Editing Jesus Seminar (section)

==The scholars' translation==
The Seminar began by translating the gospels into modern [[American English]], producing what they call the "Scholars Version", first published in ''The Complete Gospels''.<ref>''The Complete Gospels: Annotated Scholars Version'', Robert J. Miller, editor, Polebridge Press, Sonoma, CA, 1991, page xi: "The Scholars Version is a new translation of the Bible. The first phase is a translation of all the gospels. The Scholars Version—SV for short— ... The ''Complete Gospels'' represents the first published appearance of the SV gospels. ..."; Introduction: page 1: "''The Complete Gospels'' offers its readers several unique features. This volume is the premier publication of the Scholars Version translation of the gospels."</ref>  This translation uses current colloquialisms and contemporary phrasing in an effort to provide a contemporary sense of the gospel authors' styles, if not their literal words. The goal was to let the reader hear the message as a first-century listener might have. The translators avoided other translations' archaic, literal translation of the text, or a superficial update of it. For example, they translate "woe to you" as "damn you".<ref>''The Complete Gospels'', page 420: "Congratulations/Damn"</ref>  The authors of ''The Complete Gospels'' argue that some other gospel translations have attempted to unify the language of the gospels, while they themselves have tried to preserve each author's distinct voice.<ref>''The Complete Gospels'', The Translation, page xi, also page 11: "Most translations of the gospels flatten all their individual "voices" into one. ..."</ref>