Customer Reviews

Essential Guide to Bible Versions

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Although I'm a layperson who studies the Bible for my own personal faith and leading a Bible Study, I really enjoyed this book. I think that pastors and serious Bible students would probably get more out of it, but learned a lot from Dr. Comfort's discussion!

Dr. Comfort discusses how the Old Testament and New Testament were canonized, the impact of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and this history of Bible translation. I was especially interested in John Wycliffe's story and how he objected to many aspects of the Catholic church 150 years before Martin Luther's "95 Theses"! Wycliffe is often called "The Morning Star of the Reformation" and of course Wycliffe Bible Translators was named after this man who was the first to translate God's Word into English.

Tyndale lived about the same time as Luther and was killed because of his translation of the New Testament. He kept getting the Bible out to people in England, and the Catholic Church kept confiscating and burning them. Tyndale's dying prayer was "Lord, open the King of England's eyes!"

A student of Tyndale, Miles Coverdale completed the work that Tyndale started. He finished the translation of the Bible. About that time, King Henry VIII had broken ties with the Pope and was ready for an English translation of the Bible. Tyndale's prayer had been answered!

Dr. Comfort's book gives a detailed account of how each Bible version came into being, and whether the versions are word-for-word (KJV, NKJV, RSV), thought-for-thought (NIV) functionally equivalent (CEV, NLT) or a paraphrase (The Living Bible and The Message).

He recommends that today's Bible readers should use more than one translation to get a complete overview. Personally, I use NIV mostly, but I also really like New Living Translation. And reading The Message gives a fresh approach and is really good for pleasure reading.

I highly recommend "The Contemporary Parallel New Testament" edited by John R. Kohlenberger. This wonderful book has 8 Bible versions side-by-side (all 8 versions of a passage on a two-page spread).

Please see my other reviews for many reviews of different Bibles and check out my Listmania List "Great Bibles" for info on some of my favorites!

God bless you in your study of the Word of God!

This book has a great history of how our modern bible translations came to be, much of which can be found on the net or in the forward of any parallel New Testament. The only thing I found discouraging about the book is the...promotion of the New Living Translation, also a product of the Tyndale house (hint, hint). From the conclusion, one is led to believe the NLT is the only valid interpretation. The redeeming factor was held in the final pages of comparison; here many of the disputed or "missing" verses of the KJV were analyzed and competently put in context.

Pro's
1 Detailed history of the Bible
2 A general overview of the style of interpretation of many versions (i.e. word for word v. thought for thought)
3 The lineage of many versions (i.e. Latin Vulgate, Greek, Textus Receptus etc.)
4 An analysis and listing of disputed verses of the KJV

Con's
1 Some of the descriptions are, shall we say, long-winded.
2 A blatantly one-sided view of the authority of the New Living Translation which, just "happens to be" from the same publishing house. After I read this book, I had to go and research the evolution of the Bible for myself to ensure that what I'd just read wasn't just an advertisement.

The sad part is that most of my brothers & sisters in Christ would be appalled to find that I have a strong affinity with Phillip Comfort's view of historicity & reliability. His was the most readable book on this subject I've studied. Most of the time the details and the "back & forth" nature of the subject matter leave me confused & with a loss of interest. Comfort didn't--in fact, I could hardly put it down once I'd started (ask my wife). After reading and re-reading and re-re-reading, I decided I ought to be fair and hear what the "other side" had to say about his lack of attachment to tradition--KJV, etc.. I was not surprised, but was disappointed with their lack of scholarship and their attempts to encite hysteria in those who might not think EXACTLY as they do. I was most put off by the personal attacks on the character & faith of those who didn't line up with them. They are the ones who appear hysterical & deeply afraid that any new thoughts or evidence would destroy the faith of millions. Phillip Comfort was trying (with great success in my opinion) to increase my faith in God's word--and to make sure we know what it is--and isn't. I highly recommend this book.

Dr. Comfort presents a well-documented, interestingly written discussion of Bible translation issues in language that any interested lay reader can follow and understand.

Comfort makes the essential point that ALL available versions of the Bible, in English or any other language, are made from, presumably, inperfect copies of the original Scriptures. He explains how all the major English translations were made and how translators approach the problem of rendering complex topics from one language to another. The book is filled with many excellent examples and a translation case study as well as an eight-page bibliography.

