December 21, 2011
Column #1,582
Common English
Bible – Perfect Christmas Gift
By Mike McManus
The
Catholic Church was so opposed to Bibles that ordinary people could read,
that in 1536 William Tyndale was burned at the stake for his English New
Testament.
It became
the basis for the King James Version, published 400 years ago in 1611. It
was commissioned by King James I to be a collaboration of Anglican and
Puritan scholars. It did not stop their feuding, as hoped, but their work
became the first authorized version of the Bible and its most widely
published and beloved.
Harold
Bloom, an atheist, has just written a book about KJV which he said stands
alone with Shakespeare, at the “sublime summit of literature.”
However,
language evolves, which has spurred a flood of newer translations, such as
the Revised Standard Version (1946), the New International
Version (1985), and in 2011, the Common English Bible.
Compare
these versions of Luke 2:7:
“And she
brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and
laid him in a manger because there was no room at the inn.” (KJV)
“…and she
gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him
in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.” (NIV)
“She gave
birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a
manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom.” (CEB)
Few use
the phrase “swaddling clothes” today, nor would a mother think of wrapping
her child in “cloths,” but she would wrap him “snugly.”
Reading a
different translation offers opportunity for a new perspective. It is easy
to become dulled by the same familiar, well-worn words, and become immune to
contemplating their meaning. Compare the opening words of the Bible of two
translations:
“In the
beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without
form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of
God moved upon the face of the deep.” (KJV)
“When God
began to create the heavens and the earth – the earth was without shape or
form. It was dark over the deep sea, and God’s wind swept over the waters.”
(CEB)
Leviticus
19: 33-34 offers wisdom about immigration: “And if a stranger sojourn with
thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with
you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as
thyself, for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your
God.” (KJV)
“When
immigrants live in your land with you, you must not cheat them. Any
immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your
citizens. You must love them as yourself because you were immigrants in the
land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. (CEB)
Isn’t that
more clear and compelling than anything all Republican candidates are
saying?
Here’s
NIV’s opening words of the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the meek, for
they will inherit the earth.”
CEB is far
more uplifting and clearer: “Happy are people who are humble, because they
will inherit the earth.”
You may
not like CEB’s version of the Lord’s Prayer, but it prompts fresh thought:
“Our Father who is in
heaven, uphold the holiness of your name. Bring in your kingdom so that your
will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven. Give us the bread we need for
today. Forgive us for the ways we have wronged you, just as we forgive those
who have wronged us. And don’t lead us into temptation, but rescue us from
the evil one.
NIV’s
version of Romans 12:2 is familiar: “Do not conform any longer to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then
you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing
and perfect will.”
CEB:
“Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is – what
is good and pleasing and mature.”
Once a
decade I start reading a new translation, for fresh insight into God’s word.
New language throws upon windows for fresh thought. It gives us a different
lens to see how God reveals Himself. It forces us to listen and to think
more deeply.
Consider buying CEB for yourself or as the perfect Christmas gift for
someone else |