A.      To this point, the lessons in this series have laid a solid foundation for confidence in the sixty-six books of the Bible as God’s word to mankind.

B.      This lesson will fortify that foundation by answering this question: Can we be confident that our modern translations of the Bible contain the word of God?

                                                             1.      The Bible was originally written in the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek languages.  In order for us to understand it today, it must be and has been translated into English.

                                                             2.      Obviously, it is important for us to know that our English translations are accurate, but there is more to consider than just translation.  This study must begin by considering the authenticity and reliability of the ancient manuscripts from which the English translations were taken.

II.      AUTHENTICITY OF THE BIBLE

A.      It is important to know that the source materials used for Bible translations are authentic and reliable.

                                                             1.      None of the original documents of the Bible writers are available to translators today.  All of the ancient manuscripts of the Bible are copies (often copies of copies of copies, etc.).

                                                             2.      Because this is true, it is important to establish good reasons to believe that the ancient manuscripts used by translators are reliable copies of the original documents that have not been altered through the years of transmission (copying).

B.      Consider how the Bible stands up to a few tests that determine the reliability of any ancient document.

                                                             1.      According to military historian Chauncey Sanders in his book Introduction in Research in English Literary History, three tests are generally used to determine the reliability of an ancient document.

a.       The bibliographical test answers several questions about the ancient document:

i.         How many copies of the ancient document are known to exist?

ii.        How much time passed between the writing of the original document and the oldest known copy?

iii.      Where were the various copies of the document found?

iv.      How many variances exist between the different copies?

b.       The internal evidence test examines the document for consistency.  This test considers what the document claims about itself and whether it contains internal contradictions.

c.        The external evidence test considers whether the document is supported by external sources of information.

                                                             2.      In the bibliographical test, the Bible gets the best grade of any ancient document.

a.       To set a fair standard for comparison, consider first how some other ancient documents measure by this test.  These are universally accepted as authentic and reliable.

b.       Now consider how the New Testament measures by this test.  Note that if the documents listed above are accepted as authentic, then the N.T. must be accepted with greater certainty.

*In addition to the 5,378 known ancient Greek N.T. manuscripts, there are more than 13,000 ancient copies of portions of the Greek N.T., plus over 1,000 copies of ancient translations into Syriac, Coptic, Armenian, Gothic, and Ethiopic, and more than 8,000 copies of the Latin Vulgate (some dating back to nearly A.D. 400).

c.        Also, the N.T. passes this test because its many manuscripts were found in many places (Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Italy), thus making their validity more certain.

d.       Regarding variances within these manuscripts, most are minor (spelling, phraseology, etc.).  The variances affect one half of one percent of the text, and none of the variances affect a matter of doctrine.

e.        The Old Testament can be similarly evaluated and proved as authentic and reliable.

i.         For many years, the oldest known manuscript of the Hebrew O.T. was the Massoretic Text (A.D. 900).  Then, the Dead Sea (Qumran) Scrolls were discovered in 1947, which dated around 125 B.C.

ii.        Although 1,000 years passed between the writing of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Massoretic Text, these documents are exactly the same.  This is a testimony to the care used by the scribes in copying the O.T., and it means that the ancient O.T. manuscripts can be trusted as reliable and authentic.

                                                             3.      Regarding the test of internal evidence, the previous lessons have demonstrated how the Bible passes without conflict.

a.       This evidence consists of the unity and accuracy of the Bible as presented in Lesson 2.

b.       Like the bibliographical test, the internal evidence test shows that the Bible is the most authentic and reliable of all ancient documents.

                                                             4.      Regarding the test of external evidence, there is an abundance of documents that support the Bible.

a.       There are many letters written by early Christians that quote directly from the N.T.

i.         Polycarp, an acquaintance of the apostle John, wrote an letter to the Philippians in A.D. 120 in which he quoted from the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1 & 2Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 2Thessalonians, 1 & 2Timothy, Hebrews, 1Peter, and 1John.

ii.        Ignatius wrote letters to the seven churches of Asia around A.D. 115 and quoted from the books of Matthew, John, Romans, 1 & 2Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 & 2Timothy, and Titus.

iii.      Clement wrote a letter to the Corinthians in A.D. 95, and he quoted from the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1Corinthians, Ephesians, Titus, Hebrews, and 1Peter.

iv.      Altogether, all but eleven verses of the New Testament were quoted in letters written by Christians within just a few years of New Testament times.

b.       In addition to these, there are also the writings of Josephus (a Jewish historian), Tacitus (a Roman historian), and Pliny the Younger (governor of Bythinia) that speak of Jesus and the church in the first and early second centuries.  (These men were all hostile toward Christians.)

