NET Bible Interview for Midlands Bible College, UK
By Hall Harris - Posted on March 5th, 2008
I have just completed an interview on the NET Bible with Andy Cheung of Midlands Bible College, UK. They have posted the interview online at http://www.midbible.ac.uk/content/view/124/. The interview mentions the scope of my personal involvement with the NET Bible project, but also about the original decision to include extensive notes by the translators and editors and how that contributes to transparency in the work by making it possible for the user to see the rationale for a particular word, phrase, or construction as rendered by the translators. Also discussed in the interview are the use of online feedback (NET makes extensive use of online feedback but is not a Wiki-Bible), the role of scholars from Dallas Seminary in the making of the NET Bible and the issue of avoiding bias in a Bible translation (and how NET attempted to solve that problem), and some future development projects as the NET Bible project moves forward. The whole interview makes a pretty interesting read.
For thirty years W. Hall Harris III has taught on the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary in the New Testament Studies Department. Since 1995 he has served as Project Director and Managing Editor for the NET Bible at bible.org passionately steering this revolutionary Bible from inception to global impact. Dr. Harris has traveled extensively in Western Europe, especially in Germany and Italy. And as an ordained minister he has served over the years as pastor of single adults, elder, and adult Sunday school teacher.
I was surprised that you did not mention the ESV at all in the posted interview. I was under the impression that it was "gaining ground" among evangelicals. Could you comment?
Well, for one thing, the interview was about the NET Bible, not about modern translations in general. As I recall, I did not mention the NRSV, HCSB, NLT, or TNIV either. Just because I did not mention a translation by name should not be construed to mean I think it's a bad translation. The interviewer happened to ask me a question about other translations I appreciate or recommend, and I chose to focus more on the first part than the second. And the ones I focused on were primarily historical translations with a particular place in the history of English Bible translation. I think in general, though, I was concentrating on translations which were not deriviatives of other previous translations. The TNIV, for example, is a derivative translation based on the NIV. The ESV is a derivative translation based on the RSV (OT 1952; NT second edition 1971).
Hall Harris
Post new comment