History of Bible translations into English language It is divided into two periods: the Middle Ages and the New Age.
Middle Ages. Old English period. From the 7th century, when the Anglo-Saxons were converted to Christianity, until the Reformation, the only Bible that was considered authoritative in Britain was the Vulgate.
The earliest attempts to translate the Bible into Anglo-Saxon cannot, strictly speaking, be called translations. These were loose verse retellings of well-known biblical stories. One ancient manuscript contains poems formerly attributed to the monk and poet Caedmon of Whitby, but now attributed to the ninth or early tenth century. AD Another corpus of translated texts of the Bible is attributed to the Anglo-Saxon monk Cynewulf, who lived around the same era as Caedmon of Whitby.
The first attempts at a true translation of the Bible were made in the 8th century. Bishop Aldhelm of Sherborne (640-709) - probably the author of the translation of the Psalter.
Venerable Bede (673-735) translated the Lord's Prayer and part of the Gospel of John. King Alfred (849-899) translated the Ten Commandments and a number of other biblical texts.
The manuscript known as the Vespasian Psalter, written around
825 AD, contains the earliest example of a particular type of translation called a "glossa". The glosses were supposed to serve as an aid to the clerics and fit between the lines of the Latin text. They often followed the Latin word order, which was quite different from the Anglo-Saxon word order. Around 950 AD. one gloss was inserted into a lavishly illuminated manuscript (the Lindisfarne Gospels), the Latin text of which was written about 700. Shortly thereafter, similar glosses began to be inscribed in other manuscripts.
By the end of the X century. There have already been many translations. The West Saxon Gospels (10th century) are a complete translation of the gospels, possibly by three translators. Around 990, famous for his learning, the English Benedictine monk and Latin writer Elfric translated several books of the Old Testament, including the entire Pentateuch, the books of Joshua, Judges, Kings, and several books from the Old Testament apocrypha. His translations, often strayed into prose retelling, he often inserted into sermons. Ælfric's work, the West Saxon Gospels, and numerous translations of the Psalms are all that was done in the Old English period towards a complete translation of the Bible. After Ælfric, Bible translations were no longer made: Britain plunged into " dark ages"Norman conquests.
Middle English period. In a calmer 13th century translation activity resumed. Many new translations of the Bible into English fall into the category of devotional literature rather than actual translation; thus, for example, the Ormulum of the monk Ormes (c. 1215) is a translation of the gospel passages used in the mass in combination with sermons. Around 1250, a rhymed retelling of the books of Genesis and Exodus appeared. Three translations of the Psalter appeared c. 1350: An anonymous verse translation, a translation of the Psalter attributed to William of Shoreham, and a translation with commentary by the hermit and mystic Richard Rolle of Gempol. In the XIII-XIV centuries. , various parts of the New Testament were translated by unknown authors.
Wycliffe Bible. By the end of the XIV century. The first complete translation of the Bible into English appeared. It was the Wycliffe Bible, a translation initiated and directed by John Wycliffe (c. 1330-1384). Wycliffe insisted that the gospel is the rule of life and that all people have the right to read it "in the dialect in which they know best the teaching of Christ." He insisted that the Bible in English was needed to spread this teaching.
The Wycliffe Bible is almost certainly not translated by Wycliffe himself, but by his collaborators. There are two versions of the translation. The first was begun by Nicholas of Hereford, one of Wycliffe's followers, and completed by another hand c. 1385. A later and less ponderous translation was probably made by another follower of Wycliffe, John Perway (c. 1395).
After Wycliffe's death, his views were condemned and the reading of his Bible banned. Because of Wycliffe's unorthodox teachings and the intransigence of his supporters, the vernacular Bible became associated in orthodox minds with heresy. Although translations of the Bible were also undertaken in other European countries, in England, before the Reformation, no one undertook translations of the Bible. Despite the Church's curse, Wycliffe's Bible was often copied, and some of its parts were later borrowed.
William Tyndale, the first of the Reformed translators.
Protestant translations. The Protestant translators of the Reformation abandoned the Vulgate as their primary source. In the course of comparing the Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible with the Latin text of the Vulgate, inconsistencies and inaccuracies were discovered. In addition, reformist translators who had broken with the Roman Catholic Church were unwilling to base their translations on the Latin Bible.
William Tyndall. The first English Protestant translator of the Bible was William Tyndale (c. 1490-1536). W. Tyndall studied Greek at Oxford and Cambridge, and Hebrew, apparently, in Germany. He tried to print his translation of the New Testament in Cologne, but the church authorities forced him to move to Worms, where he completed the edition. A large format edition was published at Worms in 1525; it came to England the following year and was immediately burned. Despite the church curse, reprints followed one after another, many came to England from the Netherlands. The first volume of the Old Testament in Tyndall's translation appeared in 1530; Tindall was arrested, in prison he continued to work on the Old Testament, but in 1536, as a heretic, he was burned at the stake in Vilvoorde near Brussels.
Miles Coverdale. In 1534 the Anglican Church petitioned the king for an English translation of the Bible. Archbishop Cranmer, the architect of Henry VIII's religious policy, took several steps on his own initiative to support the petition, but was unsuccessful. When
Miles Coverdale, who was once an employee of Tyndall, completed his work and produced in Germany the first complete Bible in English (1535), it soon got to England and was sold there without any objections from the authorities. Miles Coverdale did not have Tyndall's learning. He borrowed from Tyndale a translation of the New Testament and part of the Old Testament, but since Coverdale did not speak Hebrew well, he had to complete Tyndall's work, translating from Latin. The language of Coverdale's translation is more melodious than Tyndall's; The Psalter in his translation (the 1539 edition for the Great Bible) is still used in the Anglican Missal (Book of Public Worship), and for its literary merit it is often preferred to the King James Version of the Psalms.
Bible Matthew. In 1537 Henry VIII was persuaded to give his highest approval to the idea of an English Bible; thus a "new translation" was born. It was believed to be a translation of a certain Thomas Matthew, although the real publisher was, apparently, another collaborator of Tyndale - John Rogers; the text itself was compiled from translations by William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale, with the addition of many doctrinal notes.
Big Bible. In 1538, a royal decree was issued, according to which each parish was obliged to purchase a copy of the Bible for its church, and parishioners were to reimburse half the cost of the book. The decree was probably not about the Matthew Bible, but about a new translation. In 1539 a new translation appeared, and this hefty volume was called the Great Bible. Miles Coverdale was the editor, but the text was more of a revision
Matthew's Bible than the 1535 Coverdale translation. The 1540 second edition is sometimes called the Cranmer Bible (prefaced by Archbishop Cranmer's preface). The Big Bible became the official text, while other translations were banned.
Geneva Bible. The coming to power of the Catholic Mary Stuart horrified the English Protestants. To avoid persecution, many of them emigrated and settled in Geneva, in those years the center of Protestantism. Under the leadership of the Scottish Calvinist John Knox, and possibly with the participation of M. Coverdale, the English community in Geneva produced in 1557 the New Testament and the Psalter, and in 1560 a complete edition of the Bible, the so-called Geneva Bible (also known under the playful name " The Breeches Bible," or "The Breeches Bible," since Genesis 3:7 is translated as follows: "and they sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves trousers").
The Genevan Bible was strikingly different in format from previous translations. There were several small-format editions of the New Testament, but the English Bible was intended to be read during church services with commentaries by clergy. It was typed in an old Gothic type, was large and very heavy; often, for safety, she was chained to a music stand. And the Geneva Bible used a clear Latin script and was much smaller in size. It had the usual numbering of individual verses, as well as introductions to books and notes, maps biblical history, summary Christian doctrine, an index and a glossary, various forms of prayer were given, and notes were attached to the psalms. That is, it was a very complete guide; its fullness and small size contributed to the formation of the habit of reading at home.
The Genevan translation was, to a certain extent, the most scientific translation of its time. The text of the Big Bible (1550) was taken as a basis. The Genevan Bible gained recognition and popularity almost immediately, but until 1576
The Geneva Bible was not published in England. Although Queen Elizabeth I ascended the throne in 1558, the Anglican hierarchs were hostile to the Geneva Bible and sought to delay its publication. Once printed, it went through 140 editions and was produced during the lifetime of a generation, even after the publication of the King James Bible. It was the Bible that Shakespeare knew and quoted.
Episcopal Bible. In 1568 Archbishop Cranmer's successor -
Matthew Parker published his own edition, the Bishop's Bible. The name suggests that it was a collective effort by Anglican bishops who completed the task in just two years; they used the Great Bible as a basis, deviating from it only in those cases where it conflicted with the Hebrew or Greek texts. The Bishop's Bible often borrows passages from the Geneva Bible where its advantages in terms of translation accuracy are not in doubt. Upon completion, the Bishop's Bible replaced the Greater Bible as the official Bible of the Church of England.
