James Moffatt
Encyclopedia
James Moffatt was a theologian and graduate of Glasgow University.
Moffatt trained at the Free Church College, Glasgow
, and was a practising minister
before becoming Professor of Greek and New Testament
Exegesis
at Mansfield College, Oxford
in 1911. He returned to Glasgow in 1915 as Professor of Church History
at the United Free Church College. From 1927-1939 he was Washburn Professor of Church History at the Union Theological Seminary, New York
.
In 1901 he arranged the New Testament
documents into what he perceived to be historical order and provided an original translation of the New Testament
entitled The Historical New Testament. This work, including his translation and rearrangement of texts, stemmed from his liberal viewpoint.http://www.ccel.org/m/moffat/
In addition, he translated one of the standard Modern English Bible translations
:
Moffatt's stated goal was to provide the Bible in plain English. His translation is certainly easy to read, though he departed from traditional translations in several areas. First, he held to the documentary hypothesis
(that the first five books of the Old Testament were written by four different authors, and not Moses as Christians and Jews believe). He printed this section of the Bible in different typefaces according to which author he believed had written each particular section. Second, he dated most books hundreds of years later than most theologians of the time; this stemmed from his doubt about the historical accuracy of many of the biblical books (especially those in the Old Testament) and no doubt affected his translation of various passages. Last, 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 chapter 14 comes after John 15 and 16 in the Moffatt Bible. These methods raised objections from many scholars, but proved very popular and started a trend toward more paraphrased translations.
Moffatt trained at the Free Church College, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, and was a practising minister
Minister of religion
In Christian churches, a minister is someone who is authorized by a church or religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community...
before becoming Professor of Greek and New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
Exegesis
Exegesis
Exegesis is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a religious text. Traditionally the term was used primarily for exegesis of the Bible; however, in contemporary usage it has broadened to mean a critical explanation of any text, and the term "Biblical exegesis" is used...
at Mansfield College, Oxford
Mansfield College, Oxford
Mansfield College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Of the colleges that accept both undergraduate and graduate students Mansfield College is one of the smallest, comprising approximately 210 undergraduates, 130 graduates, 35 visiting students and 50...
in 1911. He returned to Glasgow in 1915 as Professor of Church History
History of Christianity
The history of Christianity concerns the Christian religion, its followers and the Church with its various denominations, from the first century to the present. Christianity was founded in the 1st century by the followers of Jesus of Nazareth who they believed to be the Christ or chosen one of God...
at the United Free Church College. From 1927-1939 he was Washburn Professor of Church History at the Union Theological Seminary, New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
.
In 1901 he arranged the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
documents into what he perceived to be historical order and provided an original translation of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
entitled The Historical New Testament. This work, including his translation and rearrangement of texts, stemmed from his liberal viewpoint.http://www.ccel.org/m/moffat/
In addition, he translated one of the standard Modern English Bible translations
Modern English Bible translations
Many attempts have been made to translate the Bible into modern English, which is defined as the form of English in use after 1800 . Since the early nineteenth century, there have been several translational responses to the rapid spread of Christianity throughout the world...
:
- New TestamentNew TestamentThe New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, 1913 - Old TestamentOld TestamentThe Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
, 1924 - Moffatt, New TranslationMoffatt, New TranslationMoffatt, New Translation is an abbreviation of the title, "The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments, a New Translation" by James Moffatt....
, 1926 - Complete Moffatt Bible, revised, 1935
- Shorter version, 1941
- Commentary (17 volumes), 1928-1949
- ConcordanceConcordanceConcordance can mean:* Concordance , a list of words used in a body of work, with their immediate contexts* Concordance , the presence of the same trait in both members of a pair of twins...
, 1949 - 2 Maccabees, included in Volume 1-Apocrypha of "The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament in English" edited by R. H. Charles 1913.
Moffatt's stated goal was to provide the Bible in plain English. His translation is certainly easy to read, though he departed from traditional translations in several areas. First, he held to the documentary hypothesis
Documentary hypothesis
The documentary hypothesis , holds that the Pentateuch was derived from originally independent, parallel and complete narratives, which were subsequently combined into the current form by a series of redactors...
(that the first five books of the Old Testament were written by four different authors, and not Moses as Christians and Jews believe). He printed this section of the Bible in different typefaces according to which author he believed had written each particular section. Second, he dated most books hundreds of years later than most theologians of the time; this stemmed from his doubt about the historical accuracy of many of the biblical books (especially those in the Old Testament) and no doubt affected his translation of various passages. Last, 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 chapter 14 comes after John 15 and 16 in the Moffatt Bible. These methods raised objections from many scholars, but proved very popular and started a trend toward more paraphrased translations.
External links
- Papers of James Moffatt at Glasgow University
- http://bibles.wikidot.com/moffatt