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Jn. 1:1--Translatable?
Greg Jordan questions whether there is an English translation for
_theos_ in Jn. 1:1c.
Yes, IMHO there is. One must, nevertheless, get away from the idea of
word-for-word translation. The concept that is usually invoked these days is
"dynamic equivalent" translation. "What God was the word was" is along that
line, although it seems to me the phrase tends more toward equivalent than
dynamic.
Someone, I don't remember who, has suggested the metaphor that reading
the Scriptures in translation (as opposed to the original languages) is like
seeing television in black-and-white. The basic idea comes through pretty
clear, but it adds something when you see it in color. I do not mean to say,
in the paragraph above, that absolute equivalency of translation is possible
in every case; but I do believe that with good translation and some
occasional explanation the true meaning can come through clearly.
David Moore