Review
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Title: The Holy Bible — Modern English Version
Publisher: Passio Faith
Genre: Non-fiction
Year: 2014
Pages: 1165
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-1-62136-997-4
Price: $19.99
(You can see this title at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=978-1-62136-997-4&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3A978-1-62136-997-4)
Ever since the first English language translation of the Bible appeared for public consumption, controversy concerning the methodologies and, indeed, the very existence of a vernacular rendering have saturated the English-speaking world. One need only remember William Tyndale, himself depending on such scholars as Erasmus and Martin Luther, who paid for his rendering of the Scriptures into English with his life. Since then, more manuscripts have been uncovered and translated, and consequently, we have seen more accurate renderings of the sacred text.
Sadly, though, the proliferation of English-language translations of the Bible has led to confusion and, in some cases, a lessened respect for the majesty and wonder of God’s Word. Efforts to put the Bible into so-called “street language” have diminished the Bible’s position as one of the most quoted and influential texts in existence. No book has reached the Bible’s popularity and influence worldwide.
And now we have yet another rendering of the Bible: The Modern English Version. When I first read about this new translation, I was immediately interested in seeing it. My interest was on two levels: 1) as a regular Bible reader, I’m always intrigued by the latest offerings, and 2) as a participant in the Latter-day Saint literary community, I was curious as to how helpful this version would be to a Mormon audience.
Before we get to the answers to these questions, an observation about translation techniques. I’ve decided to borrow some text from www.ucg.org for this section of the review:
“There are three main types of Bible translations: word-for-word, thought-for-thought and paraphrase. A word-for-word translation attempts to translate each Hebrew or Greek word into a corresponding English word. However, some consider a word-for-word translation harder to understand, particularly when it comes to figures of speech that are not used in modern culture. Two examples of word-for-word translations are the King James Version and the New King James Version.
“The thought-for-thought translations seek to express the meaning of each sentence or paragraph from the original language in simple up-to-date English without being tied to translating every word. As such, these types of translations should not be exclusively relied on for doctrinal study. The New International Version is perhaps the most well-known of the thought-for-thought translations.
“A paraphrased translation has the primary goal of conveying the Bible in a simple, easy-to-understand language without regard to word-for-word or even thought-for-thought expressions of the original languages. The authors often exercise ‘poetic license,’ leaving great room for personal religious ideas.” (http://www.ucg.org/bible-study/types-bible-translations/)
In my opinion, a pretty good summation of the kinds of translation methods. The Modern English Version (hereafter MEB), adopts the first method, feeling this is the most accurate, most reverent way, maintaining the cadence and rhythm of the beloved King James Version while updating the language and even the typography.
Once a translator decides on which method of translation is to be used, a further decision needs to be made as to which manuscripts should be used. And here is where the whole enterprise becomes a bit tricky. A common assumption is that early manuscripts pretty much agree with each other in every detail. This is not true. There are variations among the manuscript bases that compel translators to decide: a) should I use a single base for the Old Testament and a single base for the New Testament? or b) should I cull from the many thousands of manuscripts available for the best possible text? The latter approach produces what is called an “eclectic” text — pulling from various sources and producing a translation from these sources.
The Modern English Version has chosen the former approach. For the New Testament, the Textus Receptus (hereafter TR) is used. For the Old Testament, the Jacob ben Hayyim edition of the Masoretic Text (hereafter MT) is employed. In both cases, these choices reflect the sensibilities of the King James Version, producing a rendering of the text that is both reasonably accurate and comfortable for the LDS reader.
The question of “comfort level” is important — can someone who has fed from the KJV easily make the transition to a newer version? Let’s take a few examples that will illustrate the variety of the reading experience in the MEB:
One verse that Mormons really cherish is 1 Corinthians 15:29:
From the KJV: “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?”
How does the MEB stack up? Here’s their rendering:
“Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?”
