How do you know that the right stuff was left in the Bible, and that it was translated correctly?

Answer 1

Translations are reviewed endlessly. Ever since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (earliest known copies of the Bible), comparisons have been made and there has been no noticeable deviation from the originals. The Bible is the most reviewed and monitored book in all of the world. Either by those seeking to keep it pure and true or by those seeking to disprove it. The latter haven't been able to do so. Numbers 6:24

Answer 2

Well, being a language student, I understand better than anyone how things can get "lost in translation." Certainly, there are some things in the current bible that don't translate exactly as they were originally intended.

For example, take Psalm 119 in the Hebrew bible. When this passage was originally constructed, it was constructed into 22 stanzas of 8 lines (verses) each. There are also 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Each line of each stanza began with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet (the English version would be having 8 lines beginning with "a", then 8 lines beginning with "b" and so on). When the Bible was translated into English, this literary device was abandoned. Just by looking, who could possibly know the painstaking time that was put into Psalm 119?

That said, does the English version of Psalm 119 mean essentially the same thing as the Hebrew version, save the nifty literary device? Yes.

Christians believe that there was a "divine inspiration" among those who were given the task to translate the Bible, which subsequently preserved its original meaning, regardless of language.

This is a tough idea when debating between believers and non-believers because the very idea presumes a belief in God. If you don't believe in God, you're probably not going to think much of the statement that God preserved His own word because you don't believe in God in the first place. However, if you do believe in God, then you would probably have do doubt to his ability to do so.

Answer 3

Because we still have most of the orginal autographs that the translations were made from. There is an abundant of manuscript evidence to support the passing grade of bibliogrpahical test. The Total of Greek MSS (which the N.T. was written in) alone is now 5,686 and counting. the only writing that comes close to original manuscripts is Homer's Illad which only has 643 originals. We only have 10 of Caesars originals writings but we believe all of them and the Bible has over 5,000 and we question them. Futhermore the degree of accuracy is greater for the NewTestament than for other documents that can be compared- approximately 99 perent accurately copied. Most copies we have are over 1,000 years after they happen. With Bibilcal text we have some as close to under 100 years from the events they record

Answer 4

There were counsels that convened, more than just the Council of Nicea that most people know of, that decided what should be in the Bible, and what should not. They didnt just throw in anything. They added stuff baised on the author, his personal life and history included, how complete the documents are. They "tested" them so to speak.

As for translation, the KJV Bible was the translated using ALL the original Greek and Hebrew documents, AND the first Bible translated with no Church doctrine to forward (Such as the Wycliff Bible and Cathilio Bible). It was translated by 51 SCHOLARS,not just any man, who voluntereed their time, they worked in shifts on the same passages so one guy just couldnt put in his two cents without another one catching it. They were told not to add or take away from the translation in any way. The process to 7 years to complete. Not an easy undertaking.

And finally, the faith that God guided the entire process, to keep his words as he wanted them to be. The first two paragraphs are from research Ive done, logical and rational thought. THe last, is naturally, faith based.

Answer 5

well you can do some research. you can study the languages that the Bible was originally written in, or you can use a thesaurus and when you find a word of significant meaning look it up. but mostly for me i reast on the knowlege that Jesus will help me to understand what the Bible it trying to tell me at the time that im reading it. And also rely on the fact that the people who originally translated the bible knew what they were doing

Answer 6

Knowing is an act of faith in God to leave His precious Word with us. The original manuscripts were written in Hebrew and Greek. I know that the King James Version 1611 was translated as the first English version, and that historically documented, many years and painstaking effort went into the translation, so I have to have faith in God that the translators were as blessed as the original writers. Without that faith that His Word has survived and the faith that Jesus has saved me from my sins, I would be a most miserable soul. I can not prove to you that I know by showing you documents, but I can testify to you that I have felt God's presence in my heart and life - and that to me confirms my faith in Him and His Word.

Answer 7

I weight the things that the Bible says with the things I believe as a human. Considering the Bible's claims of humanity being "filthy" I personally chose not to believe in the Bible, due to my preference to genuine humanitarianism.

Answer 8

Well we should all ..(even though it is hard and we might not have the time) we should educate ourselves to be able to read the original form of the bible

Answer 9

You don't. That's what keeps Biblical scholars going, and it has also fueled the splintering of Christianity into lots of denominations based on how they interpret the Bible. It was written in Hebrew, then translated to Greek then to Latin/English. Lots of things get lost in translation. That's why some people don't want to take every word literally and others think "God's will" rests on the interpretation of single words in the text.

Answer 10

Research the Bible and find out!