Today's New International Version

From Free net encyclopedia

Template:BibleHistory

Image:Tniv-cover.jpg

Today's New International Version (TNIV) is an English translation of the Bible. It is a revision, but not a replacement, of the popular New International Version. The first full edition was published in February 2005, with the New Testament alone having been previously published in March 2002. The rights to the text are owned by the International Bible Society (IBS), while Zondervan Publishing holds exclusive printing rights to the TNIV in North America.

Among the differences between the NIV and the TNIV is the use of more gender neutral language, referring in some places, for example, to "children of God" instead of "sons of God" and changing phrases like "a man is justified by faith" to "a person is justified by faith." Male references to God, however, are not modified. This is similar to the approach taken in the New Revised Standard Version.

In the TNIV some original Greek text references to hoi ioudaioi (literally, the Jews), are translated as referring to Jewish leaders of Jesus' day. Although this change is based on biblical scholarship[1] [2] [3] concerning who were included in hoi ioudaioi, especially in John's gospel, one result is that the TNIV sounds less anti-Semitic than English versions which retain the literal translation of "the Jews." The TNIV is not alone[4] among English Bible versions in following recent biblical scholarship on this matter. For example, in the Gospel of John (e.g. John 18:36), in the belief of the TNIV translators and a number of other biblical scholars, some contexts call for hoi ioudaioi to refer to Jewish leaders not the Jews, as a whole. This change from "the Jews" has contributed to criticism, from some, of the TNIV as being untrue to the biblical languages source texts. Others, however, regard this change as bringing the translation closer to the intent of those source texts.

[edit]

TNIV Controversy

When TNIV was launched first in 2002, its publication caused considerable controversy, especially among American fundamentalist Protestants. Some claimed the publication of a gender-inclusive bible was a betrayal because the International Bible Society promised (in a press statement in 1997) to "[abandon] all plans for gender-related changes in future editions of the New International Version (NIV)." Although TNIV was published as a separate translation, and its word choices are much more conservative than many other Biblical translations, TNIV has received much more attention than other comparable projects, mainly because the original NIV has been the best-selling English Bible version in the United States for many years.

A few evangelicals feel that changing the original Greek grammatical masculine gender to something more generic distorts the meaning of the Scriptures. Evangelical supporters, on the other hand, argue that the critics confuse grammar for meaning, and the TNIV clarifies the original meaning in contemporary language.

On the other hand, the TNIV translators have at times opted for more traditional Anglo-Saxon or poetic renderings than those of the NIV. To give an example, 'the heavens' (Anglo-Saxon) is sometimes chosen to replace the NIV's 'the sky' (Danish - Middle English) [c.f. "I clothe the heavens with darkness and make sackcloth its covering" (Isaiah 50:3 TNIV); "I clothe the sky with darkness and make sackcloth its covering" (Isaiah 50:3 NIV)].

A number of prominent evangelical leaders and biblical scholars, including John Piper, James Dobson, R. C. Sproul, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Joni Eareckson Tada, and Wayne Grudem have openly voiced their rejection of the TNIV. Additionally, the Presbyterian Church in America and the Southern Baptist Convention have both passed resolutions ([5], [6]) denouncing the translation. Other scholars and leaders have openly supported the TNIV, including Bruce Waltke, Bill Hybels, Warren Wiersbe, John Ortberg, Darrell Bock, D.A. Carson, Craig Blomberg, Gordon Fee, John Stott and Lee Strobel, as well as Christians for Biblical Equality.

[edit]

See also

[edit]

External links

Retrieved from "http://www.netipedia.com/index.php/Today%27s_New_International_Version"