Losing the Truth in Bible Translations?

by ApagaLaLuz 37 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • ApagaLaLuz
    ApagaLaLuz

    Here's something I wanted to throw out for debate. There is a line in a Smashing Pumpkins song that says "something always gets lost in the translation." How true of a translation of the bible do you think you can find? I remember little things in the New World Translation such as small words as "A" and "The," or the capital letter or lowercase letter completely changed the meanings of English scriptures.

    How accurate of a translation do you think your bible is now? After centuries of translations, and hundreds of languages? Those who are bi-lingual...... do 2 bibles in 2 different languages translate the same?

  • Gadget
    Gadget

    This is something I was thinking about the other day, not so much with the bible because early scrolls have been found (Or it said in the watchtower they'd been found.... hmmm) that showed little deviation from the original message. The problem I thought of is when we used to discuss things from the bible/watchtower so much emphasis was out on the way it was put across, 'it must mean this because they put it this way, if they meant that they would have out it over this other way'. But surely things like that must change quite a bit as it is translated into the 200+ languages around the world, with all the different grammer? Hows the leg, btw?

  • ApagaLaLuz
    ApagaLaLuz

    Leg's okay, thanks for asking. I'm slowily getting used to having other people do everything for me, including driving my ass around. Thank god I can still wipe and shower myself :)

    I remember going to see the Dead Sea Scrolls when they were on tour at a museum in Los Angeles. Of course they werent in my native language, so I just took the Society's word for what they said.

    The problem I thought of is when we used to discuss things from the bible/watchtower so much emphasis was out on the way it was put across, 'it must mean this because they put it this way, if they meant that they would have out it over this other way'
    Exactly? It's kinda like oh, okay. I know I certainly never needed any proof. We were supposed to trust the "Society's" older men because in a nutshell, they were just smarter than us
  • Euphemism
    Euphemism
    The problem I thought of is when we used to discuss things from the bible/watchtower so much emphasis was out on the way it was put across, 'it must mean this because they put it this way, if they meant that they would have out it over this other way'. But surely things like that must change quite a bit as it is translated into the 200+ languages around the world, with all the different grammer?

    Absolutely. No serious scholar would make an argument of that sort based on anything other than the original-language texts.

    And even then, they would have to consider the different renderings in variouns recensions and manuscripts.

    How many here have read BeDuhn's Truth in Translation? A lot of people here dislike him, because he's given some props to the NWT. But what his book actually showed wasn't that the NWT was particularly good... what he showed is that most other translations are just as bad.

    The best possible translation of the Bible would be one made by a non-Christian, since that would be the only way for it to be free from theological bias. But few people are willing to put forth the time and effort to translate the Bible unless they are Christians.

  • DevonMcBride
    DevonMcBride

    Unless they read and study the bible in Hebrew or Greek, they aren't studying God's words. All translations are subjected to human error and while some are better than others, none are 100% accurate. Which brings to mind a question I ask the JW's. Why do they think Jehovah accepts an inaccurate translation of his words?

    Just my thoughts,

    Devon

  • ApagaLaLuz
    ApagaLaLuz

    Very good point.... If one wants to research and find the origin of the New World Translation, there is never any credit given. This is a grave error I believe. I once brought a King James bible with me to the meeting shortly after I began having doubts. The elders said I needed to use the NWT instead so we would all be in unity. The funny thing is when I used the NWT during the meetings many of those scriptures had the context changed, or convienantly failed to mentioned an important point that was in the King James.

    They say it is so no earthly man gets credit for their translation, but it really doesnt make their translation very credible

  • Oxnard Hamster
    Oxnard Hamster

    Not only will people screw it up, but it's impossible to translate something with 100% accuracy. Every language has different nuances, vocabulary, etc. For instance, what if there were a Hebrew or Greek word for an idea that didn't exist in English? That sort of thing does happen between languages. Some cultures do not have a word for snow, while Eskimo's have over 100 words for snow. You can see how this would create some problems.

  • Narkissos
    Narkissos

    Translation is a part of Scripture. In the Jewish Bible at least two languages are involved (Hebrew and Aramaic). The writers of the New Testament only knew the former texts by means of a Greek translation (the Septuagint). What they quote as "Scripture" is often very different from any possible "original meaning".

    When I was in Bethel I had the opportunity to work with the "brother" who translated the NWT into French. Unlike what happened in other languages, he was conscientious enough to learn Hebrew and Greek for his task. That's the reason why the French NWT only was published in 1974. He was a very honest translator, but he knew he was compelled in many by the options of the English NWT.

    Later I came to work in a Protestant Bible translation team. There were scholars (and clergy) from different denominations, with very antagonistic approaches to the Bible. But usually it was not very difficult to agree on a translation issue, provided other possibilities were given in the footnotes.

    I just recall the Pentecostal pastor working in the team saying two different things about translation. According to him, to translate the Bible one had to be a "born-again Christian" (to understand it "from the inside", on his view) AND an "atheist" (for the sake of honesty). I liked this idea very much...

  • invictus
    invictus

    Very interesting post. I saw this happening even in the translations of the Watchtower and Awake magazines when I would compare texts in english and my native language.It was strange but very often the overal feeling or sensation you get when reading in one language would be lost when you read the same thing in other language.So I do believe that true meaning does get lost with numerous translations.

    Invictus

  • greatteacher
    greatteacher

    Here is some information that may raise doubt in the authenticity of every NT bible translation:

    The verifiable manuscript evidence for the New Testament: a) is many decades later than the events described, b) is not in the Jewish language of the main figures, c) is very sparse before 400 C.E., d) has clearly been altered by later authors, e) has conflicting versions of the same books, f) represents only what the church could not destroy, f) conflicts with reasonable alternative histories, and, g) conflicts with other surviving traditions of Messianic Judaism.

    Of the 5,487 Greek manuscripts, no two, apart from the very tiniest fragments, are identical. Furthermore, until beyond the 7th century, there is not one Greek manuscript that contains the books of the New Testament and just those books in their present order. The Codex Sinaiticus comes close, but it also contains the Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas, works rejected nowadays.

    2,811 of these manuscripts are in the minuscule writing. This tiny writing was only used from the 9th century onwards. 2,279 manuscripts are lectionaries and only about 30 (thirty) lectionaries date from before the 9th century. Out of desperation many claim that 5,000 Greek manuscripts from AD 800 or later count as a sort of evidence for what happened in first century Palestine.

    sources: The Jesus Puzzle. Did Christianity Begin with a Mythical Christ? : Challenging the Existence of an Historical Jesus by Earl Doherty
    * The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold by Acharya S
    * The Book Your Church Doesn't Want You To Read by Tim C. Leedom
    * The Jesus Mysteries : Was the "Original Jesus" a Pagan God? by Peter Gandy (Author), Timothy Freke (Author)
    * Deconstructing Jesus by Robert M. Price

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