King James Bible. The need for a new authoritative translation was proposed by the Puritan John Reynolds, who addressed it to King James I in 1604. James approved the idea and appointed translators - "the men of science, fifty-four in number." The translators were divided into four groups, meeting at Westminster, Cambridge, and Oxford; each group took a part of the Bible, the initial, draft translation of which had to be approved by all members of the "company". A committee of 12 supervisors reviewed the first versions of the translation. The Bishop's Bible was chosen as the main text, but translations of William Tyndale, Miles Coverdale, the Matthew Bible, the Great Bible, the Geneva Bible, and even the Catholic translation of the New Testament (published in 1582) were also involved in the work.
The King James Bible was published in 1611.
For nearly 400 years, the King James Version has held the status of an official translation. In England, it is called the Officially Approved Translation (Authorized Version), although neither the royal house nor Parliament issued any official acts on this matter. The King James Bible has the same status in the Protestant denominations of the United States.
New English Bible. In sharp contrast to the various revisions of the translations stands the attempt made in England to create an authoritative text of the English Bible for the 20th century. The New English Bible is a completely new, fresh translation of the original texts into the common spoken English of the 20th century, which avoids both obsolete 17th century verbal constructions and copying of Greek phrases. Thus, this translation is at odds with the tradition of William Tyndale. The translation was published with the support and participation of all Christian churches in Great Britain with the exception of the Roman Catholic Church.
English Catholic translations of the Bible. Douai-Rheims translation. The resistance of the Catholic Church to the idea of translating the Bible into national languages weakened during the Counter-Reformation. In 1582, the Reims New Testament appeared, translated from the Vulgate by G. Martin at the English College in Reims (France). It was followed by a translation of the Old Testament (1609-1610) made in the French city of Douai. It was started by Martin and completed by Cardinal William of Allen, president of the college, and his staff. Between 1635 and 1749 only the New Testament of the Due-Rheims translation was reprinted (6 times). However, in 1749-1750. bishop
Richard Challoner made numerous revisions that can be said to have revived the Douai-Rheims translation to a new life.
Translation by Knox. The most important English Catholic translation in the 20th century. is a translation by Ronald Knox, published in 1945-1949. Knox has dealt extensively with the problems of translation, and his version is distinguished not only by accuracy but also by elegance. The Knox Bible is a translation officially approved by the church.
Westminster Bible. The English Jesuits began in 1913 preparing a new translation of the Bible made from the original languages (ie Hebrew and Greek). The New Testament from the Westminster Bible (as the translation was called) was published in 1948 under the direction of J. Murray and K. Latti.
Jerusalem Bible. In the second half of the XX century. two Catholic translations into English and French called the Jerusalem Bible. A French commentary translation (from the original texts) was made at the Dominican Bible School in Jerusalem and published in 1956. In 1966 English scholars made their own translation, also from the original texts.
New American Bible. In the United States, the Bishops' Committee for the Fellowship of Christian Doctrine funded a series of Bible translations from the original languages of Hebrew and Greek. Translations of selected books, prepared with the support of this fraternity, began to appear in 1952, and the complete New American Bible was released in 1970. It replaced the old Douai-Rheims translation.
First of all, there is no such translation. There are adherents of different versions of the Bible who claim that this is it - the very translation that they were waiting for. However, it's great that someone has decided and is satisfied. But what should we do, for whom English is not a native language, but there are a huge number of translations, what should we choose? For beginners, it is better to choose a translation into and by no means the classic KJV, written in outdated English.
Sales
The sales rating is a good indicator. Numbers are stubborn things. You can talk as much as you want about the popularity of the translation, but if they don’t buy it, then they don’t actually use it. So, in recent years, NIV, NLV, KJV and NKJV have been buying the most. All of them alternately occupy the first place in sales. So the majority chooses these translations.Standard
Among Russian translations, the standard is the Synodal Bible. If a book uses Bible quotations and does not indicate the version of the Bible, we know that these are quotations from the Synodal. In English, this standard is KJV. There are many people who believe that this is the only correct translation. But this is not and cannot be. When translating, something is necessarily lost, such is the specificity of the language.Popular versions
The popularity of KJV was said. NIV - emphasis is placed on concise modern language without distortion of the word. Which is an extremely difficult task. The translation of the Living Bible is known, which is rather not a translation, but a retelling (we have a similar translation - the New Testament "Word of Life"). NIV is very popular in Youth with a Mission. NASB is popular with teachers. When the original Bible describes something not categorically, not clearly (allowing options), the NASB also does not give a clear translation, unlike KJV or NIV. That is, NASB conveys the Word more accurately. NLV is most popular with foreigners for its simple English. This is the most popular translation in plain English. Amplified Bible - an extended translation of the Bible, also popular with many, because it does not just translate, but interprets the text. What is convenient, you do not need dictionaries, additional literature. The message. I can't help mentioning. This is not a direct translation, but a retelling in modern beautiful literary English. If you want to look at the Bible with fresh eyes, it will be very interesting.In order to properly approach the choice of a Bible translation, it is useful to have a basic understanding of how and by whom these translations are made. First of all, it should be noted that the original Bible was written in ancient Hebrew (Old Testament) and ancient Greek (New Testament) languages. That is why most people today read the Bible in translation. The exact translation of any text from one language to another is difficult because in many cases it is impossible to find a word or phrase in the target language that would be an absolutely exact equivalent of a word or phrase in the original language. In these situations, the translator tries to understand the meaning of the original text and then express it in the target language. Therefore, any translation is always, in a sense, an interpretation of the original text by the translator.
When we are dealing with a translation of the Bible, the issue is complicated by the fact that literally every word of its original text is of great importance. God speaks of the absolute importance of even the smallest details of His Word (Matthew 5:18). That is why many Bible translators always try to keep the translation as close as possible to the original text. In most cases this is possible. The translation is close to the original, but complex, difficult to read and sometimes requiring special knowledge of some untranslatable terms. Other translators make it their first goal to make the translation easy to read and understand. To do this, they are forced to deviate to some extent from the accuracy of expressing the details of the original text, retelling in their own words the meaning of difficult-to-read passages. In this situation, the translator becomes more of an interpreter of the Biblical text, putting his own views and concepts into it.
Among the great number of English translations of the Bible, it is worth noting only three, the most famous and made by specialists who believe in the divine inspiration of the Bible. The New American Standard Bible (NASB) is considered the most accurate or close to the original translation. This translation is made from the most reliable manuscripts. It is used by most serious Bible students. Its disadvantage is the difficult to read language. The next translation is New King James (NKJ). Its translators tried to find a balance between closeness to the original and readability. Today it is one of the most common translations of the Bible. Its disadvantage is that, following the tradition of the old version (King James Version), it is made from not the best manuscripts, although in all cases of discrepancies the translators give versions of more reliable manuscripts in footnotes. The third version of the English Bible that can be recommended is the New International Version (NIV). This translation is very easy to read and yet closely reflects the details of the original text. The NIV Bible is especially good for those who are not fluent in English. Its disadvantage is that for a deeper study of Scripture in its text it is difficult to see all the shades of meaning invested by the author in the original.
Given the above, when choosing a translation of the Bible, determine for yourself what level of closeness to the original you need and what level of knowledge of the English language you have, and accordingly choose the version that will best meet your needs.
Use one translation of the Bible. It's good to have several translations for comparison or better understanding of the text, but the main Bible you use should be one. This will help you memorize the text of the Bible, which is very important for the Christian life.
The best English commentary Bible is the MacArthur Study Bible. Its basis is the text of the New King James Bible. It contains over 20,000 high-quality commentaries on all the difficult passages of Scripture. You can buy it in many places, one of them is www.slovostore.org
If you choose the New International Version (NIV) for yourself, be careful not to buy its modified version (Gender neutral or Gender Inclusive), which has recently appeared on sale. This option was made under the pressure of feminists. It unjustifiably allowed changes in the text in favor of the feminization of meaning.
The history of translations of the Bible into English falls into two periods: the Middle Ages and the Modern Age.
Middle Ages
Old English period. From the 7th century, when the Anglo-Saxons were converted to Christianity, until the Reformation, the only Bible that was considered authoritative in Britain was the Vulgate.
The earliest attempts to translate the Bible into Anglo-Saxon cannot, strictly speaking, be called translations. These were loose verse retellings of well-known biblical stories. One ancient manuscript contains poems formerly attributed to the monk and poet Caedmon of Whitby (flourished c. 670), but now attributed to the 9th or early 10th century. Another corpus of rhythmic paraphrases is attributed to Cynewulf, who lived approximately in the same era as Caedmon.
