FAQ

The Urban Paraphrase Bible (UPB) is a highly idiomatic urban, African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) rendering of the original Koine Greek, New Testament text. Through the UPB, we have set out to communicate the principle thoughts of scripture to the urban community—in a voice that feels familiar. Furthermore, we designed this version in order to help minimizes the influence of a middleman. We endeavor to recapture a spontaneous moment in history as well as to improve your grasp, understanding, and recollection of the greatest event the world has ever known! We guarantee that after reading/hearing this paraphrase side by side a more traditional version of the Bible, like the CSB, you’ll walk away with more confidence as both a student and teacher of God’s word. It’s the perfect supplement for the new generation of Christ followers who are submersed in pop-culture everywhere they go. Believe it or not, The New Testament was originally written in the most simplistic and common language of its day, i.e. the Koine Greek. Koinē (κοινή) literally means “common.” Scholars believe that the language may have been a hybrid of the four main Ancient Greek dialects of the time, making it unworthy of the attention of the so-called “upper class and societal elite.” Koine Greek was never the scholarly or high literature that some hold it to today. It was not the language of aristocracy or nobility. Nor was it the language of the intellectual and academic. Classical Greek would have been more their speed. Koine Greek was/is the language of the poor and less fortunate, the peasant, and the housewife. There was nothing pretentious about it. It was breathed out of the mouths of the oppressed and from hearts in despair. It makes sense that God would want His Words to be accessible to everyone, especially the broken, under-served and those on the margins. Hence the label, “Gospel” or good news. Unfortunately, we have long since exchanged the simplicity of the gospel for flowery words that trickle “down” from the highest echelons of academia void of any practical application while simultaneously establishing them as mediator between us and God’s Word. Furthermore, because of the practical, moral, and ethical leak in much of academia today, God’s Word has lost a lot of street-cred. In no way have we single-handedly solved that problem but perhaps this is another step in repairing the damage; similar to Martin Luther, always thinking of new ways to grant “the commoner” easier access in their quest to understand what Jesus said, did, meant, lived for, died for, and lived for again! Many attempts have been made to rescue the biblical text from its captors and return it to the street where it belongs. For that reason multiple versions and translations exist now and for that we are thankful. Naturally, some versions are better than others as they vary in their alignment with the original Koine Greek, which we are strong proponents of! However, biblical modernizers always tend to stop short of contextualizing God’s Word for the streets Black and Brown people grew up on, and more importantly the streets we’re raising our children on who also need to hear God's word in a familiar language. We can no longer afford to walk past the hood with a version of the “good news” on our way to other countries, continents, and more upscale neighborhoods. Contextualization is key to conceptualization! Without which, the greatest experience ever, will have little to no impact on its recipient because of something as simple as an inability to comprehend. And that’s just unacceptable! So for these reasons, we humbly present to you: The Urban Paraphrase Bible.

Shedrach Rowry, B.A. (Biblical Studies & Ministry) M.Ed. (Higher Education Leadership) Doctorate of Urban Ministry (in progress) Shedrach dedicated seven years and significant resources to this project, working under trusted theological guidance and consistently referencing the original Koine Greek for accuracy.

Essentially, there are two basic kinds of translations: formal / dynamic equivalence and functional equivalence. These are also known as "word-for-word" versions and/or "thought-for-thought" versions. Word-for-word translations attempt to mimic the syntax or word order of the original text. Thought-for-thought translations attempt to make a corresponding connection between the function of the biblical words in English or in our case, African American Vernacular English. Thought-for-thought translators inevitably hold that the original content of the message should have priority over the order of the words themselves which is sometimes confusing and demands mediation from a third-party. And the gap in understanding gets wider and wider with every generation if unattended. To us, the meaning of God’s message to the world should take precedence over everything else. We aren't the first and won't be the last who believe this. Therefore, like Martin Luther who rescued God’s Word from its captors and translated it into German for his people, we too have undergone this massive undertaking for a subgroup of people.

First Nations Version Bible Gullah New Testament New International Version (NIV) New Century Version New Living Version (NLV) Good News Bible And many more...

By definition, a paraphrase involves rewording content into the paraphraser’s own language and style, while a translation is based directly on the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts to create a new version of the Bible. While we drew from numerous scholarly resources, our work is ultimately a paraphrase of the original biblical languages—meaning we took a hybrid approach that incorporates both paraphrasing and translation methods. That said, our emphasis remains firmly on paraphrasing, which is why the project is aptly named the Urban Paraphrase.

We currently give you permission to use up to 200 verses without having to attain written permission from us. Quotations in excess of 200 verses must be approved in writing by The Urban Paraphrase, Inc. Email us for more information: info@urbanparaphrase.com When quoting the Urban Paraphrase, please use the following notation: Scripture references are from The Urban Paraphrase®. Copyright © 2022. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.UrbanParaphrase.com When quotations from the Urban Paraphrase are used in non-saleable media, a complete copyright notice is not required. However, the initials UPB must appear at the end of each quotation. Again, quotations in excess of these guidelines must be approved in writing by The Urban Paraphrase, Inc. Email us for additional information: info@urbanparaphrase.com

Absolutely! Thank you! The Urban Paraphrase is a 501c3 non-profit org. CashApp: $UrbanParaphrase PayPal: UrbanParaphrase@gmail.com Venmo: @UrbanParaphrase