Why William Carey?
Dr Phil Stringer
President of the William Carey Bible Society (http://www.wcbible.org)
The William Carey Bible Society is devoted to promoting world evangelism by encouraging pure Received Text Bibles around the world. It is a fair question to ask why an organization with such a purpose would be named after William Carey.
Carey was a shoemaker, Baptist pastor, missionary, Bible translator and educator.
Carey was born in 1761 and baptized in 1783. He went to India as a missionary in 1793. He served 41 years without a furlough. He died and was buried in India in 1834.
Carey studied at least one chapter of the Bible every day in each of six languages: English, Koine Greek, Latin, French, German and Italian.
He has been called the Bengali Luther, the Wycliffe of the East, the Tyndale of our Time, the Polyglot of India, and a Plodder for Christ. He is commonly known as the Father of Modern Missions. He has been called the greatest linguist who ever lived.
He served as a Professor of Oriental Languages at a secular University (Fort William College, which became Calcutta University). He started a Bible college, a medical hospital, a leper hospital, and a Christian liberal arts university, which accepted non-Christian students.
His mission teams translated the Bible into forty languages and dialects—seven complete Bibles and thirty-three New Testaments. They also produced eight grammars and three dictionaries. Carey produced four translations himself (Bengali, Hindi, Marathi and Sanskrit). He worked with other missionaries on translations and he supervised other translation efforts. In all of these efforts, the advice and aid of nationals was incorporated.
We live in a day of great confusion about the issues of Bible translation. William Carey serves as a great example of dedication, scholarship and clear thinking about Bible translation. He serves as a great example of accomplishment in the realm of Bible translations.
There are many who teach today that we must pick between world evangelism and the pure Word of God. They teach that any emphasis on accurate, faithful Bible translation will destroy the focus on soul winning. Yet, William Carey was more successful in influencing soul winning than all of those leaders put together. He used faithful Bible translation as a means of world evangelism. He thought that true evangelism was based upon faithful translations.
William Carey did not teach that all Bible translations must be done from Greek and Hebrew as some do today. He did not teach that all translations must be done from the King James Bible as some teach today. Carey believed in using every tool available to get faithful translations in the hands of people as soon as possible. He did not participate in anything similar to the debates that are discouraging Bible translation today.
The Scriptures never tell us that translation must be done from the original languages. To teach that as a doctrine is to add to the Word of God. The Scriptures certainly do not teach that all translation must be done from English. To teach that as a doctrine is to add to the Word of God. Faithful Bible translation has been done from Greek, Hebrew, English, German, Italian and Dutch at least. Some of the best and most effective translations have had multiple language source texts—the King James Bible for example.
Carey himself translated from Greek but also used the King James Bible especially in the Old Testament. Some of the translations associated with Carey were done from Greek and Hebrew and some from the King James Bible. Some were done from previously completed Indian translations. Carey believed in using whatever tools were available.
Carey did not believe that his translations were being inspired by God. None of his translations are in use today. He did not intend for them to be. He considered them all “starter translations” that needed to be improved upon. He wrote about gradual translation perfection. He encouraged those who followed him to continue the process of purification. William Carey was much more humble than many today who have much less record of accomplishment.
Carey’s younger associates revised all of his translations as he intended. Unfortunately, later revisions would be caught up in the campaign of the Bible Societies to replace Received Text translations with translations based upon the Critical Text. Translation work needs to be redone all over India and Pakistan.
Carey never belittled scholarship. Many of the loudest voices in the Bible translation debate today do not need to tell us that they are opposed to scholarship. It is obvious every time they speak. Carey was able to function as a language scholar and be respected in both the secular and Hindu worlds. However, he never allowed scholarship to correct the Scriptures.
Carey did not have to engage in smear campaigns or file lawsuits to try to intimidate his critics. He promoted sound translations for the purpose of world evangelism, answered his critics, dealt with issues and went forward. He accomplished more than all the loud voices today put together.
The cause of Christ needs a small army of “William Careys” today. Around the world, godly believers are starting to get this vision. The William Carey Bible Society exists to encourage this in every way possible.
From the Archives:
The Inerrant and Infallible Word of God
Article by the Rev Quek Kiok Chiang in the Bible-Presbyterian Annual, 1959-60
All true Christians believe in the Holy Bible as the inerrant and infallible, inspired word of God, the only rule of faith and practice. This is contained in the creedal statement of the International Council of Christian Churches. Any concept of Christianity not based on the inerrancy and infallibility of the Holy Bible is like a house built upon the sand.
The 66 books that make up the Bible—the written revelation of God Himself and His holy will to men were written by over 40 different persons, in different styles and more than 1,500 years apart. Some of them were kings like David and Solomon and others, fishermen like Peter and John, but the 66 books make one complete whole, with one continuous, unbroken central theme—God’s way of salvation for man through the shed blood of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. While books of the world get out of date very easily, this Book has spanned the centuries and stood the test of time, with increasing evidences from archaeological discoveries to substantiate its truthful and accurate accounts.
Inspired of God
How was this possible? The answer is found in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God,” ie God-breathed. Although there were over 40 different men writing the books of the Holy Bible, there was only one Author—the Holy Spirit. It was God who moved the writers to write down what He wanted them to write. He gave not only the ideas but also caused the very words that expressed those ideas to be written, so that these words would convey exactly the meaning or message He wanted conveyed. For example, to the prophet Jeremiah God says (in 36:2), “Take thee a roll of a book and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee.” Ezekiel 1:3 says, “The word of God came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest …”. The Apostle Peter writes (in 2 Pet 1:2), “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” And John the Apostle writing in Revelation 14:13 says, “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth. Yea, saith the Spirit …”.
Thus God is the Author of the Bible, and since He is the Author there can be no mistake in the Bible in the original languages of Hebrew for the Old Testament and Greek for the New Testament. Our English Bible of the King James Version, which was most carefully and faithfully translated from old manuscripts in these original languages, is agreed to be the most reliable translation ever made.
We thank God therefore for this precious truth that the Bible is the inerrant and infallible Word of God. The Psalmist say, “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven” (119:89). And our Lord says (in John 10:35), “The Scripture cannot be broken.” “For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled.” (Matt 5:18).
Only Rule of Our Faith and Practice
And because the Bible has no mistake and cannot make any mistake, it is trustworthy as the only rule for our faith and practice. In Christian faith, there may be some statements in the Bible which we in our present state of knowledge are unable to comprehend or harmonise, but as Christ has said, “the Scripture cannot be broken”, we must have the explicit faith not to doubt them, but pray to the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth (John 16:13). And in Christian practice, we may sometimes be perplexed, just as we stand at the crossroads, not knowing where to go. But, we can safely turn to the infallible word of God and get His guidance, just as Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path.”
Let Christians stand squarely, without doubting on the inerrant and infallible Word of God, and Satan who caused mankind to fall by making Adam and Eve doubt and disobey the Word of God would be quite powerless with his fiery darts (Eph 6:16).
[Ed: True Life and FEBC continue to believe in the old Book and old Faith that the Bible is 100% perfect without any mistake in the original language Scriptures, and the King James Version which is translated from those original language Scriptures is the most faithful, accurate, and trustworthy translation ever made.]
