christians, why there r many versions of the bible?

Question

jesus came with only one, right?
Quran has only one version which never changed until now.
u judje, but christianity is confusing me

Answer 1

they had problems back then, especially with jews, so they couldn't preserve the bible...

Answer 2

First, understand that the Koran was 'dictated' by Mohamed around 300 years after the Bible was assembled, and about 600 years after Christ's resurrection.

There are many versions of the Bible, for several reasons.

The Tanakh - the "Jewish Bible." Aspects of which are believed and followed by Muslims.

The Septuagint – the Greek translation.

There are English translations like the King James Version, the New American Bible, the New Revised Standard Version and the New American Standard Bible or the New International Version and the New Living Version.

I’d avoid The Living Bible and The Message, which are both so poorly translated they loose all the nuances and ambiguity.

I’d also avoid the King James Version . . . unless you’re used to reading Middle English like Shakespeare. Also, a lot has been learned since 1611, (the Dead Sea Scrolls found in 1948, for example) and the KJ version has major translation problems. Even the New Revised King James Version is pretty poor.

Of course the Bible isn’t THE WORD OF GOD . . . it’s translated into a language we can understand.

But the Bible is God’s Word . . . meaning the message, not the medium or the method, is what God tries to tell us.

The Bible is a collection of 66 different books, some history, some poetry, some songs, some letters, as well as the rules of an ancient religion . . . written over the span of thousands of years.

People tend to focus on the words in the Bible, and miss the message behind the story. The words of Genesis 1, for example, are poetry, the message is that God is powerful, neither of which is a history lesson.

The Bible is a fantastic collection of stories written by, about, and for the followers of the God of Abraham, and the followers of Christ.

Each translation allows new knowledge and information - archeological discoveries for example, to help to spread new light on old translations and interpretations.

The people translating the Bible in 2005 knew a lot more than the people who translated the Bible in 1610, for example.

Now, the Koran has never changed, you say. Why? Because there's no new knowledge? Nothing has been learned since 600? There have been no archeological discoveries supporting the stories of the Koran, as there have been discoveries supporting Old Testament stories? The language hasn't changed in 1,400 years? Words still mean exactly the same now, as they did, then?

Peace be with you.

Answer 3

Have you ever tried translating something? If you do it so you use the best word meaning for the original word, the resulting translation can end up being quite choppy. That choppy version will technically be the most accurate, but tedious to read for most people. The other extreme of this is that the translation be turned into a paraphrase which contains the same meaning (with perhaps not quite as much depth), reads very smoothly and anyone off the street could clearly understand it.

There are many versions in between those two extremes. The most popular ones lie somewhere in the middle.

Answer 4

Finally a legitimate question, which is nice for a change. There are many different translations of the Bible: King James, New International, New American Standard, etc... Each of these versions is attempting to present the gospel as either easy to understand (modern language), or provide a literal translation for accuracy. I believe that the King James Version, although hard at times to understand, due to the style of writing, is the most accurate (follows the original Greek and Hebrew texts). Since some people have difficulty understanding the writing style of the King James and other literal translations, they prefer to read Bibles with modern English with a more user friendly writing style.

Answer 5

There are not many versions of the Bible, there are many translations into many languages and many styles of those translations varying from literal to paraphrase. The Bible is agreed to be the 39 books of the Hebrew Bible or "Old Testament" and the 27 books of the "New Testament" or "New Covenant". The additional books sometimes included in Catholic Bibles are not considered to be Scripture. Jesus didn't not come with any Scripture texts. Most were written before his arrival in human form on earth, and the rest was written within 40 years of his sacrifice to save humanity.

One reason that Christianity seems confusing to someone of the Islamic faith is that God is complex and deals with people in many ways. In Islam, Allah has few characteristics other than demanding obedience from his followers. The willingness to do evil deeds exists within Allah but doesn't exist in the Christian God, which causes a perplexing question in Islam....can the evil in the world be separated from the willingness in Allah to do evil acts....

Answer 6

They are not versions per se. They are different translations.

