These three words were urgently uttered in unspeakable umbrage on Facebook by a lady not after reading a sermon by Robert Tilton, Joseph Smith or Charles Taze Russell, but after seeing a snapshot of a portion of the preface to the ESV. You see, I’d posted a quick blurb on social media about unity and not dividing or slandering over minor issues, and this, of course, led to a fun discussion in the comments section on the textual superiority and subsequent exclusive use of King James Version of the Bible (as opposed to those Bibles which were maligned as “watered-down” versions, or “perversions”). Because of course it did.
Exactly why posts like these always seem to find their way to a debate, I’ll never know exactly, but what’s even more baffling is how I still genuinely think that folks will see an irenic post and simply hit “like,” “share,” or just nod sagaciously before scrolling along. I’ll learn someday.
Anyhow, in this less-than-enlightened dialogue in the comments section of my now-hijacked post, someone sought to discredit the ESV by posting a screenshot of the closing portion of the preface to the ESV which contains the following statement: “We know that no Bible translation is perfect; but we also know that God uses imperfect and inadequate things to his honor and praise. So to our triune God and to his people we offer what we have done, with our prayers that it may prove useful, with gratitude for much help given, and with ongoing wonder that our God should ever have entrusted to us so momentous a task. Soli Deo Gloria!—To God alone be the glory!”
So What’s the Problem?
You might be pondering what makes this particular piece of prose so perilously preposterous. I would be, too, were I not so sadly steeped in such similar sectarian seclusion for so long. The reason why this section of the ESV was considered “blasphemy” by our pearl-clutching, champagne-flute-dropping, wide-eyed friend is because of the statement that “no Bible translation is perfect.” And I get it. I do. I’ve heard — and used to share — the sentiment that if we don’t have a “perfect Bible,” then all we have left is “confusion and error,” to quote a former pastor of mine. But the thing is — historic, orthodox Christianity has always confessed that we have a “perfect Bible,” in any and all senses. It’s the translation part where it gets tricky.
Christianity is replete with a rich tradition of terrific translators toiling terribly hard to make sure we have the Bible in our vernacular. We start with the manuscripts we have available to us (the number of which increases regularly, thankfully!), and we work to find the best possible way to communicate the intent of the Biblical author across barriers of language and time. It’s not easy work, and — surprise — some attempts are better than others. But it’s awfully naïve to assert that any one translation somehow surpassed the rest of them that came before, and will outlast any that come afterwards, particularly when there’s advances in linguistic research, manuscript availability, and scholarly ability each passing year. To hold such a position is certainly possible (many King James Only advocates hold that the King James Version is the perfectly preserved Word of God for English-speaking people, now and forever, and is without error or room for improvement in clarity and content), but is intellectually indefensible and ultimately dishonoring to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
So when someone cries foul because the ESV translators are humble enough to insist that they did not think their translation work was the zenith of English Bibles forever, please understand that this is a) a good thing, and b) a belief shared by even the King James translators themselves. It does not harm the ancient and holy faith to say “translating words, meanings, and thoughts from a millennia-old, no-longer-spoken language into a modern, ever-evolving language is a real challenge.” It does, however, do a lot of damage to our witness to hold a staggeringly anglo-centric view soaked in Western superiority which states that if we do not have a perfect Bible in English (which we Americans happen to read), it’s not perfect at all.
In fact, I’d say such a view is rather blasphemous.
