
Bob Stanley explains…
Wording problems arise when translating from one language to another:
Not often enough do words in one language have the same exact meaning as a complimentary word in a second language. Saint Jerome recognized this problem when he translated Greek and Hebrew Biblical texts into Latin and produced the first Christian Bible, the Latin Vulgate.
Hebrew is a comparatively simple language with few words. But the words can have different meanings depending on the context in which they are used.
Koine Greek (Greek used at the time of Christ) however, is a complex language where several words could have a similar meaning. Now when Greek is translated into English, we run into several problems. Here are two examples:
- “all have sinned” (Rom 3:23). The Greek word ‘pas’ used here could mean all, or a great many, or any. The translators chose the English word ‘all’, when clearly that verse does not mean every single person, as there are exceptions as shown in the link ‘all’.
- “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joseph, and Jude, and Simon?” (Mark 6:3). In Greek, in which the Gospel of Mark was written, the word ‘brother’ used here is ‘adelphos’, meaning a blood brother, or belonging to the same people, or a countryman, or a fellow believer. Even today, the word is used in a larger meaning, so that friends, allies, fellow believers, and fellow citizens can be included in the same brotherhood. It was no different in the time of Christ.
In both of these examples, if we assume that the Bible was originally written in English, as many people seem to believe, then the meanings are taken at face value. However when we go to the original Greek, the English translation falls apart.
An even worse translation problem arose when we read a verse that was translated from its original Aramaic, to Greek, and finally to English.
Here is an example of accurate wording, versus an inaccurate nuance:
It cannot be stressed enough that His undefiled word must be preserved in all of its purity. A slight change in one word can change the true meaning of a Scripture verse or even an entire passage.
For example:
2Thess 2:15 reads,
“So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.”
Since 2Thess was originally written in Greek we can go to the Greek and find which word was used by St. Paul for the word ‘traditions’:
That Greek word is ‘paradosis’, and it means, “that which is handed down,
tradition, giving over which is done by word of mouth or in writing.”
Some Bibles have substituted the word ‘teachings’ for traditions. Now by doing this can you see the subtle change in the meaning of that verse?
- ‘Tradition’, something which is handed down from generation to generation, clearly brings time into the equation.
- ‘Teachings’ could bring to mind contemporary teaching and with no sense of time.
- The leaders of the reformation, in separating themselves from the Catholic Church, knew that they could not claim Apostolic Tradition, so some of their leaders simply lumped together all tradition, Apostolic Tradition, and man-made tradition, and denied both.
- Consequently, by that one word change of some Bible translations, Apostolic Tradition whether by word or by letter was denied by some non-Catholic sects.
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July 25, 2022
Categories: Books & Publications . Tags: apologetics, bible, catholic, church, commentary, courses, death, devil, dictionary, eucharist, faith, heaven, hell, holy communion, jesus, Knights of Columbus, life, mass, passion, studies, truth . Author: Hosted by Doug Lawrence . Comments: Leave a comment