III. The American Standard Translation (1901)
A. "The American Standard Version, the outgrowth of American participation in the revision project which produced the Revised Version (1881-1885), may be thought of as an American edition of that version rather than as an independent one" (Ref. The English Bible from KJV to NIV, 2nd Ed., Jack P. Lewis, Baker Book House, May 1992, pg. 69).
B. Dr. Philip Scaff, leader of the American committee of revision, enlisted the help of the best scholars of his day (15 on the New Testament committee alone) to complete the work. At least nine different denominations were represented among the translators: Baptist, Congregationalist, Dutch Reformed, Friends, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Protestant Episcopal, and Unitarian. These scholars labored for 29 years. (from 1872 to 1901), yet no compensation was given to any of the committee. The completed translation was copyrighted by Thomas Nelson and Sons to protect the purity and integrity of the text.
C. Strengths: The ASV reflects not only the work of the American committee of revision, but the English Revised Version translators (54) as well. It remains one of the most accurate and literal translations available to us. Price, writing in The Ancestry of our English Bible (p. 289), says of the ASV, "it represented the best scholarship and Biblical learning of its time and was a fitting climax to the great advance in knowledge of the Bible made during the latter half of the nineteenth century." Those who recommend the ASV cite the following points:
1. The ASV is founded upon a greater textual base than previous translations. The five great vellum codices (Vaticanus, Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, Ephraem, and Beta) from the fourth and fifth centuries had become available since the KJV. 16 complete verses or parts of verses carried in the KJV, which textual critics now believe to be spurious, are absent from the ASV's pages or relegated to marginal notes (See Matt. 17:21, 18:11, 29:14, Mark 73i6, 9:44, 46;11:26, 15:28, Lk. 17:36, 29:17, John 5:4, Acts 8:87, 15:84, 24:7, 28:29, Rom. 16:24.)
2. Many archaic expressions are updated for easier interpretation. For example, precede is better for understanding than prevent in I Thess. 4:15. In Titus 2:14 a people for his own possession replaces a peculiar people. Love replaces charity in I Cor. 13.
3. Many people like the typographical makeup of the ASV, where verses are arranged into paragraphs, and each paragraph represents a significant change in thought.
D. Weaknesses: With the passing of years, the ASV has become less and less popular among the mainstream religions. Sales have dropped off to the point that it is no longer protected by copyright and may be printed by any printer. Because publishers are promoting other translations, it is becoming more difficult to find copies of the ASV. Also, all recent editions of the complete Old Testament and New Testament are printed in a rather small typeface which many find difficult to read.