From: LegoMan07 (LegoMan07@aol.com)
Date: Tue Jan 06 1998 - 22:21:33 EST
Mark Joseph wrote:
>> some modern translations decisions are made on the basis of
theology--among other things, that accounts for probably every reading
related to the deity of Christ in the Jehovah's Witnesses New World
"translation." <<
Mark,
I have been one of Jehovah's Witnesses for several decades now and I hear
remarks like this from time to time. They sometimes come from perhaps sincere
persons who are heavily involved in their own theological views that they view
as the truth. Often, what we need to do is to express mutual respect and with
civility, calmly discuss the texts in question to see what the text really
says and what it does not say, and make sure we truly understand the other
person's point of view and not quickly categorize them.
However, since theology is out of scope on b-greek, I wish to note that not
all persons share your view of the New World Translation. I realize that there
are those who do, but here is an article for your consideration as well as for
the Biblical Greek community.
Dr. Jason BeDuhn describes The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the
Greek Scriptures. He explains: "I have just completed teaching a course for
the Religious Studies Department of Indiana University, Bloomington, [U.S.A.]
. . . This is primarily a course in The Gospels. Your help came in the form of
copies of The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures which my
students used as one of the textbooks for the class. These small volumes were
invaluable to the course and very popular with my students."
Why does Dr. BeDuhn use the Kingdom Interlinear translation in his college
courses? He answers: "Simply put, it is the best interlinear New Testament
available. I am a trained scholar of the Bible, familiar with the texts and
tools in use in modern biblical studies, and, by the way, not a member of the
Jehovah's Witnesses. But I know a quality publication when I see one, and your
'New World Bible Translation Committee, has done its job well. Your
interlinear English rendering is accurate and consistent to an extreme that
forces the reader to come to terms with the linguistic, cultural, and
conceptual gaps between the Greek-speaking world and our own. Your 'New World
Translation' is a high quality, literal translation that avoids traditional
glosses in its faithfulness to the Greek. It is, in many ways, superior to the
most successful translations in use today."
The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures is published
by Jehovah's Witnesses to help lovers of God's Word get acquainted with the
original Greek text of the Bible. It contains The New Testament in the
Original Greek on the left- hand side of the page (compiled by B. F. Westcott
and F. J. A. Hort). A literal word-for-word English translation is found under
the lines of Greek text. In the narrow right-hand column is the New World
Translation of the Holy Scriptures, which allows you to compare the
interlinear translation with a modern English translation of the Bible.
Respectfully submitted to this forum,
Mitchell Andrews
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