The Gospels
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- Create Date：2021-05-09 11:51:55
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Sarah Ruden
- ISBN：0399592946
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Summary
A remarkable and accessible new translation of the Gospels， destined to become a definitive edition of these canonical texts， from one of today's most respected translators of ancient literature
"Electrifying 。 。 。 [Ruden transforms] these most familiar of ancient texts into fresh reading experiences。"--The Christian Science Monitor
For millennia， the first four books of the New Testament have not only supported the central tenets of Christianity but have also proved to be formative texts for the modern Western world。
The Gospels of Matthew， Mark， Luke， and John tell of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ--but they are perhaps best understood as four separate versions of the same story， showing complex origins， intricate interweavings， and often inherent contradictions。
Faithfully pointing the reader back to the original Greek， this masterful new translation from the renowned scholar and acclaimed translator Sarah Ruden is the first to reconsider the Gospels as books to be read and understood on their own terms。
Mediating between the authors of the Gospels and present-day readers with unprecedented precision and sensitivity， Ruden gives us the most accessible version of the text available to date。 Illuminating footnotes and a discursive glossary explain new word choices and phrasings， and present the Gospels as they originally were: grounded in contemporary languages， literatures， and cultures， full of their own particular drama， humor， and reasoning， and free from later superimposed ideologies。
The result is a striking and persuasive reappraisal of the accounts of these four evangelists， and presents a new appreciation of the ancient world as the foundation of our modern one。 This robust and eminently readable translation is a welcoming ground on which a variety of readers can meet， and a resource for new debate， discussion， and inspiration for years to come。
"Electrifying 。 。 。 [Ruden transforms] these most familiar of ancient texts into fresh reading experiences。"--The Christian Science Monitor
For millennia， the first four books of the New Testament have not only supported the central tenets of Christianity but have also proved to be formative texts for the modern Western world。
The Gospels of Matthew， Mark， Luke， and John tell of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ--but they are perhaps best understood as four separate versions of the same story， showing complex origins， intricate interweavings， and often inherent contradictions。
Faithfully pointing the reader back to the original Greek， this masterful new translation from the renowned scholar and acclaimed translator Sarah Ruden is the first to reconsider the Gospels as books to be read and understood on their own terms。
Mediating between the authors of the Gospels and present-day readers with unprecedented precision and sensitivity， Ruden gives us the most accessible version of the text available to date。 Illuminating footnotes and a discursive glossary explain new word choices and phrasings， and present the Gospels as they originally were: grounded in contemporary languages， literatures， and cultures， full of their own particular drama， humor， and reasoning， and free from later superimposed ideologies。
The result is a striking and persuasive reappraisal of the accounts of these four evangelists， and presents a new appreciation of the ancient world as the foundation of our modern one。 This robust and eminently readable translation is a welcoming ground on which a variety of readers can meet， and a resource for new debate， discussion， and inspiration for years to come。
Reviews
Susan Paxton
，
Sarah Ruden's first book， Paul Among the People， was and remains so groundbreaking that I continue to recommend it。 To have someone who was very knowledgeable with the language Paul was writing in and the society around him was revelatory。Then came The Face of Water， or， as I call it， "Look， I'm learning to read Hebrew！" I failed to be impressed。Unfortunately she has now translated the four canonical Gospels and the results are awful。If anyone is interested in reading a basic， true to the origin Sarah Ruden's first book， Paul Among the People， was and remains so groundbreaking that I continue to recommend it。 To have someone who was very knowledgeable with the language Paul was writing in and the society around him was revelatory。Then came The Face of Water， or， as I call it， "Look， I'm learning to read Hebrew！" I failed to be impressed。Unfortunately she has now translated the four canonical Gospels and the results are awful。If anyone is interested in reading a basic， true to the original translation of Mark， it's hard to beat the version in the late Reynolds Price's Three Gospels， which rendered a stark yet mesmerizing take on Mark， very close to what must have been the shocking immediacy of the original。 