MOBILE, Ala. – University of Mobile professor Dr. Douglas Wilson will serve on the Old Testament translation committee for the “New Tyndale Version” (NTV), named for the earliest printed translation of the Bible into English.
The dean of UM’s Center for Christian Calling will translate three books and serve as a sectional editor for a portion of the Old Testament during the multi-year project. The Tyndale Bible is named for William Tyndale, who was martyred in 1536 after being charged with heresy for translating the Bible into English, an action that was punishable by death at that time.
Wilson said the new translation matters because “we are going back to the beginning.”
“The purpose of the NTV is to preserve the legacy of the original Tyndale Bible, the first translation of the Bible printed in English in 1526, and the first English Bible translation from the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Our new translation will honor that legacy,”
The professor said the new translation bridges the past with the present.
“We honor Tyndale’s legacy, while utilizing documents which were unknown 500 years ago,” Wilson said. “These discoveries include texts from Codex Sinaiticus (1844), Codex Leningradensis (1863), the Cairo Geniza (1896) and the Dead Sea Scrolls (1947), among others.”
Wilson studied Old Testament languages and literature, including several Ancient Near East languages, with long-time NIV Bible translator Dr. Larry Walker. For the past 25 years, Wilson has taught biblical languages, biblical studies and intercultural coursework.
He brings his experiences as a Bible translator into the classroom, giving University of Mobile students a behind-the-scenes look at the process of translating the Bible from its original languages into modern ones.
“It is my desire that God will call University of Mobile students to translate the Bible into languages that have never had a Bible. That is a continual prayer of mine,” Wilson said.
Learning from experts who are doing the work students aspire to is key to the Center for Christian Calling’s focus on practical ministry experience. Leading pastors in Alabama Baptist churches and across the Southern Baptist Convention serve as visiting professors or adjunct instructors for university courses and conferences. Students gain hands-on ministry experience through ministry teams and internships, and international and domestic missions and service opportunities.
“In the Center for Christian Calling, pastors train students for pastoral ministry, former cross-cultural workers train students in intercultural studies, pastor-theologians train students to teach Bible and theology, and a Bible translator trains them in Hebrew and Aramaic,” Wilson said.
To learn more about the Center for Christian Calling at the University of Mobile, go to umobile.edu/christiancalling or call 251.442.2222 or 800.WIN.RAMS.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For more information about the University of Mobile, visit the website at www.umobile.edu or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
Kathy Dean uses her passion for storytelling and “playing with words” to share the stories of people, place and purpose that make the University of Mobile unique. As associate vice president for university communications, she manages media relations, edits the TorchLight alumni magazine, and oversees university communications. A former award-winning journalist, she is a two-time recipient of the Baptist Communicators Association grand prize for feature writing. Kathy and her husband, Chuck, live with three extremely loud miniature schnauzers.