The Bible – Original Text Versus Translations
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010The original books of the Bible were written in Hebrew (the Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament). Parts of the books of Daniel and the Gospel of Matthew would have originally written in Aramaic.
Many translations have been made over the years. In the early days of Christianity, the Hebrew Old Testament, usually in a Greek translation (see the so-called Septuagint). As the Church spread and grew, the need for translations, having accepted the sacred text widelyLocal languages and tongues. The Bible was soon translated into Latin (the language of the Roman Empire), Syriac (an Eastern Aramaic language), Coptic (Egyptian) and Arabic. From 500 AD, some estimates may have been included in the writing more than 500 languages.
Unfortunately, the translations are not always accurate and mistakes were made. be for this reason – and because they did not "normal" people are able to read the Bible – the (Roman) Catholic Church forbade any furtherTranslations, and only a certain Latin text of the Vulgate, which were translated from Greek in 600 AD known. In the 1380s the first English translation was made by John Wycliffe. By the year 1455 invented printing press (Gutenberg was) and serial capabilities made additional English versions and translations of other readily available.
Hundreds of translations into English (estimated 450) have been made over the years. Some of the best knownare: the King James (KJV, 1611), the New International Version (NIV, 1978), the New King James (NKJV, 1982), the New American Standard Bible (NASB, 1971) and the English Standard Version (ESV, 2001 ). This large number of translations is usually divided into three main categories:
Literal translation: The translation of the original text word for word in the best English equivalent words. These translations are for sometimes as interlinear translations,Placement of the English rendering of the page of the original Hebrew and Greek. Although it undoubtedly the most accurate translations, they can be read only with difficulty because the flow of the language of the original Hebrew and Greek, very different from modern English. The NASB and the ESV are good examples of literal translations.
Dynamic equivalent translations: Translations are trying this, as literally as possible, but the restructuring of sentences and grammarthe original language, English. You try to capture thoughts and intentions, what to say writer. As a result, they are easier to read in English but have a higher degree of subjective interpretation than the literal translations. These translations are the KJV, NKJV and NIV.
Contemporary Language Translations: This translation paraphrase of the thought and intent of the original text in contemporary English. The result is easy to read, but the text islargely a subjective interpretation of the translator. These versions, like the familiar and the message of the New Living Translation, should be approached with great care. Use them, perhaps for the supplementary readings, but be aware that these texts can (and often do) differ significantly from the original biblical texts.
Each translation requires interpretation. Why? Because languages do not translate one to one. That is, not every word has a unique word, to match it in the other language.Some tongues are richer in expression than English (eg Greek) or smaller vocabulary (such as Hebrew). A translator must interpret the original meaning and find an appropriate text, but that's the result, subject to the bias of the translator. Bottom line: interpretations differ and errors can occur. When translations differ considerably, the study of the original language to clarify the message.
To make things more complicated, are not a small number of NT versessupported by all the ancient manuscripts, to decide these forces translators to take on the verses. Most translators are careful to err on the safe side, and every verse reference to the reader not supported by the majority of the manuscripts.
As an illustration, we look at the Lord's Prayer from Matthew 6:9-13 in the New International Version and the King James Version:
The Lord's Prayer in the King James:
"After this manner therefore pray to her:" Our Father which art inHeaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. "
Now read the Lord's Prayer in the NIV:
"So this is how one should pray:" Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth asIt is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. "Apart from" old "English versus modern English style, the period of notice two differences in the final stanza:
"Evil" against "evil." The KJV asks for deliverance from "evil" while the NIV asks one deliver us from "evil." There is a significant difference between the two. The original GreekText actually uses an adjective with an article that "the evil" the only correct translation. When we pray, we ask you to be delivered, not from any threat, disaster, or from the evil one from the general evil of the world.
An extra sentence. Compared to the NIV KJV has an additional sentence at the end: "For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen." This is a good example of a later addition to the oldest extant GreekManuscripts. Since the NIV mentioned in a footnote: "Some manuscripts late: for yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory in eternity. Amen." Other verses in the NT have similar additions. None of them are of crucial theological consistency, but it is important to understand these variations. Therefore, the differences between the various English translations are not the result of differences in the extant (still existing) old manuscripts, but only the result of decisions(And sometimes even failure) by the translators for the translation into English.
