November 29, 2017 www.centralfamily.org under Media Tab God Is In Control A Brief History from King David to King James I Autumn 2017 Week 12 Translating Scripture into English November 29, 2017 www.centralfamily.org under Media Tab

Class description Present secular history from King David to the coming of the English Bible in order to demonstrate that God’s Providence extends outside the Biblical narrative into the entire creation. Present the class in 2 parts King David to end of the New Testament End of the New Testament to widely available English Bible My goal is to inspire awe in our God. God is the God of all Creation including the institutions of Men. Part 1 will focus on presenting the concept that Jesus came “at just the right time” [Romans 5:6] . This timing supported the spread of His message throughout the world. Part 2 will focus on God protecting His scripture and getting it into everyday man’s hands. This will not focus on the English history as much as the world history that led to the widespread availability of the Word.

Class outline 9/6 Introduction Part 1 9/13 Assyria 9/20 Babylon 9/27 Persia 10/4 Esther: Queen of Persia (Jim Norville) 10/11 Greece 10/18 Rome 10/25 Summary of the Biblical Era Part 1 is ordered by timeline. In other words, the succession of empires to the end of the New Testament. Note that Week 5 I will be absent. Jim Norville has graciously volunteered to teach that week. Esther is a narrative from the middle of the Persian Empire. This book also is the most detailed Biblical account of daily life from Persia.

Class outline Part 2 11/1 Fall of Rome and the Rise of Tribal Europe 11/8 Critical Technologies 11/15 Overview of the Manuscripts and the Canon 11/29 The Translation into English Part 2 is ordered thematically. The broad timeline (~1500 years) and the limited class periods make a timeline approach very challenging. In my view, this approach better supports the class purpose of producing awe.

Personal statement of belief and point of view I believe that Scripture is accurate (e.g. true) at the precision (e.g. detail) that it is stated. I believe that when people increase the precision of the true statement then they run the risk of making it a false statement. Therefore, I personally tend to be very careful of “boxing” God in and stating with certainty details that are not clearly given.

One more belief of mine when studying Scriptures I am careful to not reject facts just because someone uses those facts to justify a conclusion that I believe is false. This reasoning is very similar to my use of the previously discussed Precision vs. Accuracy belief. I believe that the Scripture is the inspired Word of God (e.g. accurate) and therefore the facts and conclusions of this world will be assessed against the Word at the precision that it is written. If Scripture’s precision gives a wide (narrow) swath, then I will give the facts of the world a wide (narrow) swath.

Summary of rise of tribal Europe This period of time saw widespread migration and conflict as various tribes and peoples began fighting for the remains of the Roman empire. Two major religions would start in this time period, Christianity and Islam. Both would have a schism that exists to this day (Eastern and Western Catholicism; Shi’ite and Sunni Islam) Both religions would be co-opted into political authority leading to extending wars within and without. By the end of this period, Europe is beginning to settle into states (though the warring continues unabated). These states will begin a substantial colonialization effort around the end of this period. Major changes are going to begin in the 16th century.

Summary of critical technologies Other advancements Ship building Industrialization using waterwheels … Several key technologies are appearing in Europe for the low cost development and dissemination of printed books at the same time Coupled with a stabilizing political Europe and the desire to remove spiritual authority from the Church and place it in Scripture

Summary of Manuscripts and Canon The vast number of documents containing in part or in whole the NT gives us full confidence that we have reliably reconstructed the Greek NT. The citations of the 1st and 2nd centuries alone are almost complete to reproduce the entire NT. More documents are being found and none are altering the existing Greek NT. The essence of the Gospel message is not ever challenged in any document.

