Does it really matter which Bible translation you use? The short answer is, yes—and no.
On the “no” side, we would say the three most important things are to open your Bible and start reading; read it prayerfully, openly, in community, and with the best knowledge available; and read the Bible that best connects you with God right now.
For some that might mean looking for the newest scholarship. For others it means resting in the familiarity of words and phrases you’ve long cherished. And for others it means grabbing the Bible closest at hand! All these options can put you in the balanced and receptive stance mentioned in Scripture in Community of Christ—Affirmation 8:
Disciples are called to grow in their knowledge and understanding of the scriptures so that they might ever increase in love for God, neighbor, and self, uphold the dignity and worth of all persons, and faithfully follow the way of Jesus Christ.
St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 CE) thought a lot about the interpretation of scripture. He once argued that if the ultimate goal of the Christian life is to love God and love neighbor, any interpretation of scripture that produced that love was proper, even if technically a misreading of specific texts. Using Augustine’s insight, we might say that any version of the Bible that deepens and broadens love “works,” even if it isn’t the best translation.
On the “yes” side of whether the translation of the Bible you use matters, we would give three important reasons it does matter:
- to honor what the original authors actually wrote (getting the words right);
- to understand, as much as possible, what the texts meant to the earliest recipients in their time (the historical context);
- to really hear the text’s testimony of God’s nature and work in the world (even if it’s strange to us).
If asked, “Why has Community of Christ adopted the New Revised Standard Version updated edition (NRSVue) of the Bible for use in its developing of English worship and instructional resources?” an easy response is: It thoroughly fulfills the three reasons mentioned above.
In the remainder of this article, we will explore why new translations of the Bible are necessary and explain how the NRSVue is a valuable resource for the life and mission of the church.
Why Are There New Translations?
Some might ask, “The Bible has been around for a couple of thousand years and is fairly accessible in most cultures. How can there be better or best versions of it?”
New Information Becomes Available
We live in a time when more and earlier manuscripts are surfacing, when understanding of the original languages is expanding, and increasingly accurate information about the ancient world is available. In contrast the King James Version, produced in 1611, was based on the small number of manuscripts available in the seventeenth century, and a limited concern for, or awareness of the social/cultural realities of the authors. Since then, the number and quality of manuscripts accessible to scholars has increased vastly., Ffor example, more than 5,000 manuscripts of all or parts of the New Testament are now available. An explosion of knowledge around the original meanings of words and the historical contexts of the writers has illuminated and even changed our understanding of what some scriptures mean. New scholarly translations are the easiest way for individuals and churches to benefit from these discoveries.
Biblical scholarship is not unlike science. Good science continually seeks to deepen its understanding of various phenomena through the acquisition of new knowledge and methods. In the same way, credible biblical scholarship always tries to improve the methods it uses and its understandings of the languages, times, and historical settings of the Old and New Testaments.
Bible Translation Is Complex
Translation between living languages, for example, from French to English, poses many challenges. The complexities increase, however, when working from an ancient language to a modern one. A brief example will help illustrate the point.
Here is a simple Greek phrase: ἐθεράπευε ὁ Πέτρος. The first word is a form of the verb therapeuō, meaning to heal or to cure, and the second is the name Peter. One quickly sees that the modern English word therapy is derived from this Greek word.
The verb is in the imperfect tense, which in ancient Greek commonly indicates a past, continuing action. The sentence then would be translated, “Peter was healing.” The imperfect tense in ancient Greek, though, is rather versatile and has other possible, quite-different, translation options. This same sentence could be translated, “Peter began to heal,” or “Peter tried to heal,” or “Peter used to heal.”
This one verb can convey many meanings. Translators must rely on context—what is happening in the storyline where this phrase appears, and customary usage, or how this author commonly uses the imperfect tense.
We easily can see that biblical translation is an art that best takes shape within a larger community of scholars. Translation by a committee reduces the possibility of a single personality creating a “rogue” translation and benefits from the expertise of a group of specialists trained in scholarly methods and the original languages. For writings as important as those that make up the Bible, a precise, yet nuanced translation—one that draws on the wisdom and skill of a broad group of scholars—has distinct advantages.
So, Why Is Community of Christ Using this New Translation, the NRSVue?
