The Bible has been translated in part and in full into 3,415 languages in total; along with these translations come different editions. In English alone, there are over 450 different editions of the Bible. Within these editions are different types of translation: literal or word-for-word (attempting form equivalence to the base text), meaning-for-meaning (attempting natural equivalence, i.e. the most natural way to read and understand the base text in modern English), thought-for-thought (attempting function equivalence, i.e. the function is prioritized over closeness to the base text), and paraphrase (or a retelling of the base text). With such varied translations of the Bible, which about 2.4 billion people read worldwide, it is essential to know the historical, textual, and cultural contexts of the stories, poems, and letters in this book. Readers must acknowledge and understand the original author’s intent of the texts as much as they are able. Unfortunately, Bibles have historically failed to provide these necessary elements, leaving many readers in the dark regarding the origins and cultural history of this religious book.

 

This general misunderstanding of the Bible is caused by major textual cruxes in transmission of the original ancient manuscripts. Reworded editions of the Bible muddle the purpose and meaning that the original authors of the texts wanted to communicate. For example, in order to truly understand Paul’s letter in 1 Timothy as he intended it to be read, we must have an accurate-as-possible, word-for-word translation with editorial intervention enacted only when necessary to clarify wording for modern English readers. With so many versions and editions of the same book, many wonder what the “true” version of the Bible is. Since we do not have the original manuscripts of the books of the Bible, the answer to this question is more complicated than many realize.

 

Most modern English Old Testaments are based on the Dead Sea Scrolls, with gaps in text filled by the Masoretic version. The oldest version of the New Testament is contained in the Septuagint. Witnesses of the Bible abound thanks to priests and scribes who copied it in temples and monasteries; most of our knowledge of Biblical texts come from these copies. Thus, there is no surviving “original” text of the Bible; rather, it has been cobbled together from various ancient “copied” texts and then translated and edited thousands and thousands of times throughout history.

 

These complicated, millennials-long transmissions of the Bible are critical to the textual study of it; every person who has touched Biblical texts, whether to translate, edit, or even simply copy them, undoubtedly brought their own errors and changes. Even the oldest documents we have are copies of originals, meaning that errors in authorial intent have been in the Bible from the very beginning. However, we must assume the integrity of these texts based on their availability as the oldest texts we have, thus the closest to the author and assumedly the least tampered with.

 

 

Scope and Purpose

This project in its complete form involves translating, editing, and researching all Christian canon and non-canon books of the Bible. In the finished product, each book will have an introduction describing the history and author of the book. Detailed footnotes regarding translation choices, etymology, cultural context, and history of relevant words and phrases will also be added where relevant. The format of this edition of the Bible will ideally be digital. The format of this Bible is important to its audience; the integration of footnotes as pop-up speech bubbles that appear when words are hovered over encourages readers to explore and interact with the text on a deeper level. The digital format also allows for a much greater exploration of the Bible than the page-count confines of print does, and makes updates, revisions, and additions much simpler.

 

The scope of this project is multifaceted, as both translation and editing were performed. However, since I do not know the Greek, Hebrew, Latin, or Aramaic languages, limitations exist in my ability to accurately translate manuscripts. To compensate, each word has been heavily researched to confirm their translations. My goal in this preliminary project with 1 Timothy was to maintain authorial intent as much as I am able without personal knowledge of ancient Greek language or access to Codex Alexandrinus, which contains the first appearance of 1 Timothy.

 

Ultimately, the focus of this project is to uncover what the author wanted to express, which may or may not be in line with what the Christian religion teaches. This critical annotated edition of 1 Timothy is for modern English readers who wish to learn more about the Bible, its origins, its authors, and its cultural and historical context, all while reading a translation as close to the original language as possible.