John Barton

Bible expert Professor John Barton tells the story of how the Bible has been translated and explains why that story matters.

Barton says that while the Bible has been understood as the source of fundamental truths, believers for most of the history of Judaism and for the entirety of Christian history have understood the Bible in translation rather than in the language it was first written. Barton looks at the challenges of producing versions of the Bible in the language of the day whilst remaining true to the original. He says translators have been among the most important people in mediating the Bible’s message and even in shaping it.

Barton is a former Oriel and Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture at the University of Oxford and has been a serving priest in the Church of England since 1973. He is author of A History of the Bible, co-editor of The Oxford Bible Commentary and editor of The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Interpretation.

This event is part of the festival’s programme on Christian tradition.