Bible translations

The Jerusalem Bible is a Roman Catholic translation of the Bible originally done in French at the Dominican Biblical School in Jerusalem (1956). The English equivalent (1966) was translated directly from ancient Hebrew and Greek texts and compared with the French translation, using recent research in archaeology, history, and literary criticism. The Jerusalem Bible uses more colloquial language than older translations of the Bible and is considered an accurate and scholarly work.

The Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible (New Testament 1946, Old Testament 1952) is a revision of the American Standard Version (1901), which was a revision of the King James Version (1611). The RSV was the work of 32 scholars from 20 theological seminaries and universities who took into account modern scholarship and additional knowledge of biblical texts. Much of the language was updated for comprehension, but traditional passages from the King James Version that had a special literary or devotional value were retained. Since its publication the RSV has been adopted by many Protestant churches and has become the most popular translation in the United States.

The translation of the King James Version (KJV) was supervised by Francis Bacon. We believe that the Holy Spirit was involved in this translation of the Bible, and people today don’t necessarily have the depth of understanding of the Christian mysteries that they may have had when this translation was made. As a result, when compared with more modern translations, certain words in the King James Bible carry a higher meaning and a higher teaching that coincides with that of the Great White Brotherhood.

For example, the Book of Revelation, chapter 12, tells the story of the Woman clothed with the Sun, who “brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron.” The ascended masters have defined manchild as a child who has the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. In the Revised Standard Version, this passage is translated “she brought forth a male child,” completely losing the concept of the manchild.

When seeking to understand the meaning of the scriptures, it is good to read the King James Version. However, in some cases the older English in this version is not so familiar to our ears and words may have changed in meaning from the archaic usages found there. In these cases, it is helpful to read the same texts in the Jerusalem Bible.

Sources

Mark L. Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Lost Teachings of Jesus: Missing Texts • Karma and Reincarnation.

Elizabeth Clare Prophet, November 2, 1985.

Elizabeth Clare Prophet, July 5, 1990.

Elizabeth Clare Prophet, September 25, 1974.