What's in a Version?. Henry E Neufeld

as the methodologies of Biblical criticism. They are often called “higher criticism.”

AD – Anno domini, or “the year of our Lord.” In interfaith contexts CE, for common era is commonly used. This refers to the years after the birth of Jesus, though that date is not precisely know. BC – before Christ. Now generally replace by BCE in interfaith contexts. BCE – before the common era, used in interfaith contexts. Same as BC. CE – common era, also AD. I use CE and BCE in this book.

      Once a book of the Bible attained its final form, it was copied by hand. In modern times we use those copies to try to determine as best as we can what the precise original text of a passage actually was.

      It was very difficult work to produce copies of the Biblical text. Sometimes a copyist would simply copy a manuscript by hand, reading one and writing the other. Sometimes one person would read a manuscript slowly, while a number of others wrote down what he read.

      In addition, there were early translations. When the Jews returned from exile in Babylon, late in the sixth century BCE, most of them no longer spoke Hebrew. Aramaic was the lingua franca of the eastern world. Over time, translations were made of the Biblical books into Aramaic. Later, starting in the fourth century BCE, translations were made into Greek, then into Latin. In each case, once a translation was made, it was copied by hand, and again we have the manuscripts.

      In modern times there have been numerous translations. Our problem has changed from one of having difficulty getting a copy of the Bible to choosing the right one of very many translations. Modern printing methods ensure that most Bibles will be accurate reflections of their originals.

       Key Dates in the History of the English Bible

Bible	Approximate Date
Wycliffe	Late 14^th Century
Tyndale	1525
Erasmus and the Greek New Testament	1516
Coverdale	1537
Great Bible	1537
Geneva Bible	1550
Bishop’s Bible	1568
King James Version	1611
Westcott and Hort Text	1881
English Revised Version	1885
American Standard Version	1901
Revised Standard Version	1952 (Whole Bible)
New American Standard Bible	1975
New International Version	1973 (NT), 1978 (Whole Bible)

      For more information on the history of English Bible translations see:

      Bruce, F. F. History of the English Bible

      The Cambridge History of the English Bible