The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible Its Making and Character

Presented is a summary of the difficulty involved in creating the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible over a 17-year effort of the Standard Bible Committee, National Council of Churches. Five major problems of translating are outlined, including textual, lexical, & literary considerations: (1) varied wording in the manuscripts of the Scriptures (original & secondary sources); (2) determination of the exact meaning of Ancient Hebrew & Greek terms & expressions; (3) punctuation (generally absent in the originals); (4) translation of proper names that are also common nouns; & (5) the use of masculine-oriented language in passages that apply to both sexes. Many examples of problematic text are provided to illustrate the difficulties of translating into English - a language lacking gender-neutral pronouns. A brief history shows the work of the Standard Bible Committee beginning in 1952 with the publication of the first Revised Standard Version of the Bible, a revision of the American Standard Version published in 1901. Major events that prompted revision since 1952 include discovery of early manuscripts of the Gospels of Luke & John, new Hebrew manuscripts from the Dead Sea area, & changes in English language usage. M. Lemons