Ruden， on the other hand， sticking strictly to the original Greek， has come up with a version that's almost unreadable。 She evidently forgets that what works in one language does not work in another without smoothing it out， and her use of the Greek names is a horrific distraction: there is no need not to translate the proper names of people and places， frankly， it adds nothing。I'm always hoping to get closer to what Jesus said and meant， and this did not help。Now， what's sad is that she could have had a great book if she'd written "A Translator's Take on the Gospels" - not a translation， but an informed commentary in the style of Paul Among the People。 There's little in her notes I personally found startling， since I had the privilege for several years of listening to a very learned priest who was happy to share what he knew with the congregation， but many Christians would find such a book fascinating。Tedious， dull， unreadable。 Sad for an author who came out of the gate with such power。 。。。more
Brian Wilcox
，
I use this daily for the Gospel reading in the lectionary for the day， and I have found the notes to the text especially helpful。 Ruden - a Quaker and graduate of Harvard - described in a book discussion on her translation style for The Gospels， her intent being to create a text reflecting the historical context as well as rendered with modern readers who read the Scripture privately foremost in mind。 Ruden noted many of the past Bible translations were rendered for pubic reading。 The Christian I use this daily for the Gospel reading in the lectionary for the day， and I have found the notes to the text especially helpful。 Ruden - a Quaker and graduate of Harvard - described in a book discussion on her translation style for The Gospels， her intent being to create a text reflecting the historical context as well as rendered with modern readers who read the Scripture privately foremost in mind。 Ruden noted many of the past Bible translations were rendered for pubic reading。 The Christian Scripture was initially heard in a group setting， and few persons had private access to the Bible。 Martin Luther recalled going to a library， and it being chained there so no one could confiscate it。 Also， Ruden clarified how translations of the Bible tend to translate words in a uniform way - that is， the same translation in differing contexts。 She tries， here， to translate particular words in diverse ways， based on the context in which they appear。Ruden is a delightful being and a superb scholar。 The translation truly is a labor of love。 。。。more
Alisa Wilhelm
，
DNF @ 50%Interesting translation experiment。 I liked the idea of keeping all the proper names original and not anglicized。 The translation notes were also informative。 The text felt kind of clunky overall。
Todd Glaeser
，
I did like this， particularly Mark And Luke （which are the two I like anyway。） The only thing that threw me was the Greek names， that seemed overly formal， combined with the seemingly informal “pal” and/or “buddy。”
Alan Teder
，
Stunned almost beyond [the] capacity to be stunnedReview of the Modern Library hardcover edition （2021） translated from the Koine Greek of the Novum Testamentum Graece （Greek New Testament） （Nestle-Aland 28th edition 2012） based on the original manuscripts （70-110 CE） first published 382 CEMy lede is perhaps overly dramatic， but I couldn't resist adapting Sarah Ruden's new Mark 5:42 text to introduce this very readable new translation of the 4 Evangelist Gospels （Matthew， Mark， Luke and John） fr Stunned almost beyond [the] capacity to be stunnedReview of the Modern Library hardcover edition （2021） translated from the Koine Greek of the Novum Testamentum Graece （Greek New Testament） （Nestle-Aland 28th edition 2012） based on the original manuscripts （70-110 CE） first published 382 CEMy lede is perhaps overly dramatic， but I couldn't resist adapting Sarah Ruden's new Mark 5:42 text to introduce this very readable new translation of the 4 Evangelist Gospels （Matthew， Mark， Luke and John） from the New Testament of the Bible。 That verse was the first point* in the book where the language used definitely reinforced the idea that I was reading a 21st Century translation。 For comparison: καὶ εὐθὺς ἀνέστη τὸ κοράσιον καὶ περιεπάτει· ἦν γὰρ ἐτῶν δώδεκα。 καὶ ἐξέστησαν [εὐθὺς] ἐκστάσει μεγάλῃ。 - Mark 5:42， Novum Testamentum Graece （NA28 - 2012）And straightway the damsel arose， and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years。 And they were astonished with a great astonishment。 - Mark 5:42 King James Version （1611）Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around （she was twelve years old）。 At this they were completely astonished。 - Mark 5:42 New International Version （1978）And right away the little girl stood up and walked around; she was twelve years old。 Then [right away] they were stunned almost beyond their capacity to be stunned。 - Mark 5:42 Sarah Ruden Version （2021）Ruden’s translation with its occasional 21st century vernacular has the curious effect of bringing us closer to the original text but at the same time making it newly strange and different。 The ‘newly strange’ effect is from transliterating the Koine Greek， but not ‘translating’ the Aramaic， Greek and Roman personal and placenames， but rather leaving them as they are given。 The occasional Aramaic word or phrase is also left as is （but explained in the generous footnotes）。 So you have to adapt to regularly seeing Iēsous for Jesus， Galilaia for Galilee， Pilatos for Pilate， etc。 I’m only giving a few examples， but there are usually dozens on every page。Overall， I wouldn’t say that there was anything shocking about this translation， but very rarely some 21st century phrasing did make me sit up and pay close attention。 This was especially so in John 19:5 and Matthew 22:50: Then came Jesus forth， wearing the crown of thorns， and the purple robe。 And Pilate saith unto them， Behold the man！ - John 19:5， King James VersionWhen Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe， Pilate said to them， "Here is the man！" - John 19:5， New International VersionSo Iēsous came outside again， wearing the thorny garland and the purple robe。 And Pilatos said to them， “Look at this guy。” - John 19:5， Sarah Ruden VersionAnd Jesus said unto him， Friend， wherefore art thou come？ Then came they， and laid hands on Jesus and took him。 - Matthew 26:50， King James VersionJesus replied， "Do what you came for， friend。" Then the men stepped forward， seized Jesus and arrested him。 - Matthew 26:50， New International VersionBut Iēsous said to him， “Do what you came for， pal。” Then they came up to Iēsous， laid hands on him， and took hold of him。 - Matthew 26:50， Sarah Ruden Version The use of "guy" and "pal"， instead of the commonly known "man" and "friend"， is explained by Ruden in her notes， which distinguish the levels of contempt or distance from a person in various Koine Greek phrasings。Overall this was a fascinating reading experience and was especially user friendly compared to most Bible publications with their cramped two columns per page design。 Ruden’s The Gospels is printed with regular one-column pages and with copious footnotes at the bottom of each， to avoid the annoyance of having to constantly flip to the back of the book。I am looking forward to seeking out further translations by Sarah Ruden， of which there are several。*Ruden's translation gives the Gospels in the order of their most likely historical date of writing， so it is Mark， Matthew， Luke and John （actually given here as Markos， Maththaios， Loukas and Iōannēs） rather than the conventional order of Matthew， Mark， Luke and John。 Trivia and LinkYou can see the Novum Testamentum Graece （Nestle-Aland 28th edition 2012） online at Academic Bible。 It is mostly not translatable by online translators due to the archaic nature of most of the Koine Greek words。 。。。more
Mary Flynn
，
My friend asked for my thoughts when he saw I was reading this and was debating whether to get it himself， here's what I told him:Part 1: I've read Mark so far。 I preferred the Reynolds Price translation as a literary translation， but he only translated 2 and this one's all 4 and has more scholarly apparatus。 She does some interesting things to try to recreate a first century mindset。 She focuses more on trying to pin down specific sense of the words where other translations strive to translate My friend asked for my thoughts when he saw I was reading this and was debating whether to get it himself， here's what I told him:Part 1: I've read Mark so far。 I preferred the Reynolds Price translation as a literary translation， but he only translated 2 and this one's all 4 and has more scholarly apparatus。 She does some interesting things to try to recreate a first century mindset。 She focuses more on trying to pin down specific sense of the words where other translations strive to translate the same word the way as much as possible， which I think I prefer。 （I took Gibson's Bible as lit senior sem so I've got some baggage on this topic 😂！） Part 2: Okay， I finished。 All in all， I'd have to say I'd recommend the two translations in Reynolds Price's Three Gospels over this as a literary translation。 （It's Mark and John and then his own apocryphal gospel， which is a choice。 I haven't read all of his apocryphal but have read parts of it and there's some good literary stuff there。） I think Ruden kind of tries to have her cake and eat it too with being a literary translation but also getting hyper-finicky with her terms， and in general I find any benefit from the particularity outweighed by them cluttering the prose。 There are some really great moments， but overall I found that the translations could be pretty awkward。 。。。more
Michael Reilly
，
