Which Bible Should I Get?

“What Bible translation should I get?”

1. We recommend getting either an NRSV or NRSVue translation with the Deutero-Canonical Books/Apocrypha. They are ecumenical, word-for-word or phrase-for-phrase translations. We use them in our public worship/Sunday services.
2. We sometimes use the NIV translation in groups since it comes in many study formats. It is a Protestant thought-for-thought translation, useful for spiritual and devotional use and conceptual study.
3. If you are either very new to Christianity or “overly familiar” with the Bible (you’ve heard it over and over all your life) we recommend getting “The Message” para-translation. It is a paraphrase (i.e. concept-for-concept translation) but taken from the original languages. Most paraphrases are paraphrasing an English translation. The Message goes right to the original languages. It often breaths fresh meaning into the text for modern ears.  
   
   

4. Other worthy translations:

the New Jerusalem Bible (1987),
the Revised English Bible (1989)
the Contemporary English Version (1995),
the Contemporary English Version Global (2005),
the Common English Bible (2011),
The Revised New Jerusalem Bible (2019)

5. “Why don’t you recommend the ______ translation?”. There is usually disagreement about some aspect of theology or language that has entered into translation debates. Such topics include race, gender, sexuality, anti-Catholic/anti-Protestant bias, and more. We do not prohibit the personal use of any Bible. You can use whatever version you wish and we encourage you to eventually have access to at least two versions. When we come together for public worship, we do limit ourselves to the versions above for the good order of the Church.

“What specific Bible edition should I get?”

A Bible edition is a set of notes that accompany a specific translation. For example the Student NIV Study Bible or the Archeology Study Bible – NIV are both NIV translations but different editions. Editions go out of print quickly, so you may need to look at the used book market. Here are some of our favorite editions…

1. The Life With God Bible NRSV (w/ Deutero-canonical books) published by Renovare. It has commentary that views Scripture through the lens of relationship with God and the living of a Christian spiritual life. It often quotes or refers to saints and theologians of the past from across the spectrum of Christianity.
2. The Harper Collins Study Bible NRSV, The New Interpreters Bible NRSV, the Oxford Annotated Bible NRSV, or the Lutheran Study Bible NRSV. (With Deuterocanonical Books if possible). Listed in order of preference. These are solid, standard, scholarly study Bibles.
3. The Message Remix and/or a chronological NIV or NRSV. The Message Remix is the Message para-translation with input/corrections from various scholars. A chronological Bible puts the text in the chronological order of the narrative, thus David’s Psalms are interspersed with David’s story in I Samuel and the Gospels, which tell of Jesus life, are all put together. Only purchase the Message or a chronological Bible if you have previously acquired a study or devotional Bible. The Message/Chronological Bible are helpful reads but not standard.  
4. The Serendipity Bible (NIV or NAB) for leading Bible discussion groups.

Understanding what’s behind Bible translations, editions, formats, etc. 

General. The Christian Scriptures, commonly known as “The Holy Bible”, are a library of texts usually bound together. Most of The Holy Bible was written in either Ancient Hebrew or Koine Greek. Christians divide the Bible into two parts, the “Old(er) Testament”, sometimes knows as the Hebrew Bible or Hebrew Scriptures, and the “New Testament”. The Older Testament (OT) was written before the birth of Jesus. The New Testament (NT) was written after the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. 

The Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical Books. There is also a group of books referred to as the “Apocrypha”, meaning “hidden”‘ or “Deuterocanonical Books”, meaning “after the canon”. These read like Old Testament Books but were originally written in Greek, not Hebrew like the Old Testament. They were excluded from the Hebrew Bible within a century or two after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple (AD 70), but were read frequently in Jesus’ day. They (mostly) remained in the Christian Bible for over a thousand years until the Protestant Reformation when some Protestants removed them completely and other Protestants grouped them separately in their own section. This latter option, the “separate section”, was adopted by the Anglican Church in the first editions of the King James Bible (KJV) and by the Lutheran Church in Martin Luther’s German translation. Anglicans and Lutherans still use the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical Books and deem them “useful” and “helpful” but not on par with the Scriptures of the OT and NT. Roman Catholic Bibles also contain the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical Books but they are interspersed throughout the OT books, not separated, because the Roman Catholic church considers the Apocrypha authoritatively on par with the rest of the OT.

Bible Translations. Jesus spoke Aramaic, a derivative of ancient Hebrew. His words, recorded in Holy Scripture, were recorded in Koine Greek not Aramaic. Christianity has always accepted that the Word of God is not chained to original languages. You do not need to read Hebrew or Greek to receive God through Holy Scripture. Simultaneously, because Scriputre is Holy and it contains the Gospel we give our best efforts to the act of translating.

