The New Testament, Second Edition

My goal in this translation has been to bring some fresh turns of phrase to the New Testament's varied texts, adapting linguistic forms as a given genre or writer's style might suggest. My aim is not to supplant prior translations so much as to shed light on obscure passages; capture the humanity of Jesus' personality as presented in the Gospels; intelligibly convey doctrine and experience as related in Acts and the Epistles; and reflect the atemporal nature of the Book of Revelation. The translation seeks to be at once enjoyable, novelistic and at times poetic, avoiding the overly-literal, freely adopting the colloquial, and taking grammatical license where the writer employed imagery not subject to standard linguistic limitations. This Second Edition largely tracks the prior edition, but also includes a distinctively new version of the Letter to the Colossians as an example of a canonical-hermeneutical approach to translation, one that better reflects the historicity of under-standing in seeking to capture the interrelating effects of time and tradition on textual expression. It thus takes fuller account of intrascriptural language and imagery; hymnic aspects of the text; nomina sacra found in early manuscripts; the text's effective history in faith formulae; and the trajectory of its lengthy translation-tradition. The translation as a whole approaches Scripture as the viva vox evangelii, with ongoing linguistic presence through credal, liturgical, sermonic and other forms of expression.

About the Author :
Michael Straus holds degrees in classical languages, law, and theology. He has previously published translations from Greek and Spanish. Anna Pipes is an artist based in New York.

Review :
"Good translations take risks and let you read a familiar text as though for the first time. This irresistibly colloquial and energetic version of Christian Scripture keeps up a flow of linguistic vigor and sheds much fresh light: both the narratives of the Gospels and the arguments of the Epistles are presented with memorable vividness, and the rendering of the Book of Revelation is a genuine tour de force. There are definitely some high-risk decisions, but the overall impression is of a text that is wonderfully and confidently alive." --Rowan Williams, Anglican bishop, former Archbishop of Canterbury "Now more than ever, when sacred texts are too often used as weapons of terror, there is a need to make the gospel message of love and justice accessible. Michael Straus does this in his translation of the New Testament. Michael's scholarship and passion bring the New Testament alive for a skeptical world in need of a trusting word." --Kelly Brown Douglas, Dean of Episcopal Divinity School, Union Theological Seminary "This is a pearl of great price." --James Diggle, Emeritus Professor of Greek and Latin, University of Cambridge "There is no question that we live in an age when words matter. They have the power to inspire and to incite, to create and to destroy, to mobilize and to suppress. Straus has taken a text that has done all of this throughout its history and has given it fresh expression, nuanced meaning, and befitting urgency. At times he chooses literal accuracy, and at times he takes poetic license, all the while remaining faithful to original context and intent, even as he attempts to capture its relevance for this present age. This translation is not only elegantly innovative, but it also brims with the vigor and revolutionary spirit so present at the moments of its original composition. It is a gift apt for an age when words matter supremely." --Javier A. Viera, Vice Provost, Dean of the Theological School, Drew University "I have used this translation in my church and Bible studies and the response has been electric. The parishioners hear the Scripture being spoken to them in an entirely fresh way. In a world that hungers for authenticity, Michael Straus has blended a brilliant knowledge of Greek with a genius for the English language to produce a Holy Scripture as powerful as it is irresistible." --Janet Broderick, All Saints Episcopal Church, Beverly Hills, California