Customer Reviews

The New Testament in Modern English

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In an age when there are nearly twice as many new Bible translations released in the last forty years as in the previous four hundred before that, it is easy for people to get confused. Given that almost all of those many Bibles released in the last forty years are paraphrases, why not skip the rest and go with the very first modern paraphrase, J. B. Phillips' "The New Testament in Modern English"?

Written in 1958, the Phillips Translation is, quite simply, one of the most dynamic and energetic Bible translations ever put on paper. It seethes with action, power, and transcendence. Jesus is shown as fully man (and yet fully God) in a way that makes us love Him even more. Phillips captures Jesus in such a way that we truly recognize Him as our brother, but always as our Lord, too.

But Phillips gives us more than simply a passionate Jesus of the Gospels, he gives us the gentle, yet forceful Epistles, emphasizing the fact that they were truly pastoral letters. He phrases things so beautifully that they come alive and feed the heart. For instance, contrast his translation of Romans 12:1-2 with other recent paraphrases:

Phillips:
"With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity."

New Living Translation:
"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is."

The Message:
"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."

Doesn't the Phillips do a better job of capturing the power of Paul's writing while also avoiding the pitfalls of difficult wording? (Nor does it pander to cultural relativism.) Despite not being a word for word translation, it sticks remarkably to the ideas of the original text as shown below in the more literal King James Version translation:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Having translated the Book of Romans myself back in college, I can appreciate the singlehanded success Phillips enjoys in capturing the tenor of the Greek, while simultaneously not being condescending or too loose with ideas. In my many years of reading the Phillips Translation, I have yet to find a single verse that imparts a controversy that would create any doctrinal questions.

The nature of the Phillips translation makes it an excellent Bible to simply read. Phillips originally did not include verse markings, so the text was not broken up by numbers, making it more book-like. For this reason, this is one of the finest devotional Bibles written.

If there is to be any quibble, it lies in the fact that Phillips was British and not American, so his translation does have a few phrases that are better suited to British English than American. But these are few and far between, being far less noticeable than some of the liberties that American translators have taken in many of the modern Bible paraphrases. Some may also fault the fact that Phillips does not attempt to update direct quotes from the Old Testament when they are used in the New Testament. (Different revisions exists, some which use the New King James when quoting OT texts and others with the American Standard Version.) This may seem a bit odd to some when the style of phrasing changes, but since Phillips did not translate an Old Testament, it is a translator's prerogative that can be justified.

For those who would like to get a feel for the Phillips New Testament, it is available online. My personal take is that it is the best modern paraphrase available, is a great companion for Bible study (though not as the primary source - stick with a literal translation for that), and is particularly well-suited for continuous reading. J. B. Phillip's work continues to amaze me with its superb blend of simple modernity, accuracy, and power. Highly Recommended!

Great work. This is a true translation that offers insight into the meaning that may be lost on the modern ear in many previous translations. It doesn't have the same feel as those that came after (viz., NIV, NKJV, etc.), where a very formal language is preferred, but it's held up over time. I think it's the informality that gives it its special charm. It also helps to know that Philips was not only a skilled translator, but a mature Christian. I think the text will please on levels that others don't approach. Best description: it's kind of folksy.

My Dad gave this to me when I was 9. I've been reading it off and on for about 30 years. If it was the only translation available, it would be more than adequate.

I only wish Phillips had finished more of the Old Testament before he died.

Besides being crisp, snappy, and non "religious" in its verbiage, the main contribution of the Phillips translation is that it conveys the emotional impact of scripture. So it is especially good in "The Letters", (traditionally called the epistles) which are full of passionate zeal that often gets lost in other translations.

Most translations aim at passing the scrutiny of a committee of scholars, so they often end up being "designed by committee", and as a result perhaps a little bland at times--using a deliberate process of compromise. As well, a word-for-word approach--if you think about it--is a poor technique if what you want is truly a translation from the original. What about the meaning of the sentences? What of the weep of the paragraphs? What about the emotional tone?

