Shane Angland (MA Theology, Dallas Theological Seminary), joins the podcast this week to talk about Bible translations and what makes some translations better than others.
Shane is the lead preaching elder at Ennis Evangelical Church in Ennis, Ireland. A native of the west coast of Ireland, Shane served as a missionary in Ukraine with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, and later earned a Masters Degree from Dallas Theological Seminary, where the focus of his studies was on Textual Criticism.
In this episode, Shane explains what Textual Criticism is (and is not), and explains the important elements involved in Bible translation, such as translation philosophy and source documents. He also dispels some common misconceptions about Bible translations, such as that newer translations remove content from the Bible, or that they are less accurate than older translations.
Shane and I have some common friends in Ireland and Ukraine, and it was great getting to know him and listening to him share his knowledge on this subject.
See also the series of articles on Bible translation I posted here years ago:
- Making Sense of Different Bible Translations – Part 1
- Making Sense of Different Bible Translations – Part 2: the King James Bible
- Making Sense of Different Bible Translations – Part 3: Gender-Inclusive Language and the NIV
You can listen to this week’s episode by clicking this link, or by listening in the embedded player below: Making Sense of Bible Translations – with Shane Angland
Theology for the People 
I love this one! Great job to both of you
Hey, Nick,
This year, I’ve been reading through the Bible using the NET (New English Translation) Bible. I really like it, especially the Old Testament translation; it’s so clear and reads so well.
And it’s true that there are a huge number of notes, assuming you get the Full Notes Edition; there are more than 60,000 of them. These fall into the categories of translator notes (rationale for the translation and alternative interpretive options), study notes (historical and cultural background, plus theological insights), and text-critical notes (these highlight the alternative readings found in various manuscripts).
You were the one who first turned me on to it! All the serious Bible people I know who have looked into it love it.