We have been made aware recently of the work undertaken to produce what is called The New English Bible. We have received copies of a prospectus in which there is given a history of the project by Dr C. R. Dodd, and there have been articles in the press publicising the work already accomplished. Before the Second World War there was discussion in the Universities about the need for further revision of the English Bible. Dr Dodd admits that the Revised Version of 1881 (New Testament), 1885 (Old Testament), “never fully established itself in use.” And so this new approach envisaged only further revision and certain Oxford and Cambridge scholars were invited to prepare renderings of specimen passages from the Old and New Testaments, the idea being that changes in the Authorised Version should be made only where they were really necessary. When the war broke out the whole matter was laid aside.
In May, 1946, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland sent out a memorandum to other Churches throughout Great Britain, asserting that the work of the Church in its approach to the wider public was hindered by the archaic language of the Bible in both of the current versions—the Revised no less than the Authorised—and it urged that the time had come for the Church to undertake the preparation of a completely new version, in contemporary English. We do not accept for a moment the Church of Scotland assertion that the real spiritual, gospel and Christ-honouring work of the Church of God in Scotland or England has ever been hindered by the few instances of archaic language in the Authorised Version of the Bible and in the Revised Version. But Dr Dodd and others accepted this empty charge against the Authorised Version by the Church of Scotland. Modernists in the College and pulpits of the Church of Scotland never understood spiritually “regeneration,” “justification” and “sanctification,” etc., etc. Therefore they never cared for such terms in the Bible, and the people in the pews have for many years been left without the exposition and meaning of the Word and Words of God by their professed pastors and spiritual teachers.
The Church of Scotland urge for an entirely new translation—not revision—of the Bible was received with enthusiasm by scholars and most of the Churches in Great Britain. And then one conference led to another from October, 1946, onwards, until the work was actually undertaken. The British and Foreign Bible Society, and the National Bible Society of Scotland have officially supported the project, but not the Trinitarian Bible Society. These first two societies are represented on a Joint Committee for the direction of the work. And our readers ought to know that this Joint Committee appointed a panel of translators for the Apocrypha, as well as for the Old and New Testaments. And so the Church of Scotland and the National Bible Society of Scotland with its office-bearers from different Presbyterian Churches are involved in giving a place to the Apocrypha like the Church of England and the Roman Church. But many today professing to be orthodox, evangelical witnesses for truth, are members of religious societies and associations, and yet never seem to keep a proper watch on all the activities of such societies.
The translation of the New Testament only has been completed and it will be issued for sale before this Magazine is in our readers’ hands, that is, on the 14th March, 1961. In our humble view, it will never be anything but a complete failure as far as being a challenge to the Authorised Version of 1611 is concerned, and the contemporary English employed in this translation will be read with shock and shame by those who love the Word of God and are attached to the English of the 1611 Version. We are informed that the translation of the Old Testament and Apocrypha continues. It seems that the Apocrypha is deemed by the translators as part of this New English Bible.
Finally, the real purpose of these observations is to serve as an introduction to the article which follows by Rev Terence H. Brown, of the Trinitarian Bible Society, on “The New Translation of the New Testament.” Recently, we discussed with Rev Mr Brown, in correspondence, the desirability of his examining this New Translation and the publication of the results of that examination in the pages of the Free Presbyterian Magazine as soon as possible after the sale of this New Testament to the public. And so Rev Mr Brown has faithfully complied. Let our readers study his article most carefully and keep it by them for future and ready reference.