A committee of the faculty of Talbot Theological Seminary has surveyed briefly these versions, and are happy to share the following observations: There is enough difference in the two separately pub lished Testaments and their counterpart in the three full Bibles that they must be considered by themselves when quoting, if one wants to be exact. This relates to italics and wording. John 1:9, for instance in the Chil dren’s New Testament reads, “ That the true Light was coming into the world — that Light which is shining upon every man” ; while in the whole Bible it reads, “ That was the true Light, which is shining upon every man coming into the world.” In Ezekiel 7 verses 1 and 2 agree in all three of Green’s versions. In verse 3 the Adult and Teen-age agree while the Children’s varies. In verses 6 and 7 they all three agree again. In verse 8 the Adult and Teen-age agree again against the Children’s. In the Psalms there is some inconsistency in the use of ‘ye’ and ‘you’ (for the plural). The capitalization of the pronouns for Deity is a good feature (the original King James does not). Para graph divisions in the Modern King James versions will be appreciated by some, confusing to others (in tnis case verses often begin within a paragraph). The Greelf; historical present tense is usually translated as a simple past ( “His disciples followed Him”—MKJ; “His disciples follow him”—KJ.). These scattered observations are typi cal random samples of what one will find. Dr. Robert L. Thomas of the New Testament Depart ment of Talbot Theological Seminary points out the following criticisms of the Adult Modem King James Version: (1 ) No attempt seems to have been made to incorporate any of the findings of textual criticism since the Textus Receptus; (2) Yielding to the old King James version for verses usually memorized is open to question from the standpoints of the asserted purpose of the ver sion and for the sake of uniformity—does the fact that a verse is usually memorized mean that it is adequately understood? (3) Why is an extended glossary necessary if difficult words have been eliminated, which is of course partly explained by (2) above; but is the principle enun ciated on p. 11 of the Adult version really valid, and would there by any agreement on it by those not trained in language: “ Readers want to get rid of the Old Eng lish, then, but they are not willing to have precious words and verses taken away merely to get rid of the Old English” ? (4) Theologically, the method advocated for becoming a Christian (p. 15 of the Adult version) is open to question: it lists seven steps, or things to do, instead of the one thing: believe. The committee agrees that in spite of the criticism brought against them, these Modern King James Versions are essentially true to the faith, and should prove a boon to children and to foreigners who may have diffi culty with the English language. They will not, and were not intended to, replace our traditional King James Version or to question its essential validity for those who understand the language of it.
The Children’s Version of the H oly B ible: [Old Testa ment] The Children’s ‘King James’ B ible: New Testament The Children’s Version of the H oly Bible The Teen-Age Version of the H oly Bible Modern King James Version of the H oly Bible T h e a b o v e f i v e versions are listed in logical order in the form of the title pages, and not in the order of their appearance. The project was inaugurated by Jay P. Green, who has organized and managed a number of enterprises, including The Sovereign Grace Book Club (which reprints and distributes Puritan classics), Modem Bible translations (which issued the first Children’s King James edition), and who has under way a 10-volume Encyclopedia of Christianity. Obviously this was too much for one man, or one concern. The first Children’s King James New Testament came out in 1960. Along with the simplified and modernized text (modernized in the sense that archaic words were replaced by current terms understandable by 4th-6th graders) there were Bible stories interspersed in the text at the appropriate places. These were in a different type face, always limit ed to two facing pages, and characterized by pictures, multi-colored, at the top of each of these pages, to dis tinguish them from the Biblical text itself. The Old Testament volume collects the illustrations and stories in the back. The chief characteristics of these versions are: (1) All verses usually memorized have been left unchanged. (2) Nothing has been deleted. (3) The vocabulary of the three versions has been adjusted to the average reading ability of the age groups; in the case of the children’s and teenage versions, children and teenagers themselves have read it and registered their understanding or lack of it, and changes have been made in accordance with these needs. (4) Old English verb endings have been modernized, such as saith to says. (5) The theological viewpoint of Mr. Green is distinctly and vigorously con servative and evangelistic. (6) The style and rhythm of the original King James Version has been preserved. (7) These Bibles have not been rewritten nor para phrased, just simplified and contemporized. No translator or editor claims infallibility, and the publishers hesitate to claim typographical perfection. These Bibles were produced very rapidly, insofar as Bible revision and publishing go, and doubtless there are improvements yet to be made. Many Christian education leaders have praised this venture, and these volumes will doubtless have a real ministry. The public will have to avoid a revulsion against so many new versions, think ing that they are produced for the sake of novelty alone. This is certainly not the case with these three. They are designed to produce salvation in children and young people, and to enable new adult Christians to feel more quickly at home in the Bible. They are published in fabricoid with plastic jackets by McGraw-Hill Publish ing Company, New York at $7.95 each.
NOVEMBER, 1963
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