The NIV Committee on Bible Translation (CBT) announced a new Chair effective January 1, 2024. Dr. Simon Gathercole has replaced Dr. Douglas Moo as CBT Chair—a leadership role held by Dr. Moo for the past 18 years.
“Doug Moo has done an outstanding job of chairing CBT in the years that I have been a member of the Committee,” says new CBT Chair Dr. Gathercole. “It is a great honour to be following in Doug’s footsteps and to be a part of the great NIV project in this role.”
Dr. Simon Gathercole (Ph.D. University of Durham) is a professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at University of Cambridge. He specializes in New Testament interpretation, as well as exploring the connections between the New Testament and other literature from the same historical period. Dr. Gathercole has served on the NIV Committee on Bible Translation since 2012.
Former CBT Chair Dr. Douglas Moo, who will continue to serve as a member of the Committee, had this to say about the transition: “I have had the immense privilege of serving as chair of the Committee on Bible Translation for 18 years. But it is time for me to step aside and let someone else take over. I am grateful to Simon Gathercole for his willingness to take over the leadership of CBT. Dr. Gathercole is a well-known New Testament scholar. He has been a member of CBT for more than a decade and is well-positioned to lead the team of translators. I look forward to working with Dr. Gathercole for many years to come.”
With more than 650 million copies distributed worldwide, the New International Version (NIV) is the most widely read Bible translation in contemporary English.
“The NIV continues to set the standard globally as a Bible translation that is contemporary, beautiful, and trustworthy—all so that more people can hear God speaking clearly to them in His Word,” says Biblica President and CEO Geof Morin. Biblica is the translation sponsor of the NIV Bible, which was originally published in 1973.
The text of the NIV is entrusted to the Committee on Bible Translation, a self-governing body of 15 evangelical Bible scholars from a broad spectrum of Christian denominations and respected educational institutions.
In keeping with the original NIV charter, the CBT meets every year to monitor developments in biblical and archaeological scholarship, as well as changes in English usage. Every update made to the NIV Bible text is subject to a rigorous translation process; 70 percent of the committee must agree on each change. This protects the NIV from bias and ensures the most accurate translation possible in today’s English.
CBT members bring decades of Bible translation experience to their work, along with an unshakeable commitment to God’s Word. Their efforts, which began in 1965, ensure an accurate, faithful Bible translation in contemporary English for generations to come.
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