Compiling, Translating and Interpreting the Bible

Summary and Conclusion

This study has identified the difficulties in translating ancient languages into the languages of the common man. It should be clear that those past scholars had a very great knowledge of the ancient languages. Those who gave their lives so all people could have the opportunity to read and know God's word were very dedicated. We owe a great debt of gratitude to them. Over time languages change and our understanding of words, phrases and idioms of these ancient languages are improved. Discovery of an ever-increasing number of manuscripts, cursives and fragments of 30 both secular and sacred writings some of which predate our earliest copies greatly help enhance our understanding of the idioms of a language. These new discoveries require as much textual criticism as all those in the past.

Many Christians often quote the "Apostolic Fathers" or the "early Church Fathers" to support a belief or opinion, showing that during the first or second century Christians understood the scriptures just as the speaker or writer is espousing. But while calling upon their writings for support of a particular belief or opinion, one should recognize and admit these "witnesses" also held beliefs and opinions contrary to some other of their personal beliefs and opinions. Below are a few to give some examples.

Justin Martyr 45
Worship of angels. Christians also worship "the host of other good angels who follow and are made like to Him (Jesus)" (1 Apology 6), adding elsewhere "that there are angels who always exist, and are never reduced to that form out of which they sprang" (Dialogue 128).

Doctrine of works. His writings are full of salvation by works. For example: " "if men by their works show themselves worthy of this His design, they are deemed worthy" (1 Apology 10). " "...those only are deified (sic) who have lived near to God in holiness and virtue..." (1 Apology 21) " "...we hold it to be true, that punishments, and chastisements, and good rewards, are rendered according to the merit of each man's actions" (1 Apology 43).

Ignatius 46
Ignatius was a bishop (presbyter, pastor) of the church at Antioch who separated the presbytery and the episcopate. Throughout these three letters, Ignatius writes of the bishop (singular), the presbytery, and the deacons, insisting that they be respected and obeyed. He equates the bishop to "the Lord himself" (L.Eph 6:1; L.Mag 6:1; L.Tra 2:1); the presbyter to "the council of the apostles" (L.Mag 6:1; L.Tra 2:2); and the deacons to servants of Christ himself (L.Mag 6:1) or to the "mysteries of Jesus Christ" (L.Tra 2:3). He commands the church "to act in harmony with the mind of the bishop" (L.Eph 4:1), and "not do anything without the bishop and the presbyters" (L.Mag 7:1; cf L.Tra 2:2). He seems to ascribe greater power to the prayer of a bishop (L.Eph 5:2), and even suggests the bishop is to be feared (L.Eph 6:1). To his credit, Ignatius does not call for such obedience to himself, but then he is not the bishop of these cities. Nevertheless, Ignatius projects a consistently humble attitude with such statements as "I am only beginning to be a disciple" (L.Eph 3:1); "I do not know whether I am worthy" (L.Tra 4:2). This notion that Christians are "not to do anything without the bishop (and the presbyters) is particularly odious. "Without these (bishop, presbyters, deacons)," he writes. "No group can be called a church." (L.Tra 3:1)

Polycarp 47
The Bible itself clearly uses the Greek terms episkop? (overseer, bishop) and prebuteros (elder, presbyter) interchangeably. There is not even a hint of apostolic teaching for one-man (bishop) rule of an individual congregation, let alone an entire city or region. Yet, the monoepiscopate emerged in the second century, and Polycarp is cited as one of those city rulers. Throughout his seven authentic, extant letters, Ignatius of Antioch repeated separates the episkop? from the prebuteros, calling them respectively, God's "managers" (oikonomos, chamberlain, governor, steward), a civil term applied to Erastus in Romans 16:23; and "assistants" (paredroi, a term not used in the New Testament). This idea that elders are assistants to the bishop has no basis whatsoever in Scripture. In the Roman brand of Christianity, the presbytery morphed into the priesthood as a specialized class of intermediaries uniquely authorized to administer sacraments (baptism, communion, etc.) on behalf of the bishop. This too has no basis in Scripture, where all Christians are called priests. Hierarchicalists in the modern Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox churches use the letters of Ignatius as proof-texts to justify the monoepiscopate and the papacy. Polycarp is also used as a vital link in the doctrine of apostolic succession, which suggests that authority rests in bishops because of an unbroken chain of appointment through ordination back to the apostles themselves.

