The Trinitarian Bible Society (TBS)

The Trinitarian Bible Society (TBS), founded in 1831, is a Christian organization dedicated to the global distribution of faithful and accurate translations of the Holy Scriptures.¹ It was formed as a breakaway group from the British and Foreign Bible Society, largely due to disagreements over the inclusion of the Apocrypha in Bibles and the appointment of a Unitarian as an officer. From its inception, the TBS has maintained a strong commitment to the historic Protestant position on biblical texts, specifically the doctrines of the Holy Trinity and the divine inspiration and preservation of the Bible.

Contributions to Bible Development

The Trinitarian Bible Society's primary contribution lies in its commitment to publishing and distributing Bibles based on the Hebrew Masoretic Text for the Old Testament and the Greek Textus Receptus for the New Testament. They see this textual basis as providentially preserved by God and therefore the most authentic representation of the original inspired words.² Their work extends far beyond English, as they are actively involved in translating and revising Bibles in numerous languages around the world.³ These projects aim to produce Bibles that are not only accurate but also faithful to the underlying texts they believe to be superior. Their work has been instrumental in providing Bibles to minority language groups and in producing new or revised translations in major languages that adhere to their textual principles.⁴

The KJV and the "KJV-Only" Position

The Trinitarian Bible Society is often associated with the "KJV-Only" movement, but their position is more nuanced. While they exclusively publish and sell the King James Version (KJV) in English, they do not hold to the more radical view that the KJV itself is a "perfect" or divinely inspired translation. Instead, they believe the KJV is the best available English translation because it is a faithful and accurate rendering of the Textus Receptus.⁵ They are critical of modern translations, arguing that they are based on inferior manuscripts (the "Critical Text") which, in their view, introduce errors and omit important verses. Therefore, their "KJV-only" stance is not about the KJV's divine perfection, but rather about the superiority of the textual tradition it represents.⁶

Leadership and Future Planning

The Trinitarian Bible Society is led by a General Committee of trustees who provide strategic oversight. This committee meets regularly to approve new publications, set policy, and manage the society's operations.⁷ The society's day-to-day work is carried out by a dedicated staff.

Looking to the future, the TBS has a clear set of goals:

• Continue Bible translation and revision: The society is actively engaged in translation projects in dozens of languages.⁸ Their aim is to provide faithful Bibles for communities that lack them or for whom existing translations are based on what they consider to be corrupted texts.⁹ They work with scholars and translators globally to achieve this.

• Maximize distribution: They are committed to distributing scriptures to as many people as possible, both at home and abroad.¹⁰ This involves a balance of selling Bibles to those who can afford them and granting them to those who cannot, often through partnerships with other mission organizations.¹¹

• Uphold their principles: The society remains committed to the doctrines of the Trinity and Reformed Christianity and will continue to advocate for the use of the Masoretic and Textus Receptus texts in all new translations.

In summary, the Trinitarian Bible Society is an organization with a singular focus on the fidelity and accessibility of the Bible. Their contributions are rooted in their specific textual philosophy, which, while placing them in opposition to mainstream biblical scholarship, has also enabled them to provide Bibles to many who might otherwise be without them.