7/5/2016

Languageandtheearlymanuscripts(K.Barker)

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Languageandthe
earlymanuscripts
(K.Barker)

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Author'sBias:Interpretation:conservative
Inclination:dispensational
Seminary:DallasTheological
HebrewwasthelanguageoftheancientpeopleofIsrael.MostoftheOldTestamentwaswritteninHebrew.
Aramaic,aSemiticlanguagecloselyrelatedtoHebrew,wasthesecondbiblicallanguage.Itwasnotused
extensivelyintheBible.OnlyabouttenchaptersintheOldTestamentwerewritteninAramaic.Yetthelanguage
influencedthewritingoftheNewTestamentandshedslightonourunderstandingoftheOldTestamentHebrew.
WhenthepeopleofIsraelreturnedtoPalestineaftertheirexileinBabylonaround500yearsbeforeChrist,they
broughttheAramaiclanguagewiththem.Hebrewremainedtheofficiallanguageoftempleandsynagogue
worship,andthechoiceoftheeducatedupperclass.However,withinthreecenturiesAramaicwasthelanguageof
thecommonpeopleofPalestine.Jesusandhisdisciples,nodoubt,spokeAramaicintheirnormal,daily
conversations.SeveraltimesinhisGospel,MarkquotesthewordsofJesusinAramaicandthentranslatesthe
meaningforhisoriginalreaders,mostofwhomwerenotfromPalestineanddidnotunderstandAramaic.
Thismixtureoflanguagespresentedaparticularchallenge,firsttotheJewsandlatertotheexpandingChristian
church.Aswehaveseen,bythetimeofJesus,manyJewsspokelittleHebrew,especiallythoseJewswhohad
migratedtootherpartsoftheempire.AramaicwasthecommonlanguageofJewswholivedinPalestine.Jews
wholivedinotherregionsoftheMediterraneanbasicallyspokethenativelanguagesofthoseregions.
Butvirtuallyeveryoneintheempirespokethethirdbiblicallanguage,aformofGreekknownasKoineGreek.It
wasthelanguageofcommerceandpolitics.ThroughouttheRomanEmpiremerchants,seamenandtravelers
communicatedinthisGreekdialect.AnyonewhodidbusinessonanylevelthroughouttheMediterraneanworld
spokeKoineGreek.AneducatedRomanmightspeakLatinathomeorwithfriends,buthespokeKoineGreekin
themarketplace.APalestinianJewmightuseAramaicinprivateconversation,butinpublichespokeKoineGreek.
ThisissimilartothepracticeinsomepartsoftheUnitedStatesinourowntime.ManyfamiliesspeakEnglishin
publicbutreturntoamorefamiliar,nativelanguagelikeSpanishwhenathome.SoGreekprovidedalinguistic
commondenominator.
Forthisreasonaround280BCworkbeganintheancientEgyptiancityofAlexandriaonanewtranslationofthe
Scriptures.TheresultwastheSeptuagint,atranslationoftheOldTestamentintoKoineGreek.ThoughJews
continuedtoreveretheScripturesintheiroriginalHebrew,bythetimeofJesusandhisdisciplestheGreek
SeptuagintwastheBibleofpopularchoice.ItbecametheBibleofJewsallaroundtheempire.
SincemostofthefirstChristianswereJews,theSeptuagintbecametheirBibleofchoicetoo.ManyoftheOld
TestamentquotationsthatappearintheNewTestamentareactuallyquotationsfromtheSeptuagint.Andbecause
theGospelsandletters,whichmakeuptheNewTestament,werecirculatedamongthechurchesaroundthe
RomanEmpire,theywerealsowritteninKoineGreek.
DuetothespreadofChristianityduringthefourcenturiesafterChrist,theScripturesofboththeOldandNew
TestamentsweretranslatedintosuchethniclanguagesasSyriac,OldLatin,Coptic,Ethiopic,Gothic,Georgian
andArmenian.Someofthesetranslationsweremadebypeoplewhohadmoremissionaryzealthanlinguisticskill.
Asaresult,somewereofpoorquality.
Anotherlanguage,Latin,wasyettoplayanimportantroleinthespreadoftheChristianmessage.Nopartofthe
BiblewaswritteninLatin.However,LatinwasthelanguageofeducatedRomans.AsChristianityspreadfromthe
workingandmerchantclassestotheupperlevelsofRomansociety,thechurchsawtheneedforatranslationof
theBibleinLatin.Betweentheyears390and450AD,apriestnamedJerome,alsoknownasEusebius
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Hieronymus,producedatranslationoftheentireScripturesinLatin.Adedicatedandcarefulscholar,Jeromeset
outtoreviseandcorrectpreviousinferiortranslations.And,toaverylargedegree,hesucceeded.Heseemsto
havehadagoodHebrewmanuscriptfromwhichhetranslatedalloftheOldTestamentexceptthePsalms.His
translationofthePsalmsisactuallyarevisionofanearlier,OldLatintranslationoftheSeptuagint.Inotherwords,it
wasarevisionofonetranslationmadefromanothertranslation.FortheGospels,JeromeagainrevisedtheOld
Latin,butthistimehebasedhisrevisionontheoriginalGreek.TheremainderofhisNewTestamentwasa
somewhathastyrevisionoftheOldLatin.
Jeromestranslationwasnotperfect.Notranslationis.Still,hisworksetahighstandardofqualityandpreserved
theintegrityoftheScripturesfromwellmeaningbutcarelessorpoorlyqualifiedtranslators.Laterknownasthe
LatinVulgate,itwasthestandardforallChristiansinWesternEuropeuntiltheProtestantReformation.
KennethBarker'spersonalnote:ThestoryofhowIbecameinterestedintranslatingtheBiblegoesalltheway
backtoaYouthforChristrallyonOctober2,1948,intheauditoriumoftheHazard,Kentucky,highschool.ThereI
madeadecisionthatchangedthecourseofmylifeforever.Atage17IreceivedtheLordJesusChristasmy
personalSaviorandcommittedmylifefullytoHim.Thatdecisionstartedmeonapaththatwouldeventuallyleadto
mybeingoneofthetranslatorsoftheNIV.
Aftercompletingmyeducationandteachingafewyearsatotherschools,IbecameaprofessorofOldTestament
atDallasTheologicalSeminaryin1968.Iremainedthereuntil1981.In1971IreceivedaphonecallfromDr.Edwin
Palmer.HetoldmeaboutaprojectunderwaytotranslatetheBibleaccuratelyfromtheoriginallanguages
(Hebrew,Aramaic,andGreek)intoclear,contemporaryEnglish.
Palmerinvitedmetojointheotherscholarschosenfromaroundworldtoparticipateinthishistoricevent.Ilistened
courteouslyandpatientlytohisexplanation,thankedhimforinvitingmeandturnedhimdown.ItoldhimIwas
extremelybusywithteaching,speakingengagements,andwritingandeditingcommitments.
ButPalmerpersisted,andcalledmeagainalmostoneyearlater.Heexplainedthatatranslationcommittee
workingonthebookofHoseawastomeetfortwoweeksinSt.Louis,andheaskedmetohelpthem.IfIwasnot
satisfiedwiththework,hepromisednevertobothermeagainabouttheNIV.ButifIwantedtocontinuewiththem,
theywouldbegladtohaveme.Iagreed,andinthosetwoweeksIwastotallysoldontheproject.Afterthat,I
devotedallthetime,labor,andmoneyIcouldsparetotheNIV.
Godhasblessedoureffortsbeyondallexpectations.Foronething,therearenowover150millionNIVBiblesand
NewTestamentsinprint,andthusinworldwidecirculationanduse.Inthenearfuture,200millioncopieswillbein
usearoundtheworld.IknowofnootherEnglishtranslationofGodsWordthathaseversurpassedthatrecordin
thesameperiodoftimesinceitsrelease.ItisanexcitingthoughtthatlongafterIamdeadandgone,theNIVwill
stillbeheretobringthespiritualblessingsofsalvationandChristianlivingtohundredsofmillionsofpeople.
Itisagreatjoytohearthatpeopleeverywherehavebeen"bornagain"(John3:3,7)throughreadingtheNIV.This,
ofcourse,isoneofthereasonsGodsWordwasgiveninthefirstplace(John20:31).Othershaveunderstoodthe
BibleforthefirsttimeastheresultofusingtheNIV.IreceivedanencouragingletterfromanewChristianin
England.HetoldmethatsomuchoftheoldEnglishintheKingJamesVersionwentoverhisheadthathelost
interest.ThenhiswifegavehimtheNIV,andhecouldntputitdown.Hereaditforhoursatatime.Thisiswhat
makesalloureffortsreallyworthwhile.
OneofmymanyfavoritepassagesintheNIVis1Corinthians13:48:"Loveispatient,loveiskind.Itdoesnotenvy,
itdoesnotboast,itisnotproud.Itisnotrude,itisnotselfseeking,itisnoteasilyangered,itkeepsnorecordof
wrongs.Lovedoesnotdelightinevilbutrejoiceswiththetruth.Italwaysprotects,alwaystrusts,alwayshopes,
alwaysperseveres.Loveneverfails."
Dr.KennethBarkerisanauthorandspeakerlivinginLewisville,Texas.UntilhisretirementfromInternationalBible
Societyin1996,hewasExecutiveDirectoroftheirNIVTranslationCenter.Heisoneoftheoriginaltranslatorsof
theNewInternationalVersionoftheBibleandaregularspokespersonforitsCommitteeonBibleTranslationthe
governingbodythatproducedtheNIV.

