Obsolete
Apparently, the English spoken in 1984 is not comprehensible today. Biblica, the corporation who owns the New International Version of the Bible, the world’s best-selling book, plans to release a new edition in 2011 — an edition that “reflects changes in English usage” to become “a book its readers can understand”.
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Categories: Observation
Exoristos
Porter Doran
Iannes
Epiktetos
Anonymous
Interesting. (I was expecting a George Orwell reference…)
I haven’t been able to help but notice that, with each modern revision, the Bible becomes more and more like Christianity.
(With which observation I am letting slip that, no, I do not believe for a moment the English of 1984 is illegible to the English-reader of 2011.)
And I will add that this is copacetic with me — and the plethora of study Bibles is even grander, in my mind. Once the Bible is really nothing more than Christian rhetoric, perhaps the ancient Greek accounts and letters that I love can be freed from their 1500-year captivity.
Perhaps the new edition will all be in text-message abbreviations! I think you could make an argument that replacing Psalm 119 with the word “w00t!1″ would better reflect current English usage.
A “woot!” or “sweet!” on each page, instead of the usual text, would save youth pastors a lot of time and trouble.
(Or at least, instead of the Gospels, “What were the Pharisees tripping on man? Jesus was so cool and they just didn’t get it!”)