A Question about The Christian Bible

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pfw

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I was brought up in the Church Of England and I'm used to the language of the King James version of the bible, despite being aware of it's many translation errors (and the 'old English' itself occasionaly causes a few stumbles).My question here is mainly addressed to Christians, but open to input from anyone, is there a Christian Bible were the Old Testement has been directly translated from the oldest available Biblical Hebrew or Aramaic texts and the New Testement translated from the oldest available texts in whatever language (am I right in thinking that's likely to be Greek or Aramaic?).If this is available how diffrent is it and does it actualy change or alter or affect any of the fundimental beliefs of Christianity?
 
Seems most translations claim to go back to what they can find as the oldest texts...many catch grief for modernizing the language.

One, the Lamsa bible looks at the aramaic...
 
pfw said:
I was brought up in the Church Of England and I'm used to the language of the King James version of the bible, despite being aware of it's many translation errors (and the 'old English' itself occasionaly causes a few stumbles).My question here is mainly addressed to Christians, but open to input from anyone, is there a Christian Bible were the Old Testement has been directly translated from the oldest available Biblical Hebrew or Aramaic texts and the New Testement translated from the oldest available texts in whatever language (am I right in thinking that's likely to be Greek or Aramaic?).If this is available how diffrent is it and does it actualy change or alter or affect any of the fundimental beliefs of Christianity?
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Yes. There are some Bibles translated form more strict Hebrew and Greek words. And yes, there are some changes. None of the changes, however take away from the integerity of the message. So all in all, while you may have some bibles using different vanacular and opting out some words, the intergrated message system, that is the Bible, remains the same.
 
Silas said:
Yes. There are some Bibles translated form more strict Hebrew and Greek words. And yes, there are some changes. None of the changes, however take away from the integerity of the message. So all in all, while you may have some bibles using different vanacular and opting out some words, the intergrated message system, that is the Bible, remains the same.
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That's what I was after, what I wanted to know- just 1 quick question to add to this- any details as to what the 'versions' of these bibles are called- or even an isbn?
 
The "Christian" version - i.e., those that say within historical Christanity, include: NSAB, NET, NIV, ESV, etc.
 
Hi pfw –

There's a document in my archive somewhere about a group of scholars who traced the 'family tree' of somewhere in the region of a thousand extant bible texts (ie not 1,000 translations, but 1,000 copies).

This reduced its way back to Greek, Aramaic, Syriac and Hebrew (as I recall) and some of the lines were pre-Christian.

The unanimous agreement was that whilst there were differences, these were marginal and none substantially changed the text philosophically or theologically, when the text is taken as a whole. (The copies of the Book of Daniel, for example, found among the Qmran documents, matches the Greek Septuagint).

The big point is there will never be a 'precise' translation from one language to another. Even in modern Europe, in philosophy, for example, it is understood that some German words have not precisely the same sense when translated into English, English does not always convey exactly the same sense into the French, etc. So the task of the translator, working from Aramaic into English, across three millenia, is not an easy one ...

... especially when it's not a technical document ... there are a multitude of genres in Scripture – myth, history, narrative, parable, metaphor, poetry, legislation, vision, prophecy, speculation ...

So to assume there is a 'right' and 'literal' translation, or that the literal translation is right, can be too simplistic – often a purely literal translation will be mechanical and 'clunky', and more misleading than another!

As a martial artist I have two copies of Musashi's 'Book of Five Rings' – one by a Japanese-speaking Brit, and a skilled swordsman of Musashi's style, and one by an American who is not a martial artist, but has a poet's ear and translates mystical texts ... His translation is far more 'revealing' than the technical Brit version, although both are 'right'. If I want to ponder a meaning, I choose his version.

In my theology studies we use a technical translation of the Bible, for its 'clean' translations and extensive footnotes, etc, but in my essays and contemplations, I quote/use a Douai Rheims Bible, because (for the most part) I like the poetry and rhythm of the text more.

I want my God to read like poetry, not like a domestic appliance (anyway, I can understand metaphysics, but I never got the hang of the VCR, and now we've got DVD, and my mobile is just laughing at me...)

Thomas
 
mee said:
yes this is a very good translation . it is not clouded by traditions , but gets back to the original meanings . refreshing indeed.
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Oh please it was made specifically to prove one denomination has it right. It is more a propoganda piece then an academic translation.
 
Kindest Regards, pfw!

Forgive my Old Timer's disease, I don't recall meeting before, although I do know I have seen your posts before and found them enjoyable. Welcome to CR!

pfw said:
I was brought up in the Church Of England and I'm used to the language of the King James version of the bible, despite being aware of it's many translation errors (and the 'old English' itself occasionaly causes a few stumbles).My question here is mainly addressed to Christians, but open to input from anyone, is there a Christian Bible were the Old Testement has been directly translated from the oldest available Biblical Hebrew or Aramaic texts and the New Testement translated from the oldest available texts in whatever language (am I right in thinking that's likely to be Greek or Aramaic?).If this is available how diffrent is it and does it actualy change or alter or affect any of the fundimental beliefs of Christianity?
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I believe a very helpful study Bible that will address a number of your concerns is the Interlinear Bible. It contains the Hebrew, Greek and Chaldee and translates into English directly underneath. It can be a little difficult to follow as the Hebrew reads from right to left (backwards to English). It makes for a very literal translation. For poetic flow, I am fond of my Companion Bible, which is a King James with extensive footnotes and supplementary scholarship, iirc by a reknown and respected linguistic scholar named Ginsberg. I see one of the others mentioned the translation by George Lamsa from the Aramaic, it is called the Peshitta, and I recommend it as well. Strictly from a scholarship POV, I think a copy of the original KJV is a worthwhile addition as it contains the intertestamental apocrypha (books like Bel and the Dragon, Song of Suzanna and the first and second books of Maccabees) as well as the two letters from the authors to the King and to the people. Otherwise, I have a number of other translations as well, and there are translations I avoid. Anything written in modern English I tend to avoid as that is that much further from the source.

Hope this helps. :D
 
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