Revised Version
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| Revised Version | |
|---|---|
| Name | Revised Version |
| Title orig | The Revised Version of the Bible |
| Caption | Title page of the 1885 New Testament edition |
| Author | Committee of Revisers appointed by the Convocation of Canterbury and the Convocation of York |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Bible translation |
| Genre | Religious text |
| Publisher | Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press |
| Pub date | 1881 (New Testament), 1885 (Old Testament) |
| Media type | |
Revised Version The Revised Version is a late 19th-century English translation of the Bible produced by committees of Anglican scholars in the United Kingdom that aimed to update the King James Version using advances in textual criticism and recent manuscript discoveries. It was issued in parts between 1881 and 1885, with separate editions for the New Testament and the Old Testament and later combined volumes published by Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. The project involved prominent scholars affiliated with institutions such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and the British Museum.
History and Development
The project arose after motions in the Convocation of Canterbury (1870s) sought to revise the King James Version rather than produce an entirely new translation. Committees of scholars, including members from Trinity College, Cambridge, Christ Church, Oxford, and representatives connected to the Church of England, were appointed to produce emendations. The work was influenced by discoveries such as the Codex Sinaiticus and scholarly advances at the Bodleian Library and the British Museum (Natural History) collections of manuscripts. Publication was overseen by institutions like the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and the revised editions were printed by university presses in Oxford and Cambridge.
Translation Principles and Features
The committees applied principles rooted in the methods of Samuel Prideaux Tregelles and Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort, emphasizing fidelity to original-language texts over liturgical tradition. Translators consulted the Masoretic Text, the Septuagint, and Greek and Hebrew manuscript evidence, and they sought to reflect advances in philology emerging from centers such as King's College London and the University of Edinburgh. The style aimed to conserve the dignity of earlier English Bibles like those associated with William Tyndale and the translators of 1611 while making textual corrections adopted by scholars at institutions including King's Library and the British Library.
Textual Basis and Manuscripts
For the Old Testament, the primary base was the Masoretic Text as represented in manuscripts held by repositories such as the Bodleian Library and the Cambridge University Library. The New Testament revision drew on critical editions informed by manuscripts such as Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus, and the philological work of Westcott and Hort influenced readings proposed by the committee. Collations used materials from collections at the British Museum, Trinity College Library, and continental archives including the Vatican Library and various German university libraries known for holdings used by scholars like Constantin von Tischendorf.
Differences from the King James Version
The Revised Version altered readings where the committees judged the Textus Receptus or early English tradition to be inconsistent with manuscript evidence, producing changes in wording across the New Testament and the Old Testament. Examples include variant readings where the edition aligns with Codex Vaticanus rather than readings favored in the 1611 translation, and adjustments reflecting Septuagint influence in certain Old Testament passages cited in New Testament writings. The revision introduced altered punctuation, paragraphing, and marginal notes indicating alternate renderings, similar to editorial practices found in scholarly editions issued by Oxford University Press and continental houses such as the German Bible Society.
Reception and Influence
Initial reception involved debate among clergy and academics in centers like London, Edinburgh, and Dublin. Some Anglican bishops and clergy in the Church of England endorsed the revision for official use in parish reading, while other conservatives and advocates of the King James Version criticized changes. The project influenced subsequent translations and textual scholarship in institutions including Princeton Theological Seminary, Harvard Divinity School, and the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute, and it informed later revisions such as those undertaken in the United States and by committees connected to American Bible Society.
Editions and Revisions
Editions of the Revised Version were published by Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press with variant presentation formats for clergy and academic use. A mixed Old and New Testament volume, parallel-text editions, and later American editions with editorial modifications appeared through publishers such as the American Bible Union and printers with ties to Cambridge University Press USA. Subsequent revisions and adaptations incorporated commentary from scholars at Yale University, Princeton University, and continental centers, leading to derivative editions used in various denominational contexts.
Use in Scholarship and Worship
Scholars at institutions such as King's College, Cambridge, University of Oxford, and the British Museum reference the Revised Version when examining the history of English bible translation, textual decisions, and reception history. In worship, some Anglican parishes and seminaries historically adopted the revision for lectern use, while others retained the King James Version or later translations like the American Standard Version and translations emerging from 20th-century ecumenical committees. The edition remains a subject of study in departments of theology at universities including Durham University, University of Glasgow, and University of St Andrews for its role in the transition from 17th-century English biblical tradition to modern textual criticism.