Oldest original Bible translations

  • Thread starter Thread starter lisauze
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
L

lisauze

Guest
I’m sorry if this question has been asked before but I’m going to ask again. What is the original oldest most accurate translation(s) of the Bible. I am looking for one that is the closes to the original Greek and Hebrew as possible without actually being in Greek or Hebrew.

Thank you
 
lisauze said:
What is the original oldest most accurate translation(s) of the Bible.
Click to expand...
Do you mean translations into English? You may have to choose between “oldest” and “most accurate.” One purpose of later translations was to correct inaccuracies in the earlier ones.
 
I wish I could read other languages but yes English and I guess I’m looking more towards accuracy than age but I would be interested in both in order to compare.
 
The Douay-Rheims is a translation of a translation. I think what the thread starter means by “oldest” is the English translation that’s based on the oldest (and probably closest to the Greek) manuscripts. RSV CE is probably the best bet. If you don’t mind Protestant translations, then the NASB or the ESV are the best.
 
It’s a translation of Jerome’s Latin Vulgate, which in itself is a translation from the Greek and Hebrew. In other words, it’s a translation of a translation.
 
Last edited:
Is there an English translation of the Hebrew, Greek and/or Aramaic texts of the Bible? I understand that the Douay Rheims is a English translation of the Latin Saint Jerome translation of the Bible.
 
I’d recommend the Douay Rheims because, as others have said, it’s a strict translation of the Vulgate. An alternative could be the Knox Bible because it’s a translation of the Vulgate but Knox also looked at the Greek & Hebrew manuscripts when he translated it.
 
I converted to catholism and grew up on the original King James Version so old English doesn’t bother me. Although thees and thous arts and begot can kind of make reading go a bit slower.
 
The problem is, the further you go away from the original the more errors creep in. They compound. There’s always going to be inaccuracies during translation, and scripture is only inspired in it’s original languages ie Greek and Hebrew.

This is why the Pope, in the 1930s, directed that future translations of the Bible were to be made from the original languages.
 
All modern translations are translated out of the original. Really, only the D-R was translated from the Vulgate. With modern translation it’s not so much whether they’re from the original, but more if they are simply bad translations or have had inclusive language creep in. The older versions of the RSV avoid those problems.
 
As one or two said, those coming from the oldest versions and how we can corroborate them are the best source. Also, mostly missed in this discussion, I don’t care how old it is or even if it was the best translation of it’s time. The best translations are those that are written in modern English…otherwise you are doing yet another translation.
 
Generally conservative Protestant translations like the ESV and the NASB do NOT use inclusive language: The Evangelicals that use those bibles would go ballistic if they did.

The RSV-CE 2nd addition I don’t think uses inclusive language, but the NRSV-CE most definitely DOES use inclusive language.
 
Don’t care for it either. I put up with it in my NASBRE on account of it being an easy read for daily devotionals. I have the NRSV-CE in Verbum as a reference, but I don’t go near it for serious study.
 
The RSV-CE’s are good bibles to use. Very formal equivalent, but if your children are well read they shouldn’t be too difficult for them.
 
So the “best” translation from original Greek/Hebrew/ Aramaic text would be the Knox Bible translation? And if I was looking for oldest it would be the Douay-Rheims which is basically the English translation of the Latin vulgate which was the translation of the Greek/Hebrew/Aramaic text that the Knox Bible is also based on correct?
 
lisauze said:
So the “best” translation from original Greek/Hebrew/ Aramaic text would be the Knox Bible translation? And if I was looking for oldest it would be the Douay-Rheims which is basically the English translation of the Latin vulgate which was the translation of the Greek/Hebrew/Aramaic text that the Knox Bible is also based on correct?
Click to expand...
The Knox is also a translation from the Latin Vulgate, NOT the original languages. It was essentially an update of the Douay-Rheims.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top