PIONEER AND COMMUNICATOR
J.B.Phillips was a pioneer. His scriptural translations, which eventually extended to the whole of the New Testament and parts of the Old, were really the first popular modern translations available in the English-speaking world. It is difficult to over-emphasize the influence of these writings. He helped many millions come to a fresh understanding of the scriptures, moving away from the archaic and familiar language of the KJV. He never denied the beauty and value of the 1611 translation but was dismayed when his youth group could not understand the eternal Word of God. Something had to be done to bridge the gap between the events and sayings of 2000 years ago – the ‘Essential Message’ – and the language of modern people. After starting with Colossians, he sought the opinion of C.S. Lewis, who said it was ‘like looking at a familiar picture after it has been cleaned’. Lewis urged him to continue to the other letters and suggested the title Letters to Young Churches. Between 1947 and 1956 he had carefully translated the entire New Testament to much acclaim, breathing fresh air into scriptures. He was a master communicator and wanted nothing more than to evoke the same energy and vigour that the original texts were written in.
JBPhillips enjoyed sustained close personal contact with the raw Greek of the ancient texts and found the words ‘extraordinarily alive’ [1]. He often described his face-to-face experience with the scriptures as ‘being plugged into the mains with the electricity still on’. One time, on the BBC, he said, ‘I got the feeling that the whole thing was alive even while one was translating. Even though one did a dozen versions of a particular passage, it was still living’ [2]. The quality of the undiluted life of Jesus and the indisputable energy of his early followers exposed Phillips to the real, unspoiled Good News and led him to an unexpected reawakening of his own faith. A fresh impression of Jesus came about, and a new confidence in the scriptures, ‘I felt, and feel, without any shadow of doubt that close contact with the text of the Gospels builds up in the heart and mind a character of awe-inspiring stature and quality…these are not embroidered tales: the material is cut to the bone’ [3]. These texts are the most important vehicle of truth available; he said he was a hundred times more convinced of the truth of the New Testament than when he first began translating.
The entire scope of his translation work occurred over thirty years (1941 – 1972) and left on him a deep impression of their importance. He wrote, ‘My close study of the New Testament has convinced me that the basic needs of human personality have not changed with the passing centuries’ [4]. It is this immense relevance of the New Testament and the unchanging fulfillment of human needs in Jesus that excited him and led him to his personal mission of communicating the Good News to a new generation. He wrote, ‘For many years it has been my solid purpose to communicate the truth of the Christian Gospel. I am not concerned to distort or dilute the Christian faith so that modern undergraduates, for example, can accept it without a murmur. I am concerned with the truth revealed in and through Jesus Christ. Let the modern world conform to him, and never let us dare to try and make him fit into our clever-clever modern world” [5]. Fewer people have better credentials to communicate this truth [6]. God clearly guided him to this task through his natural abilities and background… He understood Greek and Latin from a young age and the associated myths and tales. He was naturally highly intelligent. He studied English Literature and Classics and Cambridge. He loved to tell stories and had an incredible imagination (a good number of these stories were published in his early years and I have a collection of them in my possession). His love of youth work and passion for communication ran deep. His experience of danger in London during the war increased his urgency and allowed him to see the similar dangers of early church through his study of the New Testament letters. His youth group during that time who couldn’t understand the KJV gave him the insight to translate Colossians. The stage of C.S. Lewis’ career was such that he was able to see the need for what Phillips was doing and the ability to help.
What really excites me about J.B.P is the clarity that is evident from his writings about what he was trying to do. He is best known for his translation work, which was pioneering, but he wrote 26 books in total which helped a lot of people. Some of these were very well known, like Your God is Too Small and Ring of Truth, and some not as popular at the time. His overarching aim was very simple – he wanted to communicate the fresh vitality and raw energy of the original message of the scriptures. He wanted to strip away all the religiosity and over-familiarity that had clouded so many of his contemporaries to the beauty and majesty of Jesus. He wanted to breath fresh air into the often stale presentations of Jesus and the Gospel. I did not expect to find, when reading his books, the focus so clearly on Jesus and his message. Often a writer turns the attention on himself, and, while there are moments when I found myself inspired and motivated by a turn of phrase or tidily explained concept, I came away from all of his books with more invigoration and motivation to get to know the real Jesus. That was all he wanted.
I am convinced that the works of J.B.Phillips are of great value today. It remains my clear aim to point people to them, because they point people to the real Jesus and help them see who he really is. Even though he spoke to a different generation, it’s incredible how clearly his messages apply today, and we would benefit enormously from a reexamination of his works – the insights of a man who was saturated with the original Greek texts, and who was so gifted a communicator.
[1]P.77 Ring of Truth
[2]P.77 ROT
[3]p.79 ROT
[4]Back cover of blue hardback When God Was Man
[5]p.20 ROT
[6]‘Few people have had such close and constant contact with the New Testament as I have’ p.20 ROT