The first attempts at a true translation of the Bible were made in the 8th century. Bishop Aldhelm of Sherborne (d. 709) - probably the author of the translation of the Psalter. Bede the Venerable (673-735) translated the Lord's Prayer and part of the Gospel of John. King Alfred (849–899) translated the Ten Commandments and a number of other biblical texts.
The manuscript known as the Vespasian Psalter, written c. 825, contains the earliest example of a particular type of translation called "glossa". The glosses were supposed to serve as an aid to the clergy and fit between the lines of the Latin text. They often followed the Latin word order, which was quite different from the Anglo-Saxon word order. Around 950, one gloss was inserted into a lavishly illuminated manuscript (the so-called Lindisfarne Gospels), the Latin text of which was written ca. 700. Soon after this, similar glosses began to be inscribed in other manuscripts.
By the end of the 10th c. There have already been many translations. The West Saxon Gospels (10th century) are a complete translation of the gospels, possibly by three translators. Around 990, Elfric, famous for his learning, translated several books of the Old Testament, including the entire Pentateuch, the books of Joshua, Judges, Kings, and several books from the Old Testament apocrypha. His translations, often strayed into prose retelling, he often inserted into sermons. Ælfric's work, the West Saxon Gospels, and numerous translations of the Psalter are all that was done in the Old English period towards a complete translation of the Bible. After Ælfric, Bible translations were no longer made: Britain plunged into the "dark ages" of the Norman conquests.
Middle English period. In a calmer 13th c. translation activity resumed. Many new translations of the Bible into English fall under the category of devotional literature rather than actual translation; thus, for example, the Ormulum of the monk Ormes (c. 1215) is a rhythmic translation of the gospel passages used in the mass in combination with sermons. Around 1250, a rhymed retelling of the books of Genesis and Exodus appeared. Three translations of the Psalter appeared c. 1350: An anonymous verse translation, a translation of the Psalter attributed to William of Shoreham, and a translation with commentary by the hermit and mystic Richard Rolle of Gempol. In the 13th-14th centuries. various parts of the New Testament were translated by unknown authors.
Wycliffe Bible. By the end of the 14th century The first complete translation of the Bible into English appeared. It was the Wycliffe Bible, a translation initiated and directed by John Wycliffe (c. 1330-1384). Wycliffe insisted that the gospel is the rule of life and that all people have the right to read it "in the dialect in which they know best the teaching of Christ." He insisted that the Bible in English was needed to spread this teaching.
The Wycliffe Bible is almost certainly not translated by Wycliffe himself, but by his collaborators. There are two versions of the translation. The first was begun by Nicholas of Hereford, one of Wycliffe's followers, and completed by another hand c. 1385. A later and less ponderous translation was probably made by another follower of Wycliffe, John Perway (c. 1395).
After Wycliffe's death, his views were condemned and the reading of his Bible banned. Because of Wycliffe's unorthodox teachings and the intransigence of his supporters, the vernacular Bible became associated in orthodox minds with heresy. Although translations of the Bible were also undertaken in other European countries, in England, before the Reformation, no one undertook translations of the Bible. Despite the ecclesiastical curse, the Wycliffe Bible was often copied, and some parts of it were later borrowed by William Tyndale, the first of the reformed translators.
Protestant translations
From Tyndale to the New English Bible. The Protestant translators of the Reformation abandoned the Vulgate as their primary source. In the course of comparing the Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible with the Latin text of the Vulgate, inconsistencies and inaccuracies were discovered. In addition, reformist translators who had broken with the Roman Catholic Church were unwilling to base their translations on the Latin Bible.
Tyndall. The first English Protestant translator of the Bible was William Tyndale (c. 1490–1536). Tyndall studied Greek at Oxford and Cambridge, and Hebrew, presumably in Germany. He tried to print his translation of the New Testament in Cologne, but the church authorities forced him to move to Worms, where he completed the edition. A large format edition was published at Worms in 1525; it came to England the following year and was immediately burned. Despite the church curse, reprints followed one after another, many came to England from the Netherlands. The first volume of the Old Testament in Tyndall's translation appeared in 1530; Tindal was arrested, in prison he continued to work on the Old Testament, but in 1536, as a heretic, he was burned at the stake in Vilvoorde near Brussels.
The rejection of Tyndall's translation was mainly due to its purely Protestant tone. Although King Henry VIII broke with Rome in the early 1530s, he was not at all sympathetic to Tyndall's views. Moreover, the translator’s desire to erase from the Bible all traces of Catholic worship prompted him to replace some terms: “church” was replaced by “community”, “priest” by “elder”, “repent” by “repent”, etc. In addition, Tyndall's translation was modeled on the New Testament in Martin Luther's German translation.
Coverdale. In 1534 the Anglican Church petitioned the king for an English translation of the Bible. Archbishop Cranmer, the architect of Henry VIII's religious policy, took several steps on his own initiative to support the petition, but was unsuccessful. When Miles Coverdale, who was once an employee of Tyndall, completed his work and published in Germany the first complete Bible in English (1535), it soon got to England and was sold there without any objections from the authorities. Coverdale did not have Tyndall's learning. He borrowed from Tyndall a translation of the New Testament and partly of the Old Testament, but since Coverdale obviously did not speak Hebrew, he had to complete Tyndall's work, translating from Latin (although he looked into the writings of Luther, into the Zurich Bible and consulted contemporary scholars) . The language of Coverdale's translation is more melodious than Tyndall's; The psalter in his translation (1539 edition for the Great Bible) is still used in the Anglican Missal (Book of Public Worship), and for its literary merit it is often preferred to the King James Version of the Psalms.
Bible Matthew. In 1537 Henry VIII was persuaded to give his highest approval to the idea of an English Bible; thus the "new translation" was born. It was believed to be a translation of a certain Thomas Matthew, although the real publisher was, apparently, another collaborator of Tyndale - John Rogers; the text itself was compiled from the translations of Tyndall and Coverdale, with the addition of many doctrinal notes. A fictitious translator was required in order to avoid a scandal in connection with the actual publication of the work of the executed Tyndall.
Big Bible. In 1538, a royal decree was issued, according to which each parish was obliged to purchase a copy of the Bible for its church, and the parishioners had to reimburse half the cost of the book. The decree was probably not about the Matthew Bible, but about a new translation. In 1539 a new translation appeared, and this hefty volume was called the Great Bible. The editor was Coverdale, but the text was a revision of Matthew's Bible rather than the Coverdale translation of 1535. The second edition of 1540 is sometimes called the Cranmer Bible (prefaced by Archbishop Cranmer). The Big Bible became the official text, while other translations were banned.
Geneva Bible. The coming to power of the Catholic Mary Stuart horrified the English Protestants. To avoid persecution, many of them emigrated and settled in Geneva, in those years the center of radical Protestantism. Under the leadership of the Scottish Calvinist John Knox, and possibly with the participation of Coverdale, the English community in Geneva produced in 1557 the New Testament and the Psalter, and in 1560 a complete edition of the Bible, the so-called. The Geneva Bible (also known by the joking title of the Pants Bible, or the Breeches Bible, because Genesis 3:7 is translated "and they sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves pants").
The Genevan Bible was strikingly different in format from previous translations. There were several small-format editions of the New Testament, but the English Bible was intended to be read during church services with commentaries by clergy. It was typed in an old Gothic type, was large and very heavy; often, for safety, she was chained to a music stand. The Genevan Bible used a clear Latin script and was much smaller in size. It contained the usual numbering of individual verses, as well as introductions to books and notes, maps of biblical history, a summary of Christian doctrine, an index and a glossary, various forms of prayer were given, notes were attached to the psalms. In a word, it was a very complete guide; its fullness and small size contributed to the formation of the habit of reading at home.
The Genevan translation was, to a certain extent, the most scientific translation of its time. The text of the Great Bible (1550) was taken as the basis, which was then significantly improved by the editors, who corrected many errors and inaccuracies. The Geneva Bible almost immediately won recognition and popularity, but until 1576 it was not published in England. Although Queen Elizabeth I ascended the throne in 1558, the Anglican hierarchs were hostile to the Geneva Bible and sought to delay its publication. Once printed, it went through 140 editions and was produced during the lifetime of a generation, even after the publication of the King James Bible. It was the Bible that Shakespeare knew and quoted.
Episcopal Bible. Cranmer's conservative successor in the chair of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker, prevented the spread of the Geneva Bible. In 1568 he published his own edition, the Episcopal Bible. The name suggests that it was a collective effort by Anglican bishops who completed the task in just two years; they used the Great Bible as a basis, deviating from it only in those cases where it conflicted with the Hebrew or Greek texts. The Bishop's Bible often borrows passages from the Geneva Bible where its advantages in terms of translation accuracy are not in doubt. Upon completion, the Bishop's Bible replaced the Greater Bible as the official Bible of the Church of England.
