Bible Translations, The History of our Biblical Text - Part 2 of 2

In this segment (of our 2-part series), Bible teacher Dave Bigler (founder of Iron Sheep Ministries) does an overview of Bible translation theory and covers all major Bible translations from the pre-Christ Septuagint to modern day translations.

Watch part 1 on Textual Criticism here:
https://youtu.be/UO2FgjZ87r4

Talk Outline:
00:11 - What is the Goal
00:39 - REVIEW - part 1 lecture on Textual Criticism
- WHEN, WHY, and HOW were NT spread
- Textual Criticism
- Confidence in our text
- God is sovereign (2 Tim 3:16-17)
04:50 - Why are Bible Translations so controversial?
06:51 - Why are there translations? Languages change, New manuscripts are found, & Translation theory
10:11 - Translation Theory
- Formal Equivalence (word for word)
- Focus on a literal translation of the words of the text
- Dynamic (or Functional) Equivalence (thought for thought)
- Paraphrase
12:21 - Ancient translations to today

13:10 - Septuagint (LXX - 280 - 100 BC)
Earliest translation of the Bible. It is a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible (before Christ and the NT). 72 translators (6 from each tribe of Israel), translated at the request of the King in Alexandria. The name was eventually shortened from 72, to just 70. Septuagint is Latin for 70.

15:47 - Latin Vulgate (VUL 404 AD)
Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymusin aka “Jerome” was a student of languages. He was charged by Pope Damasus to complete a translation of the OT and NT into the “common tongue.” Name: Vulgate “common or commonly known.”

17:18 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC - 1382)
John Wycliffe was an Oxford theologian who wanted the English people to have a Bible in their own language. Wycliffe’s Bible was done by hand. It is a word-for-word translation of the Latin Vulgate. Wycliffe was heavily criticized by the Church of Rome as well as the Church of England because he taught that salvation was only available through the suffering of Christ, not through the power of the church. Wycliffe was called “The Morning Star of the Reformation.” In 1415, John Wycliffe was condemned as a heretic and in 1428 (44 years after Wycliffe’s death) the Bishop of England ordered Wycliffe’s remains exhumed and burned and the ashes thrown into the river.

22:31 - Gutenberg Bible (1455)
1450 - Johann Gutenberg invented the Gutenberg press - small metal letters, movable type. 1455 “Gutenberg Bible” - Latin Vulgate

23:18 - The Protestant Reformation. Revolt from the abuses and totalitarian control of the Roman Catholic Church. Martin Luther (Germany), John Calvin (France), Ulrich Zwingli (Switzerland) were foundational in the protestant reformation.

26:03 - Tyndale Bible (1534). William Tyndale is considered “the most significant name in English Bible history.” He was Oxford educated and ordained as a priest. Tyndale’s Bible did not use the language of the scribe, lawyer or educated, but the base spoken language of the people. Tyndale did his work in Germany because it was illegal to translate the Bible into English in England. In 1535 he was arrested and on October 6, 1536 he was strangled and then burned at the stake.

28:15 - Geneva Bible (1560). The Geneva Bible was the work of the protestant exiles from England and Scotland living in Geneva, Switzerland, including John Foxe, John Calvin, and John Knox. Much of the translation was done by William Whittingham, brother-in-law of John Calvin. The Geneva Bible is most famous for its copious marginal notes as well as the first full Bible with verse numbers.

30:29 - King James Bible (1611). King James commissioned a group of 50 learned men, the task of revising the current Church of England’s Bible. The KJV is widely considered “the most influential book in the English language
Revisions that followed (all with a KJV foundation)
1881 Revised Version;
1901 American Standard Version
1952 Revised Standard Version
1971 New American Standard Bible
1990 New Revised Standard Version
2001 English Standard Version

35:08 - Modern English translations.
36:07 - Interlinear Bible
38:53 - New American Standard Bible NASB
39:57 - Amplified Bible AMP
42:00 - English Standard Version ESV
42:56 - King James Version KJV
43:18 - What is the received text or textus receptus?
45:03 - New King James Version NKJV
45:57 - Christian Standard Bible CSB or HCSB
47:17 - New International Version NIV
49:00 - New Living Translation NLT
50:02 - Good News Bible GNB
50:44 - The Message MSG
53:05 - Bad translations of the Bible
53:35 - What is the Thomas Jefferson Bible?
55:28 - what is the New World Translation of the Bible?
57:45 - What now, what do you do with this information?

Resources:
https://www.blueletterbible.org/
https://www.biblegateway.com/
https://www.gotquestions.org/
Books used for this talk:
Gurry, Peter J.. Scribes & Scripture. Weatonm, IL: Crossway, 2022.
Lightfoot, Neil R.. How we got our Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2003.

More information on Dave Bigler and Iron Sheep Ministries:
https://ironsheep.org