There are three dirrerent types of biblical translations. Word for word translations attempt to translate every word. The King James is an example. This is very difficult as they are translating ancient Hebrew and Greek into, say, English. Languages, especially those still in use like English, change over time.

Thought for thought translations like the New American Standard take the thought the original author was trying to communicate and translate it into more contemporary language. What we lose in literal translation we make up for in readability.

Then we have the paraphrasees like The Message, which takes much larger passages and places them in very modern language including the use of modern phrases and such.

Answer 7

Actually, Jesus Was & Is 'The Living Word of God. Although there were 'scrolls', of God's recorded teachings of the 'old testament prophets', Like the one that Jesus read to the people in the synagogue from the prophet Isaiah. However the New Testament was'nt recorded until after Jesus left 'the scene'. The Holy Spirit inspired 'Message' of God, compiled into 66 books, known today as the Bible, has been translated into many different languages over the centuries. Each with it's own unique 'flavor' of cultural dialect. I've only been on this planet for a few decades, and I can tell you the original meanings of some basic words in my own language, have changed dramatically! For instance, I started out being taught that the definition for the word 'bad' was exactly that! As I became a young adult, it turned into a 'street slang' word for something 'really good.' Go figure!
In order to keep up with the ever changing language & culture, newer versions of the Bible were printed. I have at least seven different versions myself. I've compared them with each other. Although the 'style' of the text is different, the basic 'interpretation' of the 'Message of God' is maintained in each one. The purpose of the Word is to draw us into the truth and revelation of God. His Heart, His ways, His glory and Holiness, His desire to be known and loved, just as He knows and loves us. The Bible is really more of a guide, intended to lead us on our journey, into the 'Kingdom of God! I don't believe God ever intended the varied interpretations of it to become a point of division or strife, between 'His Children'. One suggestion I might make, is that you not look to any religion for guidance, rather look 'up' for Wisdom from God directly. Jesus restored that connection for all of us on the cross. You have a 'direct-dial-up-line to God yourself! He's waitin' for your call! Sincerely, Rose

Answer 8

...First, the Koran is not the Word of God but the writings of a man who could not read or write; he had "others" write down his dreams as he followed the "moon god of Arabia" and saw a piece of "space junk" fall from the sky (a common piece of a meteor)... The Word of God, given to Moses and passed down by Abraham was painstakingly written by Hebrew scribes under the watchful eyes of the Rabbi's and Sages (the most accurate record keepers on the Planet).
If you can get copy's of the Greek Lexicon you would see the Words of God as close to what was ever written... Over the centuries various "translations" have been offered... the majority of them are very very accurate and do not "skew" the message of Gods Word, however, some "cults" such as the Jehovah Witnesses(Mary Baker Eddy), Mormans(Joseph Smith), Scientology(L Ron Hubbard), Sum Young Moon etc. have re-written or offered as factual, false "books" and altered "key" points of Scripture to attempt to "twist" Gods Word for their benefit... (that's why "they" have "their" exclusive translations and forbid their followers to ever read any other translation)... Cults & false Phropits are very very easy to identify...."they" all have extra bibical documents, "religious" gymnastics and iconic worship "trinkets" that are used to hold their followers in "religious" bondage... Jesus came with One message... "He" is the Way, the Truth and the Light....
Not the Church of Rome, The Mosque or the Kingdom Hall etc. etc.

Answer 9

It's all in translation. They have to translate it so it's in structure we understand but not lose any meaning...they have to give us language of today while still saying the exact same thing as was said millenia ago. It was originally in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic.

Jesus was a Jew - He had the Old Testament. The New Testament was written after He died.

Quran has, as far as I know, always been in Arabic.

The Holy Spirit takes away confusion in good time.

Answer 10

Because of the Tower of Bable. Read Genesis 11:4-9

Answer 11

Different versions are actually different translations so people can understand in their own way. Everyone learns differently and different translations are helpful for different learning styles. I could not read out of King James Version and understand. I read the New Living Translation and cross reference it with the New International Version.