REVIEW OF THE POWER NEW TESTAMENT
 by Bible Editions & Versions

from Bible Editions & Versions:  Vol. 6, October - December 2005, No. 4
Chief Editor: William E. Paul
Associate Editor: Mark Mage

Review Editor: Daniel W. Decker

www.biblecollectors.org

THE POWER NEW TESTAMENT: Revealing Jewish Roots, Third Edition by William J. Morford Privately published, 2003, by William J. Morford, 301 Creek Side Lane, Lexington, SC 29072. Available through Shalom Ministries at www.thepowernewtestament.com. $19.95, paper, ISBN 0-9664523-2-1

What first attracts one's attention upon seeing this book are the Hebrew characters underneath the English title on the cover. The Hebrew letters spell Ehyeh, the word spoken by God to Moses in Exodus 3:14, when he said, "I am who I am." It is explained in the preface that the goal of this translation is "to bring a greater understanding and appreciation for the Jewish roots of Christianity."

Although Mr. Morford was responsible for the translation, which was made from the 1993 United Bible Society Greek text, 4th edition, an acknowledgement is made that "a number of others contributed to the completion and accuracy of the work." One such person was Rabbi Ben-Yehuda, who explains Jewish customs and idioms to enhance the understanding and Jewishness of numerous passages claimed to be often glossed over or even misunderstood in other translations. Also, two PhD Biblical scholars are named who assisted and contributed to the completion and accuracy of the work.

There are extensive footnotes and a seventy-page glossary, as well as an appendix showing English names with their Hebrew pronunciations. And, rather unusual, but most appropriate for this translation, is an appendix listing apocryphal passages and allusions, and indicating their corresponding references in the New Testament. The 1700 footnotes are mostly explanatory. Typical is the footnote to 1 John 5:6: "Water refers to at least three things: amniotic fluid of His birth, baptism, and also to Torah, for which water is a metaphor from Isaiah 55:1 and Exodus 14:22." There are few footnotes indicating alternate renderings or translations, however. The entries in the glossary are generally lengthy; for example, the entry, "Jewish Calendar," consists of eight paragraphs, and "Kingdom" is five paragraphs long. They are most informative and enlightening about Jewish and Christian customs and concepts.

This is a user-friendly New Testament, composed of clear and legible sans-serif typeface with a page layout that shows chapter and verse at the beginning of paragraphs. Verse numbers, as in most modern translations, are within paragraphs. Quotation marks are used to show direct quotations.

When examining a new translation, it is always interesting to see how familiar passages are translated. Romans 8:37 reads, "But in all these things we would have a glorious victory through the One Who loved us." And, Romans 12:1, "Therefore I urge you, brothers, through the compassion of God, to present your bodies holy, living offerings, pleasing to God, your spiritual service." John 1:1 is identical to the KJV This reviewer found no idiosyncratic translations in the work. He found it a faithful and easily readable translation that should be useful to all who wish to know the Jewish roots of the New Testament. Moreover, it should also be welcomed among those Christians who use Jewish customs in their worship.