King James Bible. The Puritan John Reynolds proposed the need for a new authoritative translation, addressing him to King James I in 1604. James approved the idea and appointed translators - "men of scientists, fifty-four in number." The translators were divided into four groups, meeting at Westminster, Cambridge, and Oxford; each group took a part of the Bible, the initial, draft translation of which had to be approved by all members of the "company". A committee of 12 supervisors reviewed the first versions of the translation. The Bishop's Bible was chosen as the main text, but Tyndall's, Coverdale's, Matthew's Bible, the Great Bible, the Geneva Bible, and even the Catholic translation of the New Testament (published in 1582) were also involved in the work.
The King James Version was published in 1611: it took two years and nine months to translate, and another nine months to prepare the manuscript for printing.
The first edition was a large volume in folio, the text was typed in Gothic type. The King James Version would never have gained popularity if it had not been soon reprinted in small format and in Latin types (qualities that at one time ensured the widespread circulation of the Geneva Bible).
For nearly 400 years, the King James Version has held the status of an official translation. In England, it is called the Officially Approved Translation (Authorized Version), although neither the royal house nor Parliament issued any official acts on this matter. Moreover, there is no doubt that the Authorized Translation became the Bible of the Anglican Church, as well as those who broke away from it in the 17th and 18th centuries. religious associations; it has the same status in the Protestant denominations of the United States.
The king's printer held the right to publish the King James Bible, so it could not be printed in the English colonies in the Americas until they gained independence from England. As a result, the first Bible printed in America was not the King James Bible, but John Eliot's translation for the Algonquin Indians (Up-Biblum God, 1661-1663).
In the 18th century two universities provided editors (Paris from Cambridge and Blaney from Oxford) to correct the typographical errors and distortions that had crept in. In the United States, in the publication of N. Webster (1833), obsolete turns were replaced by more modern ones. This editorial work testifies to the efforts characteristic of the 19th century. and aimed at modernizing the old text.
Corrected translation (The Revised Version). The movement towards modernizing the language of the old translation reached a climax in 1870, when, at the initiative of the council of the clergy of the Diocese of Canterbury and York, a committee was appointed to revise the text of the King James Bible. The revised translation (New Testament, 1881; Old Testament, 1885; Apocrypha, 1895) is still of value to scholars because of its conciseness and proximity to the original biblical texts in Hebrew and Greek, but failed to replace the King James Bible.
The Revised Standard Version. The first US edition of the Revised Translation included readings by American experts who worked with the English editors. In 1901, these readings were included in the text of the edition, which was called the American Standard Translation (The American Standard Version). It formed the basis for the Revised Standard Translation, prepared with the support of the International Council for Religious Teaching (1937). Dean L. E. Weigl of Yale University made a general revision of this translation (the New Testament came out in 1946, the Old Testament in 1952).
New English Bible. In sharp contrast to the various revisions of the translations stands the attempt made in England to create an authoritative text of the English Bible for the 20th century. The New English Bible (New Testament, 1961; New Testament, Old Testament and Apocrypha, 1969) is a completely new, fresh translation of the original texts into 20th century natural, spoken English, which avoids both archaic constructions of the 17th century and literal copying of Greek phrases. This translation thus breaks with a tradition dating back to Tyndall. The translation was published with the support and participation of all Christian churches in Great Britain with the exception of the Roman Catholic Church.
English Catholic translations of the Bible
Douai-Rheims translation. The resistance of the Catholic Church to the idea of translating the Bible into national languages weakened during the Counter-Reformation. In 1582, the Reims New Testament appeared, translated from the Vulgate by G. Martin at the English College in Reims (France). It was followed by a translation of the Old Testament (1609-1610) made in the French city of Douai. It was started by Martin, and completed by Cardinal William Allen, president of the college, with his collaborators R. Bristow and T. Worthington. It was a painstakingly executed translation, made from the Vulgate, in many places sinning with an abundance of Latinisms and a literal copying of the original. In the period from 1635 to 1749, only the New Testament of the Due-Rheims translation was reprinted (6 times). However, in 1749-1750, Bishop Richard Challoner made numerous amendments, which, one might say, revived the Douai-Rheims translation to a new life.
Translation by Knox. The most important English Catholic translation in the 20th century. is a translation by Ronald Knox, published in 1945–1949. Knox has dealt extensively with the problems of translation, and his version is distinguished not only by accuracy but also by elegance. The Knox Bible is a translation officially approved by the church.
Westminster Bible. The English Jesuits began in 1913 the preparation of a new translation of the Bible made from the original languages (i.e. from Hebrew and Greek). The New Testament from the Westminster Bible (as the translation was called) was published in 1948 under the direction of J. Murray and K. Latti.
Jerusalem Bible. In the second half of the 20th century There were two Catholic translations into English and French, called the Jerusalem Bible. A French commentary translation (from the original texts) was made at the Dominican Bible School in Jerusalem and published in 1956. In 1966 English scholars made their own translation, also from the original texts.
New American Bible. In the United States, the Bishops' Committee for the Fellowship of Christian Doctrine funded a series of Bible translations from the original languages of Hebrew and Greek. Translations of selected books, prepared with the support of this fraternity, began to appear in 1952, and the complete New American Bible was released in 1970. It replaced the old Douai-Rheims translation.
Bible translations for Jews
Translations of the Bible specifically for the Jews began to be done relatively recently. In the 18th century two translations of the Torah were published, one of them was made by the Jewish scholar I. Delgado (1785), the other by D. Levy (1787). However, the first complete translation of the Hebrew Bible was published in England only in 1851, its author was A. Benish. In 1853, I. Lizer published a translation in the USA, which became universally recognized in American synagogues. After the publication in England of the Revised Translation (1885), English Jews began to use this edition, providing it with notes and some readings that deviated from the English versions (this work was carried out by Jewish scholars).
In 1892, the American Association of Jewish Publishers began preparing their own translation of the Hebrew Bible, based on the text of Aaron ben Asher (10th century), but taking into account ancient translations and modern English versions. This translation was published in 1917 and replaced Leeser's as the standard English translation of the Bible for American Jews.
In 1963–1982 a new version of the American Jewish Publishers Association translation was released. Her style is emphatically modern and free from the influence of the King James Bible. The publication is characterized by an abundance of notes, which provide options for translations and interpretations.
Other translations
From the beginning of the 16th century many unofficial translations have been made without the support or approval of any church groups. Incomplete translations (Psalms, prayers, passages from the gospels) appeared in a series of prayer books from 1529 to 1545. T. More translated certain parts of the Bible while imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1534–1535. R. Taverner prepared in 1539 a new edition of Matthew's translation. Around 1550, J. Cheek translated the Gospel of Matthew in an unusual, touching style.
In the 18th century Several translations have appeared that have only historical value. Among them, it is worth noting the translations of D. Mace (1729), E. Harwood (1768) and J. Wakefield (1791).
Modern non-church translations trace their history back to the translation of E. Norton, a Unitarian pastor, who in 1855 published his translation of the gospels. The New Testament was popular for the 20th century. (The Twentieth Century New Testament, 1898-1901); New Testament of Moffat (Moffat "s New Testament, 1913); Goodspeed's New Testament (1923), which, together with translations of the Old Testament, became part of the American translation (An American Translation, 1931). Of the most popular publications, one can name J. B. Philips' arrangement for modern colloquial English (New Testament in Modern English, 1958). The Revised Standard Version Common Bible (1973), based on the 1952 Revised Standard Translation, has been approved for use by Orthodox, Protestant, and Catholic denominations. The Good News Bible, a modern English translation of the Bible, was released by the American Bible Society in 1976. the literary style of the original King James Version, and Reader's Digest Bible, a condensed version of the Revised Standard Translation.
I. Medieval translations. The first attempts to translate biblical texts into vernacular languages in the British Isles date back to the early Middle Ages. The linguistic situation prevailing here (preservation of interest in the language of the people by the educated clergy, the continuation of active literary creativity in local German dialects and the fact that only in Britain Old English continued to exist as a written language, unlike other continental German dialects) contributed to the fact that translators sought to translate selected texts of the Holy. Scriptures, making them accessible to the Anglo-Saxons. population.
The earliest poetic rendering of a biblical text into Old English. attributed to Kaedmon - an illiterate shepherd who felt a poetic gift (VII century). According to Bede the Venerable, while listening to the readings of the nuns at Whitby Montre, Caedmon transcribed the text of Scripture in verse. Of his poetry, only a few have survived. initial lines from the book. Genesis in the Northumbrian dialect. The first translation of the Psalter into Old English. completed ep. Sherborne Aldheim (†709), but it has been lost. It is also known that in the VIII century. Trouble The Venerable translated several. fragments from the New Testament (in particular, from the Gospel of John), which also have not survived to the present. time.
