Translation Philosophy: The Issue of Literacy

[This is the second of two parts. Please see The Issue of Interpretation.]
The basic idea behind this approach to translation is that, perhaps counter-intuitively, the closer one stays to the source text, the less accurate the rendering may be. This is absolutely valid, and can easily be tested by reading an interlinear, where the translation [...]

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Translation Philosophy: The Issue of Interpretation

Every translation is an imperfection, and I can’t imagine that there is a single scholar who is entirely satisfied with his version, whether the work was collaborative or his alone. Every decision made leaves something on the table, something not captured by the rendition into the target language, as any polyglot can testify. The translation [...]

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Tone and Honesty in Theological Dialogue

In his autobiography, John Dominic Crossan laments the change in timbre of scholarly dialogue. There was a time, he says, when you could count on a certain intellectual honesty. You could assume that others would try to understand your thesis and look for its strengths. I can’t assess this kind of change in timbre myself, [...]

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Jonah in Light of Open Theism

The God Who Risks: A Theology of Providence
John Sanders
The prophet announces the destruction of the Ninevites in categorical terms. His message of judgment includes no conditional element to the effect that Nineveh will be destroyed unless there is widespread repentance on the part of the people. The very reason Jonah refuses to announce his message [...]

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McGrath: Christian Theology

Christian Theology: An Introduction, Third Edition
Alister E. McGrath
Paperback, 616 pages
Blackwell Publishers
February 2001
Most probably know McGrath from his apologetics, and, indeed, he is my favorite apologist. He has written a number of books on science and religion, and atheism, even two on the coattails of Richard Dawkins (he really should not write another one with Dawkins’ [...]

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Koine Greek Pronunciation

Former professor of biblical Greek William Mounce trenchantly wrote in his grammar, “The only people I have heard say that Greek is not important are those who do not themselves know Greek.”[1] The same may perhaps be true of those who argue for the academic, or modified Erasmian, pronunciation of koine Greek. It may be [...]

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Jesus and the Pharisees

Sometimes I wonder how Jesus kept getting invited to dinner, especially by the Pharisees. In Luke 14.1-24 he heals a man seemingly without any regard for the offense they would take (on the sabbath), lectures them on taking the most honored places at a meal because he had just observed them taking the most honored [...]

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The Place of the Tetragram

Whatever one may think of the Catholic Church’s recent ban on the divine name in liturgy, it’s absurd to think that this was done on biblical grounds. Christendom’s use, or rather, neglect of YHWH is heavily influence by the Judaic position, and if that’s considered legitimate on the grounds of the value and continuity of [...]

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