Author Description

The Phillips New Testament in Modern English is an English translation of the New Testament translated by Anglican priest John Bertram Phillips. While the translation isn't well known it has many ardent fans including Os Guinness, Chuck Swindoll & the late Ray Stedman. Corrie ten Boom considered it her favorite in English. The songwriter Michael Card often used its wording. Phillips began by rewording the New Testament epistles for his church's youth group in modern English, which group met during WWII in bomb shelters. These he published in 1947 under the title Letters to Young Churches. In 1952 he added the Gospels. In 1955 he added Acts & titled it The Young Church in Action. In 1957 he added The Book of Revelation. Later he finished the whole of the New Testament, 1st publishing it in 1958, revising it & republishing it in 1961 & 1972. Phillips worked entirely from the Greek Testament. While his translation gives the reader new & unusual insights into the New Testament, it has the drawback that many editions were printed without verse numbers & for those that do contain verse numbers, the rephrasing makes some verse numbers inapplicable. The early editions are also very British in their English.