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Why Do We Need "Another" Bible? |
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A question often asked by detractors of the Mormon faith. What greater
news could I, or anyone give to the world than our Father in Heaven has once
again opened the Heavens. Today there is present on the earth the
fullness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. That means recent
revelation for those of us living now, in this dispensation of times.
Read what modern day apostles and prophets have to say about "another Bible":
Matthews, Robert J. A Bible! A Bible! Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1990.
PART I Ancient and Modern Scriptures
2
3
1 A BIBLE! A BIBLE!*
Consider for a moment the blessing of having the
scriptures so readily available. Today Bibles are plentiful. Most of us have at
least one copy written in our own language that we can read and study with
little effort. But Bibles have not always been so accessible. In 2 Kings 22 and
23, written some time around 620 B.C., is the account of temple workmen finding
an abandoned copy of the law of God. This discovery seemed to have been a
surprise; copies of the scriptures were apparently hard to come by then. King
Josiah read these writings, discovered that many religious practices of his
people did not conform with the recorded commandments, and decided to make
changes. He reemphasized the Passover feast, and conditions improved for a time
in Jerusalem.
A few years later, Lehi and his family were commanded
to leave Jerusalem and take with them a copy of the scriptures. Book of Mormon
readers remember the efforts of Nephi and his brothers to obtain from Laban the
plates of brass, which contained a record similar to our Old Testament down to
that time (600 B.C.). Laban did not want to part with his copy of the
scriptures even after he had been handsomely paid for it, but the Lord's
interest was so keen on the matter that he explained to Nephi that it was "better
that one man [Laban] should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish
in unbelief" (1 Nephi 4:13). As the account in 1 Nephi 4-5 implies, copies
of the scriptures in any form were scarce.
King Benjamin, recognizing the importance of written
scriptures, told his sons that without the brass plates the people would have
suffered in spiritual ignorance, "for it were not possible that our
father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to
his children, except it were for the help of these plates" (Mosiah 1:4).
In contrast, those who came with Mulek from Jerusalem
to America about 589 B.C. did not bring any scriptures, and consequently they
slipped into mental and spiritual darkness (see Omni 1:14-17). While it is
possible that the Mulekites failed to take the4
scriptures with them primarily out of neglect, it is
more likely that there were few copies of the scriptures around to take (see 1
Nephi 4-5).
In about 520 B.C., Ezra the scribe, after bringing
the people of Judah back to the land of Judea from their seventy-year captivity
in Babylon, gathered them together so he could read the Old Testament to them.
He translated as he read because the scriptures were written in Hebrew and the
younger Jews spoke only Aramaic, the language of Babylon. Probably for the
first time in their lives these Jews heard and understood the scriptures in
their own tongue, and they wept and rejoiced. (See Nehemiah 8.)
These examples lead us to believe that having the
scriptures readily available and in our own language is a blessing that most
people in bygone days have not enjoyed. And yet the Bible is recorded not only
on paper for reading but also on tape for hearing, in braille for feeling, and
even on microfilm. It has been translated into thousands of languages and is
available in book form in a multitude of sizes and bindings.
The Lord said to Nephi that in our day, the last
days, many would say, "A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there
cannot be any more Bible." To them, the Lord responded: "What do the
Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of
the [Jewish prophets], and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation
unto [them]?" (2 Nephi 29:3-4.)
The question seems to be, Do we appreciate what it
means for each of us to have his own personal copy of the Bible?
The Latin Vulgate
The original languages of the Bible were Hebrew,
Aramaic, and Greek. In A.D. 382, Pope Damascus persuaded Eusebius Sofronius
Hieronymus (commonly known as St. Jerome), perhaps the most capable Bible
scholar of the time, to translate the scriptures into Latin. This translation,
called the Vulgate because it was in the "vulgar" or common tongue of
the Latin people, was used in European countries where Catholicism was the
dominant religion. Even with all his efforts and learning, however, Jerome
could not avoid making some errors and misinterpretations. But of even greater
importance, over the next thousand years more changes crept into the many
versions of the Vulgate that were made.15
A Bible in English
During the Middle Ages few northern Europeans
understood the Latin scriptures, and copies of the Bible were scarce. Sometimes
even the local priests knew little of the Bible. The type of church service did
not contribute to much reading anyway, as the emphasis was on celebrating the
mass rather than preaching the word of God. Many of the poor people could not
read at all; thus, concentrated, sustained, and regular study of the Bible was
out of the question for most people.
Still, through the centuries, many wondered why the
scriptures could not be translated into different languages so everyone could
read and benefit. The ancient Hebrews had been taught by the prophets in their
own language, and the Greeks had been taught by Paul in their native tongue.
Why could it not be so with the English, the French, the Germans?
Let us now look at the momentous events that gave us
the Bible in English—one of the most important of the instruments that helped
to bring about the restoration of the gospel.
John Wycliffe (1320-84)
Although others had translated portions of the Bible
into English, Oxford scholar John Wycliffe was the first to make the entire
Bible available in an English translation. His efforts to translate and distribute
the Bible have earned him the title "Morning Star of the
Reformation."
A Bible in English had been Wycliffe's goal for
years. Every leisure moment during his life was spent translating the
scriptures into English. He said: "See [pointing to a table], it is there
I sit not only by day, but often far into the night. Just a few lines only will
sometimes cost me hours and days of study before I can satisfy myself as to the
correct rendering. . . . If God spare my life another year, I hope to put the
entire Bible in English into the hands of the copyists."2
Because Wycliffe had extensive knowledge of Latin,
but not of Hebrew or Greek, he made his translation of the Bible from the Latin
Vulgate and not from the original languages of the scriptures.6
Handwritten Bibles
Since Wycliffe lived before the invention of
movable-type printing, his translation was available in handwritten form only.
