TheNew International Version Bible, or shortly known as NIV Bible, is an English translation of the original manuscripts of the Bible. New International Version Bible was created by experienced scholars according to the original Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. The man responsible for the creation of the New International Version Bible was Howard Long, a well-known American engineer who worked at General Electric. Howard initially started a project for development of a new translated version of the Holy Bible. He was a devotee of the King James version, but found that the majority of the people he knew were not satisfied by this Bible version. He quickly recognized the need for a new translation of the Bible on a language that was used by the majority of his friends, colleagues and US residents. That’s how the idea for the New International Version Bible was born.
For about 10 years, Howard and a large group of supporters were closely developing the concept for the New International Version Bible. The idea for a new translated Bible quickly became a vision and a passion of the Church and a need for the whole Christian community in the USA. In 1965, after several years of hard work and study, a group of experienced denominational and international scholars accepted the challenge to develop a new translated version of the Holy Bible- The New International Version Bible. They were determined not simply to adapt and improve the existing Bible, but instead they decided to do a much harder work, to start completely from scratch by using the original manuscripts of the Holy Bible. Their project was supported by a large group of Christian leaders.
A self governing body of fifteen Bible scholars, known as The Committee On Bible Translation, was formed in 1966 with a responsibility to manage the whole project of developing the New International Version Bible. The sponsorship for the creation of the New International Version Bible came from the New York Bible Society which later was named International Bible Society. Several translation teams were formed, and every translation team was responsible for a specific part of the Holy Bible. These translation teams were consisted of two main translators, two consultants for translation and one stylistic consultant. The work of the translation teams was closely revised by experienced editorial committees. Every single text was later delivered to one general committee that was made up of 8 to 12 members for additional editorial work. At the end, samples of the New International Version Bible were first tested for clarity and readability with pastors, students and other individuals, before being approved for mass distribution. It is stated that no other Bible version has gone through such detailed process of revision.
The New International Version Bible was created with a purpose to bring the readers as close as possible to the original Holy Bible. But, it is said that the project for creating the New International Version Bible will never be finished. As new discoveries come from the Biblical world, and as the English language is changing with time, the New International Version Bible will need to be constantly updated. The 2011 edition is the latest edition of the New International Version Bible.