This is a brand new translation of the four gospels by a very well respected translator。 Ruden has done acclaimed translations of many of the Greek and Latin classics。 She has written a radically new rendition of the Gospels。 Rosen explains that she is trying to give us the feel and style of the original texts。 They were written in late Greek with some Aramaic mixed in。 Roden argues that the Gospels were more informal and even slangy than what we find in English translations。 Her Jesus calls peo This is a brand new translation of the four gospels by a very well respected translator。 Ruden has done acclaimed translations of many of the Greek and Latin classics。 She has written a radically new rendition of the Gospels。 Rosen explains that she is trying to give us the feel and style of the original texts。 They were written in late Greek with some Aramaic mixed in。 Roden argues that the Gospels were more informal and even slangy than what we find in English translations。 Her Jesus calls people， "pal"。 At one point he says to his disciples， "let's get out of here"。 She also identifies jokes and word play that can't be appreciated in English。Roden also claims that many of the words we are most familiar with in the Bible are mistranslations。 She replaces 'crucify" with "hang on the stakes"。 "Heaven" becomes "the skies"。 "Sin" becomes "wrongdoing"。 The introduction does a good job of explaining her thought process for many of these decisions。 I obviously have no ability to second guess her scholarship but several of the translations seemed to serve no good purpose。 For example， she replaces "spirit" with "life-breath" so we get "the Holy life-breath"。 I am not sure how that is progress。 Ruden also uses new version of almost every name。 She says that these versions are closer to the Greek original。 It adds a feeling of oddness。 "Jesus" becomes "Iesous"。 "Noah" becomes "Noe"。 "Luke" becomes "Loukas"。The newness of the translation is a wonderful way of forcing a reader to read the Gospels as if for the first time。 It is easy to glide over the translations we grew up with。 I haven't read the Gospels in years。 This new reading brought back the problems I have always had in reading the Bible。 -Jesus was wrong。 He said that his Father would come and all would be judged before those then alive died。 It didn't happen， and it was the central part of his teaching。-The dogma that all three parts of the Trinity are equal， is wrong。 Jesus prays to his father to spare him from being crucified。 He repeatedly makes it clear that his Father is above him。 When crucified he cries out， "Why have you abandoned me？"。 Jesus is the son。 He is not equal to the father in the gospels。-Do Christians really believe that Jesus drove demons out of a person into a herd of pigs and caused the pigs to run off a cliff？-How many times does Jesus have to say that to be saved you should sell all your riches and come follow me？ Jesus was not a fan of rich people。 -Jesus contradicts himself。 "Honor your mother and father" and yet " I have come to divide a man from his father and a daughter from her mother。。" -Jesus says nothing about abortion， celibacy for priests， birth control， or homosexuality yet his followers are obscessed with these sexually related issues， often at the expense of worrying about the wrong doing of greed， selfishness and hatred， which he repeatedly and explicitly denounced。 This is an excellent way to reread the Gospels with new eyes。 。。。more
Katheryne
，
I read and study from many different versions of the Bible， most recently the Complete Jewish Bible。 This new translation of the gospels complements by personal study and offers even more insights into the life and times of the biblical world。 I appreciate the scholarly approach to this translation。 The extensive and detailed introduction explains what the gospels are and how they came to be a part of the book we now call the Bible。 Also included are a glossary of unfamiliar words and transliter I read and study from many different versions of the Bible， most recently the Complete Jewish Bible。 This new translation of the gospels complements by personal study and offers even more insights into the life and times of the biblical world。 I appreciate the scholarly approach to this translation。 The extensive and detailed introduction explains what the gospels are and how they came to be a part of the book we now call the Bible。 Also included are a glossary of unfamiliar words and transliterations of proper names。 These resources are placed at the beginning of the book so that the reader has a firm foundation of the purpose and methodology of the translation before actually reading it。 The Gospels will be a welcome resource on my Bible study shelf and I expect to return to it time and time again in the course of my studies of scripture。 Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy to read and review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Gospels
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Gospels&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Gospels&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0