Although it was written thousands of years ago, the Bible continues to fascinate and guide readers today. The Journey from Text to Translations explains how the Bible that we use came to be in its present form. In five parts, author Paul Wegner introduces the Bible and its arrangement, describes how the various books were collected into a single canon, examines how the Bible was passed on from one generation to the next, explores how and why early versions were produced, and discusses the myriad of English translations.

This comprehensive volume fills the pressing need for a thorough, accessible, and up-to-date general introduction to the Bible. Paul Wegner's work will familiarize students with the many significant issues involved in the writing, collection, canonization, transmission, and translation of the Scriptures. Keeping in mind the needs of the introductory-level student and lay reader, Wegner admirably avoids or defines the sometimes difficult language and terminology that limit the usefulness of more technical studies.

The work is divided into sections that are logically and clearly arranged, tracing the development of both the Old and New Testaments. Throughout the book the author addresses fundamental questions relevant to all serious readers of the Bible. Part 1 considers the doctrines of revelation and inspiration, the general contents of the two Testaments, and the relationship between the old and new covenants. In Part 2, Wegner deals with the historical processes behind the gathering of the texts and considers the factors that influenced both the Jewish and Christian communities as they settled the question of canonicity. Part 3 considers the practical issues involved in the transmission of the biblical text and provides a basic introduction to textual criticism and the comparing of manuscripts with divergent readings. Part 4 surveys early translations of the Hebrew and Greek texts, such as early Syriac, Coptic, and Latin versions of the Bible. Part 5 presents a detailed study of English versions, including the many translations and paraphrases that have been produced in recent years. This final section will be particularly helpful to students trying to make sense of the sometimes heated debates over modern translations that have divided evangelical Christians and will help them make informed decisions about which Bible version is best for them.

Throughout the book students will find useful charts that summarize the material, compare divergent positions on disputed questions, or reinforce significant points. Numerous historical and archaeological photos and illustrations enrich the text. Each chapter concludes with a bibliography to guide the reader to more detailed studies of specific topics. Wegner's volume will be particularly useful for college and introductory-level seminary classes that introduce students to the history and transmission of the Scriptures, but it is also a work that interested lay readers will find accessible and educational.

The Bible As the Word of God

Preliminary Matters Regarding the Bible
Description of the Bible
The Old Testament
The New Testament
Unity of the Two Covenants

The Canonization of the Bible
Prerequisites to the Bible
Canonization of the Old Testament
The Old Testament Extracanonical Books
Canonization of the New Testament
New Testament Extracanonical Literature

Transmission of the Bible
Transmission of the Old Testament
Sources for Old Testament Textual Criticism
Transmission of the New Testament
Sources for New Testament Textual Criticism

Early Translations of the Bible
Early Versions
The First Printed Greek Bibles

English Translations of the Bible
English Bibles Prior to 1611
The Authorized Version of 1611 and Its Revisions
Modern English Bible Up to 1950
Modern Translations from 1950
Why So Many Translations?

General Index
Scripture Inde

Philip W. Comfort, professor of Greek and New Testament at Trinity Episcopal Seminary
Although many people read the Bible, very few people know the history of its making. Wegner's book, The Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origin and Development of the Bible, takes you on a journey from the original texts to the most recent English versions. This journey begins with the ancient Hebrew texts of the Old Testament and Greek of both testaments (including the exciting Dead Sea Scroll discoveries at Qumran and New Testament discoveries in Egypt), to the making of many translations-especially in English. Take the journey; Wegner's book is an excellent travel guide.

Scot McKnight, Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies, North Park University
When it comes to books on the Bible, students are often forced to choose between technical systematic theology or detailed commentaries; a good book on the Bible as Bible is hard to find. Further, what students often look for are 'facts' about the Bible (how it came into being, how books were selected, how the manuscripts fared, and how the translations were undertaken) and this book admirably provides the kind of facts students need. Charts are abundant, tables everywhere, and the text clearly written and clarifyingly illustrated. This is a delightful book which will serve generations to come.

Tremper Longman, Professor of Old Testament, Westamont College
Have you ever wondered about the origins of your Bible or how it relates to other Bibles out there in the marketplace? Have you ever raised the questions why our Bible contains the books it does? Paul Wegner's The Journey from Texts to Translations is a virtual treasure trove of information on these and similar questions. He is an expert guide through the maze of information on Bible origins and development.

