Hebrew Heritage Bible: The Newer Testament
Hear What The First Century Believers Heard!
Dr. Brad Young’s translation of the New Testament properly unites Jesus with the
faith tradition of the Jewish people and deepens the witness of early believers.
It builds faith in Jesus by correctly understanding the faith of Jesus.
THE NEWER TESTAMENT
DR. BRAD H. YOUNG, TRANSLATOR
Brad H. Young (PhD Hebrew University) is emeritus professor of Biblical Literature in Judaic-Christian Studies in the Graduate School of Theology at Oral Roberts University. He has taught advanced language and translation courses as well as the Jewish foundations of early Christianity to graduate students for over thirty years. In addition to his well known research on the life of Jesus, he has devoted much energy to interfaith dialogue to build relationships between the Jewish and Christian communities.
HEBREW HERITAGE BIBLE SOCIETY
The Hebrew Heritage Bible Society is a division of the Gospel Research Foundation (GRF). GRF supports the translation preparation, research analysis, educational exchange, as well as learning and teaching opportunities. The purpose of the Hebrew Heritage Bible Society is to publish and to distribute the HHB translation as well as to license others to do the same. The HHB invites everyone to read the written word of God—to enjoy, to discover, to grow in strength to achieve life’s purpose, and to be enriched by the authentic first-century Jewish context.
"How did the first-century listeners hear and understand the message?”
A THREE STEP Translation
Most modern translations seek to construct a translation for easy reading and understanding, a very worthy goal. At times, however, the focus is easy reading rather than understanding the intended message accurately. Without a sharp focus on the intended message, modern readers, regrettably, will often misunderstand and fail to make appropriate applications with feelings of being left outside the first-century setting in life. The HHB takes a different approach. Because twenty-first century readers want to hear the original message like Jewish believers of the first century, the HHB uses a three-step translation process to bring readers a new level of authenticity, clarity, and realism.
Most modern New Testament Bible translators employ a two-step translation process which involves only Greek and English. In step one, the translator carefully examines the Greek text and considers the possible meanings of a Greek word in English. In step two, the translator selects an English definition of the Greek term. The goal is a Bible translation using modern English words in today’s latest vernacular.
Unlike the two-step translations, the Hebrew Heritage Bible includes an intermediate step. The HHB translator asks the question: “What is the Hebrew thought and wording underpinning the Greek text?” Why? The English translation of the Greek text must highlight and communicate the intended meaning from the first-century context is why. The Jewish culture and faith experience, as well as the Hebrew and Aramaic meanings of Greek words must guide the intermediate step. Therefore, between the traditional translation steps one and two, the HHB translator carefully evaluates the Hebrew heritage and linguistic foundations of the Greek text. This intermediate step focuses on the first- century meanings of words and their connections to Jewish faith, culture, and practice, and therefore answers the question: “How did the first- century listeners hear and understand the message?”
