Soul Invictus

I don't have readily available a list or translation errors that occurred from translating the Bible from language to language.
Someone made the argument that the Bible as we would read it now, states that we are not to murder....not necessaily to kill. Can anyone speak about the translations of the Bible texts, in reference to:

1) Addressing the native tongue that they were written in
2) The sequence of translating the texts (from X language to Y language)
3) Common problems/concepts that are difficult to convey when translating texts (such as explaining how polytheism was evident initially, however didn't manage to make it to our KJV, etc)


Invictus

Salmon of Doubt

I don't have detailed knowledge of these translation issues, sorry, but one thing I have found information on is this:

There is an issue in translation of the word QADHESH. The female form of the word has been translated as prostitute, but the male form was instead translated as homosexual. And by the way, the word homosexual doesn’t even exist until 1869.

There was a Greek practice at the time of using slave boys as prostitutes. The word QADHESH most likely refers to them, and not to loving sex between two consenting adults.

This is one example, like your example of murder vs killing, which seems to be a clear case of mistranslation.

Soul Invictus

SO is Hebrew or Greek like that of French, by having a masculine and feminine version of the same word?

Tercel

Mostly Hebrew in the Old Testament, mostly Greek in the New.

? You've lost me. Do you want a list of languages the Bible's been historically translated into? Or are you (wrongly) trying to imply that the Bible has been translated through a number of languages before getting to English? The only cases this has happened, as far as I am aware, is that some Bibles base their Old Testament on the LXX (a greek translation done 2nd C. BC) and rather than the Hebrew and some older Bibles based their New Testament text on the Vulgate (a Latin translation done 4th C. AD). But most modern Bibles translate straight from the original languages into English (but will of course use ancient translations to assist with interpretation where the original meaning of words is unclear)

Sorry you've lost me again. Polytheism was evident where initially?

Soul Invictus

To address your first question, I was simply trying to find a timeline as to when the biblical/ ancient texts were translated from their native language, to that of Greek, English, etc etc, so I would be trying to find out when the versions were done (using New and Old testament books). I haven't an idea as to how soon English would have been privy to a readible version of the texts, so I didn't want to incinuate that English was a more latter, and inferior translation (because it took so long to get to)

I am trying to find out more about how King James and the English Church used religion to pacify the people when their citizens were on the verge to becoming unruly. (Wasn't King James using the Church as a shield for his actions, or am I confusing his acts with an earlier Church event in which the Church was nearly bankrupt?)

Also, in reference to polytheism, I was specifically referring to how early Egyptian and Babylonian culture played an influence on the Hebrew texts, however remnants of a polytheistic culture can be seen in the symbolism of the early Biblical texts, which is a problem that the scholars had problems dealing with...so as the idea of Elohim (multiple God theory)

Hope this helps

Invictus

CX

I can only speak to the NT, but in regard to that the texts were originally written in Greek from the middle of the 1st century to the beginning of the 2nd century. They appear to have first been translated into dialectical versions (Syriac, Coptic, etc.) very early (references as early as 150 c.e.) and the earliest evidence of Latin versions (which became the standard text of the western church) date from around the 4th century.

For a more detailed discussion check Bruce M. Metzger's The Early Versions of the New Testament: Their Origin, Transmission, and Limitations

CX

FYI the first English translation of the bible was done by Wyclif in the late 14th century and the first printed versions were published after 1500.

CX

Let's not forget that the KJV (which is still quite popular) was based on Erasmus' critical Greek Text, which was itself based on a handful of late MSS in the Byzantine family as well as reverse translations from Latin into Greek where no Greek exemplar was available.

Yuri Kuchinsky

Not quite, CX...

Try the Lindisfarne Gospels, 7th century. A very famous MS indeed, with great illustrations and an Old English translation,

The Lindisfarne Gospels,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/features/g...nse_past.shtml

Best,

Yuri.