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 | "One who translates a verse literally is misrepresenting the test, but one who adds anything of his own is a blasphemer." Ancient Jewish saying regarding the Bible. 1 |
| "A translation is artful to the extent that one can forget, while reading it, that it is a translation at all." R.J. Miller. 2 |
| "Translation is always a compromise, some say even a betrayal. If translators strive to make the Greek of the Gospel of Mark sound as familiar to the modern American ear as the original did to its first readers, will they not have translated out much that was there in the text? Will they not have eliminated the archaic in the interests of readability?" R.J. Miller. 2 |
| "...the 'enemies of the cross'...have already, to some degree, been partially successful at detaching the Words of the Bible from our hearts. There is a plan being carefully implemented to unlease [sic] a flood of bible versions to the public. (Some folks recognize that they are actually 'perversions.')." Richard Knox. 3 |
| "A reliable mark of a translator's integrity is most often found in passages which are hard to reconcile with his own theology or doctrine. Most of these may be grouped under: (1) the nature of God and Christ; (2) the nature of man [e.g., the soul]; (3) the nature of atonement; and (4) prophecy." James Parkinson. 4 |
About Bible translations:
Many Christians -- particularly from the conservative wing of the religion, believe that God inspired the authors of the Bible to write text that was inerrant -- free of error. However, that belief extends only to the original hand-written text -- not necessarily to later copies.
Unfortunately, errors have crept in during subsequent copying of Bible texts. In various locations in the Bible:
| Text was inserted that better reflected the evolving beliefs of the Christian movement. |
| Margin notes that someone had added to a copy of the Bible were incorporated into the text of subsequent copies. |
| Short passages were simply deleted because they were an embarrassment to the church. |
As earlier manuscripts are discovered, some of these forgeries are being uncovered, and modern Bible translations corrected. However, some established versions of the Bible, like the King James Version, remain uncorrected.
Another problem is that Bibles have been traditionally translated by a team of theologians who hold very similar religious beliefs. For example, although Crossway Bibles claims that their English Standard Version ™ Publishing Team "includes more than 100 people from many denominations and countries," all of the people involved in the translation appear to be from Fundamentalist and other Evangelical denominations.
A third concern is that translators can be influenced by economic concerns. Certain passages have traditionally been translated to condemn all "Witches" and condemn all homosexual behavior as an "abomination." If these passages were accurately translated, many potential buyers would probably refuse to purchase the Bible.
Sponsored link:
Topics covered in this section:
| What Bible translations are available; How they differ |
| Comparison of the King James and New International Versions |
Future essays:
This is a large topic of discussion. We hope to write future essays on:
| The "King James Only" movement. |
| How the various translations were made. |
| Translation errors in the New World Translation. |
| etc. |
Research-Bible software:
Research-Bible has created a unique program for Bible study and research.
| It includes Strong's Concordance, Dictionary and Commentaries. |
| It will translate Old English into Modern English. |
| It plots, marks, analysis, and graphically displays information in a unique and original manner. |
| It works on all PC operating systems, Windows 98 and later. |
You can learn more about this program at http://research-bible.com. Mention Rebate Code #1287 and receive a $5.00 rebate if you purchase the program !
References"
- "An introduction to the Transparent English version (TEV)," Original Bible Project, at: http://www.centuryone.org/IntroOBP.pdf
- R.J. Miller, ed., "The Complete Gospels: Annotated Scholars Version (Revised & expanded)," Polebridge Press, (1995) Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
- Richard Knox, Sr, "Is there a conspiracy going on today against the Word of God?." From an E-mail distributed 2002-JAN-09. Knox is president of Spirit of Discovery.
- James Parkinson, "How To Choose a Bible Translation," at: http://www.heraldmag.org/96so_6.htm
- Christianity.com has a very powerful and free collection of Bible study tools at: http://bible.christianity.com/ Some features require a free registration.
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Home page > Christianity > Bible > here |
Copyright © 2000 to 2008 by Ontario Consultants on Religious
Tolerance
Originally written: 2000-NOV-02
Latest update: 2008-MAY-04
Author: B.A. Robinson
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