[MR] English translation from original Greek and Aramaic

[Santiago Ruiz]

Finding a decent translation is a sticky situation a lot of times 
actually.  I know Biblical Greek (and am starting to teach it) and there 
are a lot of issues in translation.  Just some things I figured I'd 
point out. The first bit will be to soothe your inner nerd, the last bit 
will be more of an answer to your question. I'll mark the sections for you.

****For your Inner Nerd****

The Old Testament (what Jews would call the Tanakh - all 39 books) is 
fairly more simple for scholars to translate in that there tend not to 
be nearly so many textual variants.  That said, Hebrew words often have 
a fascinating range of possible meanings and every translation comes 
from a different perspective as you'll see if you compare the New 
Revised Standard Version with the New International Version with the 
Jewish Publication Society's translation.  Every one of those will come 
with differing theological perspectives. 

There is also a translation of the Old Testament from the Greek 
translation (called the Septuagint) that is done by someone named 
Brenton. Old Testament isn't really my area so I don't know much on that.

The New Testament gets more complicated since there are over 5000 
variants.  The earliest manuscripts come from the late 2nd Century A.D. 
and would be copies of the originals in some way.  The Majority of 
manuscripts - what is sometimes refered to as the Majority Text or 
Byzantine Text - come from after 500 A.D.  There are arguments among 
scholars, albeit not as frequently these days as many have accepted one 
answer (which is a bad thing IMO) as to whether the oldest manuscript 
types are superior or the Majority text family is superior.  There's too 
much there for me to go into on the list, but just be aware of that when 
we talk translation.

****Answering Your Question ****

These are the literal translations that I am aware of:
     English Standard Version (follows the Revised Standard and New 
Revised Standard)
     New American Standard Version (follows the old American Standard)
     New King James Version (follows the King James, which itself had 
over 25 editions)

The English Standard and New American Standard translations are based 
off what is sometimes referred to as the Eclectic text approach (the 
approach preferring the oldest manuscripts over the Majority).  The New 
King James is the closest thing in English to approaching a version 
based on the Majority text.

Someone mentioned the New International Version.  This is the most 
popular translation (when you hear people say that the number one 
bestselling book is the Bible, they're referring to the NIV translation 
almost specifically, they probably just don't know it).  However, the 
New International Version is not a strictly literal translation but a 
dynamic equivalent, which is it tries to explain what the Greek says 
sometimes.  I don't personally care for it but I also use Greek more 
than the English translations now.

****On Church Bias****

As far as getting a translation free from any church bias, it's not 
going to happen.  Each translation family has a particular bias.  The 
RSV/NRSV was often decried for having a liberal bias.  The ESV 
surprisingly does not follow that bias.  The New American Standard has 
been accused of having a Presbyterian bias.  The New King James 
Version...well, I don't know that it's been accused of having a specific 
bias, but I'm sure someone'll think of something.  And all translations 
are regulated by the United Bible Society which has its own bias.  If 
you were to look up the word translated as baptize in a Greek lexicon, 
it would universally be listed as "immerse" but because so many churches 
practice a different means of baptism, the United Bible Society does not 
allow immerse as a translation.

****Shameless Plug****

So it's a matter of what you prefer.  Someone also mentioned the two 
prominent Greek versions, the UBS 4 and the NA 27.  If you ever decide 
to take on Greek (I'm working on putting lessons online if you're 
interested [/plug]), I'd recommend the Reader's Greek Testament (ISBN: 
0310248884) because it does not contain the frightening textual 
apparatus that the other two contains.  Instead in the footnotes it 
lists any word not used more than 30 times.  Since most first year 
grammars will teach every word that appears 50 times or more (and some 
will teach every word that appears 30 times or more), it is an excellent 
read and use translation.

Finally, whatever you decide, if you have any questions, you're welcome 
to ask me.  I, as all things, come with my own bias, but I'll at least 
tell you. :)

Santiago Ruiz