JACKSON, Tenn. — Dec. 1, 2025 — To mark the 100th anniversary of Charles B. Williams joining the Union University faculty in 1925, Union University Press has released a special edition of his translation, “The New Testament in the Language of the People,” first published in 1937.
Williams (1869-1952) is one of the most prestigious biblical scholars associated with Union. His Williams translation became a favorite in many churches around the world and was published while he was serving as professor of Greek and ethics at Union.
Williams earned his doctorate in New Testament from the University of Chicago and served as a pastor, faculty member at Baylor University and Mercer University, founding Greek professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and president of Howard College (now Samford University) before joining Union in 1925.
At Union, he completed his translation of the New Testament, his crowning achievement among about a dozen other publications.
Ray Van Neste, dean for Union’s School of Theology and Missions, said Williams, during his childhood in North Carolina, would read and study Latin from a book tied to his plow. By the time he was 15, Williams was teaching in the local school before graduating at the top of his class from Wake Forest University.
Van Neste said it was one of Williams’ students who may have provided the spark that started his New Testament translation work.
“Apparently a student had heard him criticize one of the standard translations, and the student suggested he turn out a better one,” Van Neste said. “So, he set out to do just that.”
Van Neste spoke about Williams in a 2009 Founders Day address that is available at www.uu.edu/audio/detail.cfm?ID=365.
Williams retired from Union in 1939 after serving for 13 years. A scholarship in his honor was established in 1986, and in 2004, his family commissioned and donated a portrait of Williams that now hangs in the Ryan Center in Jennings Hall.
Union President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver said Williams’ New Testament “has been loved by generations of faithful men and women as they study God’s Word.”
“We’re grateful for the legacy of faithful men like Dr. Williams who loved the Bible and who wanted others to love it as well,” Oliver said.
The New Testament is available for purchase at Amazon.