[4]    Bible: Accuracy, Inerrancy and Translations


13.    Is our present Bible accurate?

a. Accuracy of the Bible: b. Textual criticism of the Bible, started in the 19th century: c. Why did God allow errors in copies of the Bible?


14.    Is the Bible inerrant or without error?

a. Complete inerrancy: (the orthodox view) b. Limited inerrancy: c. Irrelevancy of inerrancy


15.    How should we reconcile difficulties and discrepancies in the Bible?

b. Harmonistic approach: c. Moderate harmonistic approach: d. Errancy approach: (non-orthodox view)


16.    What are the original languages of the Bible?

a. Old Testament b. New Testament


17.    What are the major translations of the Bible? Which ones are the best?

b. Ancient translations: c. Major English translations still in use today (methods of translation in last column):
1611 King James Version (KJV) FEq
1952 Revised Standard Version (RSV) FEq/DEq
1970 New English Bible (NEB) DEq
1971 New American Standard Bible (NASB) FEq
1971 Living Bible (LB) Par/DEq
1976 Good News Bible / Today’s English Version (GNB, TEV) DEq
1978 New International Version (NIV) DEq/FEq
1982 New King James Version (NKJV, revision of KJV) FEq
1989 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV, revision of RSV) FEq/DEq
1989 Revised English Bible (REB, revision of NEB) DEq
1995 Contemporary English Version (CEV) DEq/Par
d. Chinese translations:
1822 Marshman Translation  
1823 Morrison Translation  
1919 Kuoyu Bible (similar method as KJV) FEq
1970 Lui’s Translation  
1979 Today’s Chinese Version (similar method as NIV) DEq
1979 Chinese Living Bible (similar method as the Living Bible) DEq/Par
1985 New Translation (similar method as NASB) FEq/DEq
e. Best translation: