THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSLATION
(Chart taken from Thompson Chain Reference Bible, and from, Back To The Bible Broadcast)

During our study last night, I addressed the need for us to stay with versions that we know are true to the original message of revelation. I pointed out that the revelation of God (depicted above as "ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS," and known as the "autographs,") came to us as the inerrant, infallible and authoritative word of God.

Translations were made from the original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek) into various languages, including Latin, German, French, Italian, Spanish and eventually English.

The Roman religion tried to control the distribution and explanation of the Scriptures, keeping them under Papal control, thereby robbing the masses of the word of God. With the spread of the message came the translation of the Bible into the languages of the people, which produced even greater evangelism.

The Gutenberg Printing Press accelerated spread of the gospel and the growth of the Church. Just as the Roman religion had tried to control the distribution of the word of God, so did other regional entities (Church of England). Unless the various denominational organizations approved of translations, the translators and the translations often suffered attacks, even to the killing of some translators. Still, the work of providing an English translation of the Bible went forward.

I explained the development of modern English translations, from the King James Version, and the Revised Version and the American Standard Version and the New American Standard Version. I pointed out that it is important to study and build our lives on formal translations that are scholarly and trustworthy. Today there is an ever increasing undermining of the actual message of the Bible, and we must not quickly buy into new translations, since they often change the message of God's word.

It is not enough that God spoke to us, we must be sure that we get, and understand what God said when He spoke to us through the prophets and apostles.

I also pointed out that the enemy wants to take the Bible away from us, or he will seek to destroy us. Electronic Bibles are good (I use mine all the time) but we need to have reliable hard copy. We also need to hide God's word in our hearts. It is essential for this generation to memorize larger amounts of Scripture.

I also pointed out that one of the problems that comes with new translations is that some errors or weaknesses in the translation may not be immediately obvious or easy to find, therefore it takes time for spiritually astute scholars to document their findings and more time for that information to become common knowledge. It does not matter that some who sit on the translation committee are highly respected Bible scholars, since the entire translation protect is so massive and far reaching. This is why we need to be grounded and committed to reliable translations, regardless of the pressure to open ourselves to more current information. It is judicious to allow new translations time to prove themselves. (As a side note, I personally am not looking for a new translation, though I am open to responsible scholarship).



Last night we started to look at the call of Moses, and the introduction of the name of God as, "I AM." As I was pointing out the importance of having a correct translation of Exodus 3:14, I realized the need to address the problem of faulty translations and the need for having and staying with reliable translations, along with faithful and scholarly Bible documentation. This is what led me into an explanation the English translation of the Bible.