has a right to expect that he
will find in the revision which is placed in his
hands a faithful indication of the verbal agreement or difference
(04:43):
between the several narratives. In addition to such help as
that referred to by doctor Westcott, the English reader should
now be able to some extent to study the origins
of the Gospels, and to discern their relation to a
common source. Great advances have been made in the study
of this subject since the a issue of the Authorized
and even of the revised version. There are, still, however,
(05:04):
minute points where such an indication as that required by
doctor Westcott seems impossible. Quotations and borrowed phrases. The numerous
and important quotations from the Old Testament are in this
translation set out in modern form, but minor quotations, that is,
those not specially introduced as quotations from the Old Testament,
the Apocrypha, the Book of Enoch, and other sources are
(05:26):
placed between single inverted commas, while at the foot of
the pages references are given to some of the vast
number of places in which the writers consciously or unconsciously
borrow the phraseology of the Old Testament. This will enable
the reader to see how familiar the writers were with
the very words and phrases of the Septuagint version of
the Old Testament, and how insensibly it influenced them in
(05:47):
describing the events of their own day. Proper names the
names of persons and places we have as a rule
left in the forms with which English readers have been
made familiar by the authorized and revised versions, except where
a change in the spelling seemed likely to show the
correct pronunciation. Measures coins and titles, we have attempted to
(06:08):
give measures of space and time, the values of coins,
and also official titles in their nearest English equivalents. Bracketed passages.
A few passages, numbering fourteen in all, will be found
placed between square brackets. These are judged by Westcott and
Horte quote not to have originally formed part of the
work in which they occur, unquote, but to be quote
(06:31):
stray relics from the Apostolic or sub Apostolic age unquote.
The three most important of these will be found at
pages thirty nine and two hundred ten. Order of the
books The order in which the books and letters of
the New Testament appear in this translation is due to
the desire not to inconvenience a reader familiar with the
old order more than is necessary, but at the same
(06:53):
time to make an advance in the direction of such
a chronological arrangement as modern research has rendered possible. Three
main divisions have been adopted, suggested by the character of
the books historical books, letters and an Apocalypse, and in
the subdivisions the letters have been grouped under the names
of those writers to whom they have been traditionally attributed.
Within these subdivisions, the books and letters stand in a
(07:16):
probable chronological arrangement. It is certain that our translation will
not be acceptable to those who regard any attempt to
retranslate the New Testament as undesirable, if not dangerous. It
is nevertheless hoped that by this modern translation, the New
Testament may become a living reality to many by whom
the authorized version, with all its acknowledged beauties, is but
(07:37):
imperfectly understood or never read. In this hope, we now
commend this translation, which has been undertaken as a labor
of love, to the good will of all English speaking people.
And to the blessing of Almighty God. The translators September
nineteen o four. Note. The tentative edition of this translation
(07:58):
was issued in three parts between tween eighteen ninety eight
and nineteen oh one. In that edition, we endeavored to
discover what was practicable in a modern translation of the
New Testament before issuing a permanent edition. This revision of
our translation, rendered necessary by the large demand for al
tentative edition in every part of the English speaking world,
amounts practically to a careful retranslation made in the light
(08:20):
of experience, derived from our previous attempts and of the
many valuable criticisms that have been received. The order of
the books and letters as arranged in this translation Mark
Matthew Luke, John, Acts, James first, Thessalonians second, Thessalonians, Galicians first,
(08:42):
Corinthians second, Corinthians, Romans, Collagians, Bileman, Ephesians, Philippians first, Timothy
Sewod Timothy, Titus, Hebrews one, Peter second, Peter, Jude, John second,
John third, John Revelation. End of preface
The preface of the twentieth century New Testament. This is
a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Recording by J. A. Carter www dot authentic light dot org.
(00:24):
The twentieth Century New Testament by a company of about
twenty scholars. Preface. English speaking people of today have not
until quite recently had the opportunity of reading the Bible
in the English of their own time. Though in the
course of the last hundred years the Bible has been
translated into the vernacular of most countries, the language of
(00:45):
our Bible remains the English of three hundred years ago.
This translation of the New Testament is an endeavor to
do for the English nation what has been done already
for the people of almost all other countries, to enable
Englishmen to read the most important part of their Bible
in that form of their own language, which they themselves use.
It had its origin in the recognition of the fact
(01:06):
that the English of the Authorized version closely followed in
that of the revised Version. Though widely valued for its
antique charm, is in many passages difficult or even quite
unintelligible to the modern reader. The retention, too, of a
form of English no longer in common use, is liable
to give the impression that the contents of the Bible
have little to do with the life of today. The
Greek used by the New Testament writers was not the
(01:28):
classical Greek of some centuries earlier, but the form of
the language spoken in their own day. Moreover, the writers
represent those whose utterances they record as using the words
and phrases of everyday life. We believe that the New
Testament will be better understood by modern readers if presented
in a modern form, and that a translation of it
which presents the Original in an exalted, literary and antiquated dress, cannot,
(01:52):
despite its aroma and the tender memories that have gathered
around it, really make the New Testament for the reader
of today the living reality that it was for its
first readers. In this respect, the present translation differs altogether
in its aim from that of the revised version of
eighteen eighty one. No attempt is made in that version
to translate the Original into the language of our own time.
(02:13):
Its author's state in their preface, we have faithfully adhered
to the rule that the alterations to be introduced should
be expressed as far as possible in the language of
the Authorized Version or of the versions that preceded it.
