Phillips New Testament in Modern English
Encyclopedia
The Phillips New Testament in Modern English (Phi) is an English
translation of the New Testament
of the Bible
translated by Anglican clergyman J. B. Phillips
. While the translation is not well known it has many ardent fans including Os Guinness
, Chuck Swindoll
, and the late Ray Stedman
. Corrie ten Boom
considered it her favorite in English. The songwriter Michael Card
often used Phillips' wording.
Phillips began by rewording the New Testament
epistles for his church's youth group in modern English
, which group met during World War II
in bomb shelter
s. These he published in 1947 under the title Letters to Young Churches. In 1952 he added the Gospel
s. In 1955 he added Acts
and titled it The Young Church in Action. In 1957 he added The Book of Revelation
. Later he finished the whole of the New Testament, first publishing it in 1958, revising it and republishing it in 1961 and 1972. Phillips worked entirely from the Greek Testament
.
While Phillips' translation gives the reader new and unusual insights into the New Testament, it has the drawback that many editions were printed without verse numbers and for those that do contain verse numbers, the rephrasing makes some verse numbers not applicable. The early editions are also very British
in their use of English. The tone of his translation is illustrated in his translation of John 3:16, "For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that every one who believes in him shall not be lost, but should have eternal life." The most famous passage from this translation is a portion of Romans 12:2, "Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould."
He also published in 1963 a volume titled Four Prophets
, a rendering of Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
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....
of the Bible
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...
translated by Anglican clergyman J. B. Phillips
John Bertram Phillips
John Bertram Phillips was a Bible translator, writer and clergyman, often referred to as just J. B. Phillips....
. While the translation is not well known it has many ardent fans including Os Guinness
Os Guinness
Os Guinness is an author and social critic.-Biography:Born in China, he is the great-great-great-grandson of Arthur Guinness, the Dublin brewer. He was a witness to the climax of the Chinese revolution in 1949, and returned to England in 1951, where he went to school and college. He received a B.D...
, Chuck Swindoll
Chuck Swindoll
Charles Rozell "Chuck" Swindoll is an evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator and radio preacher. He founded Insight for Living, currently headquartered in Plano, Texas, which airs a radio program of the same name on more than 2,000 stations around the world in 15 languages...
, and the late Ray Stedman
Ray Stedman
Raymond Charles Stedman was an evangelical Christian pastor, and author. He was a long-time pastor of Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, California, and author of several books.-Early life:...
. Corrie ten Boom
Corrie ten Boom
Cornelia "Corrie" ten Boom was a Dutch Christian, who with her father and other family members helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. Her family was arrested due to an informant in 1944, and her father died 10 days later at Scheveningen prison where they were first held...
considered it her favorite in English. The songwriter Michael Card
Michael Card
Michael Card is an American Christian singer-songwriter, musician, author, and radio host from Franklin, Tennessee. He is best known for his contributions in Contemporary Christian Music, which couple folk-style melodies and instrumentation with lyrics that stem from intensive study of the Bible...
often used Phillips' wording.
Phillips began by rewording 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....
epistles for his church's youth group in 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...
, which group met during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in bomb shelter
Bomb shelter
A bomb shelter is any kind of a civil defense structure designed to provide protection against the effects of a bomb.-Types of shelter:Different kinds of bomb shelters are configured to protect against different kinds of attack and strengths of hostile explosives. For example, an Air-raid shelter...
s. These he published in 1947 under the title Letters to Young Churches. In 1952 he added the Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
s. In 1955 he added Acts
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...
and titled it The Young Church in Action. In 1957 he added The Book of Revelation
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
. Later he finished the whole of the New Testament, first publishing it in 1958, revising it and republishing it in 1961 and 1972. Phillips worked entirely from the Greek 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....
.
While Phillips' translation gives the reader new and unusual insights into the New Testament, it has the drawback that many editions were printed without verse numbers and for those that do contain verse numbers, the rephrasing makes some verse numbers not applicable. The early editions are also very British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in their use of English. The tone of his translation is illustrated in his translation of John 3:16, "For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that every one who believes in him shall not be lost, but should have eternal life." The most famous passage from this translation is a portion of Romans 12:2, "Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould."
He also published in 1963 a volume titled Four Prophets
Four Prophets
Four Prophets is a modern translation from Hebrew sources of the books of Amos, Hosea, First Isaiah and Micah by scholar J. B. Phillips. Phillips also translated The New Testament in Modern English. The remainder of the Old Testament was never completed....
, a rendering of Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah.