muTron the homeless

Hello All,

I am a long time lurker. I love this site and really respect this community of thinkers and wanted to get a quick opinion on Bible translations. Specifically I am thinking about investing in a Bible for more serious investigations of the non-proselytizing variety. What can I say, I still love the text itself and can't seem to keep away from it, even though I see it differently now.

I currently have an NIV from my church going days and it seems okay for general reading, but I really want two things specifically.

A) I want the most uber literal/accurate translation I can get. (specifically New Testament, but a good OT is welcome as well)

B) I would like an annotated translation that provides more historical commentary and if it delves into theological commentary I wold like it to be more of a survey of opinions rather than a conservative brainwash device.

My problem with the NIV is it seems to come from a completely evengelical position that turns me off and distracts me. From my general layman investigations, I think I have it narrowed down to three possibilities....

1) The NRSV
2) The Oxford Annotated Bible
3) The NASB

It would be groovy to have the Apocrapha as well but ya can't have it all.


Any thoughts, other suggestions, or comments would be appreciated, especially concerning translations and versions you all have found most helpfull and illuminating. I have limited financial assets and cannot really afford multiple bibles so I am trying to make a more informed decision before I dump a ton of money.

Thanks very much.
M

Diogenes the Cynic

The Oxford Annotated is pretty much the standard academic version. I would also recommend the Annotated Scholars Version of the Complete Gospels. It's not a Bible translation exactly but it has good tranlations of all the canonical and non-canonical gospels with a lot of decent commentary.

Deacon Doubtmonger

You might also check out The Layman's Parallel Bible -- four versions in adjacent columns. That's where I found my favorite "gotta wonder" example re translation issues, I Samuel 5:6. Guess 'roids ain't so scary no more ...

There are also some other parallel bibles included in that linky.

muTron the homeless

Thanks Deacon....I think.

I hate when I am smote with emrods. It makes sitting so catholic.

I used to have a multi tiered parallel translation back in the day. But Alas, I sold it in a giant book purge to purchase flowers for M'Lady. Love before god I always say.

I never noticed that verse in the KJ before. Maybe I should go back to church...

S.C.Carlson

The Oxford Annotated Bible (at least my copy) is the NRSV and it has the Apocrypha too. Given you've said, it's probably the better choice for you. Both are accurate translations, but the NASB is a lot more literal, so much so that its readability suffers but you're less surprised about the underlying Greek.

Stephen Carlson

Julian

I have the Oxford Annotated Bible and it is quite excellent. It might also be worthwhile to get The Greek New Testament with interlinear english. It gives you the word for word translation of the greek. I use this for my greek studies.

Julian

Peter Kirby

"Uber literal" and accurate aren't quite the same thing. We have an ongoing discussion on translations going.

I would suggest the NASB for something that tries to stay consistent with the word order, number of words (e.g., not expanding words into short phrases), etc. of the Greek. The problem with going too far in that direction, though, is that it becomes a "thinly disguised guide to the Greek"--which can confuse if one doesn't know Greek. And, worse, one can be trapped into interpreting the nuances of the English text of the "literal" translation (this is also a problem with less wooden translations, but there is a confidence in saying that one has a literal translation that makes the error easier).

The bibles that I own and use are the New Jerusalem Bible, the New American Bible, the New English Bible, the New Interpreter's Study Bible (based on the NRSV--this one I had to get for a class), and the Jewish Study Bible. The Jewish Study Bible is interesting, oddly enough, because it is the Jewish Bible as translated by Jews (under the auspices of the Jewish Publication Society).

best,
Peter Kirby