A simple answer: We want to use a credible, up-to-date English translation of the Bible. By up to date, we mean a translation that uses current biblical scholarship that relies on the wealth of ancient manuscripts, improved understanding of the original languages, and an ever-deepening knowledge of the ancient world.
The recently completed NRSVue ticks all the boxes. It is an exceptionally accurate and accessible English translation. The National Council of Churches of Christ (NCC), of which Community of Christ is a full and active member, sponsored the creation of the NRSVue, as it did its predecessors, the Revised Standard Version (RSV 1952) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV 1989).
They joined forces with the Society of Biblical Literature, a diverse and distinguished academic society dedicated to the scholarly exploration of the Bible.
The result is an English-language translation based on excellent, contemporary scholarship, as practiced by specialists from many backgrounds. The aim is to give readers, whether in churches or academic settings, a dependable translation of the Hebrew and Greek texts. This includes such practices as letting an unclear phrase or obscure meaning remain, without trying to “smooth it out” or impose theological language that might be inconsistent with the author’s intent.
This reminds us that the original authors were not writing for us, and they probably made mistakes or didn’t always communicate clearly. The new translation honors the integrity of the text and the authors. The diverse religious and professional backgrounds of the scholars who contributed to this translation, as well as a firm commitment to academic honesty, ensure that the NRSVue does not skew the translation theologically, ethically, or historically.
Scriptural literacy became an objective in Community of Christ about twenty-five years ago. Even before that, the Revised Common Lectionary was already was helping improve our familiarity with and use of scripture in the weekly life of the church. It naturally followed that identifying biblical translations that would help members access the results of modern scholarship needed to be part of this process.
This led to the recommended use of the NRSV for resource development about twenty years ago. Adopting the NRSV has proven invaluable in enriching the English-speaking church’s engagement with the Bible, and the NRSVue will continue that pattern. The criteria of academic rigor, usability, and availability were also were used for identifying the Spanish and French versions of the Bible used for the development of resources. They are: Biblia de Jerusalén, 5th Edition in Spanish and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible (TOB), 2010 Edition in French. (Link?)
Who?
The “who” matters! Who is doing the translating? For whom? And who is being represented in the translation?
While in some arenas of life, “committees” seem to be inconvenient or unproductive, this isn’t the case with biblical translation. In the note, “To The Reader” found at the front of NRSVue Bibles, the editorial committee describes who was involved in the updating process:
The current updating process involves scores of scholars and leaders from multiple faith communities, inclusive of gender and ethnic identity, with the unwavering goal to render an accurate version of original source texts into the most current understandings of contemporary language and culture.
A diverse committee of translators and editors who envision producing a more accurate translation is not only healthy, but an essential safeguard against ideological narrowness. The sponsors of some other Bible translations require translators to affirm certain beliefs about scripture, such as the doctrine of “biblical inerrancy.” You can see a statement of this kind in the front of the New International Version. However, precise translation of ancient texts depends not on coerced theological conformity, but on skill and openness.
The NRSVue (like the NRSV and RSV before it) is a work of scholarly collaboration that is ecumenical and interfaith in nature. The goal is faithfulness to the the language and intentions of the original authors, not loyalty to a specific theological agenda.
As noted earlier, the NRSVue is produced jointly by the National Council of Churches and the Society of Biblical Literature. The result of this partnership is a translation suited for a wide readership, that includes both disciples and scholars.
The question of who is being represented in the version might seem odd, but it helpfully points to the problem of gender bias in translation. The NRSV pioneered the practice of translating texts inclusively. For example, the Greek word anthrōpos means “a human being,” but often had been translated with the English term “man,” with all its male associations. But the ancient Greek language used another word for a man: anēr.
New Testament authors and their first readers were aware of the distinction between the terms, a distinction that was lost on later patriarchal cultures and languages into which it was translated, where gender bias already was at work. The result for English readers of the Bible was that the meaning of the original was obscured. Centuries of translation practices reinforced cultural gender bias, making it seem as though women were all but absent from the texts.
The NRSV sought to correct this stubborn problem by identifying where the original languages actually were inclusive, whether in actual verbiage or intent. For example, where the Greek text read anthrōpos, the NRSV would use “human being,” “humankind,” or equivalents. Where the Greek text literally read adelphoi—“brothers,” but clearly intended to describe a Christian community that included more than just men, the NRSV would use “brothers and sisters” (see 1 Corinthians 1:10). The result was a translation that properly represented the egalitarian reality of early Christian communities. Importantly, the NRSVue retains this vital practice.