You must admit, this is a pretty good translation, maintaining nicely the LDS understanding of the verse. (I’m fairly certain this was not their intention, but it’s how it all worked out!
Now we can look at another verse, Ephesians 1:10. This one doesn’t fare as well. First, the KJV:
“That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:”
Latter-day Saints will recognize the centrality of this verse: not just its meaning, but the precise wording.
The MEB renders this verse as follows:
“…as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, which are in heaven and on earth.”
This will be a bit jarring for some LDS readers.
Compare several other translations:
New International Version: “to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” (eclectic text, thought for thought)
The Living Bible: “and this was his purpose: that when the time is ripe he will gather us all together from wherever we are—in heaven or on earth—to be with him in Christ forever. ” (paraphrase)
The New King James Version sticks more closely to the KJV: “that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.”
But when one compares other, very respectable versions, the word “dispensation” does not appear, making the accuracy of the KJV a matter of question. Note the valued New American Standard Bible’s rendering: “with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.”
Now, I’m not unaware of J. Reuben Clark’s influential, but widely reviled, “Why the King James Version?” I don’t want to re-hash this controversy here; suffice it to say that I found this to be one of the saddest examples of LDS writing, and needs to be consigned to the dustbin of history. And we know that the General Authorities have proclaimed the KJV to be the official text of the LDS Church. But we also see, more and more, both in print and in public talks, the wide use of other translations of the Bible. There is a growing awareness that today’s youth (and some of us older folks) stumble when reading the archaic language of the KJV (not to mention the Book of Mormon!).
The question that LDS readers should consider is this: am I serious enough about my study of the Bible that I’m willing to stretch beyond the boundaries of the KJV and allow the richness of the text to bring me closer to the Lord and offer a multidimensional view of the text? Every conscientious Latter-day Saint should answer this question with an enthusiastic YES! And the MEB offers an easy transition from the KJV to a more accurate, and more modern rendering of the Bible.
The MEB offers other features that readers will appreciate. The edition I have, a smaller hardback edition, has an abundance of center-column cross references. These will surely enhance the reading experience of those accustomed to the cross-references in the LDS edition of the Scriptures. A very good concordance, and a few full-color maps, also aid the reader in locating and understanding scriptures in context.
This is a red-letter edition — the words of Christ in red. Some readers like this; I don’t, but it isn’t fatal to my appreciation of the MEB. And very helpful — poetic portions are presented in poetic form, helping the reader to appreciate the form and function of the text.
When evaluating a Biblical translation, I’m always interested in the critical apparatus used. Basing their New Testament on the TR, it isn’t surprising that certain portions of the text appear that most modern interpreters consider spurious. For example, 1 John 5:7:
“There are three who testify in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and the three are one.”
A footnote indicates the spurious nature of this verse, and part of the next. I think this is helpful, and may drive some to explore the text further.
Similarly, the story in the Gospel of John of the woman taken in adultery (John 7:53-8:11) is widely considered a later interpolation. Here, too, the editors of the MEB note that earlier manuscripts lack this pericope.
But no note is made of the spurious nature of the final verses of the gospel of Mark. I think that readers of the MEB would be better served to have noted this, too.
All is all, this is an admirable and worthy addition to the corpus of available biblical translations. It comes at a time when reliable translations are needed; the market is veritably flooded with unreliable and biased renderings. In fact, all translations demonstrate a certain bias toward the preferences of the translators, but the MEB emerges as a real winner in the contest for the fairest, most readable, most reliable translation of the Bible.
I cannot recommend the Modern English Bible enough. Every Latter-day Saint should have a copy on his or her bookshelf. I promise you that it will enrich your study in ways you never imagined. And as your faith increases, so will your appreciation for this ancient text, the text used by the founders of the Restoration movement, acting as guide and mentor through the work of restoring the Gospel to the world.
My thanks to all those whose tireless efforts brought this work to fruition. And, of course, my thanks to the publisher who so generously provided a copy for review. I do hope many of you take a look at this one — it’s really, really good.