Translating Truth: The Case for Essentially Literal Bible Translation
Overview
Which translation do I choose?
In an age when there is a wide choice of English Bible translations, the issues involved in Bible translating are steadily gaining interest. Consumers often wonder what separates one Bible version from another.
The contributors to this book argue that there are significant differences between literal translations and the alternatives. The task of those who employ an essentially literal Bible translation philosophy is to produce a translation that remains faithful to the original languages, preserving as much of the original form and meaning as possible while still communicating effectively and clearly in the receptors' languages.
Translating Truth advocates essentially literal Bible translation and in an attempt to foster an edifying dialogue concerning translation philosophy. It addresses what constitutes "good" translation, common myths about word-for-word translations, and the importance of preserving the authenticity of the Bible text. The essays in this book offer clear and enlightening insights into the foundational ideas of essentially literal Bible translation.
Top Highlights
“An essentially literal translation translates the meaning of every word in the original language, understood correctly in its context, into its nearest English equivalent, and attempts to express the result with ordinary English word order and style, as far as that is possible without distorting the meaning of the original.” (Page 20)
“If, on the other hand, the Greek expressions themselves are ambiguous, it is quite possible that the extra effort it takes to decode them is part of the communicative act. It is also true that different expositors will analyze these differently; and a translation that resolves them ties the expositor’s hands.” (Page 99)
“The usual label for the first category is ‘word-for-word’ or ‘essentially literal’ translations.” (Page 10)
“The second category is usually labeled ‘thought-for-thought’ or ‘dynamic equivalent’ renderings” (Page 11)
“What if God gave us a Bible that was not easy to understand in every place? What if he gave us a Bible that had layers and depths of meaning that an ‘average reader’ who is a non-Christian will simply not comprehend on first or second reading, and that Christians themselves will only understand after repeated study, reflection, and meditation? What if God gave us a Bible that contains wisdom that is ‘not a wisdom of this age, or of the rulers of this age,’ but is ‘a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory,’ a wisdom that ‘none of the rulers of this age understood’ (1 Cor. 2:6–8, esv)? Is it then right to simplify or remove everything that we think some average readers will find difficult?” (Page 54)
- Title: Translating Truth (Foreword by J.I. Packer): The Case for Essentially Literal Bible Translation
- Authors: C. John Collins, Wayne Grudem, J. I. Packer, Vern Poythress, Leland Ryken, Bruce Winter
- Publisher: Crossway
- Print Publication Date: 2005
- Logos Release Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Bible › Inspiration; Bible › Translating
- ISBNs: 9781433518584, 1581347553, 9781581347555, 1433518589
- Resource ID: LLS:06F187EFB0EB0B6DCA6FEC859724841B
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-06T20:44:31Z
C. John Collins (PhD, University of Liverpool) is professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He has been a research engineer, church-planter, and teacher. He was the Old Testament Chairman for the English Standard Version Bible and is author of The God of Miracles, Science and Faith: Friends or Foes?, and Genesis 1–4: A Linguistic, Literary, and Theological Commentary. He and his wife have two grown children.
Wayne Grudem (PhD, University of Cambridge; DD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is Distinguished Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary, having previously taught for twenty years at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is a former president of the Evangelical Theological Society, a member of the Translation Oversight Committee for the English Standard Version of the Bible, the general editor of the ESV Study Bible, and has published over twenty-five books.
Vern S. Poythress (PhD, Harvard University; ThD, University of Stellenbosch) is professor of New Testament interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he has taught for nearly four decades. In addition to earning six academic degrees, he is the author of numerous books and articles on biblical interpretation, language, and science.
Leland Ryken (PhD, University of Oregon) served as professor of English at Wheaton College for nearly 50 years. He has authored or edited over fifty books, including The Word of God in English and A Complete Handbook of Literary Forms in the Bible. He is a frequent speaker at the Evangelical Theological Society's annual meetings and served as literary stylist for the English Standard Version Bible.
Bruce William Winter (PhD, Macquarie University) is the director of the Institute for Early Christianity in the Graeco-Roman World. Winter was previously the warden of Tyndale House at Cambridge and is currently a part-time lecturer at Queensland Theological College in Australia.
