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Title: Essential Guide to Bible Versions by Phillip W., Phd Comfort, Philip W. Comfort ISBN: 0-8423-3484-X Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers Pub. Date: 01 September, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $10.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.08 (13 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Wanna know what you're paying for?
Comment: This book has a great history of how our modern bible translations came to be, much of which can be found on the net or in the forward of any parallel New Testament. The only thing I found discouraging about the book is the...promotion of the New Living Translation, also a product of the Tyndale house (hint, hint). From the conclusion, one is led to believe the NLT is the only valid interpretation. The redeeming factor was held in the final pages of comparison; here many of the disputed or "missing" verses of the KJV were analyzed and competently put in context.
Pro's
1 Detailed history of the Bible
2 A general overview of the style of interpretation of many versions (i.e. word for word v. thought for thought)
3 The lineage of many versions (i.e. Latin Vulgate, Greek, Textus Receptus etc.)
4 An analysis and listing of disputed verses of the KJV
Con's
1 Some of the descriptions are, shall we say, long-winded.
2 A blatantly one-sided view of the authority of the New Living Translation which, just "happens to be" from the same publishing house. After I read this book, I had to go and research the evolution of the Bible for myself to ensure that what I'd just read wasn't just an advertisement.
Rating: 4
Summary: Invaluable Reference Work
Comment: The King James Version Only controversy still rages in many churches throuout the world (as can be seen from some of the reviews of this book). The greatest problem in the debate seems to be that many people do not understand the process by which the eclectic text and the critical text have been assembled. This book is an attempt to clarify this process.
Dr. Comfort's effort to make the finer points of modern textual criticism is a laudable effort, and will serve as a springboard to a more detailed investigatio of this topic. It is not, however, an introductory work, and many readers will have to consult other volumes to fully appreciate what Dr. Comfort states in this text.
Comfort does a good job at providing an overview of the major texts that comprise the critical text that most modern translations are derived from. He also presents a brief history of the 20th century translations, giving an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of each. The real value of this book, however, lies in its treatment of the so-called "missing verses" that KJV Only advocates contend have been "removed" from the modern versions. If more people on both sides of the debate were familiar with this material, there would be less misunderstanding and namecalling.
That said, the flag-waving for the New Living Translation is a little annoying. I am not as familiar with this translation as some of the others, but the continual preferance for this version over all other modern versions makes me suspect the author's motivations in writing this book.
Rating: 3
Summary: Too much text criticism
Comment: I think too much of this book is devoted to text criticism and all the details of all the existing manuscripts. This is much more information that most Christians want or need in choosing a version, and much too little information if you really want to get involved in this topic of manuscripts(See Bruce Metzger or Kurt Aland). The analysis of the first chapter of John in a few versions is good, but should have been taken much further to other difficult passages. At the end of the day, a Christian who wants to investigate the versions will have to buy a Greek interlinear and several versions and analyse some passages themselves. The main worth of this book is if you really do want a gentle readable introduction to the existing old manuscripts. For someone already fairly knowledgable about the versions, the book is fairly basic, though still there are not a few nuggets of information not to be found elsewhere, plus some summaries of information otherwise hard to gather together. Comfort pushes his own views on various topics, including overly strong support for gender-neutral language. Still, another thoughtful perspective on the versions is always interesting. The other book about versions is Metzger's "The Bible in Translation". Metzger spends most of his book discussing the actual versions themselves, with the keen scholarly eye that he is known for.
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Title: The Bible in Translation: Ancient and English Versions by Bruce Manning Metzger ISBN: 0801022827 Publisher: Baker Book House Pub. Date: October, 2001 List Price(USD): $15.99 |
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Title: Choosing a Bible: A Guide to Modern English Translations and Editions by Steven M. Sheeley, Robert N. Nash, Steven M. Sheely ISBN: 0687052009 Publisher: Abingdon Press Pub. Date: July, 1999 List Price(USD): $6.00 |
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Title: A Brief History of English Bible Translations by Laurence M. Vance ISBN: 0962889814 Publisher: Vance Publications Pub. Date: July, 1993 List Price(USD): $5.95 |
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Title: The Precise Parallel New Testament: Greek Text, King James Version, Rheims New Testament, Amplified Bible, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible by John R. Kohlenberger ISBN: 0195284127 Publisher: Oxford Press Pub. Date: April, 1995 List Price(USD): $44.99 |
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Title: The Canon Debate by Lee Martin McDonald, James A. Sanders ISBN: 1565635175 Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. Pub. Date: 01 January, 2002 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
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