Concordant Literal Version
Encyclopedia
The Concordant Version is an English translation of the Bible
compiled by the Concordant Publishing Concern (CPC), which was founded by Adolph Ernst Knoch
in 1909. The principal works of the CPC are the Concordant Literal New Testament with Keyword Concordance ("CLNT") and the Concordant Version of the Old Testament ("CVOT"). A. E. Knoch designed the Concordant Version in such a way as to put the English reader who lacks a formal knowledge of Koine Greek in possession of all the vital facts of the most ancient codices: Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus, and Codex Alexandrinus. The CPC's efforts yielded a restored Greek text, titled The Concordant Greek Text, containing all of the important variant readings found in the codices mentioned above. This was done with the intent of conforming, as far as possible, to the original autograph manuscripts. An utterly consistent hyper-literal sub-linear based upon a standard English equivalent for each Greek element is to be found beneath each Greek word. The Concordant Greek Text forms the basis of the Concordant Literal New Testament, which is more idiomatic in its English than the hyper-literal sublinear. The Concordant Literal New Testament and the Concordant Greek Text are linked together and correlated for the English reader by means of an English concordance—the Keyword Concordance—and a complementary list of the Greek elements.
With the use of the Concordant method of translation the CPC endeavored to recognize the importance of the vocabulary of Scripture, keeping distinct the words used in the original languages by giving each Greek word—as far as is possible—its own unique and consistent English equivalent. While acknowledging that absolute consistency cannot be achieved in the making of an idiomatic English version, the introduction to the Sixth edition of the Concordant Literal New Testament states that the CLNT, by being harmonious with the original texts, keeps to a minimum the confusion resulting from translating different Greek words with the same English word, or one Greek word with many English words. It is this principle of consistent or "concordant" translation which was also employed in the compilation of the Concordant Version of the Old Testament (CVOT), now completed. Therefore, with the exception of occasional idiomatic variants, each English word in the Concordant Version does exclusive duty for a single Greek or Hebrew word. Thus, according to the CPC, a substantial formal correspondence is maintained between the source languages and the receptor language.
The CPC describes what distinguishes its work from that of others in an article titled About the Concordant Publishing Concern, published on its website:
In the CLNT the CPC utilizes special typographic devices in an effort to display the actual grammatical features of the Greek New Testament, rather than merely an interpretation of said features. These devices may be categorized as follows: (1) lightface and boldface type to indicate when an English word is inserted to complete the sense, (2) symbols for the verb, and (3) distinctive signs and abbreviations for other grammatical elements. Similar devices are used in the CVOT, in which boldface type, symbols and capital letters indicate the words actually found in the Hebrew text, and lightface type indicate English words added for clarity. Textual emendations are also noted. The extreme care taken by the CPC demonstrates the "high" view of Scriptural inspiration that guided its efforts.
In the interests of neutrality and objectivity, it is a fair and truthful statement that the Concordant Version is significantly more difficult to use than most other versions of the Bible. It requires regular use and study to become familiar and comfortable with its exacting vocabulary and syntax, and competent in the use of its many features. The CLNT is not an "easy reader", and its compilers expected its users to have a good grasp of English, and an interest in concerted study rather than light reading. One may inspect the complete text of the CLNT, sans the various typographic symbols, online at the web-site of the Concordant Publishing Concern, www.concordant.org.
The CVOT is published in five volumes, each with an introduction explaining the features employed by the Version, as well as the method of translation used to produce it.
From 1919 until 1926 the CV was issued in parts beginning with Revelation. The second edition was a pocket edition printed in 1927. The third revised edition (1931) was similar to the 1926 edition with Greek text and notes, but included the Lexicon and Concordance and The Greek Elements. It retained the title- Concordant Version: The Sacred Scriptures. The fourth edition appeared in 1944 and followed the publication of a Concordant Version in Germany in 1939. (The current German edition has the title Konkordantes Neues Testament.) The corresponding English version was then called the "Revised, International Edition." The revision printed in 1966 was designated "The Memorial Edition" in honor of the compiler, Adolph Ernst Knoch, who was put to repose on March 28, 1965. At this time the translation was given a new title- Concordant Literal New Testament. A revised and updated edition was released in 1976, with several subsequent printings.
