Translating the Bible

Christ wishes his mysteries to be made to be made known as widely as possible. I would wish even all women to read the gospels, and the letters of St Paul. I wish that they were translated into all languages of all Christian people - that they might be read and known not just by Scots and Irish, but even by the Turks and Saracens... Erasmus

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Synopsis: The Bible is a collection of books, poetry and letters that were written over hundreds of years. The Old Testament books were written in Hebrew and compiled into a collection before the time of Christ. The New Testament books were written in Greek after Christ's resurrection and over the following centuries were compiled into a single collection. Although the Bible was initially translated into the languages of the people, for example, Latin for the church in Italy, it wasn't until the Protestant reformation that widespread translation of the Bible into many languages, such as German and English really began to occur.

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Related topics

• Biblical Manuscripts Index
• Historical accuracy of the Bible
• Biblical inerrancy
• Hebrew | Aramaic | Greek
• English translations of the Bible | Non-English Bible Translations Index
• Distribution of the Bible

Comments, Personal Articles, Studies and Sermons

Translating the Bible (discussion) (For short comments and opinions)

Luther's view on the canon of scripture (J.S.)

Which Bible translation is best? (anon)

Main article

The Bible is a collection of books, poetry and letters that were written over hundreds of years. The Old Testament books were written in Hebrew and compiled into a collection before the time of Christ. The New Testament books were written in Greek after Christ's resurrection and over the following centuries were compiled into a single collection. Although the Bible was initially translated into the languages of the people, for example, Latin for the church in Italy, it wasn't until the Protestant reformation that widespread translation of the Bible into many languages, such as German and English really began to occur.

English Translations

The efforts of translating the Bible from its original languages of Greek and Hebrew into English can be traced back to the end of the 7th century, however it was not until the fourteenth century that a complete translation was finished. There have been hundreds of subsequent translations into English, some of the best known include the archaic King James Version and the modern English New International Version.

Quotes

Erasmus

Christ wishes his mysteries to be made to be made known as widely as possible. I would wish even all women to read the gospels, and the letters of St Paul. I wish that they were translated into all languages of all Christian people - that they might be read and known not just by Scots and Irish, but even by the Turks and Saracens...