THE DANGERS OF MODERN ENGLISH VERSIONS (II)

Inferior Translators
The next reason why Modern English Versions (MEVs) are dangerous lies in the qualifications of the translators. Many of these translators pale in comparison to those of the KJV. Some of these translators are even grossly unqualified.

The Translators of the KJV
The KJV translators lived in a period of time where knowledge of classical languages was at its zenith. They were extremely well-versed in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and Latin. In fact, their abilities in the languages far outstrip many of the translators today. Moreover, these translators were also men of piety and theological learning. They were certainly not ignoramuses in both the fields of the Bible and translation work.

Consider the achievements of some of the translators of the KJV:

Lancelot Andrews
Dr. Andrews was director of the Westminster team that translated the Old Testament Books from Genesis to 2 Kings. He was conversant in at least 15 languages. He studied most of the modern languages of Europe at the University of Cambridge. In addition, he also spent much energy studying the ancient languages and theology.

Dr. Andrews was also a spiritual man who was highly committed to his private devotions with God. He kept a personal manual of his quiet times with God, writing his personal devotions in Hebrew and Greek. Most theologians today are not able to write or speak a sentence fluently in Greek and Hebrew, much less write an article in these languages. How far they pale to Dr. Lancelot Andrews!

William Bedwell
William Bedwell was a member of the Westminster team of translators, and was reputed to be an “eminent Oriental scholar”, and thus an expert on Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic and other related languages. So good was his skill in these languages that scholars all over Europe sought him out for learning. He was also involved in compiling an Arabic Lexicon and Dictionary, and a Persian Dictionary.

Miles Smith
Dr. Miles Smith was a member of the Oxford Team, and was involved in translating the books of Isaiah to Malachi. He was known for being well-versed in the works of the Greek and Latin Fathers, having read every single work from 100 to 600 A.D. This would involve the works of approximately 300 Church Fathers. In addition he made notes and commentaries on each and every one of these works.

Being such an expert in Greek and Latin, one would think that he would be chosen for the translation of the New Testament books. The fact that he was part of a Company that was involved in the translation of the Old Testament Books only goes to show that he must have been well-versed, if not more, in Hebrew and Aramaic. He was also one of twelve translators selected for the final examination and revision of the KJV.

Henry Saville
Henry Saville was part of the Oxford team and was involved in the translation of the New Testament. He was the personal Greek tutor of Queen Elizabeth, and was also equally proficient in the Latin language. He translated many works from Latin to English including the works of Cornelius Tacitus, a Latin historian. He also edited the complete works of the Church Father John Chrysostom, which amounted to eight folios, with each folio being approximately the size of an encyclopaedia.

John Bois
John Bois was a member of the Cambridge team of translators. He was born into a devout family of Christians, and was carefully taught of the Christian faith by his father. He read through the entire Bible in Hebrew at the age of five. By the age of six, not only could he write Hebrew legibly, but also with great elegance and poise. When he was a young man, he wrote letters to the Master and Senior Fellows in his college in Greek. He was known to be well-versed in the most difficult prose of the Greek language, and would often stay in the University Library studying Greek from 4 a.m. in the morning to 8 p.m. at night! He was also selected to be one of the twelve translators involved in the final revision of the KJV.

The Translators of MEVs
As shown above, the translators of the KJV are more eminently qualified than many Bible translators today. Some of these modern translators may even be of dubious character, or deny fundamental doctrines of the Bible.

Consider the following:

Virginia Ramey Mollenkott
Dr. Virginia Ramey Mollenkott sits as a literary critic and stylistic consultant on the committee of the New International Version (NIV). She is a champion of the LGBT movement, and is openly lesbian, living with her domestic partner Judith Suzannah Tilton. For her work in promoting LGBT rights within churches and Christian feminism, she was awarded the New Jersey Lesbian and Gay Achievement Award in 1992 and the Lifetime Achievement Award from SAGE (Senior Action in a Gay Environment) in 1999.

The Scripture is explicit concerning the unregenerate state of those who remain unrepentant of their homosexuality in Romans 1:26-32. The Bible is a spiritual book, and can only be handled rightly by those who are re-generate and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. Can a translation team which permits a brazenly unrepentant and unregenerate person on its board produce a godly translation? Absolutely not! An evil tree can never produce good fruit.

Peter Enns
Dr. Peter Enns worked on the 1995 version of the New American Standard Bible (NASB). He is currently Abram S. Clemens professor of Biblical Studies in Eastern University, St. Davids, Pennsylvania. Dr. Peter Enns does not hold on to the full inerrancy of the Scripture. On his web-site, Peter Enns writes, “inerrancy for me is a model that does not describe very well what Scripture does.” He further describes inerrancy as describing God “too narrowly” and regards the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy as “an unworkable model of Scripture”. Yet, here is a man that sits on a committee translating the Word of Everlasting Life!

Conclusion
The translators of MEVs are grossly inferior to the translators of the KJV, both in terms of academic achievement as well as piety. Which group of translators will you trust? I will certainly go for the KJV!

Lovingly in Christ,
Preacher Clement Chew