The Bible in English Translation: An Essential Guide

Description

Choosing a translation of the Bible in the English language used to be relatively simple. At most, one would have been forced to choose between the king James Version and the Revised Standard Version. A visit to the bookstore today reveals a bewildering array of choices: in addition to the venerable KJV there are the NRSV, NIV, JB, REB, NASB, GNB, NKJV, CEV, LB, and more. Adding to the confusion which this variety of translations produces are the hundreds of editions in which they appear. So which do you choose? This book will help students of the Bible evaluate, for themselves, the strengths and weaknesses of the different contemporary English translations of Scripture. To aid the reader in making that assessment, Sheeley and Nash begin with a brief overview of the Bible’s structure and history, highlighting the development of the canon and pointing out the major events in the story of the Bible’s translation into English. Steven M. Sheeley is Associate Professor of Religion, Chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy, and Associate Dean of the College at Shorter College in Rome, Georgia. Robert N. Nash, Jr. is Assistant Professor of Religion at Shorter College in Rome, Georgia.