Ferrar Fenton Bible
Encyclopedia
The Holy Bible in Modern English, commonly known as the Ferrar Fenton Bible, was one of the earliest translations of the Bible
into "modern English
" (i.e., English as spoken and written in the 19th and 20th centuries).
Fenton had acquired a great learning and understanding of ancient Sanskrit, Greek, Hebrew and Latin through being a distinguished member of the Royal Asiatic Society
. As a tradesman he also had access to numerous ancient Septuagint and Masoretic manuscripts to aid in his translation, and he also used Brian Walton's Polygot Bible (1657) for minimal referencing.
into what Fenton believed was the correct chronological order. In the Old Testament
, this order follows that of the Hebrew Bible
. The name of God was translated throughout the Old Testament as "The EVER-LIVING", but to a lessor degree as "LORD" and to a much lessor degree as "JEHOVAH" (such as in Numbers chapter 15). The Bible is described as "translated into English direct from the original Hebrew, Chaldee, and Greek languages." For his translation of the Book of Job
which appeared in 1898, Fenton was assisted by Henrik Borgström. This was "rendered into the same metre as the original Hebrew, word by word and line by line". His translation of the New Testament
is based on the Greek text of Westcott
and Hort
and was approved by many professors and theologians (Fenton's translation, 9th edition, 1905, includes an added page listing these exact authorities).
The ordering novelty in the New Testament is that it places the Gospel of John
and the First Epistle of John
at the beginning before the Gospel of Matthew
, thus placing the Acts of the Apostles
immediately after the Gospel of Luke
. Fenton included an introductory note to explain this ordering which reads:
'(1) This Gospel is specially the Doctrinal Record of our Lord's life. The Great Teacher has here elaborated the thought and purpose of God concerning His plan of salvation by a Gift, and upon this basis have been formulated and propagated the doctrines of the Christian faith. The record should therefore precede the Historical Narratives.
(2) There is ample reason for believing that the Gospel of John was written at an earlier date than those of the other three Evangelists.'
Notable as well, is Ferrar Fenton's restoration of the Psalms into the musical verse form as close to the original as he could get. The Psalms were, quite literally, songs, complete with instructions for the "choirmaster" as well as descriptions of the appropriate musical instruments to be used. Today Psalm 48, Psalm 137, and Psalm 23 are still sung in churches, albeit to tunes not the original.
Ferrar Fenton's Bible however is most well known for its translation of Jonah 2: 1 which translates the fish (or whale) as a nickname for a ship or man made sea vessel and not a literal whale or sea-creature. Fenton also included a footnote explaining how he restored this passage to its correct meaning.
Fenton also included footnotes at the bottom of many pages of his translation which aids the reader on linguistic or historical matters, as well as offering his personal opinion on certain topics. A lengthy note was added for example to the end of Genesis 11 which explains Fenton's own solution to the problem of the patriarchs great ages. Fenton wrote 'we may safely conclude that the patriarchs of such apparently incredible length of life were actually priest-chiefs of tribes, whose souls were believed to have passed from the first organizer of the tribe'. Fenton therefore believed the great longevity of the patriarchs can be explained if those names were tribal house or clan appellations.
Although Ferrar Fenton's translation never achieved great popularity and fell into obscurity, it remains in print today, now published by the small Destiny Publishers
of Merrimac, Massachusetts
, from whence it is also available to download as a separate PDF file for each book of the Bible.
Some modern branches of British Israelism
lean heavily on the Ferrar Fenton translation to support their theories.
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
into "modern English
Modern English
Modern English is the form of the English language spoken since the Great Vowel Shift in England, completed in roughly 1550.Despite some differences in vocabulary, texts from the early 17th century, such as the works of William Shakespeare and the King James Bible, are considered to be in Modern...
" (i.e., English as spoken and written in the 19th and 20th centuries).
Origins
Work on the translation began in 1853 by a London businessman named Ferrar Fenton (1832–1920). The complete Bible was first published in 1903, though parts were published as separate volumes during the preceding 11 years. Fenton spent approximately fifty years working on his translation, with his sole goal 'to study the Bible absolutely in its original languages, to ascertain what its writers actually said and thought'.Fenton had acquired a great learning and understanding of ancient Sanskrit, Greek, Hebrew and Latin through being a distinguished member of the Royal Asiatic Society
Royal Asiatic Society
The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was established, according to its Royal Charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia." From its incorporation the Society...
. As a tradesman he also had access to numerous ancient Septuagint and Masoretic manuscripts to aid in his translation, and he also used Brian Walton's Polygot Bible (1657) for minimal referencing.
