American Standard Version

Many smart people worked on a special book. They made the American Standard Version. It was finished in 1901.

Some people worked in the UK. Then, leaders in America joined them. Thirty scholars helped with the work. They came from many different groups.

They wanted to change some words. They used the name Jehovah many times. This was a new way to write it.

This book helped make new books. Many new versions came after it. It is a very important book for many.

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The American Standard Version is a Bible translation. It was finished in 1901. This version has many other names. Some people call it the American Standard Edition.

This work began in 1870. Scholars wanted to update the King James Bible. First, a team in the UK made a new version. Then, American leaders invited scholars to help. Philip Schaff chose thirty scholars for the team. These scholars came from many different religious groups. They began their work in 1872.

One big change was in the Old Testament. The scholars used the name Jehovah many times. They used it in 6,823 places. The scholars had a reason for this. They felt a rule from the past should not rule the text. They believed the name should be used.

This book helped make other books. Many new translations came later. Some of these came in 1952 or 1971. The American Standard Version is still very important. It became part of the public domain in 1957. This means more people can use it freely.

The American Standard Version is a special English translation of the Bible. It is also called the Revised Version or the Standard American Edition. This work was finished in 1901 when the Old Testament was published. The New Testament part was finished a year earlier in 1900. Many people use different names for this book. They might call it the American Standard Revision or the American Standard Edition. It is an important piece of religious history.

This project started because people wanted to update an older book. In 1870, work began to revise the King James Bible from 1611. This effort first created the English Revised Version in the UK. American religious leaders were then invited to join the work. In 1871, a man named Philip Schaff chose thirty scholars. These experts came from many groups like the Baptists and Methodists. They began their official work in 1872.

One major change in this version is how it uses a specific name. The scholars used the name Jehovah in the Old Testament. They used this name in 6,823 different places. This was different from the King James Bible. The scholars had a specific reason for this choice. They felt a Jewish tradition should not rule the English text. That tradition held the name was too sacred to say out loud. The committee decided it was better to use the name.

History shows how this book spread across the ocean. The British team finished their work in the 1880s. After that, some copies appeared in the US without permission. This happened because the copyright rules were different in America. In 1898, Oxford and Cambridge Universities published editions with American ideas. Some of these books had "American Revised Version" on the spine. The Episcopal Church and the Church of England both use this version.

This translation helped create many other books we know today. It served as a base for the Revised Standard Version in 1952. It also helped with the New American Standard Bible in 1971. Other versions like the Living Bible also came later. The American Standard Version entered the public domain in 1957. This means the copyright ended and anyone can use it. It remains a key part of how people study the Bible.

The American Standard Version (ASV) is a significant English translation of the Bible. It is officially known as the Revised Version or the Standard American Edition. The project reached completion in 1901 with the publication of the Old Testament. The New Testament portion had been released a year earlier in 1900. This translation is known by many different names in various contexts. Some call it the American Revised Version or the American Standard Revision. Others refer to it as the American Standard Revised Bible or the American Standard Edition. It represents a major effort to update older English biblical texts.

The history of the ASV is rooted in a massive revision project from 1870. That project aimed to update the King James Bible of 1611. This initial work eventually produced the English Revised Version (ERV) in the United Kingdom. American religious leaders were eventually invited to participate in the RV project. In 1871, a man named Philip Schaff selected thirty scholars for the American committee. These scholars represented many different denominations. These included the Baptist, Congregationalist, Dutch Reformed, and Friends groups. They also represented Methodists, Episcopals, Presbyterians, Protestant Episcopals, and Unitarians. The scholars officially began their work in 1872.

Several individuals played key roles in the creation of the New Testament portion. Three editors were notably the youngest members of the group. These were Dr. Timothy Dwight V, Dr. Joseph Henry Thayer, and Dr. Matthew B. Riddle. The British team completed the Revised Version in stages. They published the New Testament in 1881 and the Old Testament in 1885. The Apocrypha was published in 1894. Once the Apocrypha was finished, the British team disbanded. This timeline shows the long, careful process required for such a large translation.

Legal issues regarding copyright influenced how the text spread in the United States. After the British team finished, unauthorized copies of the RV appeared in America. These copies included suggestions made by the American team within the main text. This was possible due to a gap in copyright protection. The RV in the UK held a Crown copyright through Oxford and Cambridge University Presses. However, this protection did not extend to the United States. The text was not separately copyrighted in America. By 1898, Oxford and Cambridge published editions that included some American suggestions. Some of these editions featured the title "American Revised Version" on the spine.

A major feature of the ASV is its treatment of the Tetragrammaton. The Tetragrammaton is the divine name of the Almighty. The ASV renders this name as "Jehovah" in 6,823 places within the Old Testament. This was a departure from the King James Bible and the original Revised Version. In the King James Bible, the name appears in only seven specific verses. These include Genesis 22:14, Exodus 6:3, Exodus 17:15, Judges 6:24, Psalm 83:18, Isaiah 12:2, and Isaiah 26:4. It also appears in an abbreviated form, "Jah," in Psalm 68:4. The ASV scholars made a deliberate choice regarding this name.

The committee explained their reasoning for using "Jehovah" in their preface. They believed a specific Jewish superstition should no longer dominate English translations. This superstition held that the Divine Name was too sacred to be uttered. The American revisers reached a unanimous conviction to change this practice. This decision changed how the name appeared throughout the entire Old Testament. The ASV remains authorized for use in services for the Episcopal Church and the Church of England. The version officially entered the public domain on January 1, 1957. This occurred after its copyright expired.

The ASV has served as a foundational text for many later translations. Many modern Bibles use the ASV as a basis for their own revisions. For example, the Revised Standard Version was released in 1952. The Amplified Bible appeared in 1965, followed by the New American Standard Bible in 1971. Other versions like The Living Bible also emerged in 1971. More recent works include the World English Bible from 2000 and the American Literary Version from 2016. Even very recent updates like the Refreshed American Standard Version (2021) trace their roots back to this work. The ASV continues to influence how the Bible is translated into English.