Die Elberfelder Bibel Audio 5.1

The Elberfeld Bible is a significant German Bible translation that was first published in 1855 (New Testament) and 1871 (Old Testament). While it has never achieved the same level of popularity as the Luther Bible, it has gained many supporters over time because of its close translation and faithfulness to the text. The priority in this translation lies in its literalness rather than linguistic beauty. As a result, it has become a model for many subsequent translations.

The name "Elberfelder" became established due to a large portion of the translation work taking place in Elberfeld (now a district of Wuppertal). The initiators of the translation were Julius Anton von Poseck, Carl Brockhaus, and John Nelson Darby. Initially, it was closely associated with the Brethren Movement.

Text Basis

The Elberfelder translation was one of the first German Bible translations to depart from the Textus Receptus in the New Testament and reflect new insights of textual criticism. The translations incorporated manuscript discoveries and publications from the 19th century, such as the Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus. The current editions of Elberfelder Bible use the text-critical edition by Nestle-Aland (Novum Testamentum Graece) for the New Testament, while the Old Testament is based on the Masoretic Text.

Differences from other translations

The Elberfelder Bible is an original-text-oriented Bible translation. Its goal is to present the original text of the biblical writings as faithfully and with as little theological interpretation as possible. Due to its proximity to the languages of the original texts (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek), it may lack some linguistic fluidity, leading to linguistic harshness in earlier editions. Since revisions starting in 1960, the translators have aimed for better readability without sacrificing the goal of text fidelity.

The Elberfelder Bible is still regarded as the German translation that comes closest to the original text, alongside the Concordant New Testament and some translations primarily intended for study aids, such as those by Fridolin Stier or the Munich New Testament. The aim of the translation was and still is to provide the "ignorant of the original text ... with a faithful and accurate representation of the Word of God in their own language at minimal cost" (from the preface of the first edition). Words that have been added for better understanding but are not in the original text are marked in the Elberfelder Bible. Additionally, footnotes are provided with alternative readings and explanations for better comprehension. Until the revision in 1960 and onwards, section headings were not included since they are also absent in the original texts.