Nicholas King’s translation of the New Testament is an exciting project. His aim is to get people to read the New Testament. I was enthralled by it. I am sure that readers will find his translation and commentary highly stimulating and a book to which they will come back again and again. They are in for a real treat. (Posted on 22/02/2011)

I welcome this fresh translation of the New Testament; Nicholas King has succeeded in putting into English something of the raw power that the first Christians experienced when they heard or read these documents, and I commend this new version to all Christians and to interested non-Christians also. (Posted on 22/02/2011)

That translations of the New Testament do not appear very regularly is a clear indication of the enormity of the task that Nicholas King undertook when he began his work on this one. He writes in his introduction, indeed, that ‘Translation cannot be done’ (p.9), though his achievement here impressively demonstrates that it can.

Translation reminds us that texts – in this case, the books that make up the New Testament – do not come to us as though they had fallen out of the sky, or by some other miraculous means. They come through a long and complex process of translation and interpretation. Translation is not an easy task: it took Jerome thirty years to finish his Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible, and we should not forget that William Tyndale was burnt at the steak in 1536 for producing his English version.

Nicholas King’s translation is a real achievement. While I am cautious about some of its particularities, it has made me think afresh about what translation is, and about how different answers to that question affect the ways in which we read the New Testament. I have spoken to several people who positively enthuse about this ‘fresh’ (as Nicholas calls it) translation: about its accessibility, and about the vibrancy of its tone and of its spiritual ethos. They have a sense of this New Testament as a living collection of documents which provides sustenance for life’s journey.

It is difficult to do justice to the richness of this translation in a short review. I have therefore selected a few key features and examples of texts which illustrate how it makes an important contribution to our understanding of the New Testament.

Firstly, as well as the translation itself, we have an insight into the mind of the translator, through the fascinating introduction. So-called standard editions of the New Testament generally contain some notes at the beginning, usually explaining how a committee tried to arrive at decisions regarding the translation. But we are rarely given such an intensely personal and honest reflection on the translation process as here. The second striking thing about this New Testament is the presence of translator’s notes throughout the text. These notes provide information and help, not overwhelming the reader with technical jargon but allowing for pauses and reflection. The notes at the end of Luke’s Gospel, for example, prompt readers to think about the Gospel as a whole, and invite them to form their own opinions: ‘Which of these features of Luke’s Gospel has most struck you in your reading of it?’, the translator asks (p.217). These notes are of particular assistance in approaching some of the Apostle Paul’s more challenging phrases.

Moving onto the translation of some specific passages, I find Nicholas’ translation of Mark’s Gospel very interesting indeed. The language has a real sense of urgency about it that closely reflects the way the present tense is used in the Greek. It is as if everything is happening quickly and happening right now. The sense of crucifixion in Mark 15:25-39 is made very vivid indeed:

“Now it was the third hour, and they crucified him. And the inscriptions of his charge was inscribed ‘The King of the Jews’. And with him they crucify two brigands, one on [the] right and one on his left”.

Nicholas’ translation of the Beatitudes is both interesting and challenging. The passages (Mathew 5 and Luke 6) are very familiar, and the use of the word ‘congratulations’ might not be to everyone’s liking. But nevertheless conveys something of Jesus’s message about how the Kingdom of God is genuinely good news for all.
Another familiar passage that received startling treatment is Jesus’ ‘Bread of Life’ discourse in John 6:

“So Jesus said to them, ‘Amen, Amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you do not have life in yourselves. The one who munches on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life…” (p.236)

The use of the word ‘munch’ will no doubt shock some people, but once again, Nicholas King’s translation actually remains much closer to the Greek than others which steer clear of uncomfortable words. The Greek word that John uses here is very graphic indeed, and means ‘to gnaw’: Jesus is emphasising the scandal of eating his own flesh.
All that remains is to encourage everyone to pick up this translation and think afresh about the New Testament. In Nicholas King’s own words, ‘Just read it and listen’ (p.12). (Posted on 27/04/2010)