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Title: The Complete Guide to Bible Translations By: Ron Rhodes Format: Paperback Number of Pages: 250 Vendor: Harvest House Publishers Publication Date: 2009 | Dimensions: 8.50 X 5.50 (inches) Weight: 12 ounces ISBN: 0736925465 ISBN-13: 9780736925464 Stock No: WW925464 |
Given the wealth of English translations of the Bible available today, how can anyone know which is the right one for them? The options seem overwhelming.
Biblical scholar Ron Rhodes provides an easytoread guide that takes the guesswork out of choosing a Bible. He critiques the prominent theories of translation, lets readers in on the debate about genderinclusive language, and thoroughly covers the major English translations from the King James Version to the New Living Translation and everything in between, including the two most recent Bibles for Catholics. His examination of each version includes
A unique feature is Rhodes look at secondary factors to keep in mind when choosing a Bible, such as the type size, the quality of the paper, the existence and placement of cross references and other study helps, and the types of bindings.
The result is an indispensable guide to help readers through the maze of choosing the translation best suited for them.
Rhodes, president of Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries, spends three chapters introducing the general theories of and controversies over Biblical translations and paraphrases. Translators, he explains, cannot create a perfect, word-for-word translation. Due to language differences, no version exists without some amount of interpretations. Some translators do their best, however, to adhere to the formal equivalence (or word-for-word) method as much as possible. Others, however, seek to create versions that modern readers can thoroughly understand (especially modern readers with lower reading levels), adhering to a dynamic equivalence (or thought-for-thought) method. Some versions take a middle-of-the-road approach, but the fact remains, differing opinions on translation methods have led to debate and controversy, including the debate over gender-inclusive language. Rhodes notes that most versions are not meant to stand alone, and that despite certain negatives, each version has positives that, when put side-by-side with other versions, make for great Bible studies.
Rhodes also includes helpful appendices at the end of his book on the textual basis of translations, how divine names are translated, whether the Apocrypha (which Catholic Bibles include) belongs in the Bible, whether the King James Version is the only reliable version, and whether cultic (Mormon and Jehovahs Witness) versions of the Bible are accurate. The section on textual basis may confuse some readers because Rhodes spends such a short time on it. The information he presents would have been more helpful incorporated into the rest of the book. In the area of textual basis, Rhodes also misses some key arguments for certain texts, and he makes his own opinion well known.
Rhodes does a good job of covering each version without inserting personal biases, however. While he often leaves behind hints of which versions he is proud to have on his shelf, Rhodes manages to objectively discuss each versions history, translation philosophy, content, pros, and cons. His observations open the eyes of readers to whether most modern versions are as bad as they seem The Complete Guide to Bible Translations, a great summary for any Christian interested in deeper study of Gods Word, will help most readers decide which Bible version best suits them. Harmony Wheeler, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com
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