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| The Return Of The American Standard Version (ASV) 1901 By B. Thompson (edited by RS) |
The King James Version of the Bible (KJV) was published in 1611, and for more than two centuries
remained the Bible of the common man. During this period, however, many valuable, ancient manuscripts
were discovered that had not been available to the KJV translators. Plus, biblical scholarship had made
tremendous advances. Hence, there was a wide-spread feeling that a revision of the KJV might be in order.
The beginnings of the revision process started with the Convocation of Canterbury of the Church of England
in 1870, when a committee of 16 members was appointed—with the power to add to its numbers as the need
arose. The committee extended invitations to some of the most renowned Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek
scholars in Great Britain, and eventually two Companies were formed (one for the Old Testament and one for
the New), consisting of 27 members each.
- Later, American religious groups were invited to participate, which they did by forming two Companies
that were the equivalent of their British counterparts. Due provision then was made for the mutual comparison
of results and suggestions originating from the four Companies. Under the general presidency of Dr. Philip
Schaff, an OT Company of 15 members was formed, along with a NT Company of 16 members (under John
Henry Thayer—RS). By October 1872, the four Companies had been appointed and begun their work. The
NT of the English Revised Version (ERV) appeared in May 1881; the OT appeared four years later in 1885.
[HISTORICAL NOTE: Upon completion of the NT, Matthew-Romans was telegraphed from New York to
Chicago, composing the longest telegraphic message ever sent up to that point in time—more than 118,000
words!]
The two American Companies continued their work, and in 1900 released the NT of the American
Revised Version (ARV). The entire Bible was released the following year, and the American Revised Version
(ARV, as it originally was designated) soon came to be known as the American Standard Version (ASV). The
translators stated in the Preface of the ASV that it was their goal to bring “the plain reader more closely into
contact with the exact thought of the sacred writers” than any previous version had accomplished. And this
they did. In his book, The English Bible, famed biblical scholar F.F. Bruce wrote: “It has often been called a
schoolmaster’s translation, and there is much truth in this.... [T]he almost pedantic accuracy and precision
which the revisers aimed at makes their work an admirable version for the student.” In his Review of the New
Versions, Foy E. Wallace, Jr. called the ASV “the most accurate, word-for-word translation ever made.” Jacob
Mombert, writing in the Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, remarked that “its translation is a
marvel for fidelity, accuracy, elegance, purity of idiom, and harmony of expression.”
All of this, no doubt, explains why the ASV has been a favorite among members of the churches of
Christ. Originally published by the Thomas Nelson Company, it eventually went out of print. However, Star
Bible of Forth Worth, Texas has republished it in a beautiful, leather binding with gold-trimmed edges, a
dictionary, and a concordance. [In addition, High Village Publishing, of CA, now offers a Wide-margin large
print edition with a Smyth sewn binding--RS].
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