Inno -E Books
Choosing a Bible: Understanding Bible Translation Differences
By: Leland Ryken
ISBN: 1581347308
Publisher: Crossway Books - 2005-05-16
Pamphlet | 32 Pages | List Price: $3.99 (USD) | Sales Rank: 122608
Book Description
Of the many Bible translations available today, are some better than others? If so, what criteria can we use to determine what makes a good translation? Leland Ryken introduces readers to the central issues in this debate and presents several reasons why essentially literal�word-for-word�translations are superior to dynamic equivalent�thought-for-thought�translations.
You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to recognize the need for a quality Bible translation. We all want to know that the Bible we read, study, and memorize is faithful to the original. Dr. Ryken tackles this issue and breaks it down in this concise, logical, and straightforward book, giving readers a valuable tool for selecting a Bible translation.
“Professor Ryken draws on decades of experience… to show that many modern English translations fail to meet accepted standards of excellence in accuracy, faithfulness to the words of the author, clarity, vividness, correctness….�
�Dr. Wayne Grudem, Professor of Bible and Theology, Phoenix Seminary
“The persistent, detonating logic of Lee Ryken’s pen will educate and convince any fair-minded person that the primary Bible for study and preaching must be an essentially literal translation.�
�Dr. R. Kent Hughes, Pastor, College Church, Wheaton, IL
“A masterful and convincing argument for literal, that is to say, transparent translation of the Holy Scriptures.�
�Dr. J. I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, B.C.
“An ideal guide to choosing a translation of the Word that transcends trendy words. In the process, he implicitly indicts those who settle for less.�
�Marvin Olasky, Editor-in-Chief, World Magazine
About the Author
Leland Ryken (Ph.D., University of Oregon) is Professor of English at Wheaton College. He has authored or edited several books, including The Word of God in English, The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, and The Complete Literary Guide to the Bible. He is a frequent speaker at the Evangelical Theological Society and served as literary stylist for The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.
Amazon Review
It's not about whether you buy bonded leather or genuine leather binding. We believe that the Bible is the inspired (or as 2 Timothy 3:16 would say- expired) Words of God. It's the text before us that matters, and specifically how that text is translated. With so many translations today most Christians have no idea why one version might be better than another. As Dr. Ryken suggests, we typically decide on a translation based on its readability, not its accuracy.
Choosing a Bible is a 30-page booklet adapted from Dr. Ryken's The Word of God in English. The basic purpose of the booklet is to argue against dynamic equivalence (hereafter DE) translations and for essentially literal (EL) translations. DE is based on the idea that whenever the original text may be unclear to the average reader, the text "should be translated in terms of an equivalent rather than literally." (7) This is usually referred to as "thought-for-thought" as opposed to "word-for-word."
Dr. Ryken offers five reasons why DE is not a good method for translation. 1) Translators take liberties with the text that we would not usually take with other documents. 2) DE destabilizes the text by bringing into question the reliability of the translation. 3) DE gives us what the Bible "means" to the translator instead of what the Bible says. 4) We expect to read what the author intended us to read when we read a translation; however, DE often fails to meet this expectation. 5) It is logically and linguistically impossible to separate the thoughts in the Bible from the words in the Bible.
In contrast, 10 reasons why EL can be trusted are offered. These are mostly the opposite of why DE can't be trusted. Additionally, EL doesn't mix commentary with translation, it preserves theological precision, and it preserves the dignity and beauty of the original text.
Being only 30 pages, this is not an exhaustive treatment of the translation debate. However, Dr. Ryken's concise writing is clear, precise, and persuasive. Naturally much of the arguments could be expanded, but for it's size I don't know of any other resource of this excellent quality. I can think of a few theologically liberal friends I'd like to give this to for them to chew on.
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