CEB Common English Bible with Apocrypha - eBook [ePub]. Common English Bible
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traditionally a cubit
pim two-thirds of a shekel
qaneh a measuring rod in Ezekiel equivalent to six ammah or nine feet
seah a dry measure of grain, possibly seven and a half quarts but may be smaller amount in Genesis
shearim an unknown dry measure of grain
stadion a Roman linear measurement of approximately 607 feet
tefakh or tofakh width of the hand at the base of the fingers; traditionally a handbreadth or a palm
tsimdo traditionally an acre, the area that a team can plow in a day
zereth distance between tip of thumb to little finger; traditionally a span
Monetary measures
beqa one-half shekel, typically one-fifth of an ounce; ten or twelve gerahs
daric a gold Persian coin named after Darius 1, weighing one-third of an ounce
denarion, denaria (pl) a coin equivalent in value to one day's work
drachme, drachmen (pl) a silver coin equivalent in value to a denarion; also possibly a daric
gerah one-twentieth or one twenty-fourth of a shekel
kikkar a unit of weight in the common shekel system; traditionally a talent
kodrantes a coin equivalent to two lepta
lepto a coin equivalent to one-128th of a denarion
maneh in the Old Testament possibly fifty or sixty sanctuary shekels; in the New Testament a monetary unit equivalent to one hundred denaria
shekel basic measure, typically two-fifths of an ounce, for three monetary weight systems attested in the Old Testament: the royal shekel, the sanctuary shekel, and the common shekel
talanta a coin equivalent to six thousand denaria; traditionally a talent. In the Greek period, one talent is approximately 57 pounds of weight.
qesitah an unknown monetary weight
HEBREW CALENDAR
| Hebrew Lunar Month | Gregorian Month |
|---|---|
| Nisan (also Abib) (first month) | March-April |
| Iyar (second month) | April-May |
| Sivan (third month) | May-June |
| Tammuz (fourth month) | June-July |
| Av (fifth month) | July-August |
| Elul (sixth month) | August-September |
| Tishrei (seventh month) | September-October |
| Heshvan (eighth month) | October-November |
| Kislev (ninth month) | November-December |
| Tevet (tenth month) | December-January |
| Shevat (eleventh month) | January-February |
| Adar (twelfth month) | February-March |
PREFACE
The King James Version of the Bible was published in 1611. For two centuries the KJV competed for readership with the Geneva Bible. However, by the nineteenth century in America, the KJV would be described as the "common English Bible," because it was the most widely used translation of Christian scripture. Numerous translations have appeared since that time. However, it has proved difficult to combine concern for accuracy and accessibility in one translation that the typical reader or worshipper would be able to understand. Therefore, readers in the twenty-first century, four hundred years after the creation of the KJV, need and deserve a new translation that is suitable for personal devotion, for communal worship, and for classroom study.
The Common English Bible (CEB), completed in 2011, is a fresh translation of the Bible. Some editions include the books of the Apocrypha that are used in Anglican, Orthodox, and Catholic congregations. The translation is sponsored by the Common English Bible Committee, which is an alliance of denominational publishers, including Presbyterian (USA), Episcopalian, United Methodist, Disciples of Christ, and United Church of Christ representatives.
One hundred twenty biblical scholars from twenty-two faith traditions worked as translators for the CEB. In addition, members of seventy-seven reading groups from congregations throughout North America reviewed and responded to early drafts of the translation. As a result, more than five hundred individuals were integrally involved in the preparation of the CEB. These individuals represent the sorts of diversity that permit this new translation to speak to people of various religious convictions and different social locations.
The translators, reviewers, and editors represent the following faith communities: African Methodist Episcopal Church, American Baptist, Anglican, Baptist, Baptist General Conference, Church of the Nazarene, Disciples of Christ, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Free Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Free Methodist, Mennonite, Moravian, National Baptist, Presbyterian (USA), Progressive National Baptist, Quaker, Reformed Church in America, Reform Judaism, Roman Catholic Church, Seventh-day Adventist, United Churches of Christ, and United Methodist. The CEB is truly a Bible created by churches and for the Church.
Accuracy and clarity. The CEB translators balance rigorous accuracy in the rendition of ancient texts with an equally passionate commitment to clarity of expression in the target language. Translators create sentences and choose vocabulary that will be readily understood when the biblical text is read aloud. Two examples illustrate this concern for accuracy and clarity.
First, ben 'adam (Hebrew) and huios tou anthropou (Greek) are best translated as "human being" (rather than "son of man") except in cases of direct address, where CEB renders "human one" (instead of "son of man" or "mortal"; e.g., Ezek 2:1). When ho huios tou anthropou is used as a title for Jesus, the CEB refers to Jesus as "the Human One." People who have grown accustomed to hearing Jesus refer to himself in the Gospels as "the Son of Man" may find this jarring. Why "Human One"? Jesus' primary language would have been Aramaic, so he would have used the Aramaic phrase bar enosha. This phrase has the sense of "a human" or "a human such as I." This phrase was taken over into Greek in a phrase that might be translated woodenly as "son of humanity." However, Greek usage often refers to "a son of x" in the sense of "one who has the character of x." For example, Luke 10:6 refers in Greek to "a son of peace," a phrase that has the sense of "one who shares in peace." In the Greek of Acts 13:10 Paul calls a sorcerer "a son of the devil." This is not a reference to the sorcerer's actual ancestry, but it serves to identify his character. He is devilish--or more simply in English "a devil." Human or human one represents accurately the Aramaic and Greek idioms and reflects common English usage. Finally, many references to Jesus as "the Human One" refer back to Daniel 7:13, where Daniel "saw one like a human being" (Greek huios anthropou). By using the title Human One in the Gospels and Acts, the CEB preserves this connection to Daniel's vision.
Second, the phrase "Lord of hosts" (Yahweh sebaoth in Hebrew; Kyrios sabaoth in Greek) appears hundreds of times in older Bibles and persists as an idiom in translations that preserve King James usage. This archaic translation is no longer meaningful to most English speakers. The CEB renders Yahweh sebaoth and Kyrios sabaoth as "Lord of heavenly forces," which conveys accurately the meaning of the Hebrew and Greek phrases by using contemporary English language.
English speakers, especially when telling a story, writing a letter, or engaging in conversation, make frequent use of contractions. As a result, translators have often used contractions, particularly in direct speech, in the CEB. However, formal genres of literature typically do not include contractions. As a result, translators did not include contractions