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KenBarkerhasgiventalksaboutthetranslationprocessoftheNIVallovertheU.S.andabroad,andmuchofhis
timeisspentwriting,editing,preaching,andteaching.HealsoworkedontheNewInternationalReadersVersion
(asimplificationoftheNIVforthosewhoreadatalowerreadinglevel),threebooksabouttheNIV,andthetenth
anniversaryeditionoftheNIVStudyBibleasitsGeneralEditor.
Dr.Barkerandhiswife,Isabelle,havefourchildrenKen,Patricia,Ruth,andDavidand14grandchildren.When
athome,theBarkersworshipandserveatFirstBaptistChurchofCarrolton,Texas.InhissparetimeKenenjoys
music,reading,tabletennis(pingpong),swimming,andwalking.
HeholdstheB.A.degreefromNorthwesternCollege,theTh.M.fromDallasTheologicalSeminaryandthePh.D.
fromtheDropsieCollegeforHebrewandCognateLearning.Inthepast,hehasservedasAcademicDeanof
CapitalBibleSeminary,ProfessorofOldTestamentatthreetheologicalseminaries,andVisitingProfessorattwo
others.HeisalsoauthorofcommentariesonthebooksofMicahandZechariah.

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Series:HowwegotourBible(K.
Series:HowwegotourBible(K.Barker)
Barker)
Part3:TranslatingtheBibleintoEnglish(TransBibleIntoEnglish_Barker.aspx)
Part1:CopyingtheOldandNew
Testamentmanuscripts(TransCopyingTheOTNTManuscripts_Barker.aspx)

Relatedsubject:
TopicalIndex:Bible>Transmission/Translation(../15Search/Topic.aspx#b_trans)

Byauthor:
AuthorIndex:Barker,K(../15Search/Author.aspx#barker)
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