The New Testament

A Translation

By: David Bentley Hart

Narrated by: Eric Martin

Length: 21 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

David Bentley Hart undertook this new translation of the New Testament in the spirit of "etsi doctrina non daretur", "as if doctrine is not given". Reproducing the texts' often fragmentary formulations without augmentation or correction, he has produced a pitilessly literal translation, one that captures the texts' impenetrability and unfinished quality while awakening listeners to an uncanniness that often lies hidden beneath doctrinal layers.

The early Christians' sometimes raw, astonished, and halting prose challenges the idea that the New Testament affirms the kind of people we are. Hart reminds us that they were a company of extremists, radical in their rejection of the values and priorities of society not only at its most degenerate, but often at its most reasonable and decent.

"To live as the New Testament language requires," he writes, "Christians would have to become strangers and sojourners on the earth, to have here no enduring city, to belong to a Kingdom truly not of this world. And we surely cannot do that, can we?"

©2017 David Bentley Hart (P)2018 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This necessary, brilliantly presented translation reads like taking a biblical studies class with a provocative professor." (Publishers Weekly)

Currently my favorite translation

Makes you think. Rather than be forced into the common translations out there today that are done by committee and driven by evangelical thinking.

Interesting translation and reading

I am not an exert in the new testament but this translation very accessible and the notes useful to make more sense of the context. In a way even if less poetic than other translation its nicer and seems less confusing.

A sublime translation

Since this translation of the Bible was written a few short years ago I have not been able to put it down. My faith has grown to depths I didn’t know was possible and (coupled with David Bentley Harts “That all shall be saved”) have grown to heights of seeing I don’t believe I could have done without it. I own a hard cover, a well worn paperback, and now have listened to this reading multiple times. It speaks to the power of the translation that I was able to tolerate the narrator. The entirely of this translation is read with absolute flatness. At most an occasional grammatical note will cause a slight change of infliction or tone. Monotone reins. In some ways this has its charms, nearly a meditative quality (hence an additional star). The only benefit on the whole is that indeed, this audiobook allows you to take in this masterful illumination of the Bible at work, at the gym, cleaning at home, whatever. And for this reason alone I encourage you to buy it.

Back To the sources of The Source

David Bentley Hart is a remarkable Orthodox formerly Anglican theologian with a very sharp intellect. He has gone back to original Greek texts and created his own translation of the New Testament. With all the recent modern translations which attempt to revise and soften the meaning of the New Testament for the sake of Political Correctness. Hart lets the texts speak for themselves with word choices that are often stark and lively. The reader Eric Martin does an excellent job. This audio version is especially appropriate for those who are familiar with New Testament. It is a pleasure and a revelation to listen to. It may give one's theological perspective a refreshing work out.

chapters

someone did a really, really GREAT job with the chapter breakdown and headings on this one.... nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn*NOT* !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

great intention of translating as it was heard

pronunciation of words sometimes off and spoken a bit too fast for consideration of the quite interesting translation.

A lot of potential, but footnotes get in the way.

I am very concerned with all the footnote readings. The translation is amazing, but the reader should not read the footnotes, but should put it into PDF. Also, the audiobook needs to be broken into books and chapters.

Great translation, but lacks an easy way to navigate chapters

I thoroughly enjoyed this. However , the books and chapters are not listed in the contents, making this a weak resource for looking up specific passages.

Amazing. But for the narration.

Once the mental image of a Mr Spock reading the New Testament came into my head, it became very difficult to continue. A shame, since it is a truly fascinating translation.

The narration is robotic

The narration is robotic. It is not pleasant to listen to. And they don't put the names of the chapters of the books of the Bible, so you cannot navigate easily.