Welcome to the Biblical
Heritage Center Bible Study Blog. We are excited about using this new
format to share information from our MRI Databases about the verses of our
Bibles. We hope you will read the following guidelines so you will understand
terms we use in our Bible Studies. Our primary goal is enjoy and learn together.
Your comments and suggestions are also very important to us.
(1) Every translation of the Bible is a
translation. Therefore, every translation is the result of decisions made
by the translators concerning the following:
● The selection of which ancient manuscripts will be translated.
● The words they choose to translate.
● The words they choose to transliterate.
● The words they choose to omit.
● Words they choose to add that are not in the ancient manuscripts.
(2) Translate is to read something
in one language and interpret it into another language. The goal is to
transport the meanings of the words from one language to another. An example is
the translation of the Greek word anqrwpoV. It is usually translated as “man”, but it can also be translated “human being” or “person.”
The translators have three options to choose from for their translation. It is
very important to know the options the translators did not choose, as well as
those they chose.
(3) Transliterate is to transport
the symbols (letters) of one language to another. This is often done when
translators encounter names of people and places in the ancient manuscripts.
The translator determines what the closest equivalent symbols in the language
of the translation are to the symbols of the word in the ancient manuscripts.
Below is an example of the transliteration of the Greek word cristou --
|
c
|
r
|
i
|
s
|
t
|
o
|
u
|
|
Ch
|
r
|
i
|
s
|
t
|
o
|
u
|
cristou is transliterated “Christ”
in English translation. The Greek ending “-ou”
is dropped. If the translators had chosen to translate cristou, we would find “anointed”
instead of “Christ” in our Bibles.
(4) Omit means to choose not to translate
or transliterate words that are written in the ancient manuscripts. Below is an example of Mark 1:1:
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
|
A
|
arch
|
tou
|
euaggeliou
|
ihsou
|
cristou
|
|
|
|
|
B
|
arch
|
tou
|
euaggeliou
|
ihsou
|
cristou
|
uiou
|
tou
|
qeou
|
|
|
beginning
|
of
|
gospel of
|
Jesus
|
Christ
|
Son
|
of
|
God
|
Scholars have concluded that the
words on Line A are the original words and that words 6, 7 and 8 were added by
later scribes when they made the copy that has Line B. The translators chose to
omit those words from their translation.
(5) Insertion is when translators
add a word to their translation that is not found in the ancient manuscripts. A
literal translation of Romans 3:28 from Greek manuscripts is:
We maintain therefore that a man is justified
by faith apart from the works of the law.
Martine Luther added the word “alone” to his German translation to support his doctrine of salvation.
His translation of Romans 3:28 reads:
We maintain
therefore that a man is justified by faith alone
apart from the works of the law.
(6)
Culturally correct meanings
are the meanings that best reflect the ancient author’s culture. We think, act, and communicate in ways that
are primarily predetermined by our cultures. We did not choose our
culture any more than we chose our parents and were immediately immersed in our
culture the day we were born. The definition of culture is:
Culture is the whole behavior and technology
of any people that is passed on from generation to generation. Culture consists of the knowledge, language,
beliefs, morals, laws, religions, customs, concepts, habits, skills,
institutions, and any other capabilities of a given people in a given period.[1]
Rabbi
Adin Steinsaltz adds the following insights about the meaning of culture:
A culture is more than a set of rules to
guide behavior; it is a comprehensive worldview and way of relating to one's
fellow human beings. Like all complex
cultures, Jewish culture does not spell everything out literally, but leaves
much to inference. A culture's strength
lies not only in what it says, but also in what it chooses not to say, and this
too must be learned.[2]
(7) Meanings
that fit the time period in which the author lived are given more weight.
The meaning of words may change as time passes, therefore it is important to
determine which meanings of words fall within the author’s lifetime.
(8)
Words must be viewed in the context
in which they are written. The context is that which precedes and/or
follows any part of a discourse. The
immediate context of a word is the sentence in which it is found. The immediate
context of a sentence is the paragraph in which it was written. Context affects
the meanings of words. When words are removed from their contextual environment,
their original meanings may be completely lost and a new unrelated meanings
substituted for them.
(9)
Biblical Heritage Center Bible Study
Group Agreement. We understand that there are disagreements about the
meanings of the words of the Bible and that those disagreements may affect
important beliefs of members of the group. Therefore, we ask that members of
the group to respect each other because we have gathered to more accurately
understand the words of the book we hold in high esteem and to agree to follow
the guideline below.
My belief
system will be large enough to include all of the facts; I will be open enough
to allow my beliefs to be tested; and, I will be flexible enough to change my
beliefs when errors are discovered or I become aware of relevant new facts.
We hope you will agree to agree to use it too. Sign up for
email updates for this blog so you will receive alerts when new Bible Studies
are posted.
Shalom!
[2]
Teshuvah: A Guide for the Newly Observant Jew by Adin Steinsaltz © 1982 by The
Domino Press, Jerusalem; Translation © 1987 by The Free Press, New York, NY; p.
10
No comments:
Post a Comment