tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11928317.post193203409578796740..comments2024-01-29T14:24:46.852-05:00Comments on Wes Ellis: Conservative Bible Project.wellis68http://www.blogger.com/profile/06087588494600746854noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11928317.post-10989175591766934382009-10-19T15:27:19.054-04:002009-10-19T15:27:19.054-04:00Wes, as I may have mentioned to you, I was a Bibli...Wes, as I may have mentioned to you, I was a Biblical Languages Major for my undergraduate program. Though I do not assume a complete grasp of translation I am not entirely ignorant on the subject. Translating (or at least accurate translating) is an attempt to identify what the author's intent to his specific audience was. Once this is found/understood, the task then comes to the translator to find/understand what the corresponding phonological forms (fancy for- words we speak that mean the same thing)and match them. The entire process is grueling and difficult. The positives include lots of cultural and linguistic study (for nerds like me at least) and the obvious--translating from a dead or inactive language. The reason these languages are identified as "dead" is that they are no longer used and its meaning is essentially "locked in time." The English language is "alive" or "active." This means that we are currently using a language that develops with time, teenager slang, new colloquialisms, and events which shape the "new meanings." For instance... One used to say, "Follow hard after." Whereas we would now say, "Follow close behind." Nothing wrong with the previous, but it no longer means what it meant. The translators of this new conservative bible (if you can call it a bible) is what you said, "Going backward." In ancient Hebrew the word for children of a different people group was literally, "sons of." This loosely translates into "ites" or "tians" in most Bibles. The original meaning to the audience did not exclude the feminine gender. They were equally included in the meaning. But due to OUR current change in the use of our phonological forms, we would translate it "children/people of/sons and daughters." For this reason we are to keep making new and better translations based on the current English language. As we get further and further away from the time bound written word of God, we are forced to do more and more study of the culture, ideas, and language of the people who penned this ancient book. What we should never engage in is the reversal of this process. The authors/translators of the "Conservative Bible Project" are trying to rewind the clock of usage on the English language and imprint their own 21st century meaning on the text. A tragedy and horrible thing this is. I pray the Lord's frustration of their efforts. Thanks for the post.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04681200355928377615noreply@blogger.com