Part 2 Timeline 135 – 1611 AD Part 2 Time Period 850 1000 1150 1300 Roman Empire (United or Western) 31 BC – 476 AD Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman) 330 - 1453 Persia (Sasanian) 224 - 651 The Saracen Caliphates 632 - 1258 Legend Invented in China Arrived in Europe Gunpowder Compass Paper Movable Type Print Great Britain 1066 - date Frankish Kingdom 496 - 843 Holy Roman Empire 800 - 1806 Mongol Empire 1206 - 1294 Song Dynasty 960 - 1279 Ottoman Empire 1299 - 1922 Greece, for any practical consideration, never really existed as an empire. Certainly the Greeks, specifically the Macedonians, conquered Persia in its entirety. However, with Alexander’s early death, the Persian empire was divided by Alexander’s generals into 4 distinct Greek nations. These nations would fight back and forth among themselves, with other internal and external nations, until they were ultimately swallowed by the expanding Roman Republic. This timeline shows the four Greek nations but space does not allow showing each of their kings. Judaea will exist as a province within either the Ptolemaic nation or the Seleucid nation or, for a brief time, and independent nation. All of these events occur during what is commonly called the Silent Period or Intertestamental Period with regards to the Scriptures. Crusades Renaissance 850 1000 1150 1300 1450 1600 100 250 400 550 700 Gutenberg prints Bible (Latin Vulgate) 1450 Erasmus publishes Greek New Testament 1516

Timeline for the English Tranlation 1382 – 1611 AD English Translation Edward I Longshanks 1272-1307 Henry VI 1422-1461 Henry VIII 1509-1547 Edward II 1307-1327 Edward IV 1461-1483 Edward VI 1547-1553 Edward III 1327-1377 Edward V 1483 Mary I 1553-1558 Richard II 1377-1399 Richard III 1483-1485 Elizabeth I 1558-1603 Henry IV 1399-1413 Henry VII 1485-1509 James I 1603-1625 Henry V 1413-1422 Greece, for any practical consideration, never really existed as an empire. Certainly the Greeks, specifically the Macedonians, conquered Persia in its entirety. However, with Alexander’s early death, the Persian empire was divided by Alexander’s generals into 4 distinct Greek nations. These nations would fight back and forth among themselves, with other internal and external nations, until they were ultimately swallowed by the expanding Roman Republic. This timeline shows the four Greek nations but space does not allow showing each of their kings. Judaea will exist as a province within either the Ptolemaic nation or the Seleucid nation or, for a brief time, and independent nation. All of these events occur during what is commonly called the Silent Period or Intertestamental Period with regards to the Scriptures. Crusades Renaissance 1450 1500 1550 1600 1650 1700 1200 1250 1300 1350 1400 Wycliff Bible 1382 Gutenberg prints Bible (Latin Vulgate) 1450 Erasmus publishes Greek New Testament 1516 Tyndale Bible 1534 Great Bible 1539 Geneva Bible 1560 Bishop’s Bible 1568 KJV Bible 1611

The Art and Science of Translation Source Language(s) and Manuscripts Translation Approach Word-for-word Translation of each word from the source text into the target language Most accurate translation but may lose some understanding in the target language Thought-for-thought Translation of each thought of the source text into the language of the target text that best reflects the thought Easier to read in the target language but may be subject to translator’s interpretation Paraphrase Translation of the ideas of the source text into the ideas in the target language Easiest to read but can be very interpretive from the translator. Not considered a true translation

John Wycliffe (1320 – 1384) Strong believer in the authority of Scripture over the authority of the Church Translated the Latin Vulgate into (Middle) English (most of it). Published several books in 1382 Wycliffe Bible completed by others such as John Purvey Died in 1384. Later declared a heretic by Pope Martin. In 1428, body exhumed, burned, and ashes thrown into a river.

William Tyndale (1494-1536) Using the Greek Textus Receptus translated the New Testament into English and parts of the OT from Hebrew. Translation occurred in exile in Belgium because of letter he written condemning the divorce of King Henry VIII Eventually hunted down, strangled, and burned at the stake Others finished the entire Bible from original language using Tyndale’s translation (Matthew’s Bible) Printed using printing press.

Great Bible (1539) Authorized by King Henry VIII as an official translation for the Church of England It is a completion of the unfinished Tyndale translation by Myles Coverdale except remaining text translated from Latin Vulgate

Geneva Bible (1560) During the reign of (Catholic) Queen Mary I, several scholars fled to Geneva. Began a new translation eventually called the Geneva Bible This is the Bible used by Puritans Shakespeare Pilgrim’s Progress All Old Testament from Hebrew Annotations considered slanted toward Calvinism

Bishop’s Bible (1568) Authorized by Church of England Copy used for readings in churches Completely translated from original languages – Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek Basis for King James Version

King James Version (1611) Authorized by King James I Used 47 different scholars to translate All original language source texts Considered a word-for-word translation Widely copied and used for official church functions as well as the everyday person.

Summary of Class