Translation anxiety

To: b-greek <B-GREEK@virginia.edu>
Subject: Translation anxiety
From: George Aichele <0004705237@mcimail.com>
Date: Wed, 11 May 94 13:33 EST

The Greek NT is itself dependent on translation of the
scriptures (LXX), & it presents Jesus's words on several
occasions (eg, Mk 7:34, 15:34) as "translated." Anyone who
accepts the NT as "scripture" must accept in advance the
possibility of reliable translation. Hence Christians are subject
to a sort of translation anxiety and need to be reassured that
translations are "good" ones. (A similar anxiety appears in
Jewish legends about the LXX.)
 
I would expect any translation that tried to oblige a wide
variety of scholarly views (or theological positions) to be bland
and uninteresting. More interesting I think would be free
proliferation of translations, many Bibles, each one quirky,
controversial, and incompatible with others. But that wouldn't do
much to ease translation anxiety.
 
George Aichele
(Adrian College)
470-5237@mcimail.com