Bible publisher Zondervan ventured into new territory late last year by releasing what is said to be the first digital e-Book version of the Bible that launched before the print version.
Zondervan plans to release the print version of the 2010 update of the bestselling New International Version in March, although the e-Book has now been available for months.
The latest update maintains about 95 percent of the original NIV as translators strived for “the ideal blend of transparency to the original text and ease of understanding . . . in every verse of the Bible,” said Douglas Moo, a Wheaton College professor and chairman of the Committee on Bible Translation.
Since the conception of the NIV in the early 1960s, Calvin Theological Seminary has been part of the development of this contemporary translation. Professors John Stek and Marten Woudstra served on the original Committee on Bible Translation through its development and beyond the release of the first NIV in 1978. David Engelhard served as translator on one of the subcommittees.
Current CTS leadership on the project came through Old Testament professor Michael Williams, who serves on the Committee on Bible Translation, and Board of Trustees member Doris Rikkers, who served as editor with Stek and Woudstra and remains as an editor today.
For years the NIV has ranked as the bestselling and most-read version of the Bible. More than 400 million copies have been sold since it was first introduced in 1978.
For more information about the new NIV, go to www.theNIVBible.com. To learn about the members and translation philosophy of the Committee on Bible Translation (with videos of some members, including Professor Williams), go to www.niv-cbt.org.
To find the entire 2010 update of the NIV available for viewing at no cost, go to www.biblegateway.com.
About the Author
Rev. Kathy Smith is senior associate director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, adjunct professor of church polity at Calvin Theological Seminary, and adjunct professor of congregational and ministry studies at Calvin University. She is a member of First CRC in Grand Rapids, Mich.
