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Re: Evangelicals and dynamic equivalence
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To: b-greek@virginia.edu
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Subject: Re: Evangelicals and dynamic equivalence
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From: "Robert W. Schaibley" <PASSCHAIBRW@crf.cuis.edu>
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Date: Mon, 09 May 1994 23:27:50 -0500 (CDT)
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Organization: Concordia University Information Systems, River Forest, Il.
Good friends,
James Sennett writes: "there is no such thing as paraphrase.
There is only good translation and bad translation." I find myself at least
somewhat prepared to agree to this notion, but I still wish to ask, again: Then
what properties distinguish a good translation from a bad translation?
Also, in response to Professor Sennett's commendation of the NIV, I should like
to suggest that there is a certain "blandness" which seems to eminate from this
translation. I don't *think* I'm referring to some lack of a certain lyrical
lilt found in more long-standing versions. For example, take John 20.23
an tinwn kratNte kekpratNntai.
Virtually every other English version translate the phrase in this manner:
if you *retain* the sins of any, they are *retained.*
What does NIV do? "If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
Now, it seems that kratew has an active sense to it -- to hold, to retain. And
indeed, this appears to be how the church through her history has understood
this phrase -- to retain sins -- to bind sins of the unrepentant to their
consciousness. What notion does the NIV evoke? More like a "sin of omission"
on the part of the apostles -- kind of: "and if you don't get around to
forgiving some people, why, by golly, their sins are not forgiven."
Now, I grant that the *traditional* (or, as I prefer: the *catholic*)
understanding can be assumed into the NIV rendering; but so can other
candidates for meaning.
I believe that the blandness to which I referred above is this propensity of
the NIV to level the mountains and the valleys of meaning into a sort of
"vanilla" translation.
Bob.
Rev. Robert W. Schaibley, Sr. Pastor
Zion Ev. Lutheran Church
Fort Wayne, Indiana
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