What do you think?
Rate this book
Ring of Truth
Like new but missing dust jacket
123 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1967
8 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
J.B. Phillips
93 books22 followersJohn Bertram Phillips or, J. B. Phillips (16 September 1906 – 21 July 1982) was an English Bible scholar, translator, author and clergyman. He is most noted for his version of The New Testament in Modern English. Phillips was born in Barnes, Surrey. He was educated at Emanuel School in London and took an Honors Degree in Classics and English from Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He was ordained an Anglican clergyman in the Church of England in 1930. Phillips died in Swanage in Dorset, England in 1982.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 6, 2025
To hear from a man who translated a Bible from Greek to English , is truly a remarkable story !
JB Philip’s gives reason to believe the trustworthiness of the New Testament documents !
In plain English he writes how he was transformed to see the author behind the documents .
What a great testimony of the grace of God .
JB Philip’s gives reason to believe the trustworthiness of the New Testament documents !
In plain English he writes how he was transformed to see the author behind the documents .
What a great testimony of the grace of God .
December 22, 2020
Ring of Truth: A Translator’s Testimony (Hodder and Stoughton, 1st Edition, 1967) is a beautifully written book by J. B. Phillips, a former Anglican clergyman, best known for his New Testament translation, The New Testament in Modern English, in clear and simple language.
I’ve had this gem since the 70s but, in truth, only two weeks ago I finally got to read it. To my pleasant surprise, this little book is a remarkable testimony from one who had spent the best years of his life studying the New Testament and then translating it.
At the time when Phillips began work on his translation, the historical reliability was called into question, even by so-called ‘expert’ writers and speakers of the Christian faith. He professed that he is no anti-intellectual, any more than St. Paul, but an ardent defender of the truth as revealed in and through Jesus Christ as “I do very much care what God says and does”. That’s what compelled him to write Ring of Truth, which is “my testimony to the historicity and reliability of the New Testament”.
Phillips recounts in the book how the task of translation began and his own reflections of how that difficult task of several years has transformed his thinking and conviction about the Scriptures. He leaves no stone unturned in grappling with timeless truths: the God within believers, God’s ‘comprehensive’ love, the reality of evil, death and eternity, the resurrection of Jesus and the bodily resurrection of Christians, and more. He also touches on some of the “happy and unexpected discoveries’, which he referred to as ‘serendipities’, he had made in the translation of the Epistles.
He undertook the task of translation “chiefly for the young people at that time under my care in wartime London”. At that time the King James version, known commonly as the Authorized Version, was the only English-speaking Bible translation that was widely available.
Phillips began with the Epistles (Letters) of St. Paul, which to the people he ministered to were forbidding and difficult to understand. He received great encouragement from the late C. S. Lewis, who suggested that Phillips should translate all the New Testament Epistles and who even suggested Letters to the Young Churches as the title for them.
In sharing his reflections, Phillips is one who wears his heart on his sleeve as he doesn’t shy away from laying bare his prejudices and misconceptions about the New Testament. One that’s worth a mention here is that he once had a disdainful view of the Greek text of the New Testament before he began his work but had to admit later that he was wrong
Written in 1967, Ring of Truth might seem outdated to Christians today. So this begs the question: what can one possibly gain from reading it? I can commend it for at least two things.
Firstly, as far as I know, it’s not common to come across a Bible translator who shares his/her work and thoughts on translating the Bible. This book does indeed offer fascinating insights into how J. B. Phillips had approached the work. At that time it was considered a pioneering work because no one has singly attempted to translate the Bible, or even parts of it, in simple and modern English.
Secondly, just as Phillips became more convinced of ‘the essential truth of what the New Testament writers were inspired to say’, I came away after reading his testimony with a compelling spiritual certainty that what is contained in their inspired writings is entirely valid and is as relevant today as it has been over the centuries.
I’ve had this gem since the 70s but, in truth, only two weeks ago I finally got to read it. To my pleasant surprise, this little book is a remarkable testimony from one who had spent the best years of his life studying the New Testament and then translating it.
At the time when Phillips began work on his translation, the historical reliability was called into question, even by so-called ‘expert’ writers and speakers of the Christian faith. He professed that he is no anti-intellectual, any more than St. Paul, but an ardent defender of the truth as revealed in and through Jesus Christ as “I do very much care what God says and does”. That’s what compelled him to write Ring of Truth, which is “my testimony to the historicity and reliability of the New Testament”.
Phillips recounts in the book how the task of translation began and his own reflections of how that difficult task of several years has transformed his thinking and conviction about the Scriptures. He leaves no stone unturned in grappling with timeless truths: the God within believers, God’s ‘comprehensive’ love, the reality of evil, death and eternity, the resurrection of Jesus and the bodily resurrection of Christians, and more. He also touches on some of the “happy and unexpected discoveries’, which he referred to as ‘serendipities’, he had made in the translation of the Epistles.
He undertook the task of translation “chiefly for the young people at that time under my care in wartime London”. At that time the King James version, known commonly as the Authorized Version, was the only English-speaking Bible translation that was widely available.
Phillips began with the Epistles (Letters) of St. Paul, which to the people he ministered to were forbidding and difficult to understand. He received great encouragement from the late C. S. Lewis, who suggested that Phillips should translate all the New Testament Epistles and who even suggested Letters to the Young Churches as the title for them.
