Bible 'editions' are confusing me

Hi all, I'm in no way religious but I was considering reading through the Bible, mainly for an understanding of the underlying religious ideals within and for other reasons too.

The thing is, I don't understand all the 'editions'. There seems to be an endless stream of 'newly realised' Bibles which totally boggles my mind as the Bible was supposed to of been written already.

I generally just want one that hasn't been manipulated for any reason, I don't want new things inserted or anything like that.

Any suggestions? Are some more accurate than others and is it down to translation quality as I've speculated?

Thanks.

Hi Duality/

If you are seeking straightforward, unadulterated Scriptures, then you are at a loss.
The language of the Bible was mainly in Hebrew Araimic and Greek.
The Old Testament used in the early church is still used today....
Written mainly in Hebrew, it was translated into Greek (the Septuagint)

The Hebrew Scriptures (what we now call the Old Testament, comprising the Law (the first five books) and the Prophets, were likewise written on various scrolls, just as they were found in the Jewish synagogues.

Do a simple search on the net or go to your library or ask lots of questions regarding the Bible.....History is good!
Use simple prayer to guide you.
there are so many Bibles that have been translated to fit in with 'modern society'......you choose what it is you want.
If you believe that God has not changed,and is the same as He was .....then ask many questions and you will come to find what you seek.
If on the other hand you seek some sort of entertainment to pass your time,and also believe that man is as he always has been,then there are plenty of the revised versions available on the net as well as in your library.

take care,
helen

Thankyou for the helpful input helen, I'll look into this and try to find an older, or less 'modernised' version if I can. I've been eager to read the Bible for some time now and I really don't want some new-age quick-fix-your-life-with-this-version-of-the-Bible junk!

Originally posted by Duality
Thankyou for the helpful input helen, I'll look into this and try to find an older, or less 'modernised' version if I can. I've been eager to read the Bible for some time now and I really don't want some new-age quick-fix-your-life-with-this-version-of-the-Bible junk!

Glad to be of help!

helen

Originally posted by Duality
Hi all, I'm in no way religious but I was considering reading through the Bible, mainly for an understanding of the underlying religious ideals within and for other reasons too.

The thing is, I don't understand all the 'editions'. There seems to be an endless stream of 'newly realised' Bibles which totally boggles my mind as the Bible was supposed to of been written already.

I generally just want one that hasn't been manipulated for any reason, I don't want new things inserted or anything like that.

Any suggestions? Are some more accurate than others and is it down to translation quality as I've speculated?

Thanks.

Okay, well, this is kind of a toughie. As an intro, I myself am not a Christian, though I am spiritual, and a fan of the Bible. I think it's a great read, and have lost count of the number of times I've read it all the way through. So I'm not going to try and sell you some religion, instead I'm going to focus on the book itself.

The "standard" Bibles used in the most number of places are typically either the King James edition (which has the best "thee and thou" language, but many inaccurate translations of the original texts), the NIV (New International Version), which is less flowery in language, but contains a LOT of really helpful contextual sidebars, maps, etc, and the Living Bible, which is the least romantically worded and most commonly edited, but has the advantage of being easily understood by almost anyone in the wording, but loses a lot in the translation.

The problems you are likely to run into when choosing a version are:

* accuracy versus accessability (ie. "Bitumen" vs. "Tar" makes a HUGE difference if you're trying to do any historical research on the Tower of Babylon, but your average layperson has no idea what Bitumen is, so some versions replace it with tar, which is only anecdotally correct, but then removes the reader from any future reference to the fact that Bitumen was VERY rare, expensive stuff, and combined with burned brick (a very important distinction), and the multi-story construction, this meant that the Tower of Babylon was an amazing feat of human technology, engineering, and prosperity at the time. But you only get this if you actually recognize the -real- words used, as opposed to the losely translated "accessable" words.

* romanticism versus readability (ie. The Psalms). If you read the King James Psalms, you are reading elegant poetry. It reads like something out of Tolkien... Thee's and Thou's and the imagery conjured up is something fantastic and magical. It becomes a compelling piece of classic literature. However, you could also very well be misunderstanding what you've just read because much of the language is so obscure and outmoded in its use. Whereas in something like The New American Standard bible, you're looking at a decent translation of the literal words, but it loses all the poetry and form of the KJV, and therefore becomes little more than a college textbook.

What I therefore recommend, is figure out what you want from a Bible before reading it. I myself keep several versions, because what I want from the Bible when I read it varies from one time to the next, or I might want to see different interpretations of the same passage. The four I primarily use are the KJV, the NIV, the LB, and the NAS, all mentioned in this post. I've got a couple of others, but they're kids Bibles and I don't really use those for reference.

If you can only afford one bible (a good one will run you $30+), then figure out exactly what you want out of it, then go to a Christian bookstore, like Joshua Books or something, and ask to speak to their manager (not the high-school cashier behind the counter), and then let him know you want a bible that meets your specifications.

All I know is that I'm related to king james from the king james version. I've never read the bible so I don't know what to tell you..

Originally posted by Duality
Hi all, I'm in no way religious but I was considering reading through the Bible, mainly for an understanding of the underlying religious ideals within and for other reasons too.

The thing is, I don't understand all the 'editions'. There seems to be an endless stream of 'newly realised' Bibles which totally boggles my mind as the Bible was supposed to of been written already.

I generally just want one that hasn't been manipulated for any reason, I don't want new things inserted or anything like that.

Any suggestions? Are some more accurate than others and is it down to translation quality as I've speculated?

Thanks.

It's all about the inturpetation. Take the King James, that was translated through two other languages before being printed in English.

Meanwhile there are other theories of translation.

The one I favor most is the translation translated by the most people with the nothing to gain. New International Version is the purest ideals of translation.

Another popular Bible format is audio CD (thousands of versions available) and now audio download also. For example, on Amazon.com, do an advanced search on the audio format of your choice and you will see many choices, using different versions of the Bible. Some of these focus just on the Old Testament, some just use the New Testament, and some include both.

The most surprising entry to me in audio Bible recordings was the following:


www.amazon.com...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196899096&sr=1-2


It is read by the Man in Black, Johnny Cash.

The King James version is the best I've found.
Most every other new version blatantly leave out the last 12 verses of Mark!!!

Because they are not in the Vaticanus and sinaiticus manuscripts. (Which were mistranslated on purpose by Constantine)
The King James and others use the Textus Receptus, which are most pure.
The N.I.V., was partly translated by virginia mallencott(sp?) A self proclaimed lesbian.
I heard an interview with her.....

A lot of newer versions have not only retranslated, but, completely cut out necessary phrases, such as Lord, and others!