Our constant effort, on the contrary has been to exclude
all words and phrases not used in current English. We have, however,
(02:33):
followed the modern practice of using an older phraseology in
the rendering of poetical passages and of quotations from the
Old Testament and in the language of prayer. The translation
of sixteen eleven, known as the Authorized Version, was the
outcome of many successive revisions of the translation completed by
Tyndale in fifteen thirty four, which was at least to
(02:53):
some extent, founded on that completed by Wycliffe about thirteen eighty. Further,
the last name translate was not made from the original Greek,
but from the Latin version known as the Vulgate. The
present translation is not a revision of any previous one,
but is made directly from the Greek. Nor is it
a paraphrase. A paraphrase might be useful as a help
(03:14):
to the interpretation of the New Testament, but it would
not be the New Testament itself. Yet, on the other hand,
our work is more than a verbal translation. No purely
verbal rendering can ever adequately represent the thoughts conveyed in
the idioms of another language. In this translation, not only
has every word been carefully weighed, but also the emphasis
placed upon every word, and the effort has been made
(03:37):
to give the exact force and meaning in idiomatic modern
English the Greek text. Since the publication of the Authorized
version of sixteen eleven, more than fifteen hundred manuscripts of
the whole or of parts of the New Testament have
been discovered or have become accessible, and among them are
the three oldest and most important. The Greek text here translated,
(03:59):
that of westcot In Heart, is mainly founded on the
oldest manuscripts, and may be said to represent that form
of the text of the New Testament which was generally
in use in the Church at the end of the
third century. Parallel passages. A large amount of time and
care has been expended upon those passages of the Gospels
which record the same or similar events or discourses, in
(04:22):
order to show the remarkable similarities and the no less
remarkable divergencies which abound in them. Such passages are common
in the first three Gospels, while in the fourth they
are more numerous than is generally supposed. Doctor Westcott writes,
the English reader has a right to expect that he
will find in the revision which is placed in his
hands a faithful indication of the verbal agreement or difference
(04:43):
between the several narratives. In addition to such help as
that referred to by doctor Westcott, the English reader should
now be able to some extent to study the origins
of the Gospels, and to discern their relation to a
common source. Great advances have been made in the study
of this subject since the a issue of the Authorized
and even of the revised version. There are, still, however,
(05:04):
minute points where such an indication as that required by
doctor Westcott seems impossible. Quotations and borrowed phrases. The numerous
and important quotations from the Old Testament are in this
translation set out in modern form, but minor quotations, that is,
those not specially introduced as quotations from the Old Testament,
the Apocrypha, the Book of Enoch, and other sources are
(05:26):
placed between single inverted commas, while at the foot of
the pages references are given to some of the vast
number of places in which the writers consciously or unconsciously
borrow the phraseology of the Old Testament. This will enable
the reader to see how familiar the writers were with
the very words and phrases of the Septuagint version of
the Old Testament, and how insensibly it influenced them in
(05:47):
describing the events of their own day. Proper names the
names of persons and places we have as a rule
left in the forms with which English readers have been
made familiar by the authorized and revised versions, except where
a change in the spelling seemed likely to show the
correct pronunciation. Measures coins and titles, we have attempted to
(06:08):
give measures of space and time, the values of coins,
and also official titles in their nearest English equivalents. Bracketed passages.
A few passages, numbering fourteen in all, will be found
placed between square brackets. These are judged by Westcott and
Horte quote not to have originally formed part of the
work in which they occur, unquote, but to be quote
(06:31):
stray relics from the Apostolic or sub Apostolic age unquote.
The three most important of these will be found at
pages thirty nine and two hundred ten. Order of the
books The order in which the books and letters of
the New Testament appear in this translation is due to
the desire not to inconvenience a reader familiar with the
old order more than is necessary, but at the same
(06:53):
time to make an advance in the direction of such
a chronological arrangement as modern research has rendered possible. Three
main divisions have been adopted, suggested by the character of
the books historical books, letters and an Apocalypse, and in
the subdivisions the letters have been grouped under the names
of those writers to whom they have been traditionally attributed.
Within these subdivisions, the books and letters stand in a
(07:16):
probable chronological arrangement. It is certain that our translation will
not be acceptable to those who regard any attempt to
retranslate the New Testament as undesirable, if not dangerous. It
is nevertheless hoped that by this modern translation, the New
Testament may become a living reality to many by whom
the authorized version, with all its acknowledged beauties, is but
(07:37):
imperfectly understood or never read. In this hope, we now
commend this translation, which has been undertaken as a labor
of love, to the good will of all English speaking people.
And to the blessing of Almighty God. The translators September
nineteen o four. Note. The tentative edition of this translation
(07:58):
was issued in three parts between tween eighteen ninety eight
and nineteen oh one. In that edition, we endeavored to
discover what was practicable in a modern translation of the
New Testament before issuing a permanent edition. This revision of
our translation, rendered necessary by the large demand for al
tentative edition in every part of the English speaking world,
amounts practically to a careful retranslation made in the light
(08:20):
of experience, derived from our previous attempts and of the
many valuable criticisms that have been received. The order of
the books and letters as arranged in this translation Mark
Matthew Luke, John, Acts, James first, Thessalonians second, Thessalonians, Galicians first,
(08:42):
Corinthians second, Corinthians, Romans, Collagians, Bileman, Ephesians, Philippians first, Timothy
Sewod Timothy, Titus, Hebrews one, Peter second, Peter, Jude, John second,
John third, John Revelation. End of preface
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