III.   TRANSLATIONS OF THE BIBLE

A.      The history of Bible translations is too vast for the scope of this lesson.

                                                             1.      Although we cannot cover this history here, it is important for several reasons, including the evidence of the Bible’s rapid, providential influence despite the language barriers in the world.

                                                             2.      Remember that the variety of languages exist because God confused the language of man at Babel (Gen. 11:1-9).  God began to overcome that confusion on Pentecost after Christ’s ascension (Acts 2:1-12), and He continues to do so through the translations of His word today.

B.      The goal of this lesson is to instill confidence that modern English translations of the Bible do indeed contain the unaltered word of God.

                                                             1.      The first part to this confidence is establishing the authenticity and reliability of the source manuscripts used in translations (see above).

                                                             2.      The second part to this confidence is establishing the reliability of the translators and the approaches they used to translate the ancient manuscripts.

C.      Without going into great detail, the following information is provided as a guide for choosing an English translation of the Bible that is true to the authentic manuscripts and accurately translated.

                                                             1.      It is good to avoid translations that are produced by a single translator.

a.       Such a translation is more likely to contain errors and reflect the translator’s personal beliefs and theological bias.

b.       An example of such a translation is The Living Bible by Kenneth Taylor.  By the translator’s own admission, this is a paraphrase rather than a translation.

c.        It is better to select a translation that was produced by a team of experts in the original Bible languages who examined and critiqued each other’s work.

                                                             2.      It is also good to avoid translations that are produced by single denominations or sects.

a.       These translations are often slanted to support denominational doctrines rather than accurately translated to give the true meaning.

b.       An example of such a translation is The New World Translation produced by the Jehovah’s Witnesses.  This translation has altered some passages (such as John 1:1-2; Col. 1:16-17) to support their peculiar doctrine.

c.        It is better to select a translation that was produced by a diverse group of translators who balanced one another’s biases.

                                                             3.      The most common and generally most trusted English translations are the following:

a.       The King James Version (KJV) or "Authorized Version”

i.         This translation was produced between 1607 and 1611 by a group of fifty-four leading British scholars and forty-seven translators.  The translators drew on the work of all previous English translations, translations into other languages, and the manuscripts available to them at the time.

ii.        For today’s use, the English of the KJV can be rather archaic and difficult to understand, but it is generally considered accurate with only a few exceptions.

b.       The American Standard Version (ASV)

i.         The ASV was published in 1901 as a counterpart to the Revised Version of the KJV.  The Revised Version was produced between 1870 and 1881 when a group of British scholars and translators sought to incorporate changes in the English language, better understanding of Hebrew, and discoveries of older manuscripts.

ii.        The ASV is a better translation than the KJV and is the most literal to the original Greek, but its wording is sometimes difficult to understand.

c.        The Revised Standard Version (RSV)

i.         This translation was produced by the International Council of Religious Education in 1952.  The purpose was to revise the Revised Version based on additional manuscript discoveries and the change in literary style of English.

ii.        The RSV is  easier to read than the ASV, although it is not as accurate.

d.       The New American Standard Bible (NASB)

i.         The NASB was translated by fifty-four scholars and published in 1971 as an update to the ASV.  The stated goals of the translators were to be true to the original languages, to be grammatically correct, to be understandable, and to give the Lord Jesus Christ His proper place without personalizing the work.

ii.        The NASB incorporates the accuracy of the ASV with the ease of reading in modern English.

e.        The New King James Version (NKJV)

i.         The NKJV was completed in 1982.  The goal of its translators was to update the vocabulary and grammar of the KJV while preserving its style.  The NKJV typically used the same manuscripts as the original KJV.

ii.        The NKJV maintains the accuracy and style of the KJV, but its use of modern English is easier to understand.

f.        The New International Version (NIV)

i.         The NIV was published in 1973 by an interdenominational and international committee that sought to balance readability with accuracy.

ii.        The NIV is the best-selling and most-widely used translation, but it is significantly less literal than the KJV, the ASV, or the NASB.  It is particularly biased toward some tenets of Calvinism.

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      This lesson is important because it proves that not only should we be confident that the original writings of the Bible writers are God’s word, but also we should be confident that God’s word is contained in the modern translations that we are able to read and understand for ourselves.

B.      The next and final lesson of this series will address the modern relevance of the Bible.