The work was done as follows: Photographic facsimiles of each of the ancient manuscripts were carefully compared with a copy of the text of Weymouth's THE RESULTANT GREEK TESTAMENT, and every variation was noted in it. Then another copy of Weymouth’s text was cut up and pasted, line for line, on large sheets of paper which were bound together as a book. Much space was left between each line, so that all the variations could be entered in place, above the words. If another reading was preferred instead of Weymouth’s, the notation above the line was changed accordingly. The principles on which this text was constructed are explained in the Introduction to the CONCORDANT GREEK TEXT. This volume of the Concordant Library contains every word and letter of A, B, s, Codex Vaticanus 2066 (046) for the Apocalypse, and some recently discovered fragments of Papyri. Variant readings in these manuscripts are shown in the Greek text, referred to as the super-linear. A uniform, hyper-literal word-for-word English sub-linear translation is given below the Greek text. The Greek text is printed in the ancient uncial letters as found in the most ancient manuscripts.
The edition of the CLNT printed in 1966 reflects significant revision work and minor original translation work by Herman Rocke and Dean Hough. The 1976 edition, which is the current edition, contains further refinements.
The 1936 book Studies in Paul's Epistle to the Romans by George Lawley Rogers is an in-depth examination of the Epistle to the Romans
utilizing the Concordant Version; though out of print, used copies are available.
in Los Angeles
), J. H. Breckenridge (Attorney for the Irvine Ranch) who advised on legal matters, C. P. Wilcox of Long Beach
, Horace M. Conrad of South Pasadena
, who assisted with proofreading
, Mrs. Gibson and Mrs. Walker, who prepared the slips for the card index system, Dr. Emma Lucas, Earl Taber, Vi E. Olin, Edna Parr, Dr. and Mrs. W. S. Bagley, Pastor George L. Rogers of Almont, Michigan
, who served as an expert on the Greek verb and assisted with type, David Mann, Frank Neil Pohorlak (later known as Dr. Pohorlak), Alexander Thomson
of Scotland
, Edward H. Clayton of England
, who served as an advisor in translation matters, Ben Bredimus and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Kirk of Seattle and Adlai Loudy.
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
compiled by the Concordant Publishing Concern (CPC), which was founded by Adolph Ernst Knoch
Adolph Ernst Knoch
Adolph Ernst Knoch was the author of numerous theological writings and a Bible publisher.Knoch founded the Concordant Publishing Concern and the Concordant Version of the Bible.-Life:...
in 1909. The principal works of the CPC are the Concordant Literal New Testament with Keyword Concordance ("CLNT") and the Concordant Version of the Old Testament ("CVOT"). A. E. Knoch designed the Concordant Version in such a way as to put the English reader who lacks a formal knowledge of Koine Greek in possession of all the vital facts of the most ancient codices: Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus, and Codex Alexandrinus. The CPC's efforts yielded a restored Greek text, titled The Concordant Greek Text, containing all of the important variant readings found in the codices mentioned above. This was done with the intent of conforming, as far as possible, to the original autograph manuscripts. An utterly consistent hyper-literal sub-linear based upon a standard English equivalent for each Greek element is to be found beneath each Greek word. The Concordant Greek Text forms the basis of the Concordant Literal New Testament, which is more idiomatic in its English than the hyper-literal sublinear. The Concordant Literal New Testament and the Concordant Greek Text are linked together and correlated for the English reader by means of an English concordance—the Keyword Concordance—and a complementary list of the Greek elements.