In sharing his reflections, Phillips is one who wears his heart on his sleeve as he doesn’t shy away from laying bare his prejudices and misconceptions about the New Testament. One that’s worth a mention here is that he once had a disdainful view of the Greek text of the New Testament before he began his work but had to admit later that he was wrong
Written in 1967, Ring of Truth might seem outdated to Christians today. So this begs the question: what can one possibly gain from reading it? I can commend it for at least two things.
Firstly, as far as I know, it’s not common to come across a Bible translator who shares his/her work and thoughts on translating the Bible. This book does indeed offer fascinating insights into how J. B. Phillips had approached the work. At that time it was considered a pioneering work because no one has singly attempted to translate the Bible, or even parts of it, in simple and modern English.
Secondly, just as Phillips became more convinced of ‘the essential truth of what the New Testament writers were inspired to say’, I came away after reading his testimony with a compelling spiritual certainty that what is contained in their inspired writings is entirely valid and is as relevant today as it has been over the centuries.
August 23, 2020
I have found J.B. Phillips' translation of the New Testament to be very helpful in getting me to see a passage in a different way, and to feel it "speaks my language" in a way that the more familiar words of other translations do not, perhaps because they are so familiar. So I was very interested in reading a book where Phillips talked about his experience in doing the translation. This is at least the second time I have read it, and I really like it. I have no idea what I would think if I weren't predisposed to believe that he is correct, that the New Testament has "the ring of truth," but I find his writing refreshing and encouraging.
March 29, 2019
I loved reading this little book because the English author, Phillips, did the first modern English translation of the New Testament and I was given a copy of it while I was still young, when there was nothing like it out there … sort of an "early NLT" -- so easy to read and understand. The best part of the book is his enthusiasm for all things about Christ -- the way that translating the New Testament had increased his faith and his comfort in having Jesus as Saviour.
December 20, 2017
This is the recollections of Mr. Phillips after he spent time translating the New Testament into modern English and came away with the certainty that it really is true. This is not a comprehensive, scholarly approach to apologetics or hermeneutics, but it is an encouraging account for the Christian to read.
May 27, 2018
Of course J.B. Phillips is a bit of a hero of mine, but I can't agree with everything he says. (What's new? Right?) This book is old (1967) but still relevant. So many people are so behind the times and still believe that the Bible is outdated and has been proved to be myth-filled and inaccurate and not worth reading. This book helps us see the truth.
October 16, 2023
“…the most important Event in human history is politely and quietly by-passed. For it is not as though the evidence had been examined and found unconvincing; it had simply never been examined.”
July 2, 2017
Interesting perspective from someone who spent a lot of time translating the New Testament. Also interesting regarding thinking about Scripture in 1967 (the copyright date).
December 30, 2011
Most of this book comes off as just opinion of one authors reading, or in this case translation, of books of the Bible. I have often wondered about the translators and how accurate it is today. One section of this book that I really did not agree with was when the author tried to see Jesus as just a human when he was on earth, no special powers. I was okay with the possibility, since as he says who are we to say what is impossible, until he got to the point of healing those who were ailing from disease. While I agree it could certainly be coincidence that they were just have a momentary seizure or lapse of their illness that ended just as he touched them I think the fact there is no documentation of any of those lapses happening again after says there had to be something divine involved. He also makes no attempt to explain the knowledge of the afterlife and how we all would be going to join him when our time on earth is done. I certainly don't get the impression from the book that he does not believe this to be true. Overall a good read to give you things to think about but I would classify this only as one person's opinion and not based on any provable facts.
June 2, 2013
This is a book about the New Testament, but it's also a very touching essay about this scholar's search to re-affirm his own truth after a tragedy.
A incredibly interesting perspective on the Bible and what it means, at least to one very pious, but kind of pissed-off, man.
If you read C.S. Lewis, this book has an alarming twist at the end that you will want to discover on your own. And if you are a scholar of religion as I am, this book is absolutely 100% essential.
A incredibly interesting perspective on the Bible and what it means, at least to one very pious, but kind of pissed-off, man.
If you read C.S. Lewis, this book has an alarming twist at the end that you will want to discover on your own. And if you are a scholar of religion as I am, this book is absolutely 100% essential.
May 21, 2016
I have always enjoyed JBPhillips paraphrase of the New Testament & when I heard about this book, I felt compelled to read it.
Although I was slightly disappointed that it wasn't his biography or memoirs, I found it to be very reader-friendly.
It is clear, concise,informative, didactic and thought-provoking. I wanted to do further research on the topic.
Although I was slightly disappointed that it wasn't his biography or memoirs, I found it to be very reader-friendly.
It is clear, concise,informative, didactic and thought-provoking. I wanted to do further research on the topic.
September 5, 2019
This is a wonderfully personal & passionate testimony of a man who produced one of the 20th century's most vivid translations of the New Testament. It is a short book full of wisdom about the New Testament. Very much worth some time from anyone who would like to experience the vitality and vibrancy of these world-changing writings we call the New Testament.
April 4, 2008
Fairly decent. These are the thoughts of JB Phillips after he translated the New Testament. Its a collection of insights he had never seen until he translated the NT, verse by verse. I came across it b/c of an except in Spiritual Classics by Foster
March 8, 2014
A solid book with some fantastic parts. I found the opening sections to be the best, but felt that the middle to the end dragged. Something about his reflections didn't connect with me there. Perhaps on a future re-read I'll feel differently. Still, worth reading.
February 7, 2012
I really enjoyed this little book, though I disagreed with a few of his points. Otherwise, it is a valuable testimony by a well-known translator of the Bible.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews