How many christian bibles do we have?

Question

Also about how many religions in the world? Cults included.

Answer 1

Just in english:

The origin of the English Bibles of today can be traced to a time when men, supposedly under the divine inspiration of God, first wrote the books of the Bible. Before the fourth century CE, there were more that 30 different gospels, some of which can be found on the Gnostic & Apocrypha page. Many were officially outlawed during the Council Nicaea in 325 CE and the Council of Laodicea in 364 CE. These councils eventually agreed on what is now considered the "word of God", under the direction of Constantine, collating the accepted teachings into a single comprehensive book.

Most of what we now know as the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, and the New Testament largely in Aramaic or common (koine) Greek. Since no printing press existed until 1450 AD, all of the original compilations of the Bible were done by hand.

The history and development of the English Bible can be divided into 3 sections; ancient versions, in other languages, early English versions, and New English versions (since 1901). Brief descriptions of the significant versions in those time periods follows.

Ancient Versions in
other Languages

· The Septuagint Version (285 BC) - This was a translation of the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. Probably done in Alexandria.

· The Samaritan Pentateuch (BC?) - A copy of the Hebrew text done in Samaritan characters.

· The Peshito or Syriac (1st or 2nd century AD) - A common language translation of the entire Bible used in parts of Syria.

· The Codex Sinaiticus (330 AD) - A manuscript that contained the Greek Bible. It was purchased from Russia in 1933 by Great Britain and is now housed in the British Museum.

· The Codex Vaticanus (340 AD) - This manuscript is currently housed in the Vatican library in Rome. It originally contained the whole Bible plus the apocrypha, but parts have been lost.

· The Vulgate (400 AD) - A Roman Catholic scholar in Bethlehem by the name of Jerome translated the entire Bible into Latin. This Bible became the standard in the Catholic church for well over 1,000 years.

· The Codex Alexandrinus (425 AD) - This Bible is another Greek translation. Currently housed in the British Museum, it is complete except for 40 leaves.

Early English Versions

All of the earliest attempts at translating the Bible into English were fragmented. For example, Bishop Aldhelm of Sherbourne translated the Psalms into Old English around 709. Venerable Bede, a monk at Jarrow, translated a portion of the Gospel of John. By 900 AD all of the Gospels and most of the Old Testament had been translated into Old English.

· John Wycliffe (1380) - John Wycliffe was the first to plan a complete English translation of the Bible from Latin. His translation was based on the Latin Vulgate. He completed the New Testament prior to his death, and his friends completed the work after his death.

· PRINTING PRESS INVENTED - 1450

· William Tyndale ( 1525-1530) - Driven from England by persecution, William Tyndale, shared Wycliffe's desire to produce a Bible that the common English-speaking person could understand. Using the Latin Vulgate and other ancient sources, Tyndale was able to translate the New Testament and Pentateuch before he was martyred.

· Miles Coverdale (1535) - A friend of Tyndale's, Coverdale was able to publish a complete Bible. It is generally believed Coverdale used Tyndale's work in producing his New Testament. This Bible was done to honor King Henry the VIII.

· Matthews Bible (1537) - Despite the name, it is widely accepted that a friend of Tyndale, John Rogus, did most of the work on this Bible. Based largely on Tyndale's previous work, it also contains evidences of Coverdale's work as well. This might well be considered an updated Tyndale Bible.

· The Great Bible (1539) - This Bible takes its name from its great physical size. Based on the Tyndale, Coverdale, and Matthews Bibles, it was used mainly in churches. Often chained to a reading desk in a church, people would come to listen as a minister read from the Great Bible.

· The Geneva Bible (1560) - Produced in Geneva by scholars who had fled persecution in England under Queen Mary, this Bible was based not only on the Great Bible, but also on the other English translations of that day. Though very scholarly, it was a popular Bible because of its small size.

· The Bishops Bible (1568) - This was a revision of the Great Bible and Geneva Bible done under the direction of the Archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of Elizabeth.

· Douay-Rheims Bible (1582-1610) - The New Testament was published in Rheims in 1582 and the Old Testament in Douay in 1610. A revision of the Latin Vulgate, this has become the generally accepted English Version for the Roman Catholic Church.

· King James Version, KJV (1611) - The most popular translation ever produced, this Bible was done during the reign and at the urging of King James the I of England. 47 scholars, divided into 6 groups, worked on this translation. Based largely on the Bishop's Bible, many Hebrew and Greek texts were also studied as well as all the other available English translations, to insure the best results. By choosing men of many different theological and educational backgrounds, it was hoped individual prejudices of the translators could be minimized. Printed in a handy size and in clear type, the KJV was suppose to please clergy and congregation alike. Despite initial resistance, the KJV became and still is the largest selling translation of the Bible.

· Revised Version (1881-1884) - Designed to be a revision of the KJV, the Revised Version, had the advantage of being able to access some of the ancient manuscripts. Although this revision was sponsored by the Church of England, many American scholars were invited to participate.

New English Versions
(1901 to Present)

· American Standard Version, ASV (1901) - This revision of the Revised Version incorporates many of the readings first suggested by the American members of the Revision committee of 1881-1885.

· Complete Bible: An American Translation (1939) -Often referred to as the Goodspeed version, this translation was done by Edgar J. Goodspeed and J.M. Powis Smith. Using as many ancient texts as possible, Smith and Goodspeed produced a very readable and yet accurate translation. Also included in this translation was the Apocrypha.

· Revised Standard Version, RSV (1952) - The National Council of Churches of Christ procured the copyright to the 1901 ASV Bible in the 1920's. Work began on a revision to the ASV, but was abandoned in favor of an entirely new translation. Since many more Hebrew and Greek manuscripts were available to these scholars than were available in 1901, the RSV is considered to be much more accurate. A Very readable translation, the RSV is used in many Protestant denominations today. The revision committee continues to meet at regular intervals and in 1971 a new release was made of the RSV. This has been dubbed the RSV II edition.

· New Testament in Modern English (1958) - First published in 1958 and revised in 1973, this translation done by British writer J. B. Phillips is one of the best readings of the New Testament. It is published today by MacMillan Publishers fo New York.

Answer 2

There are more than 700 variable English text Bibles and the English versions are not yet 700 years from the first written.

Answer 3

I don't remember you coming over. I also don't remember you owning Bibles with me. I have about 15 different Bibles though.

I don't know how many Religions there are in the world. I only need the right one.

Answer 4

Who knows? I have at least 8 translations-but they all tell the same story. Cults??? - I have no idea.

Answer 5

It shows allot of Christians don't have the holy spirit in them. They need easier translations to read the book. Sorry for the angry brother christians. Seek his face.

Answer 6

there is one Bible with different translation from the original language

Answer 7

One, but many translations and versions, lol.

Answer 8

lol more than one for sure. The only religion which allows advertisment for their faith. Muslims and Jews have only one book and that's it.