Restitutio

Did Jesus claim to be “The Great I AM” in John 8.58?  If not, what was he saying?  In this episode we examine the alleged parallel passage in Exodus where God reveals his name to Moses at the burning bush.  Next, we’ll explore texts with the same Greek construction that Jesus used in an effort to sniff out bias.  In the end we’ll see there are three viable possibilities for translating John 8.58, the least likely of which is what we find in most translations. —— Books —— The First Testament by John Goldingay The Hebrew Bible by Robert Alter The Schocken Bible by Everett Fox A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd Edition (BDAG) Greek Grammar by Herbert Weir Smyth (see rule 1885) A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature by F. Blass, A. Debrunner, and Robert Funk (see rule 322, note the typo John 5.58 should be John 8.58) Truth in Translation by Jason David BeDuhn —— Links —— Did Jesus Claim to be the “I Am” in John 8.58? by Victor Gluckin (audio sermon) Explanation of John 8.58 by John Schoenheit (from One God & One Lord) John 8.58 by Steve Katsaras (audio sermon) Debate: Patrick Navas vs. James White on Chris Date’s Theopologetics Podcast (part 2 addresses the “I am” statements in John) Check out all the lectures in How We Got the Bible See what other classes are available here or on the Restitutio Classes podcast (subscribe in Apple, Spotify, RSS feed) If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here. Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library

Colossians 1.15 presents an interesting test case to examine translation bias.  Well-meaning Bible students have taken this text in at least three different ways.  However, some translators, motivated by a fear that readers might see Christ as a member of creation, have increasingly pushed for translating this text so that it says Christ is superior to all creation and thus on the creator side of the creator-creature divide.  In what follows I examine several popular translations and discuss the two main issues in this verse. —— Books —— A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd Edition (BDAG) Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics by Daniel Wallace Truth in Translation by Jason David BeDuhn —— Links —— Colossians 1.15-20: Preexistence or Preeminence by William Wachtel (paper) Christ the Firstborn Head of the Universe by Nathan Crowder (paper) Explanation of Colossians 1.15 -20 by John Schoenheit (from One God & One Lord) Resurrection Impact by Sean Finnegan (audio sermon on Colossians 1.15-20 as ascension theology) Debate: Patrick Navas vs. James White on Chris Date’s Theopologetics Podcast (part 2 addresses Colossians 1) Check out all the lectures in How We Got the Bible See what other classes are available here or on the Restitutio Classes podcast (subscribe in Apple, Spotify, RSS feed) If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here. Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library

How should translators render the word προκσυνέω (proskuneo) into English?  Since this word has a range of meanings from bowing as a sign of respect to worshiping God, translators sometimes decide what English words to use based more on their theological presuppositions than the grammar or textual context.  For example, some translations (mostly those done by evangelicals) employ the language of worship when proskuneo is done to Jesus but then interpret the term as a respectful gesture when done to others.  This, I suggest, is another smoking gun of translation bias. —— Books —— A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd Edition (BDAG) The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (HAOT) Truth in Translation by Jason David BeDuhn Did the First Christians Worship Jesus?: The New Testament Evidence by James Dunn —— Links —— Who Should Christians Worship? by Dale Tuggy Podcast 21: Should We Worship Jesus? by Sean Finnegan Pliny the Younger’s statement about Christians singing hymns to Christ as if to a god Check out all the lectures in How We Got the Bible See what other classes are available here or on the Restitutio Classes podcast (subscribe in Apple, Spotify, RSS feed) If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here. Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library

This is our first of five examples of bias in translation. Today we’ll examine Philippians 2.6-7, specifically focusing on how translators render two important words (ἁρπαγμός harpagmon and μορφή morphe). We’ll see how a couple of the most popular evangelical versions break free from the underlying Greek syntax in order to inject their own doctrinal bias into scripture. Regardless of your own interpretation of this passage, can we all agree that translators should not read their beliefs into scripture? —— Books —— A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd Edition (BDAG) New American Bible (NAB) The New Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV) Truth in Translation by Jason David BeDuhn —— Links —— Check out all the lectures in How We Got the Bible See what other classes are available here or on the Restitutio Classes podcast (subscribe in Apple, Spotify, RSS feed) If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here. Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library

Last time we evaluated two popular single-translator Bibles: the Message and the Passion Translation.  This time, we’re switching gears to consider committee-based versions.  I want to shine a spotlight on the whole subject of bias in translation in an effort to point out what often goes unnoticed.  We’ll consider both the committee effect that tends to eliminate non-traditional renderings as well as how the concept of sola scriptura exerts immense pressure on evangelicals to nudge their translations in the direction of their doctrinal commitments. —— Books —— The Art of Bible Translation by Robert Alter The New Testament by David Bentley Hart Truth in Translation by Jason David BeDuhn —— Links —— Check out all the lectures in How We Got the Bible See what other classes are available here or on the Restitutio Classes podcast (subscribe in Apple, Spotify, RSS feed) If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here. Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library

Last time we looked at the King James version which is one of the strictest formal equivalence Bibles every made.  This time we are going to analyze two Bibles on the other end of the spectrum: the Message Bible and the Passion Translation.  These two versions share a number of characteristics in common.  For example both are very popular, both were done by single translators, and both employ a very free application of dynamic equivalence. —— Books —— The Message Bible by Eugene Peterson The Passion Translation by Brian Simmons The Hebrew Bible by Robert Alter The New Testament by David Bentley Hart —— Links —— Check out all the lectures in How We Got the Bible See what other classes are available here or on the Restitutio Classes podcast (subscribe in Apple, Spotify, RSS feed) If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here. Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library

