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I was wondering if anyone had a recommendation on the most accurate version of the bible to read. I know the KJV is not considered the best, and i want to study the new testament. It’s a shame we don’t really study the NT in church, i find that after a lifetime in the church i really dont know much about it. Maybe i should start another thread, but while im on here, i was wondering what the general opinion of “Mormonthink.com” [link removed by moderator]. I stumbled across it, and it seems to be accurate and mostly fair to the apologists. I try to avoid sites that are extremely negative, in an effort to find more balanced and reasonable arguments. Anyway, in my search for truth i was just wondering if anyone on here can vouch for the usefulness and accuracy of this site.
We study the New Testament for a whole year in Sunday School. It is on a 4-year cycle (Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Church history / D&C). The King James Version was pretty good for the 17th century (when it came into being). But there have been enormous leaps and bounds in biblical scholarship since then, and enormous quantities of older manuscripts discovered (tons in the 1800’s). There isn’t really as much of a problem for the LDS Church with translation because the Bible is not our only proof text (like in the larger Christian world).
I like the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). It is one of the most recent translations, and they focused their efforts on using the most up-to-date manuscripts available. The footnotes are also very helpful because they contain common alternatives from other manuscripts.
MormonThink lays out a lot of the controversial history. I don’t think they are really that “friendly” towards apologists. They don’t come across as angry, but they are pretty much the opposite of religious apologia.
I think the NASB (New American Standard Bible) is another good one. But to tell the truth, since all texts are equal in that their only true power is their effectiveness in bring us to Life, my suggestion is to read as many versions that interest and speak to you as possible. For example, reading the Sermon on the Mount from “The Message” gave me interesting points to ponder. In my opinion, you will get closest to the meaning by getting away from any particular wording. Peruse them all! In parallel translations sometimes if possible. For an example of what I mean see this page I programmed earlier this year for another sacred text
http://tao-te-ching.hawsedc.com Been reading The Amplified Bible. I like it. Gives many alternate translations. What Tom said – since I don’t believe we really can know which version is “more accurate” as far as transmitting what actually was said by the people in the records. Therefore, I am fine with pretty much any translation that at least is an attempt to restore ancient meaning, while I use the KJV in church meetings just so what I quote will be familiar to and accepted by the most people in those meetings. The versions I personally don’t consider are the ones that don’t convey the same “feeling” or “attitude” or “tone” as the more scholarly ones – the ones that try to make the words friendlier or more gender-inclusive, for example. I have nothing against using more gender-inclusive language now in our writings and oral communication, but the history teacher in me doesn’t want the social structures and biases of the ancient times lost in an attempt to modernize the language. I think there are VERY important lessons to learn from the “imperfections” we see in such wording – lessons that are lost if the language is modernized. I see our scriptures as a chronology of the evolution of our understanding of God – and I don’t want that chronology tainted or distorted by what I would view as mis-translations.
Interesting perspective Ray. So we have scripture as religious history and scripture as devotional reading. For religious history we need “accurate” translation. For devotional reading, we want “inspired” rendition. Probably the two necessitate multiple versions. The Message may change certain lives. But the NASB or KJV may change other lives. Isn’t it all wonderful? Tom
Yeah, Tom – that’s a pretty good description of why we shouldn’t get exclusively attached to one translation, imo – as individuals, even if I’m totally fine with one translation being the dominant one in any particular group.
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