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Bible Revisions

The Bible has undergone numerous revisions, translations, and textual updates over the centuries. However, the concept of “revisions” depends on whether you mean textual changes in the original languages, translations, or doctrinal edits. Here’s an overview:

1. Textual Changes in the Original Manuscripts

  • The Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) has had variations due to scribal copying errors and edits. The Dead Sea Scrolls (c. 250 BCE – 50 CE) revealed variations compared to the Masoretic Text (c. 7th–10th centuries CE), which is the basis for most modern Old Testaments.
  • The New Testament has over 400,000 textual variants among the 5,800+ Greek manuscripts, though most are minor (spelling, word order).
  • Major textual compilations:
    • Textus Receptus (16th century CE) – Basis for the King James Version (1611)
    • Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament (current 28th edition) – Basis for modern scholarly translations

Sources:

  • Metzger, Bruce. The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration
  • Ehrman, Bart. Misquoting Jesus

2. Major Translation Revisions

  • King James Version (KJV) has had multiple revisions:
    • 1611 – First edition
    • 1629, 1638 – Corrected printing errors
    • 1769 – Oxford edition (Standard KJV today)
  • Modern Translations often revise older versions based on newer manuscript discoveries:
    • RSV (1952) → NRSV (1989) → NRSV Updated Edition (2021)
    • NIV (1978) → TNIV (2005) → NIV (2011)
    • ESV (2001) → ESV Permanent Text (2016)

Sources:

  • Norton, David. A Textual History of the King James Bible
  • Wurthwein, Ernst. The Text of the Old Testament

3. Doctrinal Revisions and Canon Changes

  • The Council of Nicaea (325 CE) and other councils debated doctrine, but not specific textual changes.
  • The Catholic Bible includes the Deuterocanonical books, while Protestant Bibles exclude them.
  • The Book of Mormon (1830) and the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1950) reflect theological revisions.

Sources:

  • Bruce, F.F. The Canon of Scripture
  • Gamble, Harry. The New Testament Canon

Approximate Number of Revisions?

  • If counting Greek and Hebrew manuscript variations: over 400,000
  • If counting major translation revisions: dozens per major version
  • If counting significant doctrinal edits: several historical shifts over time