What do you know about the King James Version?  Is it an accurate translation?  Does it have flaws?  Should you use it as a measuring stick for other translations?  In today’s episode, we’ll cover the making of the KJV of the Bible, going back to William Tyndale’s courageous work before delving into four areas of evaluation.  We’ll examine the KJV’s manuscript base, translation accuracy, lexicography, and vocabulary in an effort to objectively decide how the KJV compares to other English versions. —— Books —— William Tyndale: A Biography by David Daniell The Complete Guide to Bible Translations by Ron Rhodes Essential Guide to Bible Versions by Philip W. Comfort The Journey from Texts to Translations by Paul D. Wegner How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Mark Strauss The Art of Bible Translation by Robert Alter “History of the English Bible” by Philip W. Comfort in The Origin of the Bible: Newly Updated, ed. F. F. Bruce, J. I. Packer, Philip Comfort, Carl F. H. Henry “English Versions of the Bible” by J. H. Skilton in New Bible Dictionary, ed. D. R. W. Wood “English Versions Since 1611” by Luther Weigle in The Cambridge History of the Bible: Vol 3 The English Bible from KJV to NIV, 2nd ed. by Jack Pearl Lewis The King James Only Controversy by James White The King James Bible after Four Hundred Years by Hannibal Hamlin and Norman W. Jones —— Links —— Check out all the lectures in How We Got the Bible See what other classes are available he

Did you know that controversies surrounding how to translate gender in the Bible had a major impact on Bible translation over the last 30 years?  In this episode we’ll briefly overview various feminist movements before examining the NRSV, which proved to be a forerunner for gender inclusive Bible translations.  Next we’ll take a journey through the NIVI and TNIV controversies at the turn of the 21st century before seeing how evangelical Bible translations both reacted against (ESV, HCSB) and appropriated (NIV2011, CSB) varying degrees of gender accuracy into their Bibles. —— Books —— The Handbook of Nonsexist Writing: For Writers, Editors, and Speakers by Casey Miller and Kate Swift, 1980 “Femme Fatale” by Susan Olasky, World, March 29, 1997 Colorado Springs Guidelines “Statement by Participants in the Conference on Gender-Related Language in Scripture” May 27, 1997 “Bailing Out the Stealth Bible” by Susan Olasky, World Magazine, June 14, 1997 “Hands Off My NIV!” by Doug LeBlanc, Christianity Today, June 16, 1997 What’s Wrong with Gender-Neutral Bible Translations? by Wayne Gruden, 1997 D. A. Carson, The Inclusive Language Debate: A Plea for Realism Mark L. Strauss, Distorting Scripture? The Challenge of Bible Translation and Gender Accuracy The Gender-Neutral Bible Controversy: Muting the Masculinity of God’s Words by Wayne Gruden and Vern Polythress, 2000 Two Views on Women in Ministry by Linda L. Belleville, Craig L. Blomberg, Craig S. Keener, Thomas R. Schreiner, 2001, updated 2005 Southern Baptist Convention Resolution “On Today’s New International Version,” June 11-12, 2002 How To Choose a Translation for All It’s Worth by Gordon Fee and Mark Strauss, 2007 (see especially chapter chapter 7) “Why the English Standard Version (ESV) Should Not Become the Standard English Version” by Mark Strauss, 2008 (presented at ETS) “An Evaluation of Gender Language in the 2011 Edition of the NIV Bible,” Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, June 6, 2011 Jesus, Justice, and Gender Roles by Kathy Keller, 2012 —— Links —— Check out all the lectures in How We Got the Bible See what other classes are available here or on the Restitutio Classes podcast (subscribe in Apple, Spotify, RSS feed) If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here. Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library

Last time we focused on the two main translation theories: formal and dynamic equivalence.  This time, we need to take a look at five major default decisions translation teams make at the outset. Units of Measurement and Currency Hebrew Idioms English Vocabulary Editorial Enhancements God’s Name By becoming familiar with these five topics, you’ll be able to better assess English Bible translations and less susceptible to misunderstandings. —— Books —— The Complete Guide to Bible Translations by Ron Rhodes Essential Guide to Bible Versions by Philip W. Comfort The Journey from Texts to Translations by Paul D. Wegner How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Mark Strauss The Art of Bible Translation by Robert Alter How We Got the Bible by Neil Lightfoot The Theory and Practice of Translation by Eugene Nida —— Links —— “Q&A: Translation Decisions for the Christian Standard Bible” Check out all the lectures in How We Got the Bible See what other classes are available here or on the Restitutio Classes podcast (subscribe in Apple, Spotify, RSS feed) If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here. Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library

Up until now we’ve focused our attention on the text of Scripture.  We took five episodes looking at the Hebrew Bible, including it’s sources, transmission, and how textual scholars go about deciding the initial text.  Then for the last seven episodes we did the same for the New Testament, examining the surviving source material and looking at the work of textual criticism.  Now, we are in a good position to shift gears and turn to the whole world of translation.  As it turns out, English Bible translators divide into two broad styles of translation: formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence.  In this episode we’ll explore these two translation philosophies and the trade offs each makes in order to produce English Bibles. —— Books —— The Complete Guide to Bible Translations by Ron Rhodes Essential Guide to Bible Versions by Philip W. Comfort The Journey from Texts to Translations by Paul D. Wegner How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Mark Strauss The Art of Bible Translation by Robert Alter How We Got the Bible by Neil Lightfoot The Theory and Practice of Translation by Eugene Nida —— Links —— Andi Wu, “A Quantitative Evaluation of the Christian Standard Bible” Check out all the lectures in How We Got the Bible See what other classes are available here or on the Restitutio Classes podcast (subscribe in Apple, Spotify, RSS feed) If you’d like to support Restitutio, you can donate here. Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library