MidnightCall Magazine
In this issue:
- Hear theWord of the Lord — By Thomas Lieth
- FirstThessalonians 3 and the Rapture — By Dr. Ron J. Bigalke Jr.
- Popular Prophecy:CheckingDogmaTwice — By Wilfred Hahn
News From Israel MagazineIn this issue:
- Why Jerusalem is Jewish — By Arno Froese
- ON THE HORIZON:
- Analysis: Birthright Needs to Transform on Larger Scale
- Israel Praises Turkish Authority for Preventing Hezbollah Attack
- Relationship with American Jews Is Changing
- A Festival of Discrimination—Funded by the EU
- The Cyrus Cylinder
Translations
Dear Mr. Froese,
Having received the May 2005 issue of Midnight Call, and having read your article on Bible translations on pages 8–15, I wish to congratulate you on a job well done.
I know that you are partial to the KJV, and that we disagree on the 12th apostle, but your perception in the area of Bible translation is indeed heartening.
Your comments on page 15, under the heading, “The Great Sin” were particularly encouraging, since it reveals that you are not easily duped by con men who try to promote an agenda. The KJV-only group’s revisionist history is particularly dangerous since the people who hear these arguments believe they are hearing the truth.
I am always asked what the best translation is when the subject comes up and my answer is the same as yours: the one you actually read!
I use the NIV, as does about 80 percent of our church. The reason I use and teach from the NIV is that it is a leader in sales, which denotes acceptance. From my own experience, it is also the most accurate translation in the English language available for the Old Testament.
However, no translation is worth using if it is not readily available or accepted, regardless of its accuracy.
I read my daily New Testament readings from the Greek New Testament, and I use the NIV for Old Testament readings; therefore, I am in a position to evaluate the worth of a translation and have a good library on the [subject] of textual criticism. I would generally agree with your comment that the older manuscripts should be preferred.
Bruce Rex, Columbia City, IN
Answer: Thank you for your kind words. I must, however, take issue with your use of terms such as “sales leader” and “acceptance.” This philosophy is contrasted by your last paragraph, which is based on your ability to check for accuracy. In the first instance, you suggest following popularity, which is extremely dangerous. Popularity is bound to time, fashion and culture; it is changeable. A proper understanding of Scripture and the ability to distinguish between translations can be attained, as you correctly write, by the one you actually read. I wholeheartedly endorse reading various translations to attain a broader understanding of unclear issues in our translations.
Furthermore, translations are made up of words, which are understood by the Spirit. First Corinthians 2:11: “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.” Please remember that no translation is of any value if the person reading it is not spiritual:“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
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