makerowner

I've read something similar, and it makes sense to me. It still doesn't really change the meaning of the metaphor though: it's really hard for rich people to go to heaven.

JragonFli

Yeah...so they should give all their money to the church, then put on their new Nike shoes and drink the cool aid before the comet comes and takes them to heaven.

fatpie42

Okay, let's get this straight. On what basis can someone presume that, of all the words in the gospels, this one in particular is an error, and that somehow none of the gospel writers came to correct it when they were compiling their stories?

The only reason for asserting that such a mix-up has taken place is apologetics.

peanutaxis

What is even more disturbing than the tale about Darwin rcecanting is that there are people out there who actually think that if it were true it would make a
GODDAMNED DIFFERENCE!

NZSkep

yes, that, and of course the fact that the words are extremely similar.

Also, you make it sound like all the rest of the gospel is all completely true, free of mistranslation, and this is the only error.

fatpie42

That the words are similar is an interesting piece of trivia. However, it doesn't demonstrate that all three writers, who actually speak greek, all managed to get mixed up on which word was which, does it?

It is true that the gospels are several pieces of writing which were compiled and edited by real people for real reasons. It is also true that the stories will sometimes make reference to real places and historical figures. Whether the stories are actually 'true' is another matter entirely.

As for how good the translation is, I don't think Bible translators do that bad a job.

Theophage

How about Joshua's Long Day?

NZSkep

and a huge coincidence that 'rope' just happens to make perfect sense in the context of the phrase, and is almost identical to the word for camel in the language it was originally written, when camel seems entirely arbitrary

all three writers? :huh: Are you saying that the explanation is that the original gospel writers used the same wrong word for rope when they penned their version of events? you're right. that does make no sense. Lucky that is not what anyone has claimed.

I would have though the simpler explanation is that all the writers used the correct word, but when it was translated into english (or latin or whatever) the translator simply got the word wrong. The greek word for rope may well have been written on the original manuscript, but it was either smudged, or the translator misread it, or simply didn't know the correct translation and so put down what he thought it was.

djrafikie

I think pretty much any "miracle" falls under this heading, and there are far too many to list!

fatpie42

I disagree. Neither image of impossibility seems more suited to the scenario of a rich man upset that he must give up all he has in order to follow Jesus. Whether it is a rope going through a needle or a camel going through a needle, in either case it is impossible. If the intention of the phrase was to express impossibility, the word 'camel' seems to do the job more effectively.

Well since the gospel writers all had similar sources for their stories, it seems like a much more sensible explanation than the one which you have come up with.

So your explanation is that every single translator of the Bible (continuing to this day) thought (and still thinks) that camel is a better choice of word than rope in the context, but are all mistaken? You also mean to say that they managed to make this mistake when translating Mark, Matthew and Luke?

You realise that people still study the original greek right?