ereks mom Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 I've listened with interest to many debates about which Bible is the best/most accurate English translation, and I want to research for myself to find out when/where/why/how the various versions were translated. I want to find out about source material and who the translators were, as well as what their motivations were. Got any good, unbiased website or book recommendations for me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in Florida Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 :bigear::bigear::bigear: I hope you get good responses. I would like to know more also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 I've listened with interest to many debates about which Bible is the best/most accurate English translation, and I want to research for myself to find out when/where/why/how the various versions were translated. I want to find out about source material and who the translators were, as well as what their motivations were. Got any good, unbiased website or book recommendations for me? Can you be okay with bias? I think it would be really hard to find truly unbiased books/websites. Even when I hear people say "I'm just a Bible-only Christian/non-denominational" there's oodles of bias in that statement. If you're okay with some bias, I can post a link to why the Orthodox church uses the Septuagint for the Old Testament. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted May 28, 2011 Author Share Posted May 28, 2011 :bigear::bigear::bigear: I hope you get good responses. I would like to know more also. Thanks, Denise. This is something I've been wanting to do for several months, but I've had to put it off until we finished school for the year. I'm very interested in textual criticism, but I want to be sure the sources I use for my research are reputable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted May 28, 2011 Author Share Posted May 28, 2011 Can you be okay with bias? I think it would be really hard to find truly unbiased books/websites. Even when I hear people say "I'm just a Bible-only Christian/non-denominational" there's oodles of bias in that statement. If you're okay with some bias, I can post a link to why the Orthodox church uses the Septuagint for the Old Testament. Okay, maybe I should say that I am willing to read a book (or information on a website) that has bias as long as the authors give evidence for their position, and not just slam the opposition for believing differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 I know many will roll their eyes at this comment, but your independent knowledge of source languages is the key for any further work, the basis to build on. You can read through the available scholarship all you wish, but without this background you will not really get what they are talking about and you will be constantly depedent on somebody else's interpretations. If I were really interested in this, I would approach it as a long-term personal study project: start with Biblical languages (+ maybe Latin, as many earlier translations are derived from Latin translations, as opposed to from the original text) and reading the text on my own, and then afterward collect the translations I was interested in and work on some textual comparison. It is only at this point that I would consult scholarship, after I had built a certain critical apparatus to be able to filter it in the first place. I know, easier said than done, it would be a huge undertaking of several years of work at least, a lot of effort and a lot of time which you might not even have at your disposal, but it is the only way to deal with it even remotely "seriously" in my view. It is incredibly difficult to talk of those issues without that background, the scholarship you will meet will be as biased as the texts of translations, nothing beats having some of your own experience with the original before you tackle the issue of translations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 (edited) Okay, maybe I should say that I am willing to read a book (or information on a website) that has bias as long as the authors give evidence for their position, and not just slam the opposition for believing differently. Okie doke then! Why the Septuagint? This address why the Septuagint is the Christian OT A Comparison Chart of the EO, Catholic and Protestant Bibles It's not a lot of info., and doesn't specifically address the New Testament, but it's something for your look-see. Edited May 28, 2011 by milovaný Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 This might be helpful, but it could be totally not what you are looking for. Scroll down a bit for Modern Bible Translations. This might be of interest. I have no idea about the authors bias. You may find this Wiki article to be helpful in your search. I can give you specific Catholic links if by chance you want them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted May 28, 2011 Author Share Posted May 28, 2011 I know many will roll their eyes at this comment, but your independent knowledge of source languages is the key for any further work, the basis to build on. You can read through the available scholarship all you wish, but without this background you will not really get what they are talking about and you will be constantly depedent on somebody else's interpretations. If I were really interested in this, I would approach it as a long-term personal study project: start with Biblical languages (+ maybe Latin, as many earlier translations are derived from Latin translations, as opposed to from the original text) and reading the text on my own, and then afterward collect the translations I was interested in and work on some textual comparison. It is only at this point that I would consult scholarship, after I had built a certain critical apparatus to be able to filter it in the first place. I know, easier said than done, it would be a huge undertaking of several years of work at least, a lot of effort and a lot of time which you might not even have at your disposal, but it is the only way to deal with it even remotely "seriously" in my view. It is incredibly difficult to talk of those issues without that background, the scholarship you will meet will be as biased as the texts of translations, nothing beats having some of your own experience with the original before you tackle the issue of translations. You're probably right, and I imagine that my foray into textual criticism could evolve into a quest that takes many years to complete. I do have a little bit of an advantage already: my dh & I both studied Christian theology in college, and we both hold bachelor's degrees in that subject. Dh also holds a bachelor's degree in Latin (and I've studied it at the high school level, but I'm not nearly as versed in it as dh is). Dh is a minister and seminary graduate, and he studied Greek and Hebrew in seminiary. He will be an invaluable resource! He has already shared all of his textbooks and materials with me, and believe it or not, topics like textual criticism are a normal part of dinner table conversation in our family. ;) I've never really delved into it deeply, however, and I'd really love to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 I agree that it will be hard to find anything without bias. That said, last year I read a book by a Jewish scholar called How to Read the Bible: Then and Now. I found it an exceptionally interesting introduction to historical criticism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michele B Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 (edited) The English Major in me was fascinated by this book about the history of the KJV: In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How it Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture. http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Changed-Nation-Language-Culture/dp/0385722168/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1306613014&sr=8-3 I remember there were some fascinating anecdotes from the time about men arguing and debating meanings of words, English or otherwise. Edited May 28, 2011 by Michele B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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