Cor. Wessex Alfred the Great (849-899 or 900/01), committed to the idea of church enlightenment, completed a free translation of Deuteronomy, to which he prefaced the publication of his laws (King Alfred's Truth), as well as moral and legal regulations from the book. Exodus (21-23). It was the earliest translation of the Old Testament texts into Old English. (On the orders of Alfred, the Psalter was also completely translated, but it has not been preserved.).
An important stage in the preparation of B.'s translation was the appearance in lat. Psalms and Gospels gloss in Old English, which served didactic purposes. The most famous monument of this kind is the so-called. Vespasian Psalter (IX century) (Brit. Lib., Cotton Vespasian. A. 1).
In the Lindisfarne Gospels, written in Latin c. 700, in ser. 10th century glosses appeared in the Northumbrian dialect, attributed to St. Aldred (British Library, Cotton Nero. D. 4.). OK. 975 with the same glosses, the priests Farman and Owen supplied the Rushworth Gospels (Rushworth MS, Bodleian MS. Auct. D. II, 19). This practice is widespread, especially in the Psalms (Manuscripts Bodl. Lib., Junius 27; Brit. Lib., Add. 37517; Camb. Univ., F. f. 1. 23; Brit. Lib., Stow 2; Lambeth, MS. 4.188; Brit. Lib., Cotton Tiberius C.; Brit. Lib., Cotton Vitelius E. 18.6; Brit. Lib., Arundel. 60). To the beginning 11th century refers to the manuscript of the so-called. Parisian Psalter (Paris, Bib. Nat., MS. Lat. 8824), in which the English. glosses were not located between the lines of lat. text, but in parallel columns.
At the turn of the X-XI centuries. the texts of all 4 gospels were translated into West Saxon. They were preserved in several manuscripts dating from about 990-1175 (Corpus Christi Coll. Camb., MS. 140; Bodl. Lib., Bodley MS. 441; Brit. Lib., Cotton MS. Otto C. 1; Camb. Univ. MS. I i. 2. 11; Brit. Lib., Reg. I. A. 14; Bodl. Lib., Hatton MS. 38).
The last prominent figure among the Anglo-Saxon translators was Aelfric the Grammar (c. 955-1020), who claimed to have translated several. books of the OT, however, these were rather short transcriptions than a translation. As part of his sermons, paraphrases on Genesis 1-35 have been preserved; Exodus 1-Josh 11 (The Old English Version of the Heptateuch // Early English Texts Society. Orig. Ser. No. 160. 1922).
The conquest of England by the Normans (1066) led to the decline of the Anglo-Saxons. culture and literature; the dominant language of the aristocracy in the XI-XII centuries. became the Norman dialect of Old French, and the language of the Church almost completely remained Latin. From that time, only a few pieces of evidence have come down to us that fragments of B. were transcribed into English, mainly these were psalms often used during worship. OK. 1120 ep. Edwin compiled the so-called. Trinity Psalter (Psalterium Triplex), in a cut lat. the text was accompanied by parallel translations into Anglo-Norman and early Middle English. The Oxford Psalter belongs to the same time, translations from which formed the basis of most Anglo-Norman versions.
In the XII century. a new trend is emerging: poetic (metrical) paraphrases appear on the texts of the Gospels, the Acts of St. apostles, and in the XIII century. and the books of the OT (Genesis and Exodus).
However, a genuine rise in literature in Middle English, including a return to translations of B. in this language, was outlined no earlier than the 14th century. At the beginning of that century, 2 prose versions of the Psalter appeared, translated by William of Shorem (Brit. Lib., Addl. 17376 // The Earliest Complete English Prose Psalter / Ed. K. D. Bulbring. L., 1891. Pt. 1) and a mystical writer Richard Rolle (Univ. Coll. Oxf. MS. 64 // The Psalter, or Psalms of David and Certain Canticles, with a Transl. and Exposition in English by Richard Rolle. Oxf., 1884).
Interest in biblical texts in the native language also stimulated the development of urban culture: the growth of high fur boots, the rise of literacy, the success of urban literature and drama. Many transcriptions of sacred texts were carried out for the production of mysteries. It is assumed that by 1360 the entire text of B. existed in translations. The XIV century was the heyday of lit. Middle English language, the norms of which were gradually unified, and vocabulary and phraseology were enriched by the efforts of poets and prose writers - W. Langland, J. Chaucer, J. Gower. The pinnacle in its development was the first complete translation of B., carried out by J. Wycliffe and his circle.
II. Wycliffite Versions of the English Bible. Although the translation, completed by 1382, is attributed to the Oxford theologian J. Wycliffe, the extent of his personal involvement in this work remains open, although Wycliffe was certainly its inspiration. His friends also participated in it - Nicholas from Hereford (who spoke a dialect that differed from the London dialect of Wycliffe), J. Parvey and, possibly, others. ) the translation of most of the OT (up to Var 3.20) was done by Nicholas of Hereford. His work was completed by unknown translators.
The second version (Purvey's Version), apparently, was finally edited by Parvi after the death of Wycliffe between 1395 and 1408. Both editions follow the text of the Vulgate, but if Nicholas of Hereford did it too literally, to the detriment of literary quality, then Parvey's version won through bold use of English idioms (The Book of Job, Psalmes, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomongs, according to Wycliffite version... / Rev. by J. Purvey. Oxf., 1881; New Testament in English , according to the version by John Wycliffe / Rev. by J. Purvey, Oxf., 1879).
The translation, brought to life by the proto-Reformed teachings of Wycliffe, met with rejection by higher English. clergy. At the Council of Oxford in 1408, the use of this and any other B. text in English. language was prohibited. However, in practice, the ban turned out to be ineffective: the Wycliffe Bible was widely distributed in numerous copies (about 200 copies of it are known, dating from the period from 1420 to 1450), and the Lollards actively popularized it in their sermons.
III. Reformation era translations. At the turn of the XV-XVI centuries. in England, as in other European countries. countries, the interest of theological scholars in biblical translations received a new impetus due to the publication of printed editions of the Vulgate (1456), Hebrew. Old Testament texts (1488), translation of the New Testament, made by Erasmus of Rotterdam from the Greek. (1516, 1535), as well as the Complutensian polyglot card. F. Jimenez (1522) and lat. translation of the OT from Hebrew. S. Pagninus (1528). The Reformation, which began in Germany, and the release of it. Luther's Bibles brought to the fore the question of a new translation of B. in England, which had its own long tradition of acquaintance with it in the national language.
IV. Tyndall Bible. This problem was solved by W. Tyndall, a theologian who worked at Oxford and Cambridge high fur boots, who spoke Greek, Latin and Hebrew. He began work on a translation of the NT in 1523, but because of the persecution of the supporters of the Reformation, he left for Germany, where his translation of the NT appeared in 1525 in Cologne. A year later, 2 more editions appeared in Worms and Antwerp. Tyndale's work was banned in England because of the reformative tendencies traced in it (in particular, because of the interpretation of the concept of "Church" as a "congregation" and the corresponding notes, called Cor. Henry VIII "malicious"). From 1525 to 1528, Tyndall's work was published in a circulation of 18,000 copies, which were distributed underground. (Success was also ensured by the fact that Tyndall's printed Bible was 3 times cheaper than Lollard's handwritten copies.)
In con. 20s 16th century Tyndall began translating the OT. Presumably in Antwerp in 1526, and then in Marburg in 1530, the Pentateuch published by him was published. In the same year, in England, his translations were set on fire as heretical.
Tyndall did not translate from the Vulgate, but from the Greek. and Hebrew. The biblical vocabulary he developed was an important contribution to the development of early New English. language in its infancy. The language of the Tyndale Bible was superior to many. subsequent translations, and new editions that appeared in the 16th-17th centuries, were much indebted to him.
V. Coverdale Bible. With a turn of religion. policy of Henry VIII towards the Reformation, the question arose about the officially sanctioned translation of B. First officer. version was translated by Miles Coverdale (The Bible, that is the Holy Scripture of the Olde and New Testament, Faithfully and Truly Translated out of Douche and Latin into Englishe). The Coverdale Bible was printed in Zurich in 1535 and a second edition in 1537, which was dedicated to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, hence its informal name, the King's Bible.
Despite the fact that in Germany Coverdale worked together with Tyndall, from a scientific and philological point of view. his translation was inferior to Tyndall's. Apparently, not owning ancient Hebrew. Coverdale translated from the Vulgate and also used it. Luther's version, Zurich Bible, ed. W. Zwingli, borrowed certain passages from Pagninus. Nevertheless, the officially sanctioned Coverdale Bible was a huge success in England and went through 14 editions from 1537 to 1549.
