Translations originated very early and some of them are older than the manuscripts in the original language that have been handed down to us. They have a tremendous value for textual studies of both the New Testament and the Old Testament. Some of the older translations are extremely important.

Click here for a list of modern translations into English.

Textus Receptus
This is a Greek version of the New Testament, compiled from different sources. The Textus Receptus developed over centuries and has been revised many times. Erasmus's contribution is important. He published five editions between 1516 and 1535. They were based on extensive research of the sources available at that time. The Textus Receptus was the basis for the New Testament in the British King James Version and the Dutch Statenvertaling. At the end of the 19th century this text as basis for protestant translations was partly pushed aside by recently found manuscripts. The title Textus Receptus was found in the prologue of an edition from 1633. It was meant to be a recommendation of the text.

The Vulgate (this means "the common Bible")
The Roman Catholic Church considers this translation in Latin to be the only valid translation. The Council of Trent declared this translation to be equal to the original manuscripts and texts in 154. Ordered by Bamasus, the bishop of Rome, the translation in Latin was started between 383 and 405 by church father and scholar Hieronymus. Most likely it was finished by other translators. For this purposes Hieronymus used a translation for Latin speaking Christians that originated in the 2nd, early 3rd century, the so-called Vetus Latina (old Latin), also called Itala. The Vulgate first gained widespread recognition during the reign of Gregory the Great. The translation of the Bible in Dutch lead to some printed editions during the 15th century. The Delftse Bijbel, a print of the Old Testament in two parts, without the Psalms, became well-known. Several other editions of the Bible have circulated, but never for very long periods of time.

The Gothic Bible Translation
This is the translation of the West-Gothic bishop Ulfilas (he died in 388). It's a translation from Greek and the oldest monument of German literature. Most likely this translation once contained the whole Bible. Mainly parts from the Gospels have been preserved, written with silver letters on purple parchment in the Codex Argenteus in Uppsala, Sweden.

The Peshitta
This is a Syrian translation of the Old and New Testament, originated during the 4th century A.D. The Peshitta is an adaptation of an older Syrian translation. The oldest New Testament parts from this older Syrian translation date from the second century and some Old Testament parts are even older.

Interpretatio Septaginta Virorum (this means: translation by seventy men).
This is a Greek translation of the Old Testament. It originated in Alexandria. It's also called Septuagint, commonly designated LXX, for short. The translation most likely began during the reign of king Ptolemy Philadelphus, but was finished later (275-130 B.C.). It's called Septuagint because it's supposed to have been finished by 72 translators in 72 days. The irregularities in the translation's style and quality give away the contribution of many translators. Paul the Apostle and the early Christians used the Septuagint.