Archive for the ‘ESV’ Category

A Bible translation often obtains favor only in a narrow circle within the church and/or in certain denominational groups. It seems from the internet that a broader spectrum of Christians are being drawn to the ESV from different backgrounds. Are you encouraged by that?

Watch Vern Poythress respond (Windows Media).

One of the questions is whether the Internet has been a factor in the possibility of spreading the news about a translation, getting people aware of the qualities—particularly of the ESV.

I think it does make a difference, even though in the long run I would hope that people will adopt the ESV because of its superior accuracy and literary qualities, and that’s something that takes time for the church as a whole and individuals to judge. I think the Internet has resulted in there being a quickness of spread of some of the news. And, as I understand it, quite a few people, just individual bloggers and individual websites have said complimentary things about the ESV. And that helps other people to realize, “Oh, you know, this translation is out there. And I should take a look at it if other people are saying that it is accurate and its literary quality is good.”

Comment on this post by July 11, 2005, for your chance to win a free ESV Bible.

A Bible translation often obtains favor only in a narrow circle within the church and or in certain denominational groups. It seems from the internet that a broader spectrum of Christians are being drawn to the ESV from different backgrounds. Are you encouraged by that?

Watch Bill Mounce respond (Windows Media format).

As far as the ESV and the Internet is concerned, one of the things I’ve been very encouraged about is the publisher’s willingness to share it. If you’re a nonprofit organization, if you have a website up, that wants to allow people to look at verses, the publisher’s been really good at giving free access to the ESV. It’s encouraging because it is God’s Word. And while it costs a tremendous amount of money to produce a translation, the publisher does understand that it is God’s Word and has done a wonderful job at making it available for nonprofit websites.

Comment on this post by July 11, 2005, for your chance to win a free ESV Bible.

It is of note that the group of scholars who wrote the ESV include some great giants of evangelicalism. I wonder how important to the accurate translation of the Bible is an evangelical faith. How much does the doctrine one believes in influence the act of translation and the philosophy which lies behind it?

Watch Paul House respond (Windows Media).

We’re often asked how our evangelical convictions affect our translation principles. I would answer in the following way. Just for myself, I can say as an evangelical Christian I believe that every word in the Bible is God’s Word written. Thus any sort of efforts—and all efforts we can make—to make sure that his Word is translated accurately would be important.

We believe that God’s Word is important and sufficient for the following activities. We believe that it’s important and sufficient for preaching. So, as an evangelical, I want pastors and preachers to have a translation that clearly shows the structure of a verse, that shows the connections in a verse, that helps them explain the Bible to God’s people.

I also, as an evangelical, believe strongly in world evangelization. So I’m excited about the ESV being translated into Standard English so it can be used around the world. I’m very excited about the Worldwide Bible Society, the (Christian) Standard Bible Society trying to get the Bible into the hands of as many people around the world as possible.

As an evangelical, I think the Bible teaches us how to live. It’s very important for ethics, so we want to be as clear as we can on the ethical teachings of the Scriptures.

All this means that Christians have to read the Bible. They have to have a solid, readable, accurate translation. So as an evangelical, the best way to help God’s people hear the Word of God and live the Word of God is to have the Word of God as clear and accurate and strong as we possibly can.

Comment on this post by July 11, 2005, for your chance to win a free ESV Bible.

We asked Crossway webmaster Stephen Smith to share his reflections on attending some of the recent Translation Oversight Committee meeting:

On Thursday, June 2, 2005, I had the unique opportunity to sit in on part of a Translation Oversight Committee meeting and observe the ESV translators at work. Afterward, at a dinner for the translators, I was able to share some of how we’re using the Internet to spread news about the ESV—and in particular how this blog is helping to forge new relationships worldwide on behalf of the Standard Bible Society (SBS).

My first reaction when I walked into the conference room where the translators were meeting was to marvel at the sheer number of books and papers arrayed about the conference table: commentaries, concordances, dictionaries (Greek, Hebrew, and English), and of course Bibles. That’s not even counting the reference works available on the notebook computers that most people had. (Four of the computers were Macintoshes, for those of you keeping track.)

It soon became apparent how the wealth of reference material facilitated the efficient operation of the committee. Each person intimately knew the reference books he had in front of him and often consulted them when the discussion turned, for example, on an obscure detail in the original Greek. (I was observing some of their New Testament deliberations.)

But at the same time, I couldn’t believe how much knowledge each of the translators could share without even having to consult anything written. The depth and breadth of their understanding of the issues they were discussing was amazing—evidence not just of extensive preparation for this meeting but also of their mastery of the Bible in both English and the original languages.

I’ll most remember not the specific translation issues the committee discussed but the camaraderie they shared and the love and respect they showed for the Word of God.

The meeting concluded at 5:30 with prayer and adjourned for an hour until dinner at a local café, where I had a presentation to make following the meal.

But first to dinner. (I had chicken.) Sitting next to some of the translators let me get to know them a little bit on a personal level. Did you know that Australia is home to many of the world’s deadliest creatures? That in England a car’s trunk is called a “boot?” That the meaning of maranatha is mildly in dispute? I do now.

After dinner we had two brief presentations from Standard Bible Society and Crossway executives. (Readers of this blog already know most of what was said, and what we haven’t shared with you yet will be forthcoming soon.)

The Crossway executive read an excerpt from this Christianos blog entry as an introduction for me, and then it was my turn. I talked mostly about this blog and how it presents us a way to communicate that was impossible only a few years ago. Having a blog on which we can be open and transparent also fits well with the ESV’s translation philosophy of trying to be transparent to the original text as much as good English will allow.

After I finished speaking and dinner had concluded, I talked with a couple of the translators about some exciting ideas for this blog. Watch for these ideas to come to fruition in the coming months.

In all, I expect that I will never again have a similar experience. I’m thankful to the SBS for letting me experience it in the first place and for allowing me to share my thoughts on this blog.