Translation
The translation is noted for a rearranging of the books of the BibleBooks of the Bible
The Books of the Bible are listed differently in the canons of Judaism and the Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox, Slavonic Orthodox, Georgian, Armenian Apostolic, Syriac and Ethiopian churches, although there is substantial overlap. A table comparing the canons of some of these traditions...
into what Fenton believed was the correct chronological order. In the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
, this order follows that of the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
. The name of God was translated throughout the Old Testament as "The EVER-LIVING", but to a lessor degree as "LORD" and to a much lessor degree as "JEHOVAH" (such as in Numbers chapter 15). The Bible is described as "translated into English direct from the original Hebrew, Chaldee, and Greek languages." For his translation of the Book of Job
Book of Job
The Book of Job , commonly referred to simply as Job, is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. It relates the story of Job, his trials at the hands of Satan, his discussions with friends on the origins and nature of his suffering, his challenge to God, and finally a response from God. The book is a...
which appeared in 1898, Fenton was assisted by Henrik Borgström. This was "rendered into the same metre as the original Hebrew, word by word and line by line". His translation of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
is based on the Greek text of Westcott
Brooke Foss Westcott
Brooke Foss Westcott was a British bishop, Biblical scholar and theologian, serving as Bishop of Durham from 1890 until his death.-Early life and education:...
and Hort
Fenton John Anthony Hort
Fenton John Anthony Hort was an Irish theologian and editor, with Brooke Westcott of a critical edition of The New Testament in the Original Greek.-Life:...
and was approved by many professors and theologians (Fenton's translation, 9th edition, 1905, includes an added page listing these exact authorities).
The ordering novelty in the New Testament is that it places the Gospel of John
Gospel of John
The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...
and the First Epistle of John
First Epistle of John
The First Epistle of John, often referred to as First John and written 1 John, is a book of the New Testament. This fourth catholic or "general" epistle is attributed to John the Evangelist, traditionally thought to be the author of the Gospel of John and the other two Epistles of John. This...
at the beginning before the Gospel of Matthew
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
, thus placing the Acts of the Apostles
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles , usually referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...
immediately after the Gospel of Luke
Gospel of Luke
The Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...
. Fenton included an introductory note to explain this ordering which reads:
'(1) This Gospel is specially the Doctrinal Record of our Lord's life. The Great Teacher has here elaborated the thought and purpose of God concerning His plan of salvation by a Gift, and upon this basis have been formulated and propagated the doctrines of the Christian faith. The record should therefore precede the Historical Narratives.
(2) There is ample reason for believing that the Gospel of John was written at an earlier date than those of the other three Evangelists.'
Notable as well, is Ferrar Fenton's restoration of the Psalms into the musical verse form as close to the original as he could get. The Psalms were, quite literally, songs, complete with instructions for the "choirmaster" as well as descriptions of the appropriate musical instruments to be used. Today Psalm 48, Psalm 137, and Psalm 23 are still sung in churches, albeit to tunes not the original.
Ferrar Fenton's Bible however is most well known for its translation of Jonah 2: 1 which translates the fish (or whale) as a nickname for a ship or man made sea vessel and not a literal whale or sea-creature. Fenton also included a footnote explaining how he restored this passage to its correct meaning.
Fenton also included footnotes at the bottom of many pages of his translation which aids the reader on linguistic or historical matters, as well as offering his personal opinion on certain topics. A lengthy note was added for example to the end of Genesis 11 which explains Fenton's own solution to the problem of the patriarchs great ages. Fenton wrote 'we may safely conclude that the patriarchs of such apparently incredible length of life were actually priest-chiefs of tribes, whose souls were believed to have passed from the first organizer of the tribe'. Fenton therefore believed the great longevity of the patriarchs can be explained if those names were tribal house or clan appellations.
Popularity
At least 10 editions of Fenton's translation were published in his own lifetime. He also continued to add extra notes to these editions up to 1910. An abridged version was published in 1935 under the title The Command of the Ever-Living .. – London : Covenant Publishing Co, and reprinted in 1951.Although Ferrar Fenton's translation never achieved great popularity and fell into obscurity, it remains in print today, now published by the small Destiny Publishers
Destiny Publishers
Destiny Publishers is a small publishing company that publishes and sells the Ferrar Fenton Bible, some Apocryphal scriptures, a few books on miscellaneous topics such as chemurgy and pyramidology, and most notably several books on British Israelism, many of them by Howard B. Rand...
of Merrimac, Massachusetts
Merrimac, Massachusetts
Merrimac is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, and on the southeastern border of New Hampshire, approximately northeast of Boston and west of the Atlantic Ocean. It is situated along the north bank of the Merrimack River in the Merrimack Valley. The population was 6,504 in 2008...
, from whence it is also available to download as a separate PDF file for each book of the Bible.
British Israelism
Ferrar Fenton was himself a British Israelite and he dedicated his translation to 'all those nations who have sprung from the race of the British Isles'. A explanatory note in the abridged version The Command of the Ever-Living quotes a letter Fenton wrote in 1910 saying how he believed the Cymru (Welsh) language sprung from ancient Hebrew and that the British were descendants from Shem.Some modern branches of British Israelism
British Israelism
British Israelism is the belief that people of Western European descent, particularly those in Great Britain, are the direct lineal descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. The concept often includes the belief that the British Royal Family is directly descended from the line of King David...
lean heavily on the Ferrar Fenton translation to support their theories.
External links
- Ferrar Fenton Bible a.k.a. Destiny Publishers
- PDF's of Ferrar Fenton Bible