Translations and the Canon

Introduction

The New Testament was written in Greek. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and Aramaic. The vast majority of Christians throughout history have read the Bible not in these original languages but in translation — Latin, Syriac, Coptic, Gothic, Slavonic, German, English, and hundreds of other languages. Today, the Bible has been translated, in whole or in part, into over 3,500 languages.

Translation is so fundamental to the Christian experience of Scripture that we rarely stop to consider what an extraordinary theological claim it implies: that the Word of God can cross linguistic boundaries without losing its essential character. Unlike Islam, which regards the Quran as untranslatable (all translations are merely "interpretations"), Christianity has always held that the Bible can be faithfully translated — and that translated Bibles are genuinely the Word of God.

A Brief History of Bible Translation

The Septuagint (LXX) — The first major Bible translation was the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, produced in Alexandria beginning in the third century BC. The Septuagint became the Bible of the early church and is the version most frequently quoted in the New Testament. Its existence demonstrates that the principle of translation was embedded in Christianity from the very beginning.

Jerome's Vulgate (c. AD 382–405) — Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, producing the version that would dominate Western Christianity for over a thousand years. Jerome worked from the Hebrew original for the Old Testament (rather than from the Septuagint), establishing the principle of translating from the original languages — a principle the Reformers would later champion.

Wycliffe's Bible (1380s) — John Wycliffe and his associates produced the first complete English Bible, translated from the Vulgate. Wycliffe's work was condemned by the church authorities, and his followers (the Lollards) were persecuted — but the principle that ordinary people should have access to Scripture in their own language had been established.

Tyndale's New Testament (1526) — William Tyndale produced the first English New Testament translated directly from the Greek. His work was revolutionary in its accuracy and literary power. Tyndale was executed for his efforts in 1536, but his translation became the foundation for virtually all subsequent English Bibles, including the King James Version. An estimated 80–90% of the KJV's New Testament derives from Tyndale.

The King James Version (1611) — Commissioned by King James I and produced by a committee of over fifty scholars, the KJV became the standard English Bible for over three centuries. Its literary influence on the English language is incalculable. While superseded by modern translations that benefit from better manuscripts and improved linguistic knowledge, the KJV remains a monument of English literature and Christian devotion.

Modern translations — The twentieth and twenty-first centuries have seen a proliferation of English translations: the RSV, NASB, NIV, ESV, NRSV, NLT, CSB, and many others. These translations differ in their approach — some prioritize formal equivalence (word-for-word accuracy, e.g., NASB, ESV), others prioritize dynamic equivalence (thought-for-thought clarity, e.g., NIV, NLT) — but all are produced by teams of competent scholars working from the best available manuscripts.

Translation Philosophy

The debate between formal and dynamic equivalence is often presented as a choice between "literal" and "paraphrased" Bibles. This is misleading. All translation involves interpretation — there is no such thing as a purely "literal" translation from one language to another, because languages structure meaning differently. The question is not whether to interpret but how much interpretation to include in the translation itself versus leaving it to the reader.

Formal equivalence translations try to preserve the structure of the original language as much as possible — word order, sentence structure, even ambiguities. They are most useful for detailed study because they let the reader see the shape of the original. They can be more difficult to read because they sometimes produce awkward English.

Dynamic equivalence translations try to produce the same effect on the modern reader that the original had on the ancient reader. They are more readable but sometimes make interpretive decisions that the formal translations leave open. They are excellent for devotional reading and public worship.

The best practice for serious Bible study is to use multiple translations — comparing a formal equivalence translation (ESV, NASB) with a dynamic equivalence translation (NIV, NLT) and consulting the original languages where possible. Where the translations agree, you can be confident of the meaning. Where they differ, you have identified a point that requires further investigation.

Translation and the Canon

What does translation have to do with the canon? Several things:

First, the history of Bible translation demonstrates the church's commitment to accessibility. The canonical texts were never intended to be the exclusive possession of a scholarly elite. From the Septuagint to Tyndale to Wycliffe Bible Translators, the church has consistently — if sometimes reluctantly — worked to make the Bible available to all people in all languages.

Second, the existence of multiple translations provides a natural check on interpretive error. When a preacher claims "the Bible says X," a listener with access to multiple translations can evaluate that claim. The proliferation of translations is not a problem but a safeguard.

Third, translation raises the question of what we mean by "the Bible." If the Bible is defined as the original Hebrew and Greek texts, then strictly speaking, no translation is the Bible. But Christianity has always affirmed that faithful translations are the Word of God — not because translation is infallible, but because the message of Scripture can be faithfully conveyed across linguistic boundaries. The Word of God is not imprisoned in any single language.

Conclusion

The history of Bible translation is a history of courage, sacrifice, and conviction — scholars and reformers who risked everything to put Scripture into the hands of ordinary people. It is also a demonstration of Christianity's foundational conviction that the Word of God transcends linguistic boundaries. The canon we have received is not locked in ancient languages; it is alive in thousands of languages, available to billions of people, and as sufficient and authoritative in translation as it is in the original — because the God who inspired it is the God of all nations and all tongues.