NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Holman CSBible will be released to the public April 15 through Broadman & Holman Publishers. Planned and sponsored by the LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, the first Holman CSB¢ç full-text Bible will be available at 118 LifeWay Christian Stores across the nation with Pre-sales through lifewaystores.com.
About 100 biblical scholars, linguists with editors collaborated on the Holman CSB, which is directly translated from the original biblical languages of Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic with a reader-friendly style geared to contemporary English usage. The version, a culmination of a 20-year, $10 million project, was produced by a large team of translators and stylists, and a smaller editorial team meeting in Dallas, Texas. About a third of the team members are Southern Baptist. Other team members are Presbyterians (PCA), Congregationalists, Plymouth Brethren, Church of England, Church of God, Evangelical Free Church, Methodists, Evangelical Mennonites and Episcopalians.
"Our knowledge keeps increasing," Holman CSB general editor Ed Blum explained a need of a new translation. "With computerization, discovery of ancient manuscripts and the change of the English language, it's time for a new Bible." The reality that scholarship improves over time underscores a key reason why creating new translations of Scripture remains a worthwhile mission.
The motivation behind the version was explained by David R. Shepherd, vice president of Bible publishing for Broadman & Holman, in an article which appeared in the SBC's Baptist Press:
"Some recent translations have reinterpreted the Bible to make it consistent with current trends and their own way of thinking ... Current trends in Bible translation have been a real wake-up call for everybody who's concerned about preserving the integrity of Scripture. The CSB will be under the stewardship of Christians who believe we should conform our lives and culture to the Bible - not the other way around."
"Some translations take a very literal approach, making them excellent for in-depth study, but difficult to read," said Blum, who was on hand when the first full texts were printed in Ann Arbor Feb. 26. "Other translations are more readable, but with a less literal approach."
"The Holman CSB is in the middle," he said, describing it as a translation from the original biblical languages but styled using modern grammar and vocabulary."
The Bible is being printed at Edward Brothers Inc., after a completion of a three-year proofreading project by Peachtree Editorial and Proofreading Service.
The translation follows the custom of conservative protestant Bibles. The Greek anthropos (traditionally, "man") is regularly translated "people," and masculine forms are carefully avoided where the Greek has "someone," "no one," etc.
"Translations are always being redone, not because the original languages change, but because our cultural language changes," said June Gunden, a co-owner of Peachtree. "People do not say the same things in the same ways. For example, we can no longer say, Paul was stoned," because of the way young people will interpret that.