I highly receommend this for any Bible student who wants a better understanding of how the greatest book ever written became available to modern English readers.

As a seminary student, I found this to be a great reference to give short inputs on the different texts and versions of the Bible. While this is a short reference for my use and experience, it is a longer and more detailed discussion than many lay-people need. But, it is not grossly overdone. Dr. Comfort gives detailed accounts describing the history of each of the texts. Chapters 5 and 6 describe the different versions of the Bible ranging from using half a page for some versions to 3-4 pages for other, more important or popular versions. Chapter 7 is dedicated to a more indepth study of John 1 and a comparison of the different versions with this passage. In the last chapter, Dr. Comfort talks about the additions and subtractions of the different versions. This is a very interesting chapter on the history behind the different revisions and why these verses differ so between versions. The book has a glossary and an index, so there is no need to worry if you do not know the difference between a manuscript and an autograph. Each of the words that are in the glossary are in bold.
So, while Dr. Comfort goes into a little more detail than may be deemed necessary for lay-people, he makes it easy for you to understand what he is writing about and why it is important.
For the theological student or Sunday school teacher, this is a great book to give insight on the different versions. It gives enough detailed information to quench most of our thirst for knowledge on the subject.

The King James Version Only controversy still rages in many churches throuout the world (as can be seen from some of the reviews of this book). The greatest problem in the debate seems to be that many people do not understand the process by which the eclectic text and the critical text have been assembled. This book is an attempt to clarify this process.

Dr. Comfort's effort to make the finer points of modern textual criticism is a laudable effort, and will serve as a springboard to a more detailed investigatio of this topic. It is not, however, an introductory work, and many readers will have to consult other volumes to fully appreciate what Dr. Comfort states in this text.

Comfort does a good job at providing an overview of the major texts that comprise the critical text that most modern translations are derived from. He also presents a brief history of the 20th century translations, giving an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of each. The real value of this book, however, lies in its treatment of the so-called "missing verses" that KJV Only advocates contend have been "removed" from the modern versions. If more people on both sides of the debate were familiar with this material, there would be less misunderstanding and namecalling.

That said, the flag-waving for the New Living Translation is a little annoying. I am not as familiar with this translation as some of the others, but the continual preferance for this version over all other modern versions makes me suspect the author's motivations in writing this book.

Forget the negative reviews from the KJVO's (King James Onlyists) who believe that God only speaks to us through the KJV. Dr. Comfort clearly shows that God is alive in today's Bibles.

Dr. Comfort gives FACTS and does an amazing thing: He gives PROOF and EVIDENCE of those facts. You won't find that in Riplinger, Ruckman, Jones, and the multitude of KJO's on the net.

If you have ever dealt with a overzealous KJV Only supporter you know they will throw out verses "missing" in modern versions (as if they had the Originals to compare them to!). Dr. Comfort explains the verses clearly and with FACTS!

This is a top notch book! Read it today!

This is a very enjoyable introductory treatment of textual criticism.
If you only have time to read one or two books on textual criticism
then I highly recommend this be one of them. The other should be
FF Bruce's The New Testament Documents: Are they Reliable?
Which is the all time introductory classic.

This book is well written, and has a good section on questionable
readings in the NT, and then shows you how scholars come up with
their conclusions. He does the same thing with an extended passage
- the Johannine prologue (Jn 1:1-18) - making this book double as a
good commentary as well!

You can't go wrong, buy it. Good clear writing from a man with
a high view of scripture (who by the way, is not afraid to take
some necessary jabs at the buffoonery coming from the KJV only cult).

For some more introductory information, via real audio, check
out James White's website aomin(dot)org. He has some real audio
downloads where he teaches on this topic, for only a couple of
bucks. Worth it, for about 2 hours of teaching.

Comfort has written a very helpful book when it comes to the Bible Version Debates. To know how helpful the book is just look at Comfort's "opponents" (those who believe that only ONE version is God's Word). They have quickly judged with "elloquent" reviews made to only confuse people. God bless Philip Comfort and his work.

The "Essential Guide to Bible Versions," by Phillip W. Comfort, has been very helpful to me, as I'm sure it would be to you. There are so many translations and versions of the Bible available today that it's good to have a guide to help you find your way through them all.