VI. Matthew's Bible and R. Taverner's version. Simultaneously with the Coverdale Bible, a translation appeared, presumably published in Antwerp under the name of Thomas Matthew (The Byble, Which Is All the Holy Scripture... / Transl. into English by Th. Matthew. , 1537). It was based on Tyndall's version (Pentateuch and NT), but at the same time Matthew's Bible also included the best translations of Coverdale (books from Ezra to Malachi and deuterocanonical books). It is believed that Tyndall's friend and executor, John Rogers, was the editor of this edition and mixed the texts. The Matthew Bible went through 9 editions between 1537 and 1551.
Matthew's translation, in turn, was revised and revised in an edition undertaken by Taverner (The Most Sacred Bible, Which is the Holy Scripture... / Transl. into English and Newly Recognised... by R. Taverner. L., 1539 ).
VII. Big Bible (The Great Bible). In the 30s. 16th century Henry VIII and the Anglicans. the clergy set it as their goal to supply each parish of B. in English. language. On the initiative of T. Cromwell, the preparation of a new version was entrusted to M. Coverdale, who used the corrected version of the Matthew Bible, relying at the same time on the Complutensian polyglot. The edition published in 1539 was called the Great Bible (due to the format) (The Byble in Englyshe, That is to Saye the Content of All the Holy Scrypture... Truly Translated after the Veryte of the Hebrue and Greke Textes..., 1539 ). In the reign of Edward VI (1547-1553) in England, ca. 40 editions of the Holy. Scriptures in various editions and parallel translations. However, the coming to power of the Catholic Mary Tudor dramatically changed the situation. During the Counter-Reformation (1553-1558), not a single official appeared in the country. B. editions in English. language.
VIII. Geneva Bible. English Protestants did not interrupt their activity in exile on the continent. In 1557, W. Whittingham published in Geneva the text of the NT with commentaries in which the influence of T. Beza was felt. Members of the emigrant community, led by Coverdale and J. Knox, were increasingly imbued with the spirit of radical Calvinism, which was reflected in their biblical studies. By 1560, they prepared an edition of B., called "Geneva" (The Bible and Holy Scriptures Conteyned in the Olde and New Testament. Geneua, 1560) or the Bible of Pants (Breeches Bible) according to the term chosen by the translators for the aprons of Adam and Eve ( Gen 3. 7). Among the authors of the translation were Whittingham, E. Gilbey and T. Sampson. A distinctive feature of the Genevan Bible were lengthy marginal notes that interpreted the text with a Calvinist. positions. Inexpensive, printed in a convenient "Roman" type, it gained immense popularity, becoming a folk family B. From 1560 to 1644, it went through 140 editions.
After the restoration of Anglicanism by Elizabeth I (1558-1603), the Genevan Bible was freely imported into England, but did not become official. edition of the Anglican Church.
IX. Episcopal Bible (Bishops "Bible). Not wanting to leave the cause of church enlightenment at the mercy of the radicals, the Anglicans. the clergy prepared a new edition of B. (The Holie Bible. L., 1568), called the episcopal, because a large group of English worked on it. bishops headed by archbishop Matthew Parker, and also since this transfer was not formally sanctioned by the queen, but by the Convocation of 1571. Despite the fact that the Bishop's Bible, published on good paper with beautiful illustrations, was printed with t. sp. the most perfect edition of the 16th century, she could not compete with Geneva in the struggle for an audience. During the reign of Elizabeth I, 18 editions of the Elizabethan Bible and 15 separate editions of the NT in the same edition were published, while the Geneva Bible appeared in 68 editions, and the NT from this version - in 30.
X. Reims Catholic edition. In the 80s. 16th century B. prepared his own translation in English. emigrant Catholics, led by Card. W. Allen, who settled in Reims and Douai. The main work was done by the Hebraist G. Martin. In 1582, the NT was published, but the publication of the OT was delayed due to lack of funds until 1609-1610 (edited by T. Worthington). During this time, a new text of the Vulgate (1592) sanctioned by Pope Clement VIII appeared, and English. Catholic version was made in accordance with it. The Protestants immediately entered into controversy with the Catholics. edition, publishing parallel translations of the "Papist" and Episcopal Bibles.
XI. The King James Bible, or Authorized Version (King James "Bible: Authorized Version, 1611). The need to prepare a new official. B.'s translation was recognized by King James I Stuart, since the Episcopal Bible was clearly inferior to the Geneva one, and the king, as the Head of the Anglican Church, sought to resist the spread of radical Puritan sentiments. The new version, sanctioned by the authorities, was supposed to be the answer to the Catholics. The scientific criticism of previous editions also played its role, in which many errors, inaccuracies and misprints were revealed.
The idea of revising previous editions was expressed at a conference in English. clergy at Hampton Court (1604). For the implementation of the project, the best linguists and church leaders were attracted, who professed the widest range of theological views (from supporters of Catholicism and moderate Anglican bishops to Puritans) - a total of 54 people.
Translators were instructed to take as a basis the text of the Bishop's Bible, the authority of which should not have suffered due to the release of a new edition, it was also allowed to use earlier English. versions. In disputed cases, the authority of the Fathers of the Church had to be invoked. In practice, the commission used successful passages from the Geneva Bible and even from the Catholic. Reims edition, their lit. influence is palpable in the Bible Cor. Jacob. Nevertheless, the new edition of B. was distinguished from Geneva by the complete absence of comments in the margins. This also reflected the position of the king, who considered many. Calvinist. commentaries on the Geneva Bible, especially on the nature of the Church and on earthly monarchs, dangerous and inciting to rebellion.
From Reims Catholic. Permissible versions were distinguished by great clarity, the use of vernacular, the desire to make the text accessible to understanding. As a translation of the Bible Cor. Jacob was affected by the high scientific level of the participants in the work and the progress of classical and Hebraist studies in England. Introduction to Hebrew sources allowed translators to imitate the style and rhythm of the original language in the OT translation, while the NT language was as close as possible to the Greek. original. Structure of the Bible Cor. James largely coincided with the structure of the Vulgate, with the difference that the deuterocanonical books formed a separate division between the books of the OT and the NT.
As conceived by Jacob, this project was supposed to embody the idea of genuine "catholicity", the agreement of theologians who professed different views on major doctrinal issues. The translators consciously tried to "achieve the most open reading possible," that is, to formulate certain passages in such a way that representatives of various Protestants. currents could fill them with acceptable meaning.
The permitted version appeared in 1611 (The Holy Bible, Conteyning the Old Testament and the New: Newly Transl. out of the Original Tongues... L., 1611). Lit. the merits of translation ensured his great success. By 1644, this edition supplanted the Geneva Bible (the edition was much more expensive due to extensive notes). Bible Kor. Jacob has become widespread in America and so on. English dominions. It has become a standard not only for translation, but also for literature. language as a whole, having a huge impact on English. literature of the XVII-XIX centuries. Despite the appearance of new translations of B. in the 19th-20th centuries, the solemn sonorous prose of the Bible Kor. Jacob was not completely driven out by them. At the request of the priest, this edition can also be used in modern, especially in festive, worship.
XII. Revised Version of the Bible (1881-1885). Despite Lit. The merits of the Allowed version, over time, its weaknesses became apparent. The development of biblical studies in the XVIII-XIX centuries. led to the realization that not the best Greek were taken as the basis for this edition. texts; accumulated a lot of complaints about the translation from ancient Hebrew. In addition, the very development of the English language required updating vocabulary and getting rid of archaisms. In 1870, the Convocation decided to prepare a revised edition and set up a committee of translators and editors, to which not only Anglicans were invited. theologians and representatives of the mainstream Protestant. denominations, but also Catholics (who rejected the proposal).
In parallel, a group of theologians worked in the United States, with whom regular consultations were held. Despite the fact that the task of the committee was not to prepare a fundamentally new translation, but only to introduce a minimum of changes to the Permissible Version, the result of 11 years of work was 30,000 amendments, mainly related to NT. The language of the new edition was brought into line with the norms of the 19th century. In 1881, the books of the NT were published (revised taking into account the Greek codices and Hellenistic papyri discovered during this time), in 1885 - the OT, in 1895 - the deuterocanonical books.
In con. 19th century in biblical translation, a new trend is emerging to translate into simpler language. The new translations (the Revised Edition and the American Standard Translation) left both scholars and believers dissatisfied. By that time, the oldest fragments of the New Testament on papyri had been discovered; papyri were found in Egypt, testifying to everyday colloquial speech in Greek. language in NT times. It became apparent that the books of the NT were written in colloquial Greek. the language of the time that they were not created as poetic or lit. works and that their main goal was to bring the gospel of the Covenant between God and man to every person. That is why there was a desire to make the Bible translation in plain language.