With the use of the Concordant method of translation the CPC endeavored to recognize the importance of the vocabulary of Scripture, keeping distinct the words used in the original languages by giving each Greek word—as far as is possible—its own unique and consistent English equivalent. While acknowledging that absolute consistency cannot be achieved in the making of an idiomatic English version, the introduction to the Sixth edition of the Concordant Literal New Testament states that the CLNT, by being harmonious with the original texts, keeps to a minimum the confusion resulting from translating different Greek words with the same English word, or one Greek word with many English words. It is this principle of consistent or "concordant" translation which was also employed in the compilation of the Concordant Version of the Old Testament (CVOT), now completed. Therefore, with the exception of occasional idiomatic variants, each English word in the Concordant Version does exclusive duty for a single Greek or Hebrew word. Thus, according to the CPC, a substantial formal correspondence is maintained between the source languages and the receptor language.
The CPC describes what distinguishes its work from that of others in an article titled About the Concordant Publishing Concern, published on its website:
Our research efforts are centered upon the many issues involved in discovering the meaning of the original Scripture declarations themselves. Then we seek to determine how we may best translate these same Scriptures, endeavoring to do so objectively, accurately, and consistently. Our translation principles, both of vocabulary and grammatical analysis, govern all that we do.
We first seek to determine essence of word meaning; wherever possible, according to internal scriptural evidence. For each Greek word, then, we assign a STANDARD English word. To facilitate a readable English translation, additional synonyms or other concordant variants are also used, as needed. In nearly all cases, any such standards, synonyms, and variants are used exclusively for a single word in the Original, thereby eliminating almost all “crosswiring” between languages... It is such very principles of translation themselves, together with our many years of refining our efforts according to these principles, which distinguish our work, and its results, from that of others.
In the CLNT the CPC utilizes special typographic devices in an effort to display the actual grammatical features of the Greek New Testament, rather than merely an interpretation of said features. These devices may be categorized as follows: (1) lightface and boldface type to indicate when an English word is inserted to complete the sense, (2) symbols for the verb, and (3) distinctive signs and abbreviations for other grammatical elements. Similar devices are used in the CVOT, in which boldface type, symbols and capital letters indicate the words actually found in the Hebrew text, and lightface type indicate English words added for clarity. Textual emendations are also noted. The extreme care taken by the CPC demonstrates the "high" view of Scriptural inspiration that guided its efforts.
In the interests of neutrality and objectivity, it is a fair and truthful statement that the Concordant Version is significantly more difficult to use than most other versions of the Bible. It requires regular use and study to become familiar and comfortable with its exacting vocabulary and syntax, and competent in the use of its many features. The CLNT is not an "easy reader", and its compilers expected its users to have a good grasp of English, and an interest in concerted study rather than light reading. One may inspect the complete text of the CLNT, sans the various typographic symbols, online at the web-site of the Concordant Publishing Concern, www.concordant.org.
The CVOT is published in five volumes, each with an introduction explaining the features employed by the Version, as well as the method of translation used to produce it.
Editions of the Concordant Literal New Testament
The first tentative installments of this translation of the New Testament appeared in 1914 under the title Concordant Version. These were withdrawn the following year because they failed to reach the quality desired. In 1915 A.E. Knoch chose a new title, Standard Version. However, the publishers of the American Standard Edition of the Revised Version (ASV) voiced objection, and Mr. Knoch reestablished the title as Concordant Version.From 1919 until 1926 the CV was issued in parts beginning with Revelation. The second edition was a pocket edition printed in 1927. The third revised edition (1931) was similar to the 1926 edition with Greek text and notes, but included the Lexicon and Concordance and The Greek Elements. It retained the title- Concordant Version: The Sacred Scriptures. The fourth edition appeared in 1944 and followed the publication of a Concordant Version in Germany in 1939. (The current German edition has the title Konkordantes Neues Testament.) The corresponding English version was then called the "Revised, International Edition." The revision printed in 1966 was designated "The Memorial Edition" in honor of the compiler, Adolph Ernst Knoch, who was put to repose on March 28, 1965. At this time the translation was given a new title- Concordant Literal New Testament. A revised and updated edition was released in 1976, with several subsequent printings.