This made copies very expensive. One historian reports that "a copy of the
Bible cost from 40-60 pounds for the writing only. It took an expert copyist
about 10 months to complete it."3
Since few could afford to own a hand-made Bible,
Wycliffe and his followers traveled the countryside with Bible manuscripts for
the people to read. Sometimes the people would borrow or rent the scriptures
for a day, or even for an hour, because they could not afford to buy a copy. It
is said that a load of hay was the going price to rent a Bible for an hour.4
Early copies of Wycliffe's Bible were written on
large sheets of paper, but when authorities threatened to prosecute and even
bum at the stake those who possessed them, Wycliffe made smaller copies so they
could be more easily concealed.5 The preface to the Wycliffe Bible contains a
prayer that shows the spirit and circumstances under which Wycliffe and his
associates labored: "God grant to us all, grace to know well and keep well
the holy writ, and suffer joyfully some pains for it at the last."6 Often
when a brave soul was burned at the stake, he or she would go to the flames with
a piece of the Bible dangling from a cord about his or her neck.
Although Wycliffe suffered ostracism and persecution
for his work, he escaped martyrdom, died a natural death in 1384 at the age of
sixty-four, and was buried at Lutterworth, England.
It is clear that Wycliffe's Bible, with its
gracefully simple and direct language, was intended for the plain folk and not
for scholars. He was not content merely to have the Bible translated; he wanted
it to be understood, and he wanted multiple copies. It is reported that more
than 150 copies of his small-sized, handwritten Bible survive today. When we
consider that authorities burned as many copies as they could lay their hands
upon, the survivors are evidence of the extensive circulation of the books and
the value placed upon them by their owners.
The King James Version
When James I followed Elizabeth to the throne in
1603, Tyndale had been dead sixty-seven years, and there had been several
revisions of the English Bible. The principal versions were the Coverdale Bible
(named after its translator), the Great Bible (named for its size), the Geneva
Bible (named for its place of printing), and the Bishop's Bible (authorized by
the Church of England clergy). All drew heavily from Tyndale's translation, but
each favored different religious points of view. The Geneva Bible contained
footnotes and marginal notes favoring Puritanism but was antagonistic toward
the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, the Church of England, and the
universities.
The Geneva Bible was the version used by Shakespeare
and the Pilgrim fathers; it also came to America on the Mayflower. It was the
first to use italics for words not in the manuscripts, to print each verse as a
separate paragraph for convenience of concordances, and to use a ¶ sign to
designate main concepts.13
The Geneva Bible was very popular with the people but
was annoying to the bishops of the Church of England. The Bishop's Bible was
the clergy's answer to the Geneva Bible, but it was so biased that it left the
Puritans unhappy. No Bible translation was accepted by everyone.
As a consequence, in January 1604, King James I
convened a conference to settle differences between these groups. A proposal
was made for a new translation to be authorized by King James as the official
Bible of England.
This new translation was eventually made by
committees of scholars assigned to various parts of the Bible. The translation
came off the press in 1611 and was called the Authorized Version in Britain and
the King James Version in America, the latter reflecting the political
differences of the American colonies and England.
Although the King James Version is the hallmark of
English Bibles, it is in reality a revision of earlier English translations. In
a lengthy introduction to the first edition, the translators explained:
"We shouldn't need to make a new translation nor yet to make of a bad one
a good one—but to make a good one better, or out of many good ones, [to make]
one principal good one."14 About 92 percent10
of Tyndale has survived in the King James Version.
And Tyndale borrowed much from Wycliffe.
Not all editions of the King James Version have been
identical to the first edition. For example, the number of words in italics
(words not found in the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts) increased
considerably through the years until about 1870. The 1611 book of Matthew
contained 43 italicized words; the present edition has at least 583.15 There
have also been modernizations in spelling, punctuation, and pronoun usage.
The King James Version of the Bible is recognized
worldwide for its beauty of expression and general accuracy, given the
limitations of the manuscripts from which it was translated. It is the version
the English-speaking members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
have used since the beginning of the dispensation of the fulness of times.
The LDS Edition of the Scriptures
In order to provide a Bible that would be the most
helpful to members of the Church, the First Presidency in 1971 authorized a project
to produce some study aids for the King James Version. This effort bore fruit
in 1979 with a Bible that consists of (1) the text of the King James Version;
(2) cross-references to latter-day scriptures—the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine
and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price; (3) excerpts from Joseph Smith's
translation of the Bible; (4) explanatory footnotes showing alternate readings
from Greek and Hebrew; (5) footnotes showing clarifications of obsolete words
and idioms in the English language; (6) new interpretive chapter headings; (7)
a topical guide; (8) a Bible dictionary; and (9) a selection of maps.
Brought together in the LDS edition of the King James
Bible is some of the best material available today from both scholarship and
latter-day revelation. The genius of the LDS edition is to present this wealth
of information about the Bible and latter-day revelation in a reference system
that permits the reader to learn quickly what the scriptures say about a large
number of subjects vital to eternal life.
In 1980 President Spencer W. Kimball invited us to
become acquainted with the LDS edition of the Bible: "We now have a
wonderful new edition of the King James Version of the Holy Bible with a
topical index and a whole new reference system. . . . All of [this] should
encourage further involvement with the scriptures, as individuals and as
families."16
As the Lord promised centuries ago, his word has gone
forth "unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people" (2
Nephi 29:2).
There is so much more about modern day scriptures. It is my humble testimony that the Book of Mormon is the word of God given to us in these the last days. May I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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