Paul C. Boling, Christian Library Journal
"This is the best and most readable discussion of the origins of the Bible I have ever seen anywhere. . . . It is hard for me to overemphasize the value and significance of this book. It is a wonderful reference as well as an excellent textbook for a course in the history of the Bible."

Michael W. Holmes, Religious Studies Review
"This excellent survey of English translations will serve readers of many levels and interests as a useful reference."

Mr. Gary S. Dykes from Visalia, CA
A handsome book! 462 pages in a smyth-sewn hardcover for under [price], the paper is not however, certified ANSI acid-free stock.

Wegner does a fine job of introducing the average Christian to the sources of their English Bibles. It is clearly written and professionally laid out (despite some lingering software/printing errors). It has numerous images and charts, many of important persons (Westcott, Gerrit Verkuyl et cetera) and of numerous Biblical manuscripts (many from the Van Kampen collection in Florida). The book is a fine work for use in a classroom situation as well as private learning. It also serves as a quick general reference text for data related to the text and editions of the English Bibles.

My only complaint is that Wegner is biased towards the text as found in Egypt, as seen in his discussion of the KJV debate beginning on pages 337 ff.. His language downgrades the Byzantine text-type, which is too bad. He does admit that just because the Egyptian text-type has been discovered, and is dated as the earliest text or manuscripts -- does not automatically mean that it/they must therefore be the most accurate, but he unfortunately does not abide by his observation! He laments that no early copies of a Byzantine text has yet been found (yet papyri P46, P66 and many other MSS found in Egypt do DISPLAY Byzantine readings) [or, more technically - Antiochian readings]. He is a good writer, but he should have withheld his uninformed judgment here! Also he seems to be unaware of the many errors lying in the apparatuses of the Nestle/Aland and UBS Greek New Testament text editions!

A fine book, useful and well worth the price. Be sure to purchase the corrected edition -- on the publication data page it will say -- "Corrected printing, December 2000", in which many images and layouts are corrected. Some still remain, yet a small hinderance they be. ...

Frederic C Putnam from Hatfield, PA United States
novices into a better understanding of where their favourite English version(s) came from. Technical subjects (for example, textual criticism) are handled simply, but not simpistically. Wengert most successfully realizes his goal--to "enable those in the church to determine the validity of charges leveled against modern versions, as well as to instill an appreciation of the difficulties of producing new translations of the Bible" (p. 17).

C. Lloyd Chesser from Hueytown, AL
I just finished this book, and found it to be accurate and highly readable. Wegner obviously did an excellent job researching for his treatise. The book builds systematically upon how we got the Scriptures. The sections on the different Bible versions are thorough and informative. I highly reccomend this book!

phefft from Moody Bible Institute
I must confess that I do not personally own a copy of the book, nor have I held a finished copy in my hands. However, I have gone a step further. I have taken the class for which this text was written and therefore, the notes that I was given serve as an abstract to the book. If you have little to no knowledge of where we really get our present Bible from (which is about 99.9% of Christians today) then this book is a must have... You will learn so much from Dr. Wegner, and his passion for the material will be clearly evident in all of it. This is deffinitely a book that will answer a lot of questions that you may have on the Bible that we use today... Trusting in Christ, Paul Hefft

A reader from Bakersfield, CA United States
I was excited to get this book - when it arrived, I liked it immediately. It is handsomely bound, with a beautiful glossy cover, in a comfortable size and weight, and with a very user-friendly typeface.

I've been searching for a good, modern, doctrinally neutral history of the Bible text from ancient manuscripts to compilation/recension to modern translation, and thought I might have finally found it. But I was mistaken.

After four chapters worth of heavy-handed doctrinal polemics, I decided to close the book and look elsewhere. I want a research thesis, not a Sunday School theology lesson! The author seems unable to set aside his desire to promote his own pet theological bias (and to denegrate all others), and just focus on the objective history of the Bible text. Which is fine for a church lesson-book, but inappropriate in a scholarly treatise in layman's language.

I bought the book based on the strength of several of the reviews I read here on amazon's site, as well as the praise from the back cover, all from sources I respect. But I just couldn't go with the crowd on this one, I have to call it as I see it. A real disappointment.

I got much more benefit from OUR AGELESS BIBLE by Thomas Leishman and THE MAKING OF THE ENGLISH NEW TESTAMENT by Edgar Goodspeed, both of which are basic introductory texts, but unfortunately out-of-print.