On the other hand, it turned out that, despite a carefully done revision of the translation of the Bible, Cor. James, The English Revised Translation of the Bible remains incomprehensible to children and teenagers. On the initiative of the parents, who wanted to read B. to their children, the first translation of the NZ into modern was created. spoken English language. In 1900-1901. simultaneously in the UK and America, a 3-volume edition was released (The 20th Century New Testament: A Transl. into Modern English Made from the Original Greek (Wescott and Hort "s Text)).
XIII. Translated by R. F. Weymouth (The New Testament in Modern Speech / Transl. by R. F. Weymouth. N. Y., 1902). Prepared for publication in Greek. NT text, Weymouth translated it into colloquial English. language so that B. becomes accessible to the understanding of the ordinary reader (or listener) of that time. The subtitle of the edition reads: "An Idiomatic Translation into Everyday English from the Text of "The Resultant Greek Testament"" (Idiomatic translation into everyday English from the Greek text of the Bible). In 1929, the 5th edition was published by the biblical scholar J. A. Robertson.
XIV. Translated by Moffatt (Moffatt J. The Historical New Testament. N. Y., 1901). The most popular was the translation of J. Moffatt, who translated the entire B. He decided to restore the historical order, which, from his point of view, was destroyed by later editors of the text, and allowed himself to quite freely swap plurals. verses and even chapters (in the OT and NT). The books are arranged in order according to the achievements of the theory of literature. criticism of the time. The language of the translation of the Bible is still preserved here. Jacob. In 1913, his already really new translation (The New Testament: A New Translation) was published, in 1924-1925 - a translation of the VZ in 2 volumes, a complete, revised edition of B. - in 1935.
A similar attempt was made in America by Prof. University of Chicago E. Goodspeed (The New Testament / A New Transl. by E. J. Goodspeed. Chicago, 1923), in 1927 the OT was published in Smith's translation, which used the same principles of translation and collaborated with Goodspeed. A complete translation of B. was published in 1931.
XV. American exemplary edition (The American Standard Version). To the beginning 20th century became apparent linguistic differences that have accumulated between the English. the language of the British Isles and its Amer. option. Amer. proposals theologians, not accepted by the English. side during work on Fixed. edition, were originally published as an appendix to it. In 1900, the US published its own edition of the NT with these corrections incorporated directly into the text, and in 1901, the OT. The American exemplary edition of the Bible took into account the interests of the local community: its text was cleaned of obsolete terms and phrases, as well as obvious anglicisms.
XVI. American revised standard version (American Revised Standard Version, 1946-1952). One of the achievements of biblical studies con. XIX - 1st half. 20th century was the realization that the Greek the NT language was the vernacular Nelit. a variant common in the provinces of the Roman Empire. Classical linguists and Hebraists (especially in the USA, where biblical studies were actively developing) put forward the thesis that the spirit of the original would be better conveyed by a simple, free from lit. frills of modern language. This trend coincided with the desire of theologians to create for the first time an independent version of the complete B. in Amer. English. The project was carried out by the International Council for Religious Education, representing 40 major Christians. denominations of the USA and Canada and brought together theologians of leading universities and theological seminaries. The result of their work was the publication of the NT in 1946, the OT in 1953, and the deuterocanonical books in 1957. The special significance of this version was given by the fact that when working on it, a scroll of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah was found in Qumran.
XVII. The Revised Standard Version (RSV), 1952. Work began in America as early as 1928 when it was decided to revise and correct the American Standard Translation. After the publication of the NT in 1946, part of Brit. scientists moved away from further work on the old edition, deciding that a complete break with the tradition of translating the cor. Jacob. They continued their work, but this was already a new translation, which was published in 1970 under the name "New English Bible".
The remaining members of the translation committee continued their work on the OT, and the complete B. came out on 30 September. 1952 The language of translation is "the plain, classical language of the King James Version of the Bible", while at the same time it is not an obsolete Elizabethan language. The edition is supplied with numerous notes, which offer possible translation options or other readings of other ancient manuscripts and translations that are different from those given in the main text.
The translation caused controversy in the press and in church circles. It is known that at least one copy of the RSV was burned by a Protestant. pastor in Sev. Karolina, who believed that the translation itself is "heretical and communist-inspired".
In 1971, the 2nd edition of the NZ was published, in which the radicalism of the first was several. relaxed. So, Mark 16.9-20 and the story of a woman taken in adultery (Jn 7.53-8.11) were returned to the text from the notes, since both fragments pl. textologists are considered to be later additions to the original gospel text. Greek the text was checked against the 3rd edition of the Greek, which was being prepared at that time. NT (Greek New Testament) of the United Bible Society.
The British Catholic Bible Association has contributed to the next edition. It appeared in 1973 and was supplemented by the deuterocanonical books of the OT.
In 1977, a new edition appeared, prepared specifically at the request of the Orthodox (K-Polish Patriarchate). This edition includes the previously missing 3rd and 4th Books of Maccabees and the 151st Psalm. Indeed, this edition has come into use among the Orthodox in English-speaking countries.
XVIII. New, revised standard translation (The New Revised Standard Version, 1990, RSV). The revision of the RSV was caused by the discovery of new fragments of the manuscripts of the Dead M. and early Greek. papyri with fragments of NZ. Among other the tasks facing the revision committee was the introduction of the so-called. "inclusive language", that is, the expansion of such places where only the husband is spoken of. kind, before the inclusion of wives in them. kind. That is, such a tradition. for the Epistles Paul's address as "brethren!" is already translated differently: "Brothers and sisters!" (Rom 1.13; 16.17, etc.). In this edition, inclusive language is not extended to divine paraphernalia.
Changes have been made to achieve greater accuracy in the transfer of the original, greater clarity in the transfer of meaning, better sounding of the language and to avoid ambiguity when perceiving the text by ear. Thus, one of the objectives of the revision was to make the translation acceptable for liturgical use. However, changes were made in such important places as the beginning of the book. Genesis, where the translation of the first verse is built on the traditions. heb. Rashi's comments.
XIX. Jerusalem Bible (The Jerusalem Bible / Gen. ed. A. Jones. Garden City (N. Y.), 1966). This Catholic B. got its name because it was in Jerusalem that the French was prepared. English prototype. versions. In 1948, the French. the monks of the Dominican order organized the Biblical in-t in Jerusalem, where the French was carried out. translation published in 1956
English the translation was prepared by members of the British Catholic Bible Association. Most of the books have been re-translated from the original language, and the few that have been translated from French have been carefully verified from the original. In fact, this is the first English Catholic B., which was not translated from the Vulgate, but from the original texts. At the same time, this is the first translation where Qumran was used. manuscripts. The divine name is printed in the form of Yahweh, with the Preface saying: “Those who are confused by the use of such a translation in the book of Psalms may substitute its tradition. "The Lord is the Lord". The translation is accompanied by many theological notes.
XX. New Jerusalem Bible (The New American Bible. L., 1985). This translation has already been completely done from the original texts. Text corrections and new notes have been made. An inclusive language has been introduced. However, changes have also been made towards more traditional ones. word usage. The order of the books is also traditional. for the West (Pentateuch, Historical books, including Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees; books of Wisdom and prophetic books).
XXI. New American Bible (The New American Bible / The Catholic Biblical Assoc. of America. N. Y., 1970). The translation, begun in 1940, was made entirely by Catholics from the original texts. Used typically Amer. turns of speech. Each Bible book is preceded by a brief introduction. When translating the 1st and 2nd books. Kings used Qumran. finds from the 4th cave (4Q). In the Minor Prophets, the sequence of the text in some places has been changed in accordance with the suggestions of textual critics. The psalms were translated taking into account their use during worship, that is, they were given a harmonious sound. The name of God is preserved as traditional - Lord (the Lord). Notes are made to the translation, revealing the dogmatic meaning of the text.
In 1986, a revised edition of the NT (Revised New Testament, New American Bible) was published. The task of improving the sound of the text so that it could be used in worship was completed, an inclusive language was introduced.
XXII. New English Bible (The New English Bible. N. Y.; Oxf., 1961-1970. 3 vol.). In 1946, a committee representing a Protestant. Churches of the British Isles and Catholics as observers, raised the question of a fundamentally new translation, not related to the revised texts of the Authorized Version. In 1961 the NT was translated, and in 1970 the OT and the deuterocanonical books were translated. The New English Bible abandoned archaisms, retaining the rudiments of the "high style" only in the form of the pronouns "thou", "thy" (instead of the commonly used "you", "your") in addressing the Lord. This edition proved to be extremely successful and popular among the population in English-speaking countries.
XXIII. The Revised English Bible (1989). Catholics also joined in the work on this edition. As in other cases, it was necessary to bring the translation closer to liturgical needs, as well as to introduce an inclusive language. The inscriptions of the psalms were translated, but John 7.53 - 8.11 remained at the end of the Gospel of John.
