The Passion Translation
The Passion Translation (TPT) is a modern, paraphrase English translation of the New Testament, and of Genesis, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, and Song of Solomon from the Hebrew Bible.[1] It was first published in 2017 by 5 Fold Media, although the current publisher is Broadstreet Publishing. The lead translator is Brian Simmons.[2]
| The Passion Translation | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | TPT |
| Language | English |
| NT published | October 31st, 2017 |
| Authorship | Brian Simmons |
| Textual basis | Masoretic Text |
| Translation type | Dynamic equivalence |
| Publisher | Broadstreet Publishing |
| Religious affiliation | New Apostolic Reformation |
| Website | thepassiontranslation |
When God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was completely formless and empty, with nothing but darkness draped over the deep. God’s Spirit swept over the face of the waters. And then God announced: “Let there be light,” and light burst forth.
For here is the way God loved the world—he gave his only, unique Son as a gift. So now everyone who believes in him will never perish but experience everlasting life. | |
The translation was written to reflect New Apostolic Reformation beliefs and has been criticized for excessive paraphrasing and the addition of phrases not found in the original manuscripts.[3][4]
In January 2022 The Passion Translation was removed from Bible Gateway, a popular Bible reading website. The translation still remains available on YouVersion and Logos Bible Software.[5]
History
Simmons’ Vision
During a television interview in 2015, Brian Simmons claimed that in 2009 Jesus visited his room and commissioned him to write a new translation of the Bible. During the same TV program Simmons claimed that Jesus had revealed to him a new chapter to the Bible, John 22.[2] Brian also asserted he was "translated" into Heaven's library where he considered stealing a book from Jesus.[6]
Translation and release
The Passion Translation was primarily the work of one author, Simmons.[2] Although he claims that a team of “respected editors and scholars” reviewed his translations and footnotes, no names were given. For the translation, Simmons claims to have assisted in the Paya-Kuna New Tribes Mission, in which, according to him, he was a translator. Some who worked on the Paya-Kuna translation have stated that Simmons was never a translator. They state he only assisted in reading the translation to the native people, and to provide feedback to the translators of how well the translation was understood by the intended audience. The New Testament was published on October 31st, 2017.[4][2]
2022 Removal from Bible Gateway
In January 2022, online Bible-reading site Bible Gateway removed TPT from their list of translations. From a screenshot of a deleted Facebook post, Simmons is originally seen to criticize the move, saying: “Cancel culture is alive in the church world” and asking followers to request the site restore the version.[7] Broadstreet Publishing, however, “accepts that Bible Gateway has the right to make decisions as they see fit with the platforms they manage,” they said in a statement.
Criticism
The Passion Translation has received very mixed reviews. Pastor Bill Johnson praised the translation as "One of the greatest things to happen with Bible translation in my lifetime."[8]
However, many pastors and denominations reject the translation. Pastor Andrew Wilson writes: "The Passion 'translation' inserts all kinds of concepts, words and ideas of which the original gives no hint whatsoever […] This example comes from the promotional website. In Gal 2:19, hina theō zēsō, which simply means 'that I might live for God', has been 'translated' as 'so that I can live for God in heaven's freedom' To be clear: there is no indication whatsoever in the Greek of that sentence, or the rest of the chapter, that either heaven or its freedom are in view in this text. It's not a translation. It's an interpolation, or a gloss, or (more bluntly) an addition."[3]
Mark Ward stated that "the Passion Translation is a paraphrase calling itself a translation. This I find troubling."[9]
Andrew G. Shead does not consider the Passion Translation to be a Bible and stated:[10]
any church that treats it as such and receives it as canon will, by that very action, turn itself into an unorthodox sect. If the translation had been packaged as a commentary on Scripture I would not have needed to write this review; but to package it as Scripture is an offence against God. Every believer who is taught to treat it as the enscripturated words of God is in spiritual danger, not least because of the sentimentalised portrait of God that TPT Psalms sets out to paint. Simmons's caricature of God as 'the King who likes and enjoys you' ...eliminates all but one facet of God's feelings about us, and then gets that one wrong.
References
- Hewitson, Alex (December 2019). "Feeding the Sheep Moldy Bread: An Evaluation of The Passion Translation" (PDF). The River of Life.
- "Important facts about The Passion Translation". Holly Pivec. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
- "What's Wrong With The Passion "Translation"?". What You Think Matters. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
- Overton, Larry (January 30, 2019). "A Critique of the Passion Translation". Larry Overton. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- Shellnutt, Kate (9 February 2022). "Bible Gateway Removes The Passion Translation". News & Reporting. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
- "Rekindle Your Passion for God | Brian Simmons | Sid Roth's It's Supernatural". YouTube.
- Sandeman, John (2022-02-07). "Bible Gateway removes The Passion Translation". Eternity News. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
- "The Passion Translation". The Passion Translation. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- Mark Ward, Authorized: The Use & Misuse of the King James Bible, ed. Elliot Ritzema, Lynnea Fraser, and Danielle Thevenaz (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018).
- Andrew G. Shead, "Burning Scripture with Passion: A Review of the Psalms (The Passion Translation)," Themelios 43, no. 1 (2018): 70.