Since the Phillips was written, several new translations like the New International Version (NIV), the New King James (NKJ), and the New American Standard (NAS) have been completed which are much more readable and accurate than what was available back when Phillips made his translation. But, in our opinion, none can beat the Phillips for being fun to read, using words and concepts consistently, and for conveying the sheer thrill of God's Word! See if you don't agree.

If you have never CRAVED reading God's word, buy the J. B. Phillips right now. If you do, we have a full "guided tour" of the J.B. Phillips online, but you will have to search it out yourself.

If you're looking for a more 'updated' translation of the New Testament, this book is definitely worth a look. I agree with a prior reviewer who mentioned that in reading this book your mind will undoubtedly compare and contrast this translation with others that you've read in the past. It's really quite an enjoyable exercise!

I must also say a few words about issues raised in a previous post as they relate to this book. First off, it was J B Phillips' intention to follow this work up with a similar translation of the Old Testament, but unfortunately he never had the chance. Neither he nor any other Christians that I come into contact with desire to clip Jews and their history out of God's redemptive plan. Quite to the contrary - the Christian church is and will continue to be a bastion of Jewish support.

Secondly, the knock on the New Testament as 'a collection of pawns in a cosmic chess match between good and evil' reflects a pretty poor understanding of the material contained therein. Furthermore, to say that the book's central character, Jesus Christ, is a vindictive man who only sees black and white again misses the point. Jesus was very much about forgiveness, and on numerous occasions rebuffed people for their unbending interpretation of sin and punishment.

To get right to the point, this is a great translation. I am walking away from my study time with a clearer understanding of the passages I've read. I was a die-hard King James man and was leary of modern translations. I wanted to get a version that was accurately translated into today's english. I find this to be a reliable translation. I think that this Bible is presently out of print, but worth getting even used. Hopefully they will make another print soon. God bless you!!

This is a fun modern-english PARAPHRASE translation of the New Testament. It makes the NT a pleasure to read, and it is a nice resource for understanding the New Testament. The flow of the translation is smooth, and the footnotes are minimal. The sometime awkward and archaic King Jame's language does not get in the way of the message of the NT.

Mr. Phillips workde with C. S. Lewis on the translation, which is why it is such a pleasure to read.

The main drawback of this edition of the NT is that there is no versification (as was had in previous editions), which make comparison a bit more difficult. Futhermore, it is a paraphrase edition, and, at times, is loose with the translation of the text.

I would like to see a CD-ROM edition of this paraphrase translation!

I can't comment on the accuracy of the translation but I liked the easy to read style and the supplemental maps that helped place events and travels in context.

Some that have been critical of this bible I feel miss who J.B. Phillip's intended audience was. Let me allow him to speak for himself through his introduction.

Preface to The Student Edition, " When I began the work of translating Paul's epistles in 1941 I certainly had no idea that my efforts would be published or that I should eventually translate the whole New Testament.I wrote for young people who belonged to my youth group, most of them not much above school leaving age, and I undertook the work simply because I found the Authorized Version was not intelligible to them. My primary aim was not in any sense to compete with the version of 1611, but to communicate to young people inspired truths of which they were almost entirely ignorant."

J.B. Phillips brought his work of The New Testament to print to bring God's Word to those who would other wise not understand it. In my opinion that makes him a great man, and I find value in this Bible. I don't think it's perfect, and I don't feel it should be used for in depth study (there are better bibles out there for that). Having said that I have met ministers and well informed church members who highly value this bible. It's fantastic for reading the bible for pure pleasure (which I feel is it's primary benefit), and not for study in my humble opinion.

I rate it four out of five stars because I don't feel it should be used in depth bible study. However, that should not diminish it's value to it's intended audience.

I have been enlightened, informed and comforted by this translation for many years. This interpretation, some call a paraphrase, flows gently upon the reader. It is a step back from "modern" English to a simpler, less-complicated, and inviting version of the Gospel. When I need assurance, solace, open words, I turn to this book.

If you're a long time Bible reader, this paraphrase will awaken you to new perspectives on familiar Scriptures. When I read it, I find myself thinking, "Oh, I never thought of it that way," or "Well, I don't think I agree with his take on that verse." Either way, I enjoy this straight-forward reading of Scripture a little more than the NIV. Honest.