A List of Different Bibles & Descriptions
Several versions and translations of the Bible exist in both Christianity and Judaism. With no definitive version, each interprets and orders the books -- each Gospel, for example, is one book -- differently. They also make different choices about which Scriptures to include. Even within Judaism and Christianity, Bible versions differ among denominations. To add even more variety, Bibles are translated for specific purposes or groups, such as students or children.
Other People Are Reading
-
Vulgate
-
In the late fourth century, St. Jerome revised the old Latin translations of the Bible at the request of Pope Damasus. This version of the Bible became known as the "versio vulgata," or Vulgate. The Roman Catholic Church still uses this Latin version, and many English translations derive from the Vulgate.
King James
-
The King James Bible is a favorite of many people, even though it dates to the Middle Ages and may have been modified when copied repeatedly by the Church of England. Translated from various manuscripts, the King James version originally included 39 books from the Old Testament, 27 from the New Testament and the Apocrypha; however, later versions excluded the Apocrypha. For the most part, the translations remain true to the original texts of the Greek New Testament, or "Textus Receptus," and the Masoretic Text of the Old Testament. Several changes have been made over the years in attempts to modernize the version, the most recent being the 21st Century King James Bible, which converts archaic vocabulary to modern.
-
Hebrew
-
The Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, serves as the Jewish Bible and is written in biblical Hebrew and biblical Aramaic. Compared to Christian Bibles, the Hebrew Bible contains mostly Old Testament Scriptures; however, Judaism does not recognize the New Testament, so does not refer to its Bible as the Old Testament. The Hebrew Bible divides its books into three sections: the Torah, or law; the Nevi'im, or prophets; and the Ketuvim, or writings.
New American Standard
-
Many people consider the New American Standard Bible the most exact English translation, although it often comes across to many as academic in tone. It is based on Kittle's Biblia Hebraica -- Hebrew Bible -- and Nestle's Greek New Testament.
The Living Bible
-
The Living Bible paraphrases the King James Bible and is easier for children to understand. The Living Bible paraphrases the King James Bible into easy-to-read sections designed for young children or for quick inspiration. It reads more like a novel than most Bibles.
New Living Translation
-
The New Living Translation revises The Living Bible with a more direct translation of the original manuscripts. In essence, it brings the modern language and story-telling of The Living Bible to the original text of the Scriptures to promote greater clarity and understanding. Translators worked with the Masoretic Text, Kittel's Bible Hebraica, the Greek New Testament, the Dead Sea Scrolls and various other manuscripts.
New World Translation
-
The New World Translation is used by Jehovah's Witnesses, and is their first original translation of the Bible from Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic manuscripts. Published in 1961, the New World Translation removes most of the language of other Bibles in favor of more modern translations. Instead of using the titles Old Testament and New Testament, the New World Translation splits the Bible into the Hebrew-Aramaic Scriptures and the Christian-Greek Scriptures. Because it uses the word "Jehovah" in place of "Lord" or "God" in many places, many consider this Bible an inaccurate translation, but its overall intent and tone do not stray from the original Scriptures.
New International Version
-
The New International Version serves as the most modern translation of the Bible, and is consistently the best-selling version, according to FrontGate Media. It is regularly updated and revised, with the latest edition printed in March 2011. The 2011 version was published online and in eBook form in 2010, taking advantage of modern technology to spread its version of the Scriptures.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit bible image by Photoeyes from Fotolia.com holiday bible image by palms from Fotolia.com
