<Tr> <Th> Religious affiliation </Th> <Td> Protestant (usually mainline) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Genesis 1: 1--3 (show) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth . The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters . And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light . Genesis 1: 1 in other translations John 3: 16 (show) For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life . John 3: 16 in other translations </Td> </Tr> <P> The Revised Standard Version (RSV) is an English - language translation of the Bible published in several parts during the mid-20th century . The RSV is a revision of the American Standard Version (ASV) authorized by the copyright holder, the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches . </P> <P> The RSV posed the first serious challenge to the popularity of the King James Version (KJV). It was intended to be a readable and literally accurate modern English translation, not only to create a clearer version of the Bible for the English - speaking church but also to "preserve all that is best in the English Bible as it has been known and used through the centuries" and "to put the message of the Bible in simple, enduring words that are worthy to stand in the great Tyndale - King James tradition ." </P>

When was the revised standard version of the bible written