Most people who read the Bible prefer one translation over another. While some people believe that the King James Version (KJV) is the most accurate, others prefer the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) or the New International Version (NIV). Bible readers may have their reasons for choosing one version over another, or they might choose to read various translations, but they should also be aware that some translations are worse than others.
These not-so-good translations are often condemned for not remaining faithful to the literal meanings of the original Hebrew and Greek texts. According to biblical scholars, translations that fit into this category include New World Translation, Contemporary English Version, The Amplified Bible, and The Message. One more recent translation that should be added to the list and awarded the worst translation ever is The Passion Translation (TPT).
What is Wrong with the Passion Translation?
The Passion Translation is not a complete version of the Bible as it contains only the New Testament, Psalms, Proverbs, and the Song of Songs (Song of Solomon). One of the main issues that biblical scholars and theologians have with this particular version, is that its sole creator, Brian Simmons, seems to have changed some of the text to what he wants it to say, rather than securing its literal meaning. In doing so, Simmons has added new material that makes some passages of Scripture at least 50% longer than the original.
Take for instance the first few verses of Psalm 23. Instead of saying, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” The Passion Translation has 15 extra words and says, “The Lord is my best friend and my shepherd. I always have more than enough. He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss.”
It’s not just the extra words, however, that are the problem. Simmons himself claims to have minimal training in Hebrew and Greek. When asked about this in an interview, Simmons replied. “I had minimal background in biblical languages.”
Not only was TPT not translated by a team of credible scholars who have in depth knowledge of Biblical languages, but the validity of the manuscript sources Simmons used for the translation is questionable. For example, for his translation of certain books in the New Testament, Simmons uses Aramaic manuscripts instead of the older and more reliable Greek ones.
A Translation Created with New Revelation
Simmons’ says his goal in creating TPT is to “reintroduce the passion and fire of the Bible to the English reader,” which he feels God commissioned him to do. Before putting together the translation, Simmons says he had “downloads” from Jesus and that Jesus revealed to him some of the “secrets of the Hebrew language.”
Of his encounter with Jesus, Simmons says, “He breathed on me so that I would do the project, and I felt downloads coming, instantly. I received downloads. It was like, I got a chip put inside of me. I got a connection inside of me to hear him better, to understand the scriptures better and hopefully to translate.”
This extra-biblical revelation makes Simmons sound eerily like the founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith, who also received supernatural revelation. According to historical accounts from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Smith received divine revelation from an angel named Moroni to write The Book of Mormon. (LDS history also claims that Smith had a previous encounter with God and Jesus who had come to him in a pillar of light).
According to NIV Translation Committee member and Old Testament Scholar Dr. Andrew Shead, TPT is a “strongly sectarian translation that no longer counts as Scripture; by masquerading as a Bible it threatens to bind entire churches in thrall to a false god.”
Holly Pivec, a blogger at the Spirit of Error, agrees. “Simmons is following in the footsteps of the major cults of Christianity who have released their own translations of the Bible, including the New World Translation used by the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Joseph Smith Translation used by some groups of Mormons.”
Simmons has also stated that while studying the original biblical manuscripts, he uncovered what he believes is the “love language of God that has been missing from other translations.”
Eddie Arthur, a member of Wycliffe Bible Translators for over twenty years says, “Anyone who claims to have studied the text of the Bible and found something that everyone else has missed is best avoided.”
~ Christian Patriot Daily
