Though the world of today has made living considerably easier with so many technological and industrial advancements, this is exactly what serves as a distraction, directing people away from the invaluable life aspects, starting with human interaction. Religion being at the core of humanity not only connects us one to another, but it also connects us to our ancestors. People have always been fascinated by the processes of nature, and the essence of life and death, all of them in the power of God.
In times when there were no means of entertainment, the days were comprised of marvelling the work of God and transmitting His wonders by word of mouth, generation to generation. When this brought improper changes in the actual storyline, it was the occasion which led to the creation of the book of all books, the Bible.
Since those days, a great deal of copying has been done and as a result the holy book spread around the world, enlightening the lives of many. As language is a living matter, it is only logical for books to be susceptible to changes in the writing style and choice of vocabulary, and the Bible was also not an exception. While the Latin language version limited it in terms of intelligibility only to a certain circle of people (scholars and the clergy), ordinary people felt cut off. Once the role of the church began to rise, there had to be a way to make the wisdom of the Bible available to the rest as well. The solution that is still very much in use today as a simplifying method was found in translation.
For centuries, the King James translation has been the essence of Christian literature. Although it is still being adored by many believers, one version stands out in particular: the New International Version (NIV). As a book, KJV (King James Version) was translated and simplified in terms of understandable vocabulary, however since its creation in the 17th century, the vocabulary used then differs greatly from the one used today. This was the main reason for the emerging of NIV, the purpose being to bring the Bible closer to the wider reading public, including children who love a good story before bedtime.
The NIV appeared as a result of the search for a simplified version that would appeal to everyone. While previous versions were based on the Byzantine manuscripts, which is the case with KJV – often referred to as Textus Receptus, the NIV is based on the Alexandrian family of manuscripts. The new discoveries of the accuracy of manuscripts is what led to the shift from Byzantine to Alexandrian in modern versions. To make the most of the Bible’s holy words, you can look for your very own New International Version and know what you are reading is of quality as it took years of committed work to be published.
Though it appeared as an idea of the engineer and businessman Howard Long in the late 50s of the previous century, it was not until 1965 that the initial suggestion for a simplified version was seriously considered and accepted by the church. What makes this version far better is that it is not merely an adaptation as the rest, but rather it had a brand new start with the best manuscripts in their original languages and after meticulous translating it was finally published in 1973. The dedication to the creation of the NIV is inspiring enough to include it in your home library.