Thomson's Translation
Encyclopedia
Charles Thomson
's Translation of the Old Covenant is a very rare direct translation of the Greek Septuagint version of the Old Testament
into English. The work took 19 years to complete and was originally published in 1808. Thomson is credited with having created the work with little to no help from other scholars. Thompson's translation of the entire Greek Bible, excluding the Apocrypha, was published in one thousand sets of four volumes each, the fourth volume being Thompson's translation of the New Testament
in that same year.
Thomson's was the first English translation of the Septuagint published, and was considered by British biblical scholars to represent the best in American scholarship. David Daniell, in his compendious work The Bible in English (2003), states that the scholars who worked on the Revised Version in England (1881) consulted Thomson's translations (among others, of course) during their work. Thomson's translation of the New Covenant/Testament is the first American translation of the New Covenant.
Thomson's personal copy, containing final corrections to the manuscript, is in the Philadelphia library.
Charles Thomson (1729–1824) was secretary of the Continental Congress
from 1774 to 1789.
Charles Thomson
Charles Thomson was a Patriot leader in Philadelphia during the American Revolution and the secretary of the Continental Congress throughout its existence.-Biography:...
's Translation of the Old Covenant is a very rare direct translation of the Greek Septuagint version of 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...
into English. The work took 19 years to complete and was originally published in 1808. Thomson is credited with having created the work with little to no help from other scholars. Thompson's translation of the entire Greek Bible, excluding the Apocrypha, was published in one thousand sets of four volumes each, the fourth volume being Thompson's 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....
in that same year.
Thomson's was the first English translation of the Septuagint published, and was considered by British biblical scholars to represent the best in American scholarship. David Daniell, in his compendious work The Bible in English (2003), states that the scholars who worked on the Revised Version in England (1881) consulted Thomson's translations (among others, of course) during their work. Thomson's translation of the New Covenant/Testament is the first American translation of the New Covenant.
Thomson's personal copy, containing final corrections to the manuscript, is in the Philadelphia library.
Charles Thomson (1729–1824) was secretary of the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
from 1774 to 1789.
Resources
- Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Covenant, commonly called the Old and New Testament. Translated from the Greek by Charles Thomson. Philadelphia, 1908. 4 vols. http://books.google.de/books?id=HBwWAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Holy+Bible%22+Charles+Thomson&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=21mRb0dTJv&sig=fvNaaI-aEJzHel7ZUXKmSqpBkSM&hl=de&ei=5NndSq7aMIaknQOaqIBo&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false
- The Septuagint Bible: History
- History of English Translations (of the Bible)
- PDF's of Charles Thomson's Septuagint Translation
- JSTOR article called "Charles Thomson, First American N. T. Translator--An Appraisal"