Fenton English Bible

Commentary for April 8, 2003 - Question/Answer

Question: Did Dr. Martin ever read the Ferrar Fenton English Bible? It is a direct translation from the original Greek, Chaldee and Hebrew manuscripts. Also, attached is my payment to purchase The Essentials of New Testament Doctrine.

Answer: Thank you for ordering Essentials. It is our pleasure to serve you with useful biblical teaching materials. However, keep in mind that these publications are not intended to be substituted for your own reading of the Bible. Their purpose is to make clear what may be obscured by translations (even with the best of intentions) and even by our own cultural biases.

By producing these excellent studies by Dr. Martin, we are publishing and promoting the Gospel of Christ to the glory of God the Father. Read Essentials carefully and thoughtfully, constantly checking in your Bible. We have no desire to put you into any group or organization, nor do we seek to take you out of one.

Insofar as associating with other Christians, you are on your own, as you are led by the Spirit of God. You have been salted around the earth by God Himself. ASK does not recommend or advise against fellowship with any particular organization or group.

Regarding the Fenton English Bible (available complete at http://ferrarfenton.com), it is not used often by either Dr. Martin or myself because the King James Version is universally available and its divergence from the Hebrew or Greek can be quickly explained when the KJV is inadequate in its translation. Fenton's purpose was to put his translation into the modern English of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Although you will find reference to Fenton occasionally throughout his writings, neither Dr. Martin nor I have found Fenton's translation useful often enough to use it extensively.

Search through the extensive archives under the sections "ASK Articles" and "Books On-line" on the ASK homepage, which are part of our free service to Christians around the world. I am sure that many questions you have asked yourself through the years will be answered.

Remember that ASK continues to exist due to the gracious contributions of those like yourself who might give above and beyond their purchases, always of course in line with your ability and family situation.

I hope this is helpful. My best to you,

David Sielaff
david@askelm.com

Go to ASK Home Page • Print Page