A MILESTONE FOR LOVERS OF GOD'S WORD

THIS feat is particularly remarkable considering that upon its release, this translation was subjected to severe criticism. Yet, it has not only survive but thrived, making its way into millions of homes-and hearts-all over the world! What is the origin of this unique translation? Who is behind it? And how might you benefit from using it?

Why a New Translation?

For over a hundred years, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, the legal agency representing Jehovah's Witnesses, has distributed Bibles. Why, though, did Jehovah's Witnesses see the need to produce another version of God's Word? The book So Many Version? By Sakae Kubo and Walter Specht, observes: "No translation of the Bible can ever be considered final. Translation must keep pace with the growth in biblical scholarship and the changes in language."

This century has seen considerable growth in the understanding of Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic-the language in which the Bible was originally penned. Also, Bible manuscripts have been discovered that are older and more accurate than those used by previous generation of Bible translators God's Word can thus be rendered more accurately today than ever before! It was for good reason, then, that the New World Bible Translation Committee was formed to undertake the translation of the Bible into modern-day languages.

In 1950 the English-language version of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures was published. The title itself was a bold departure from tradition, rejecting the designation of the Bible as made up of "Old" and "New" testaments. During the next decade, portions of the Hebrew Scriptures were published in installments. In 1961 the complete Bible in English was released in one volume.

Just who translated this remarkable Bible? The Watchtower of September 15, 1950, said: "The men who compose the translation committee have indicated their desire . . . to remain anonymous, and specifically do not want their names to be published while they are in life or after death. The purpose of the translation is to exalt the name of the living, true God." Some critics charged that the work should be summarily dismissed as the product of amateurs, but not all took such an unreasonable stance. Writes Alan S. Duthie: "If we know who the translators or the publishers of a particular Bible translation are, does it help us to decide whether that translation is good or bad? Not directly. There is not substitute for examining the characteristics of each translation itself."

Next time: Unique Features

Watchtower, 1999