All translations appear to have some translation errors due to lack of knowledge or personal bias. Therefore, to avoid being trapped into someone else's bias, one should read and study from Bibles translated from different text families, text types and different translation theories and methods with as little interpretation as practical to convey the original message. Translation by a committee of scholars with differing backgrounds and beliefs should be preferred over translations by individuals as committees tend to offset personal biases, but committees composed of men from the same background differ little from individual translators.

Endnotes
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanakh
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torah
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmud
4. http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/bibleorigin.html
5. http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/bibleorigin.html
6a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masoretic_Text
6. The New Analytical Bible King James Version, John A Dickson Publishing Co 1973 p. 3
7. The New Testament Documents - Are They Reliable?, Inter-Varsity Press, F. F. Bruce p.10
8. The New Testament Documents - Are They Reliable?, Inter-Varsity Press, F. F. Bruce p. 24.
9. (Luke 24:44.)
10. History of the Bible: How the Bible came to us, by Wesley Ringer http://www. godandscience.org/apologetics/bibleorigin.html
11. http://www.gregandsheila.com/ag/bible.htm
12. www.licoc.org/TBS/Canonization and Translations.htm #Translating
13. http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/bibleorigin.html
14. http://net.bible.org/dictionary.php?word=Latin%20Version,%20The%20Old
15. www.gregandsheila.com/ag/bible.htm, The History of God's Word in the English Bible, Greg Moore
16. www.gregandsheila.com/ag/bible.htm, The History of God's Word in the English Bible, Greg Moore
17. www.gregandsheila.com/ag/bible.htm, The History of God's Word in the English Bible, Greg Moore
18. www.gregandsheila.com/ag/bible.htm, The History of God's Word in the English Bible, Greg Moore
19. www.gregandsheila.com/ag/bible.htm, The History of God's Word in the English Bible, Greg Moore
20. www.gregandsheila.com/ag/bible.htm, The History of God's Word in the English Bible, Greg Moore
21. www.gregandsheila.com/ag/bible.htm, The History of God's Word in the English Bible, Greg Moore
22. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_Scrolls
23. www.centuryone.com/25dssfacts.html
24. Bible Translation A Complex Problem, Dick Sztanyo, The Restorer May/June 1985 p.13
25. www.faithfacts.gospelcom.net/maps_m.html
26. Critique of a "Brief Critical Review" of the New International Version, October 1984 by Cecil Wright. p 5
27. Bible Translation A Complex Problem, Dick Sztanyo, The Restorer May/June 1985 p.13
28. Bible Translation A Complex Problem, Dick Sztanyo, The Restorer May/June 1985 p.13
29. www.gregandsheila.com/ag/bible.htm, The History of God's Word in the English Bible, Greg Moore
30. http://www.answers.org/bible/canonicity.html 31. http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/bible/outside.htm
32. http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbible5.html
33. http://www.licoc.org/TBS/Canonization%20and%20Translations.htm
34. www.licoc.org/TBS/Canonization%20and%20Translations.htm#Translating
34a. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibles#The_New_Testament, Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Bible-The New Testament
34a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_James_Version_of_the_Bible
35. http://www.licoc.org/TBS/Canonization%20and%20Translations.htm
36. http://www.licoc.org/TBS/Canonization%20and%20Translations.htm
37. http://www.licoc.org/TBS/Canonization%20and%20Translations.htm
38. www.zianet.com/maxey/versions.htm A View of Versions - King James Version, Al Maxey
39. www.zianet.com/maxey/versions.htm A View of Versions-New International Version, Al Maxey
40. www.zianet.com/maxey/versions.htm A View of Versions - Living Bible, Al Maxey
41. www.zianet.com/maxey/versions.htm A view of Versions - New American Standard, Al Maxey
42. www.zianet.com/maxey/versions.htm A view of Versions - New World Translation, Al Maxey
43. www.gregandsheila.com/ag/bible.htm, The History of God's Word in the English Bible, Greg Moore
44. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God's_Word_(bible_translation)
45. http://www.peculiarpress.com/ekklesia/archive/Ekklesia73.htm
46. http://www.peculiarpress.com/ekklesia/archive/Ekklesia80.htm
47. http://www.peculiarpress.com/ekklesia/archive/Ekklesia88.htm