Analytical-Literal Translation Questions and Updates

Questions and Updates

My Analytical-Literal Translation of the Bible (ALT) is currently available as seven volumes. I have had many people ask me if I will ever publish a one-volume hardcopy edition. To answer; an one-volume ALT is not possible with my current self-publishing method for my books given the page limitations of the publishers. Maybe someday I will find a major publisher to publish the ALT in one volume. In lieu of that, I would like to publish new editions of each volume of the ALT. If I do, I will try to reduce the number of volumes from seven to four.

In addition, I plan on changing the format of the hardcopy volumes. They are currently printed on 8-1/2” x 11” pages in double-columns. I used that format as I figured the cost would be less. And it is, for the paperback versions, but not for the hardback versions, which is what most people purchase. Meanwhile, I’ve had many comments that the larger size is too awkward to handle, and the double-columns difficult to read. As such, the new editions will be printed the same as most of my other books, on 6” x 9” pages in single columns.

However, the print size will be smaller. Times New Roman 11 is used in most of my books, while the ALT will be in Times 10. That will lessen the number of pages and thus the cost somewhat. But the 6” x 9” size will increase the number of pages as compared to the 8-1/2” x 11”, which I why I am not sure how much I can reduce the number of volumes given the page limitation of my publishers.

Similarly, I have also had many people ask me about making the ALT available as a Bible app. The problem there is, the format the ALT is currently in would not be compatible with Bible apps, and it would take a LOT of work to make it so.

I have also had people ask me about making the ALT available in an audio format. That might be possible someday. In fact, I have thought of making some of my other books available as audio books, but I just have not had time to look into it. If I can figure it out, I might try it with one of those books. If that works out, then maybe I will consider it for the ALT. But again, I am sure it would be a lot of work.

Given the work involved for the above ideas, before I start any of them, I want to go over the entire ALT text to be sure it is as exactly accurate as possible, and that will take quite a while. As such, only the LORD knows if or when any of the above will actually happen.

My current plan is to start reviewing the ALT text after I finish the two major writing projects I am currently engaged in. The first is a new politics book to be titled Breakdown of American Society. It will be a sequel to my book Tearing the USA Apart.

I will then get back to work on the second project, a major revision of my Scripture Workbook that I have been working on for the past couple of years. It is taking me so long as I am expanding it into a three-volume set and re-titling it Studying and Defending the Scriptures and the Christian Worldview. Also, I paused work on it twice to work on the two politics books. I also had many tech problems the first half of this year (2019) that took up much of my time.

These two projects will easily take me into next year (2020), maybe longer, given my failing health, which is another reason it is taking me so long to finish the Studying and Defending set. But if or when I finish these two projects, God-willing, I will start working on reviewing the ALT for the new editions and reduced number of volumes and other mentioned projects.

But it will probably be several years before the new volumes are finished, so if you are interested in the ALT, it would be worthwhile to purchase the current volumes. If you do, and you find anything you think needs correcting or revised, please let me know, and I will look into it.

Finally, I have had many people ask me what Greek text I used to translate the Septuagint from for the ALT: Old Testament. I failed to include that information in the published volumes, so let me do so here:

The LXX text used for the ALT is Codex Vaticanus as it appears on the BibleWorks 10 software program. More fully (from BibleWorks’ copyright information):

LXT - LXX Septuaginta (Old Greek Jewish Scriptures) edited by Alfred Rahlfs. Copyright © 1935 by the Württembergische Bibelanstalt / Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft (German Bible Society), Stuttgart. Used by permission. The LXX MRT (machine readable text) was prepared by the TLG (Thesaurus Linguae Graecae) Project directed by Theodore F. Brünner at University of California, Irvine. Further verification and adaptation towards conformity with the individual Goettingen editions that have appeared since 1935 (9th Edition reprint in 1971) is in process by the CATSS Project, University of Pennsylvania. LXX OT Apocryphal/Deutero-Canonical books, substantial text variations and multiple text types (assuming Codex Vaticanus as standard) from the Theodotian revision, Codex Alexandrinus, and Codex Sinaiticus are included.

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The above article was posted on this website September 1, 2019.

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