Revised Standard Version Bible
The Revised Standard Version (RSV) is a formal-equivalence revision of the American Standard Version (1901), itself descended from the KJV. Published in 1952, it became the standard Bible of mainline Protestantism for four decades and the primary academic translation before the NRSV. Its dignified prose strikes a balance between scholarly rigor and literary quality.
History & Background
Commissioned in 1929 and begun in 1937 by the International Council of Religious Education, the RSV NT was released in 1946 and the complete Bible in 1952. Forty-five scholars worked under Luther Weigle. It sparked controversy in evangelical circles for rendering Isaiah 7:14 as 'young woman' rather than 'virgin.' The RSV later produced a Catholic Edition (RSV-CE, 1966), a Second Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE, 2006), and became the ancestor of both the ESV and the NRSV.
Canon Proximity Rating
Strictly 66 books in its Protestant edition; Catholic editions include deuterocanonical books. One of the most academically respected formal-equivalence translations of the 20th century.