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

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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

9. 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.

10. 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)
Persia (Sasanian)
The Saracen Caliphates
Legend
Invented in China
Arrived in Europe
Gunpowder
Compass
Paper
Movable Type Print
Great Britain date
Frankish Kingdom
Holy Roman Empire
Mongol Empire
Song Dynasty
Ottoman Empire
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

11. Timeline for the English Tranlation 1382 – 1611 AD
English Translation
Edward I Longshanks
Henry VI
Henry VIII
Edward II
Edward IV
Edward VI
Edward III
Edward V
1483
Mary I
Richard II
Richard III
Elizabeth I
Henry IV
Henry VII
James I
Henry V
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

12. 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

13. 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 Later declared a heretic by Pope Martin. In 1428, body exhumed, burned, and ashes thrown into a river.

14. William Tyndale ( )
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.

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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.

19. Summary of Class