This special one-day conference is for those who are interested in the Text and Translation of Scripture and will be of particular value to ministers, elders, and seminary students.

This will be an all-day event. The schedule has been set as:

• 10.00 – 10.30: Registration and coffee – exhibition area will be open for browsing
• 10.30 – 10.45: Chairman’s welcome and introduction
• 10.45 – 11.35: Rev. John Thackway: The Doctrine of Holy Scripture
• 11.45 – 12.30: Pr Pooyan Mehrshahi: The Holy Scriptures for the Persian People
• 12.30 – 1.45: Lunch interval – food and drink will be provided, exhibition area will be fully open
• 1.45 – 2.35: Mr William Greendyk: Dynamic or Literal Translation? Lessons from the Spanish Bible Project
• 2.45 – 3.35: Dr Jeff Riddle: The Case for the Received Text
• 3.45 – 4.15: Panel Q & A Session [Questions submitted on cards]
• 4.15 – 4.25: TBS General Secretary/Senior Director: The Work of the Trinitarian Bible Society
• 4.25 – 4.30: Chairman closes the meeting
• 4.30: Conference ends

Booking is essential as availability is limited.
Please also note that parking at William Tyndale House is limited.

Guests may wish to consider a special break in London over 3 days with this schedule:
Thursday: Text and Translation Conference at William Tyndale House
Friday: Free day in London
Saturday: TBS AGM at the Metropolitan Tabernacle

Scripture is our unshakable foundation. Everything depends on it—all our faith and practice.

Translation

The Scriptures declare they are fully inspired by God—not just in their main teachings but in every word. How then should we translate the Scriptures into the many languages that need it so desperately? No translation is perfect, but because the Bible is inspired it demands its own translation philosophy. Translators need to follow the form of the original languages of Scripture as closely as possible, providing this does not distort the meaning in the target language. They should respect the syntax or word order of the original, but in a way that complies with the rules of the receptor language. It should be as literal as is possible and only as free as is necessary.

Some argue that we only need to convey the essential meaning and not be overly concerned with the form of the original, especially if being faithful to that form offends some in our modern society. But the result of this is that a part of ‘all the counsel of God’ (Acts 20.27) is held back. We cannot separate the meaning of the words from the form as easily as some think.The Lord Jesus Christ gave emphasis to even ‘one jot or one tittle’ of God’s inspired words (Matthew 5.18), and we must respect this in translation. If we do not convey the form of that written revelation by which God reveals Himself, how may we be sure that we have accurately conveyed its meaning? After all, the precise meaning comes from the particular form of words used.

Text

Inspiration requires Divine preservation. It is inconsistent to claim a belief in revealed truth and that the inspired text was infallible when first penned unless we have access to that in its entirety now. God not only inspired His Word, but He has also kept His promise to preserve it by His providence so that His Word has not passed away. It has been kept in its essential purity throughout all generations. This does not mean that no scribe ever made a mistake in copying, but rather that God in His providence has preserved in the church a clear testimony to the inspired Word in its entirety. God has not left His church for centuries without a complete and authoritative Word. We can have entire confidence that in the text of Scripture available to us—not a constant work in progress that changes according to educated guesses. This explains the historic Protestant commitment to the Masoretic Hebrew text and the Greek Received Text.

What do you believe about the Holy Bible? Do you believe it was inspired by God? Do you believe that it is therefore infallible? Do you also believe that God preserved His Word so that we can actually hold a faithful translation of it in our hands today? To explore these matters further, read or request the free booklet How the Holy Bible Came to Be at www.tbsbibles.org.

This conference will explore these vital issues. Join us and be encouraged to have firm confidence in the sure foundation of the Word of God in the Church of God.

The following messages will be presented:

• The Doctrine of Holy Scripture by Rev. John Thackway, Pastor at Emmanuel Church, Salisbury, and Vice Chairman of the Trinitarian Bible Society.
• The Holy Scriptures for the Persian People by Pr Pooyan Mehrshahi, Minister at Providence Baptist Chapel, Cheltenham, and Chairman of the Parsa Trust.
• Dynamic or Literal? Lessons from the TBS Spanish Bible Project by Mr Bill Greendyk, General Secretary of TBS (USA) in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
• The Case for the Received Text by Dr Jeff Riddle, Pastor at Christ Reformed Baptist Church, Louisa, Virginia.

All the Lord willing.