The Concordant Greek Text
Several years of research resulted in compiling a Greek text which gives all of the readings of the three most ancient codices: Alexandrinus, Vaticanus, and Sinaiticus, generally referred to as A, B, and the Hebrew letter Aleph (which the CPC designates as s), and all the readings from other sources which the compilers concluded are important. As it would be impossible to collate all the thousands of later manuscripts, the CPC decided to base its comparisons on Weymouth’s RESULTANT GREEK TESTAMENT. Richard Francis Weymouth based his text on the greatest editors of the nineteenth century: Lachmann, Tregelles, Tischendorf, Lightfoot, Weiss, Alford, Ellicott, Stockmeyer & Riggenbach, the Revisers, and Westcott & Hort. Weymouth’s apparatus was also consulted which gives the results of Stunica, Erasmus, Stephens, Elziver and Scrivener.The work was done as follows: Photographic facsimiles of each of the ancient manuscripts were carefully compared with a copy of the text of Weymouth's THE RESULTANT GREEK TESTAMENT, and every variation was noted in it. Then another copy of Weymouth’s text was cut up and pasted, line for line, on large sheets of paper which were bound together as a book. Much space was left between each line, so that all the variations could be entered in place, above the words. If another reading was preferred instead of Weymouth’s, the notation above the line was changed accordingly. The principles on which this text was constructed are explained in the Introduction to the CONCORDANT GREEK TEXT. This volume of the Concordant Library contains every word and letter of A, B, s, Codex Vaticanus 2066 (046) for the Apocalypse, and some recently discovered fragments of Papyri. Variant readings in these manuscripts are shown in the Greek text, referred to as the super-linear. A uniform, hyper-literal word-for-word English sub-linear translation is given below the Greek text. The Greek text is printed in the ancient uncial letters as found in the most ancient manuscripts.
The edition of the CLNT printed in 1966 reflects significant revision work and minor original translation work by Herman Rocke and Dean Hough. The 1976 edition, which is the current edition, contains further refinements.
Reliable Secondary Sources
The Internet contains many scholarly articles that discuss and dissect the Concordant Version.The 1936 book Studies in Paul's Epistle to the Romans by George Lawley Rogers is an in-depth examination of the Epistle to the Romans
Epistle to the Romans
The Epistle of Paul to the Romans, often shortened to Romans, is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle Paul to explain that Salvation is offered through the Gospel of Jesus Christ...
utilizing the Concordant Version; though out of print, used copies are available.
Others involved
The names of some of those who assisted A. E. Knoch during the various phases of the preparation work on the CLNT are as follows: Melville Dozier (Superintendent of SchoolsSuperintendent (education)
In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
), J. H. Breckenridge (Attorney for the Irvine Ranch) who advised on legal matters, C. P. Wilcox of Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, Horace M. Conrad of South Pasadena
South Pasadena, California
South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in in the West San Gabriel Valley...
, who assisted with proofreading
Proofreading
Proofreading is the reading of a galley proof or computer monitor to detect and correct production-errors of text or art. Proofreaders are expected to be consistently accurate by default because they occupy the last stage of typographic production before publication.-Traditional method:A proof is...
, Mrs. Gibson and Mrs. Walker, who prepared the slips for the card index system, Dr. Emma Lucas, Earl Taber, Vi E. Olin, Edna Parr, Dr. and Mrs. W. S. Bagley, Pastor George L. Rogers of Almont, Michigan
Almont, Michigan
Almont is a village in Lapeer County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,803 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Almont Township....
, who served as an expert on the Greek verb and assisted with type, David Mann, Frank Neil Pohorlak (later known as Dr. Pohorlak), Alexander Thomson
Alexander Thomson (writer)
Alexander Thomson, , born in Corstorphine, Scotland, was a religious writer involved in the work of the Concordant Publishing Concern , publishers of the Concordant Literal Version of the Bible....
of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Edward H. Clayton of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, who served as an advisor in translation matters, Ben Bredimus and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Kirk of Seattle and Adlai Loudy.
External links
- Online (New Testament only)
- The Concordant Method, an article by A.E. Knoch
- The Concordant Version, an article by Gerry Watts