The Concept of The Greek New Testament - Essay Example

Religion and Theology 4 April Why are There Many Translations of the Bible? Is it an Advantage or a Disadvantage? Introduction Bible translations have occurred several times from the original writings considered to be the breadth of God and the first English Bible. Over the past centuries, Christians have witnessed Bible translation from Hebrew into common English language severally, from which majority of the people depend on. One would question the why multiple English translations of the Bible, yet the meaning being delivered is the same. It is necessary to appreciate that through English translations, the word was first made possible to spread to most parts of the world. English has been the dominant language for centuries and the translating group (publishers and Bible scholars among others) use different methods to produce various versions that enhance peoples’ comprehension of the teachings. Critics point on the faithfulness of the Bible translations arguing that it contains distorted meanings and words of God. There is the dynamic equivalence method which lays emphasis on the original meaning, formal equivalence on word by word (Wallace 23). However, rather than focusing on the grammatical content in translations, the problem arises in trying to ensure the symbolic language used in the original material of translation makes sense upon paraphrasing and conversions. The benchmark is to ensure that though languages may change, the word of God still remains unchanged. Why are there many Translations of the Bible? Departure from the Greek Text The Greek New Testament has been criticized for its textual underpinnings that demonstrated a departure from the received Greek text. When Westcott Foss and Fenton John Anthony published the Greek New Testament, they considered the available ancient manuscripts that have been discovered to have missed certain passages (“Why so,” Bible.org). Many Biblical translators have failed to credit the works of these men, despite the fact that they laid a pillar in Biblical translation works. Their work has been claimed to be glorious, but surrounded by controversy on their contradiction from the original sources. Westcott and Anthony used two sources of the manuscripts that came from codex sinaiticus and vaticanus, believed to be false copies of the New Testament. Critiques hold that they entail the fifty falsified manuscripts deliberately corrupted by Eusebius to fulfil the order of neo-pagan emperor Constantine; the two manuscripts not only contradict each other numerously, but 99 per cent disagree with other Koine Greek manuscripts (“A concordance,” archive.org). Studying the version, there is rising doubt from the contradictions and posing inaccuracies that exist, hence the need to have other translations that come from reliable sources and cover full passages. Recent discoveries of manuscripts For centuries, both biblical scholars and archaeologists continue to discover new things. In the search for the truth concerning the original words of God, much more older and reliable manuscripts have been discovered in various archaeological sites and continue to shed new light on the actual message and words (North Point Ministries 2). For example, the recent discovery of the scrolls in the caves of Qumran gives much more insight into the religious background which Jesus came from. This is because the existing Hebrew Scriptures were based on manuscripts that were traced to have dated in the 9-10th AD by the massoretes, while the Dead Sea scrolls examined are believed to have existed between 125 BC and AD 68 (Varner christiananswers.net). Hence most translations would be based on the compilation of all (older and recent credited discoveries manuscripts), and bring reader close to the original words and meanings of the Bible as from the writings of the earlier Biblical authors. While the discoveries come in, perhaps the concern for most people is whether it affects the present Masoretic texts in their translations. Most of the discoveries made seemed to have proven the stability of the Masoretic texts, but some slight differences do exist. This is what leads to new editions and translations due to changed information and would effectively affect future bible research and future versions. Language diversity and understandable One of the calling for missionaries is to reach out to the society in a familiar way and preach out the word of God. This could not have been possible using only the traditional Greek and Hebrew language that were first used in the Bible. Translations prove that the Bible was not meant only for the elite in society (learned and wealthy people), but was intended for common men by ensuring the messages come out clearly using the common language of the day and ensuring that every individual who understands the language can read it. Societies are associated with their language cultures and the more diverse they are, the greater the need for a more understandable translation to communicate the word of God. Not everyone is Greek, Hebrew, Roman, or Latino, or fully comprehends the Shakespeare English of the earlier Bible translations. The world’ society today consists of thousands of different dialects with millions of speakers at least for dominant languages, where most people are more familiar with the Bible teachings using their common language. Advantages and Disadvantages of Bible Translations Christianity spread to native communities No one can ignore the spread of the gospel of Christ and how it has been made possible into the local communities of most nations today. People are longer constrained to the English Bible or its translations, but have the opportunity to pick a version of the Bible they are most comfortable with and can enjoy its writings and interpretations. First of all, before translations were made into local languages, most people whom English language was still foreign had to learn it before they could get to understand. Else there had to be an interpreter of the message preached in English language to the native people. This could only favour the few, perhaps the youths and young ones who were still in school and not the elderly people. It is now possible for people of different cultures to access the Bible and understand its teachings because they come in local languages around the World for people’s spiritual enrichment; thanks to the missionaries’ involvement in places like Africa, since they led to the introduction of formal education and Bible translations through their evangelical campaigns (Dansieh 229). Today in Africa, the Bible is in formats that match the needs and preferences of the people such as Yoruba, Swahili and Zulu among other languages spoken by the communities. Similarly, other versions come structured for use by people of different age sets around the world; the children and the youths have certain Bibles that target their understanding of the word as they grow up. This makes it interesting for them. Bible translation is a complicated task Translations are not only tedious due to the research on the words in specific languages, but also risks twisting the meanings and intention of the original message or phrase. With the different translation methods, there is a risk of losing the meaning down the chain of Bible versions. What arises among keen Bible readers is the dilemma in which Bible to trust over the other. It appears that each translation tries hard to remain faithful to convey the original intent of the Biblical documents, but how is that possible with the diversity of the cultures shifting from the traditional Biblical ones to the modern ones. Languages differ and this is what contributes to different interpretations of the Bible translations. For some Bible versions, they come with commentaries, which influence the readers’ thoughts (perhaps not the way they would have interpreted it), somehow snatching their liberty to think beyond the box or misleading them. Examples are dynamic equivalent translations of the Bible that tend to exaggerate translations and enhance the function of the editors, such that difficult words are changed, shorter phrases delivered, figurative languages altered and gender references are made literal statements and current views respectively; these express the translators thoughts on the intent of the original author’s work (Ryken 19). As certain long words or phrases are taken out of the context at any translation, it becomes an opportunity for misleads this is visible through variation in interpretations. Works Cited “A concordance to the Greek Testament: according to the texts of Westcott and Hort, Tischendorf, and the English revisers (1897).” Archive.org. 10 March 2001. Web. 3 April 2014. Dansieh, S.A. Relevance and Linguistic Markers: Implications for Translating from English into a Gur Language. Nordic Journal of African Studies, 17 (4): 228–246 (2008). North Point Ministries. “Why are There So Many Bible Translations.” startingpoint.com. 2006. Web. 3 April 2014. Ryken Leland. “Bible Translation Differences: Criteria for Excellence in Reading and Choosing a Bible Translation.” gnpcb.org. 2004. Web. 3 April 2014. http://www.gnpcb.org/assets/products/excerpts/1581346433.1.pdf Varner Will. “What is the Importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls?” christiananswers.net. 1997. Web. 3 April 2014. Wallace D, B. “Choosing a Bible Translation.” iblestudymagazine.com. n.d. Web. 3 April 2014. Read More