Covenanter Witness Vol. 86 - Rparchives.org

MY BIBLERev. Robert More, Jr.Pastor of the Almonte, R. P. ChurchParti—THEOLOGICAL PRINCIPLESPhillip's New Testament, The Amplified Bible, WueA major Biblical problem facing English-speaking Expanded Translation. In many places the Today'sChristians today is: What Bible should be claimed as "myBible"? Until the turn of the 20th Century, the King JamesEnglish Version is a paraphrastic, although in others ittends to be literal.Version was The Holy Bible. In 1901 the AmericanWhich then — literal or paraphrase — should beStandard Version became its sole alternative. Today thereare more than two dozen choices (to this writer'sknowledge). Among the most popular have been theRevised Standard Version; Phillips' New Testament; the"my Bible"? Some (Kenneth Taylor in the preface to theLiving Prophecies vehemently scorns) denunciate theacceptability of a translation, while many today extolparaphrases. On the contrary, the question of translationNew English Bible; the Living Bible by Kenneth Taylor; or paraphrase involves far more than mere contemporaryand Today's English Version by the American BibleSociety.language and speech forms. There are weighty theologicalprinciples too. These are now traced.Beside the problem of the multiplicity of versions, asecond problem needs careful study, but is oftendisregarded in making any version to be "my Bible." Thatis the question whether a version is a translation or aparaphrase. A translation is a version which puts theoriginal languages into English by closely adhering to thegrammatical, historical meaning and form of the original.The paraphrase means that the sense, the general idea, isthe supreme goal. Individual words are therefore of lessimport; the sense or the idea are preeminent. Thus it isbasically an interpretation, a commentary, about the text.To illustrate, the King James Version is exceedinglyliteral to the Greek in Romans 13:3. It reads, "For rulersare not a terror to good works, but to evil. Wilt thou thennot be afraid of the power? do that which is good and thoushalt have praise of the same."The New American Standard Bible (quite literal alsoin modern English) reads, "For rulers are not a cause offear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to haveno fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will havepraise from the same." Kenneth Taylor's Living Biblehowever, is a paraphrase, ft reads, "For the policemandoes not frighten people who are doing right; but thosedoing evil will always fear him. Soif you don't want to beafraid, keep the laws and you will get along well."From these examples the difference between atranslation and a paraphrase is evident. Now the questionis: Which should be "my Bible"? And under it, what aresome translations and some paraphrases?In reverse order: The versions this writer considersto be translations are the following: The King James, TheAmerican Standard. The New American Standard, TheRevised Standard. The Charles B. Williams NewTestament. The Berkley Bible. Those that are essentiallyA. Creedal StatementsThe Westminster Confession of Faith binds thesubscriber to certain truths concerning the Bible. Chapterf.l says God revealed His will for the church by committing"the same wholly unto writing." Therefore,precisely all that is written and as written is God's revealedwill. The autographs (the inspired original Hebrew,Aramaic and Greek) have wholly written God'srevelation.Chapter I.vi adds that "the whole counsel of God. ..is. .expressly set down in Scriptures. . .unto whichnothing at any time is to be added. . .by. . .traditions ofmen." Since the autographs fully and solely are the writtenaccount of God's will, then English version makers maynot add or subtract anything from them.Chapter I.viii says that the inspired originals have,by God's singular care and providence (been) kept pure inall ages." This requires that the inspired originals be faithfullytransmitted in later times, conforming precisely tothe original writings.Chapter I.viii then states, "Therefore they (theScriptures) are to be translated." This openly states"translation" not "paraphrases." Also, the framers of theConfession knew the difference between those two wordsas evidenced by the Psalm Book (called the Rouse) theAssembly approved, which had a closing section called,"Translations and paraphrases in verse."B. Scriptural CitationsSince the Confession evidently commits itself totranslations, not paraphrases, then does the Scriptureitself support that position? The following are noted.1. Order of books. Matthew 23:35 sustains the orderof the books in the Hebrew Bible (Genesis to IIparaphrastic are The Living Bible, The New English Bible, Chronicles).8COVENANTER WITNESS