According to Richard John Neuhaus, editor in chief of First Things, "Alan Jacobs is, quite simply, one of our most discerning cultural critics." He is not only a fine cultural critic, but a penetrating literary critic as well. That's why I found his article, A Bible for Everyone, so interesting. Jacob is reviewing and praising the English Standard Version of the Bible. The goal of the ESV translation committee was not only to produce a "new, essentially literal translation," but also to combine this with "literary excellence, beauty, and readability." Their goal was to produce a Bible that could be used from the cradle to the grave--or as Jacobs says, "a Bible for everyone."
Jacobs explains the special strength of the ESV:
The key principle that the ESV’s translation team employed is simple yet profound: deference to existing excellence."
His conclusion is, in my opinion, right on target:
It is the ESV’s balance of thorough, up-to-date scholarship and deference to the elders’ wisdom that makes it the best available English Bible. What this means, further, is that the ESV is the best candidate yet for the long-hoped-for “replacement” of the KJV, the translation that bridges denominational gaps and strikes the right balance among the virtues of clarity, correctness, and grace.
Jacobs explains the special strength of the ESV:
The key principle that the ESV’s translation team employed is simple yet profound: deference to existing excellence."
His conclusion is, in my opinion, right on target:
It is the ESV’s balance of thorough, up-to-date scholarship and deference to the elders’ wisdom that makes it the best available English Bible. What this means, further, is that the ESV is the best candidate yet for the long-hoped-for “replacement” of the KJV, the translation that bridges denominational gaps and strikes the right balance among the virtues of clarity, correctness, and grace.
