“The old devil and his new Bible”

The title comes from an unattributed quote on page 320 in “The Revised Standard Version,” Chapter XXV, The Ancestry of Our English Bible, pp. 305-320, which see.

I am not a fan of the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible, but I have found its history fascinating – particularly the facts leading up to it, which previously about which I had cared little. In 1922, the International Sunday School Association and the Sunday School Council of Evangelical Denominations merged to form the International Council of Religious Education (ICRE). The ICRE was instrumental in developing the Revised Standard translation,. They obtained the copyright to the American Standard Version from Thomas Nelson Publishers as it was expiring in 1929. In February 1930 ICRE announced the forming of a committee of 13 “representative scholars” to advise what to do with the copyrighted translation they had obtained. This committee met, discussed, made plans, but the Great Depression ground the work to a halt. In 1936 the ICRE negotiated a deal with Thomas Nelson for advance royalties to finance the project. This gave Thomas Nelson Publishers exclusive publication rights for 10 years.

In 1937, the ICRE passed a resolution that provided the guide for the task of a revision of the 1901 American Standard Version of the Bible.

“That we record the conviction that there is need for a version which embodies the best results of modern scholarship as to the meaning of the Scriptures, and expresses this meaning in English diction which is designed for use in public and private worship and preserves those qualities which have given to the King James a supreme place in English literature. We, therefore, define the task of the American Standard Bible Committee to be that of revision of the present American Standard Edition of the Bible in the light of the results of modern scholarship, this revision to be designed for use in public and private worship, and to be designed for use in public and private worship, and to be in the direction of the simple, classic English style of the King James Version.” (The Ancestry of Our English Bible, Price, Irwin, Wikgren, 1956, p. 308)

The committee was reorganized – some members had died, and some felt they had become too old or infirm to serve. The committee met to begin their work in 1937. The New Testament was finished and available in 1946, the Old Testament in 1952, and the Apocrypha in 1957.

Revision committee chairman Luther A. Weigle gave this report of its history in 1946:

“When the International Council of Religious Education, on behalf of the forty Protestant denominations associated in it, accepted the responsibility for the renewal of the copyright of the American Standard Version in 1929, it appointed a committee of scholars to have charge of the text, and authorized this committee to make further revision if that should be deemed necessary. After extended investigation, experimentation, and debate, the conclusion was reached that there is need for a thorough revision of the Version of 1901, which would stay as close to the Tyndale-King James tradition as it could, in the light of our present knowledge of the Greek text and its meaning on the one hand, and our present understanding of English on the other.

“The Council authorized this revision in 1937, and the work has been pursued vigorously since that time. The Revised Standard Version of the New Testament is published today, February 11, 1946. Work upon the revision of the Old Testament is a bit more than two-thirds done, and will take about four years more. Thirty-one scholars have served upon the Committee which is responsible for the revision; they have had the counsel of an Advisory Board representing the communion, and the effective help of the chairman and general secretary of the Council, who have served as ex officio members of the Committee, charged with special responsibility for matters of general policy, finance, and public relations.” (The Brethren Evangelist, March 23, 1946, pp. 5-7)

The National Council of the Churches of Christ assumed sponsorship of the work in 1951. The National Council of Churches became a lightning rod for the opposition, especially through charges of liberalism and communism amongst them. The virgin birth, deity of Christ, and the inspiration of the Scriptures are major concerns highlighted by opponents of the Revised Standard Version.

Complaints had trickled in about the New Testament translation, but the floodgates burst open with the revealing of the Old Testament. Among other things, the RSV of Isaiah 7:14 reduced the virgin to merely a young woman. The opposition suddenly surged forward in the pulpit and in print. Concerning the RSV, Peter Thuesen writes, “New Scripture translations had always suffered a brief initial barrage of unfriendly reviews, but never before had a Bible endured such sustained vilification from the pens of so many and varied critics.” (In Discordance with the Scriptures, 1999, p. 97)

Many modern authors decry the rallies held against the RSV, while overlooking the rallies in favor of it. Often not called “rallies,” these events were nevertheless part of a well-oiled, well-organized and well-subsidized promotional blitz to gain status, sales, and security for the RSV. Regardless of which side one thinks was correct, the bear was asleep until the RSV proponents poked it. It awoke with a mighty roar, sinking most prospects for prominent use of the RSV in conservative circles.