Moffatt, New Translation (MNT) is an abbreviation of the title ''The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments, a New Translation'' by

James Moffatt James Moffatt (4 July 1870, Glasgow – 27 June 1944, New York City) was a Scottish theologian and graduate of the University of Glasgow. Moffatt trained at the Free Church College, Glasgow, and was a practising minister at the United Free Ch ...

Description

In the introduction to his 1926 edition, Moffatt wrote, "The aim I have endeavoured to keep before my mind in making this translation has been to present the books of the Old and the New Testament in effective, intelligible English. No translation of an ancient classic can be quite intelligible, it is true, unless the reader is sufficiently acquainted with its environment to understand some of its flying allusions and characteristic metaphors. But something may be done and I am convinced, ought to be done at the present day to offer the unlearned a transcript of the Biblical literature as it lies in the light thrown upon it by modern research. The Bible is not always what it seems to those who read it in the great prose of the English version or indeed, in any of the conventional versions. What it is may be partly suggested by a new rendering, such as the following pages present, that is, a fresh translation of the original, not a revision of any English version." In beginning his work in 1901, he arranged the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...

into what he perceived to be historical order and provided an original translation of the

, ''The Historical New Testament. Being the Literature of the New Testament Arranged in the Order of Its Literary Growth and According to the Dates of the Documents.'' Moffatt's departed from traditional translations in several areas. Firstly, he held to the documentary hypothesis and printed his Bible in different typefaces according to which author he believed had written each particular section. Secondly, he dated most books hundreds of years later than most theologians did at the time, which stemmed from his doubt about the historical accuracy of many of the biblical books (especially in the Old Testament). Finally, he rearranged the biblical texts (usually by switching chapter orders), based on his judgments about the content, authorship, and historicity of the texts. For example, John 14 comes after John 15 and 16 in the Moffatt Bible. He raised objections from many scholars but proved very popular and started a trend toward more paraphrased translations. His translation received praise from

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...

, and was one of those frequently used by

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

Bibles

* ''The New Testament a New Translation'', 1913 * ''The Old Testament A New Translation'', Vol. I, Genesis-Esther 1924 * ''The Old Testament A New Translation'' Vol. II, Job-Malachi 1925 * ''The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments'', 1926 * ''A New Translation of The Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments'', revised, 1935 * Shorter version, 1941 * Commentary (17 volumes), 1928-1949 * Concordance, 1949 *

2 Maccabees 2 Maccabees, el, Μακκαβαίων Β´, translit=Makkabaíōn 2 also known as the Second Book of Maccabees, Second Maccabees, and abbreviated as 2 Macc., is a deuterocanonical book which recounts the persecution of Jews under King Antiochus I ...

, included in Volume 1-Apocrypha of ''The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament in English'' edited by R. H. Charles 1913.

References

External links

Innvista's MNT page
{{English Bible translation navbox, , state=collapsed 1922 books 1922 in Christianity Bible translations into English

Description

Bibles

See also

References

External links