What Is the Purpose?
Any new translation of the Bible tries to render the ancient languages into the vernacular of contemporary readers. The purpose is to ensure that communication occurs—across millennia, from the ancient, foreign world of the biblical authors to twenty-first-century disciples. As noted earlier, there are plenty of challenges when translating ancient languages into modern ones.
This is compounded when we recognize that modern living languages, like any living thing, are always changing. Thus, the aim of a new translation is to make comprehension easier. Reading a few chapters of the King James Version of the Bible, representing early seventeenth-century English, quickly makes clear why the twenty-first-century ear finds this old translation obscure, remote, or overly formal.
If the purpose of scripture is to point us toward God-Christ-Spirit, then new translations of the variegated witness of scripture always will be needed. They are necessary so that barriers of language do not make inaccessible the God to whom scripture points.
The purpose of helping the Bible communicate its witness clearly comes down to something very practical: to make authentic discipleship possible. Community of Christ believes “Scripture is an indispensable witness to the Eternal Source of light and truth….” (Doctrine and Covenants 163:7a).
So, it not only is appropriate, but essential, that the church consistently uses the most reliable translations of the Bible. This is vital to the church’s mission in a world where the abuse of scripture and abusive uses of scripture are too common.
The NRSVue’s approach to content and method aligns with important elements of our theological and historical principles:
- “The church encourages honest, responsible historical scholarship” (“Church History Principles.”)
- “Faith, experience, tradition, and scholarship each have something to contribute to our understanding of scripture. In wrestling to hear and respond to the witness of scripture, the church must value the light that each of these sources may offer.” Affirmation 6, “Scripture in Community of Christ.”
Some Tools for Knowing about the Bible You’re Using
Investigating a Bible you regularly use can be enlightening. To do this, look at the front of your Bible for information about that version. You may find several things: a foreword, a preface, a “To the Reader” statement, or other introductory material.
Look for answers to some of these questions: What have the translators/editors identified as their purpose and approach? Is this a translation or a paraphrase? Who has sponsored this version or is doing the translation: a group, a single denomination, or a single theological perspective? What do the sponsors of this version claim that scripture is?
As you explore, it also may be helpful to have in front of you Community of Christ’s statement, “Scripture in Community of Christ” (referenced above). It represents our denomination’s public theology of scripture and provides a balanced approach to both the value of scripture and the dangers of not using it responsibly.
If you don’t already have one, you may want to invest in a study Bible. A study Bible contains two things: first, the biblical text in a specific version or translation, such as the New Jerusalem Bible, the New English Bible, or the NRSV. The second part is what makes it a “study Bible,” things like additional historical or theological information, introductions to each book, explanatory footnotes or side notes, essays, maps, indexes, glossaries, and tables. Often these are provided by scholars or commentators who have special expertise on a certain book or books of the Bible.
If you are interested in a good NRSVue study Bible, we have found these helpful:
- The Westminster Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2024)
- The SBL Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (New York: HarperOne, 2023).
We anticipate that other NRSVue study Bibles will be available in the near future. If you want to know more about the origins and approach of the NRSVue, you may want to read these articles:
A Final Thought
We hope it’s clear that having access to a reliable translation of the Bible is not only beneficial, but necessary to the church’s mission. It’s also important to return to our starting point. Beyond the question of which translation to use is an even more crucial question. Quite simply: What will we do with the Bible?
The Bible has been used too often in destructive ways. St. Augustine’s wise insight mentioned earlier is as important as the translation we read. Using scripture responsibly ultimately means using it in ways that broaden and deepen our love for God and neighbor. And if Augustine were here, we doubt he would object if we added “broadening and deepening love for the creation, and even our enemies.”
As we each risk engaging more fully with scripture, may the last affirmation of “Scripture in Community of Christ” empower us:
For our time we shall seek to live and interpret the witness of scripture by the Spirit, with the community, for the sake of mission, in the name of the Prince of Peace.
Charmaine Chvala-Smith is Community of Christ Seminary chaplain and focus session coordinator. Tony Chvala-Smith is an associate professor and the Paul E. Morden Seminary chair of religion. Both are theology and scripture consultants for the church.