History of Translation
A look at where the Bible came from and other cool stuff
along the way…
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the
wicked or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in
the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who
meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of
water,
which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf
does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
-Psalm 1:1-3
For everything that was written in the past was written to
teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the
Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might
have hope.
-Romans 15:4
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that
the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every
good work.
-2 Timothy 3:16-17
Who Wrote the Bible?
When was it finished?
Septuagint
Original scriptures were written in Hebrew,
Aramaic & Greek. The Septuagint was the first
known work of translation, creating a Greek
version of the OT texts
Septuagint
Around the 2nd Century BCE, a group of around 70 (LXX)
Jewish scholars produced a copy of the Hebrew Scriptures
into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, or the
“translation of seventy interpreters.”
This is the translation used by the NT writers when
quoting OT material, which partially explains differences
between NT quotations and the OT references as we read
them today. Mainstream Judaism later rejected the
translation in favor of the traditional Hebrew text, seeking
to solidify distinctions between themselves and the new
Christian movement.
Canonizatoin
Jewish canon (Torah + Nevim +
Ketuvim) believed to have been
finalized by 90 CE.
Christian canon agreed upon at
Council of Nicea, 325 CE.
*James, 2 Peter, 2-3 John, & Jude
were excluded by many early
Christian communities. Some
also wanted to include books
such as Shepherd of Hermas, Epistle
of Barnabas, & Apocalypse of Peter
Jewish Scripture (24 Books)
Torah
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Prophets
Joshua
Judges
Samuel (1-2)
Kings (1-2)
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Ezekiel
“The Twelve”
(Minor Prophets)
Writings
Psalms
Proverbs
Job
Song of Songs
Ruth
Lamentations
Ecclesiastes
Esther
Daniel
Ezra-Nehemiah
Chronicles (1-2)
Protestant OT (39 Books)
Pentateuch
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Historical/Poetic
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1-2 Samuel
1-2 Kings
1-2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Songs
Prophets
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Catholic OT (46 Books)
Pentateuch
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Historical/Wisdom
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1-2 Samuel
1-2 Kings
1-2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Tobit
Judith
Esther (+ additions)
1-2 Maccabees
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Songs
Wisdom of Solomon
Sirach
Prophetic Books
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Baruch
Ezekiel
Daniel (+ additions)
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Orthodox OT (52 books)
Historical
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1-4 Kingdoms
(Samuel & Kings)
1-2 Chronicles
1 Esdras
2 Esdras (Ezra)
Nehemiah
Esther (+ additions)
Judith
Tobit
1-3 Maccabbees
Poetic/Didactic
Psalms (+ Ps 151)
Job
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Songs
Wisdom of Solomon
Sirach
Prophetic Books
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Baruch
Ezekiel
Daniel (+ additions)
4 Maccabbees
Prayer of Manasseh
3 Esdras
Latin Vulgate
Produced largely due to the work
of St Jerome under the
commissioning of Pope Damasus
I in the 4th Century CE.
He used Greek translations &
available Hebrew & Aramaic
texts to produce scriptures in
language accessible to common
readers (i.e. Latin).
Vulgate
By the 13th Century CE, it had become the “commonly
used translation,” or versio vulgata. It became the most
widely used version of the text in the Catholic church.
It wasn’t until the Reformation in the 1500s that
Protestant churches once again made an effort to put the
scriptures in the hands of the people by translating it into a
language they could understand.
The rise of scholasticism and the printing press enabled
bible translation to broaden.
Modern Translations
All translators have to make
choices when dealing with
nuances in meaning not
readily passed from one
language to another. Each
translation falls somewhere on
the continuum between
formal equivalence and
dynamic equivalence.
Formal Equivalence – word
for word; helpful in Bible
study, can be difficult to read
from due to awkward sentence
structure, etc.
Dynamic Equivalence –
thought for thought; helpful
in personal and group
reading, can lack clarity
regarding original intention of
authors.
Questions
 How does this shape the way you
think of the Bible?
 What does it mean that the Bible is
scripture?
 What does it mean that the Bible is
authoritative?
 How do we read and interpret the
Bible faithfully?