Translating is part linguistic science and part art. Modern language is always changing. Our words, their nuance and connotations, change even within one generation. As a result Bible translations are always being made to accommodate the change of modern language. Bible scholarship also evolves as new knowledge is discovered or rediscovered.

Add to this that translation and publication costs real money. Publishers must finance their new translations. Plus copyright laws mean a publisher’s use of another publisher’s work requires payment. Thus publishers are incentivized to have their own translations. Law and business influence Bible publication. In addition there are political and theological stances that get involved, too. It quickly gets messy and complex.

What you need to know is this: God is used to dealing with human mess. God can use any translation. Even though each translation has its biases, our modern translations are better than what the Protestant Reformers and what early Christians were using. Choosing a translation amounts to what your community uses and your primary uses for Scripture. The King James Version is poetic, archaic, solemn and venerable. It can be easy to memorize. The NRSV is great for word studies and digging deep into the original languages even if you only read English. The NIV is great for group discussion and spiritual application. The NIV and the Message are easier to read in large chunks than the NRSV. And the Message will surprise you with ways of thinking about Scripture you may not have considered. At the heart of all this is God’s activity. God is where our Faith resides. Scripture strengthens that Faith.

Why, when the NT quotes the OT, do the quotations not match the OT?

The writers of the New Testament spoke Koine Greek, the most common language of the Roman Empire at that time. Most probably could not read or write Hebrew and thus they read the Greek translation of the (Hebrew) OT. When they quote the OT, they are quoting the Greek translation. When we read the OT, we are (usually) reading the English translation of the Hebrew. When we read the NT quotations of the OT we are reading an English translation of the Greek translation of the Hebrew. In addition, the original Hebrew manuscripts from which the Septuagint came may be different from the original Hebrew manuscripts most commonly used now (known as the Masoretic text). 

What authority does the Bible have in the Church?

The Bible is the clearest and closest witness to Christ, the Gospel, and “everything necessary for salvation” we have access to, excepting perhaps the Holy Spirit.  It is the written Word of God. The Church is the “Body of Christ” and the followers of Jesus. And Jesus is the living Word of God. We follow Jesus the living Word who is clearly shown to us in the Written Word (the Bible). Our faith is in and through Christ who brings us to the Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God reveals what right faith is in and through Christ who is shown to us in the Bible. We also recognize that we know God through other means also.

Bliblicism. We oppose two extremes. First we refuse a ‘Biblicist’ belief system that puts the Bible, instead of Christ, at the center of Christian Faith. The Bible teaches us how and why Christ is at the center of Christian Faith. The Bible itself is not at the center of our Faith. That is reserved for God alone.

Reductionism. Second, we refuse a belief that only recognizes the human dimension of Scripture, reducing them to merely classic or ancient literature. We believe that God the Holy Spirit is active in Holy Scripture in at least three ways:

1. The Holy Spirit was active in the human authorship of the Bible,
2. The Holy Spirit was and is active in the preservation and accumulation of Holy Scripture over time.
3. The Holy Spirit was and is active in the understanding of Holy Scripture, especially in the Church as a whole.

God is involved in these Holy Writings in a way that is different than any other writings. The Holy Bible shows us Jesus Christ in whom God was involved with humanity in a different way than any other human being.

Other means of knowing God beyond the Bible

The Bible is a trustworthy portal, not a limiting cage for God. God comes to us through Scripture, but is not trapped or limited to it. We know God comes to us through other means as well. God can be perceived in Creation (especially in other human beings), in history, in science, in sacrament, in mystery, and in miracle.

Creation. The Bible itself shows us how Christian believers have seen God revealed to them in nature and in the presence and ministry of others.

History (tradition). We see God in the teachings, examples, and witness of people from the past. God has never stopped acting, speaking, or being present.

Science. When we understand how the universe works we are thinking the thoughts of God after God has thought them. The wonders of existence reflect their Creator.

Sacraments. Some material things have been specially selected and shown as physical-spiritual means that reveal God time and again.  We call them “sacraments”.

Mystery. The spaces between our knowledge, spaces created by paradox (when seemingly opposing options are true) and the unknown often give us a clearer view of God, because our own intellect and understanding are not there to stand in the way.

Supernatural. The human experience is full of occasions where something happens that is unexplainable. These occurrences, sometimes called miracles, can reveal God’s presence and intent. That they can sometimes be explained later does not, for us, remove the wonder and revelation they contain.

All of these means can show us aspects of God and God’s intentions. However, Christ is the measure for consistency and integrity. Christ is our “cornerstone”, the measure to which our understanding of Scripture stands or falls. This is our Faith, living and active trust in a living and active God.