What is the difference between the bible versions? (king james, old testament, new testament, etc)?

Question

And which bible would most baptists use?

Answer 1

Here is a "quick" explanation:
The papyri (paper) that Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, James, Peter, Titus, Jude, and Paul used to write on could never be expected to last indefinitely. Paper degrades over long periods of time.

As a result, the absolute "original" writings of these men do not exist in full. However, there are MANY bits and pieces of their writing, even still (and ALL confirm and support the accuracy of the Bibles of today to an amazing degree)

However, when their writings started getting really old, then the followers did exactly what you'd expect them to do...carefully transcribe it on to new paper, etc.

Not only that, they didn't have "copy machines" back then, so many careful copies were made for distribution to people for them to read, etc.

And so, the Bible was copied over and over again throughout the years....and there are TONS of "recopied" and "distributed" copies of the original )...all the way up until the printing press was created...in like the 15 century. (again, all amazingly accurate and precise when comparing to each other and the modern Bible)

Now then, the original writings of the New Testament was written in Greek.

Today, there are basically 2 main Greek renditions of the New Testament. One is called the "Textus Receptus" or "Received Text" and the other the "Critical Text"...although, there are several different "names" for both of these main two texts.

Bottomline - they are 99.9% identical.

Now then, all the English versions of the Bible are merely translations of one or the other 2 main greek versions.

As it is, only the KJV and NKJV come from the "Textus Receptus"

Pretty much all other English versions come from the "Critical Text"....such as the NIV, ESV, NLT, Amplified, The Message, NASB, etc, etc, etc, etc....

AND, most of these "Critical Text" versions of the Bible (NIV, ESV, etc), will have a side note in the Bible where the Textus Receptus was a little different...such as, "some older (or newer) manuscripts say this, or that".

But again, this is a rare occasion...as the two original Greek texts are 99.9% the same - and the difference do NOT impact ANY teaching or "doctrine".

The ONE "big" difference that I see is with 1 John 5:7. Give it a read in the KJV and NIV, and you will see what I mean. The KJV verse is a powerful verse supporting the concept of the trinity.

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Beyond all this, the question is: how do you translate something...word-for-word...or meaning-for-meaning???

And this is really the BIG difference in how the Bibles read. Some English versions are more word-for-word translations while others are more meaning-for-meaning.

Still other translations have more "old english", like the KJV. So, it has words like "ye" (which is just plural for "you"). These have simply been replaced with "you" in more modern translations...like the NKJV.

As far as most Baptists...?
It is still very variable.
Some love and just use the KJV.
Others use the NKJV.
Some now use the ESV, which came out recently.
And still others use the NIV.

...other translations are not used all that commonly by Baptists, but sometimes are.

If you are looking for a Bible to read...I would suggest starting with the NIV...and a good study Bible, too...such as "The NIV Quest Study Bible":
http://www.amazon.com/NIV-Quest-Study-Bible-Revised/dp/0310928044/ref=pd_bbs_12/002-9673633-9133650?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186850914&sr=8-12

Also, a parallel Bible is a good idea...which lays out various versions side by side for you.

I have one with the KJV, Amplified version, and NIV...which provides an excellent comparison of all three...and helps to try to see what the original Greek really said without having to learn Greek, etc. (Though, you can also get a "interlinear Bible" which shows the original Greek and English translation, and most with definitions of Greek words, etc.).

Here is an example of a parallel bible:
http://www.amazon.com/Hendrickson-Parallel-Bible-Multiple-Versions/dp/1565636988/ref=pd_bbs_3/002-9673633-9133650?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186852648&sr=1-3

You can see in the description how the 4 versions it contains is a different rendition of the SAME exact original Greek text. You see, if we ALL spoke and read Greek, then there would only be ONE "version" of the Bible.

Anyway...the Old Testmanent was in Hebrew...and all people agree that it is very solid. The Jews did a phenomenal job of keeping it accurate, as scientists have proven via the Dead Sea Scrolls, etc...

The Old Testament = the Jewish Bible (all written over 2300 years ago, at least)
The New Testament = all written AFTER Jesus came, died, and rose from the dead. All written by people who actually saw Jesus, so all written before they died. Which means, all written in the first century.

The Old Testament + The New Testament = the Christian Bible

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Hope this helped some!

Answer 2

The King James translation of the Bible was done in the 1600's, and used the language of that time. King James ordered the Old and New Testaments translated.

I love the King James translation, even though sometimes it is very difficult to understand. Many of the words used in the translation are not used today, and many are used differently. The main thing I like is how it is very poetic. I always say that the King James translation is meant to be read aloud. I compare it to Shakespeare's works.

Many of the other versions of the Bible are taken from the King James, and put into modern language.

The Old Testament and New Testament make up the Christian Bible. The Old Testament was written before Jesus Christ was born, and contains many prophecies of Jesus Christ. The New Testament was written after Jesus Christ was born, and contains his teachings.

I have always used the King James Bible, as I said above, and love it. I used it when I was Baptist. I remember noticing that what the preacher read did not coincide with what was in my Bible.

My understanding is that Baptists use whichever version they want to. There is no set rule. You could ask the members of your church which one they recommend. Go to a Bible bookstore and look at the various translations, and read a few verses in each, and see which one you like the best.

Answer 3

Pretty similar the translation are a bit different the major difference is that there are I think 8 books missing from the old testament of the King James Version

Answer 4

nothing..king james was written in the 1600's with kings' english...we have versions now with modern english..but the content is still the same...

the old testament + new testament = bible..

baptist can use either king james or a modern version.

Answer 5

Well, for versions I think you mean king james, new international, new living translation etc. They all say the same thing, it is just that with the newer ones like the new living translation, you can understand them better. Baptists can read any and all of them :)

Answer 6

Some Baptists, especially from the south are KJV only, while others use the NKJV and still others use versions like the NIV.

The KJV & NKJV are "word for word" translations while the NIV is a "dynamic equivalent" which means a "thought for thought" tanslation.

Answer 7

the bible, has strayed from its purpose, and is no longer the truth. But a book that has sold its ways to the devil, for christians to make money. 600 different versions of the ENGLISH bible.

the only way to know the truth is to seek God as you read this book, for there are lots of lies in it, or mistakes.