Subject: Is the Bible filled with TRUTH? |
Bible Note: Jawz, if by your statement that all translations fall short you are saying that all translations are, in varying degrees, less-than-perfect transparencies of the original tongue, I'd have to agree to a limited degree. It's difficult always to capture every nuance and shade of meaning of the original in a translation. Through a device that they have termed 'dynamic equivalence' several translation teams have attempted to capture what they consider the meaning of the original -- the thought- for-thought approach rather than the word-for-word approach -- with questionable degrees of success. But this is not to say that it is impossible to convey in translation the essential truths contained in the originals or that translators are traitors when they attempt to do so. The central theme of the Bible, that Jesus came to redeem the world from sin, is clear enough in any legitimate translation into any language. The church is led into error less by differences in translation of Scripture and more by adding to Scripture the extra-biblical doctrines of its own tradition. When the authority of Scripture plays second fiddle to man's tradition in the orchestra of the church, translational accuracy becomes rather a moot issue anyway. --Hank |