XXIV. New International Translation (The New International Version, 1978). Protestant. churches, which are considered conservative, in the 2nd half. 20th century several were made. new translations (The Amplified Bible, 1965; The Modern Language Bible, 1969; The New American Standard Bible, 1971), which, however, did not receive wide recognition. The publication of the New International Translation, initiated by the Synod of Christian Reformed Churches and the National Association of Evangelicals of America, was successful. The NT was published in 1973, and the complete B. was published in 1978. The translation was made taking into account the fact that people belonging to different faiths would refer to it. Translators and publishers managed to avoid many extremes characteristic of other modern. translations. Compared to other editions, this translation is closer to the original. A significant role was played by the reverent attitude of the translators towards B.
A revision of this translation, in which an inclusive language was introduced, was made in the UK, but not approved for distribution in America (NIV, Inclusive Language Edition - NIVI). The revision was based mainly on simplifying the language: words that were difficult to understand were replaced with simpler ones, and long phrases were shortened. This version was called "Reader's NMP" (New International Reader's Version).
XXV. Simplified (Easy-to-read) translations. The first attempt at a simplified translation of the NT was made in 1949 on the basis of artificial primitive English. language created by the semasiologist C. K. Orden (The Basic English Bible, 1941). Lexicon translation barely reaches a thousand words, and only 20 verbs were used.
Phillips translation (J. B. Phillips "s Version / The New Testament in Modern English. N. Y., 1958, 1960, 1972). J. B. Phillips began his work during the Second World War with a translation of the Epistles of St. Paul. His task was to convey the text of the Epistles in its entirety, while using a simple, colloquial style; he realized that the NT in existing translations was difficult for young people to understand. The translation came out in 1947, the NT came out in full in 1958. TR served as the basis for the translation. A revised edition appeared in 1972: The New Testament in Modern English. Some prophetic books were published in 1963 (The Four Prophets: Amos, Hosea, 1 gt Isaiah, Michah. L., 1963).
"Good News" Bible (The Good News Bible: the Bible in Today "s English Version. N. Y., 1976). 2nd floor 20th century marked by fundamentally new developments in the field of biblical translation. The translation theory of Y. Naida gained particular fame, to-ruyu he called the "Theory of dynamic equivalent" (later called the "functional equivalent") in contrast to the "formal" equivalent translation. Nida's theory was used to create a new English. translation for that part of the population of Africa and the Middle. East, for which the English. is non-native. The translation was made into the common language. In fact it is based on the translation of R. Bratcher (Good News for Modern Man), Baptist. pastor who worked as a missionary in Brazil. The NT came out in 1967. This translation has been corrected by scholars at the American and British Bible Society. All B. appeared in 1976, and the publication with deuterocanonical books - in 1979. The translation was made by the United Bible Society. Edition of 1976, designed for a reader unfamiliar with the traditions. biblical vocabulary, has become widespread not so much in Afro-Asian countries as in America, Great Britain and other English-speaking countries. A revised edition with inclusive language appeared in 1992.
Mn. incomprehensible places are stated in an accessible language. This is especially true of the Apostolic Epistles (cf.: 1 Cor 5:12, 13), but the desire to bring the text of Scripture closer to the reader is sometimes devoid of any measure. So, the words from Ecclesiastes, which have already become a proverb: “Release your bread on the waters, because after many days you will find it again” (11. 1), translated in a strange way: “Invest your money in foreign trade, and one of these days you will make a profit ”(Invest your money in foreign trade, and someday you will make a profit).
"Modern English Translation" (The Contemporary English Version, 1995). America. Bible The society, using the tradition laid down by the DVB (GNB), undertook a new translation, which brought some features of the functional principle of translation to their logical conclusion. In it, the reader (the translation is intended for young people) will not find such typical terms as "redemption", "justification", "righteousness", "repentance" and others. Instead of the word "parable" is "history", instead of "Hosanna" - "Hurrah!". Everything is designed for easy perception of the text by an unprepared reader. It is clear that inclusive language is used here to the fullest. Places that can be perceived as anti-Semitism have also been removed: instead of “Jews”, “Jews”, where it can be perceived in a negative sense, it says “crowd” or “chiefs”.
The paradox of such translations lies in the fact that, despite many inappropriate simplifications, they at the same time convey to the reader the meaning of passages that in other translations have to be read several times. times (or refer to interpretations). To give an unequivocal assessment of such translations is to ignore the real difficulty facing any translator of Holy Scripture. The problem of the so-called. implicit information, embedded in the depths of the sacred text, must be addressed in one way or another.
XXVI. Paraphrases. The first English the paraphrase was "A Paraphrase and Notes" (A Paraphrase, and Annotations upon All the Books of the New Testament Briefly Explaining All the Difficult Places Theresf / By H. Hammond. L, 1653, 16815), made by G. Hammond in 1653. Most a well-known paraphrase - “The Living Bible in retelling” (The Living Bible, Paraphrased; NZ - 1967, the whole Bible - 1971) belongs to K. Taylor. All R. 70s this edition accounted for 46% of the total number of B. sold in America, and the translation was made into almost 100 languages of the world. The reason driving the author is still the same as in the beginning. 20th century: Taylor had 10 children, whom he retold B. every day. The work did not deal with textological problems. ASV was used as a starting point.
XXVII. Translations for Jews. Among these editions are both translations of the OT which are made by Orthodox Jews for English-speaking Jews (The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic Text: A New Transl. with the Aid, of Previous Versions / Ed. M. L. Margolis. Phil., 1917, 1948, 1955 ; Tanakh: The Holy Scrpitures: A New Transl. Accord. to Traditional Hebrew Text. Phil., 1985, - editions of the Jewish Publication Society), and translations made by Jews who converted to Christianity (Heinz W. Cassirer - God "s New Covenant: The New Testament Transl. Grand Rapids, 1989; David H. Stern - Complete Jewish Bible: An English Version of the Tanakh and B "rit Hadashah. Clarksville (Maryland), 1998).
Lit.: Lewis J. A Complete History of the several translations of the Holy Bible and the New Testament into English. L., 18183; Anderson C. The Annals of the English Bible. L., 1845, 1862; Cotton H. Editions of the Bible and Parts thereof in English, from the year MDV to MDCCCL. Oxf., 18522; Scrivener F. H. A. The Authorized Edition of the English Bible (1611). Camb., 1884; Alexy (Vinogradov), archim. History of the Anglo-American Bible: At 3 o'clock in St. Petersburg, 1890-1891; Cook A. S. Biblical Quotations in Old English Prose Writers. L.; N.Y., 1898, 19712; Paues A.C. Fourteenth-Century English Biblical Version. Camb., 1904; Holy Bible / Pref. by A. W. Pollard. N. Y., Oxf., 1911 ; Deanesly M. The Lollard Bible and Other Medieval Biblical Versions. Camb., 1920, 1966r; Rumball-Petre E. A. R. America's First Bibles. Portland (Maine), 1940; Butterworth Ch. C. The Literary Lineage of the King James's Bible, 1341-1611. Phil., 1941; Pope H. English Versions of the Bible. St. Louis, 1952; May H. G. Our English Bible in the Making. Phil., 1952, 1965; Mozley J.F. Coverdale and His Bibles. L., 1953; Bruce F. F. The English Bible: The History of Translations. N.Y., 1961; Hummond G. The Making of the English Bible. Manchester, 1982; Foster L. Selecting a Translation of the Bible. Cincinnati (Ohio), 1983; Hudson A. The Premature Reformation: Wycliffite Texts and Lollard History. Oxf., 1988; Robertson E. N. Makers of the English Bible. Camb., 1990; Frerichs E. S. American Versions // ABD. Vol. 6. P. 834-838; Grether H. G. Versions, Modern Era // ibid. P. 842-851; Lewis J. P. Versions, English (pre-1960) // ibid. P. 816-829; Dunton H. Bible Versions: A Consumer's Guide to the Bible. Grantham, 1998; HillK. English Bible and the 17th century revolution. M., 1998; Comfort Ph. W. Essential Guide to Bible Versions. Wheaton (Ill.), 2000; Metzger B. M. The Bible in Translation: Ancient and English Versions. Grand Rapids, 2001; Discover the Bible: A Manual for Bible Studies. L., 2001.
Bibliography: Hills M. T. The English Bible in America, 1777-1957: A Bibliogr. of Editions of the Bible and the New Testament Published in America, 1777-1957. N.Y., 1961; Herbert A. S. Historical Catalog of Printed Editions of the English Bible 1525-1961 / Rev. by T. H. Darlow, H. F. Moule. L.; N.Y., 1968; Harrington D. J. The New Testament: A Bibliogr. Wilmington, 1985.
O. V. Dmitrieva, archpriest Sergiy Ovsyannikov
