For Any Literalists: New Century Version

DMB

I doubt there's many literalists in Logosland. I'm using that 'literalist' as 'pre-creedal'. What you see is what you got. Yes, metaphors, etc. 

https://www.logos.com/product/312/the-new-century-version-bible 

I ran into this by accident. It's supposed to be for kids. And indeed, it's a fun read. But a KJV site (no offense) was going crazy, suspicious (actually confident) the translation was straight from Satan. So, I guess I'd better be extra careful.

But if you're familiar with the hebrew and greek (and associated arguments), the translation is really interesting. It seems to be completely oblivious to the correct creedal wording. When I saw some Romans verses, I thought, 'Oh my goodness! This looks pretty first century. Definitely pre-Origen'  And for kids too.

So. If you're one of the literalists, it's quite interesting.  Grain of salt, and all that.

Robert M. Warren

Denise:

Thanks. You gave me incentive to buy it, but I discovered I already own it, I just never paid attention to it. It does seem to read nicely. English isn't my wife's first language, so I'll be interested in her opinion. I don't have training in original languages, so I can't render valuable opinion from that perspective.

For fun 'n frolic, I looked at a few key passages. Genesis 50:20 caught my eye. The NCV has: 

Genesis 50:20 (NCV)
20 You meant to hurt me, but God turned your evil into good to save the lives of many people, which is being done.

which is what it seems a lot of folks really want it to say, i.e., God 'did something with it'. rather than 'meant' it. Just about all the more familiar English translations, even the ones we conservatives consider liberal, have something along the lines of: meant, intended, planned, etc. The Clementine Vulgate seems to agree with the NCV with 'vertit', which I think means 'turned around, turned into'. I don't know if that is actually Jerome, or later editing.

I wonder if you consider this one of those 'pre-credal' issues? Interesting, anyway.

DMB

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/921072#Comment_921072

Your example is great, concerning readability.  Their last phrase is intreresting.  They must have struggled with that.

My comment on pre-creedal is largely in the NT, to such an extent, I'd have to re-read Paul ... sounds completely not-Paul. I'd hate to see the complete theological collapse of Christiandom.

Gen 1:1 is funny. 'In the beginning God created the sky and the earth ...'  I just checked my mucho translations to see if anyone had the guts to say 'sky'. NRSV just couldn't go for it, but switched to sky thereafter. Growing up, heaven was where God lived. Sky is a different place ... that's where Jesus rides on his cloud (in the future, of course). 

EDIT: Compare NCV Gen 2:18 to Gen 2:20 (last sentence). NCV just doesn't know when to hide the dirty laundry, when company comes. What a hoot.

David Ames

Denise said:

I ran into this by accident. It's supposed to be for kids. 

When it first came out it was released as a Children's Bible. I bought copies for some of my Grandkids. 

When it was revised they dropped the Children's label 

From the Wikipedia entry

The New Century Version of the Bible is a revision of the International Children's Bible. The ICB was aimed at young readers and those with low reading skills/limited vocabulary in English. It is written at a 3rd grade level (from the introduction) and is both conservative and evangelical in tone. The New Testament was first published in 1978 and the Old Testament followed in 1986.The ICB was revised somewhat to be a bit more sophisticated (reading level grade 5) and was dubbed the New Century Version, released in 1987. A gender-neutral edition was first published in 1991, supplanting the original.