Comments on: Translations

By: What’s good in a Bible Translation? at Mormon Matters

What’s good in a Bible Translation? at Mormon Matters — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:32:15 +0000

[...] Also: Nitsav’s post on other translations at Faith-Promoting Rumor. or Jack’s post with LDS-Evangelical interfaith viewpoint. [...]

By: Bridget Jack Meyers

Bridget Jack Meyers — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:05:43 +0000

Romans 16:1-2 ~ There’s a debate on Phoebe the “διάκονον” and if that should mean the generalized “servant” or the more official “deacon” or “minister,” indicating an office. ESV renders it “servant” with no footnote indicating the alternate reading. Check your NRSV, it has “deacon.” See this blog post for more on that debate.

They do at least render προστάτις in v. 2 “patron” rather than “helper” which has been the preferred complementarian reading, but overlooking the controversy over “deacon” in verse 1 couldn’t have been accidental.

Romans 16:7 ~ They do translate the name as the feminine “Junia” and put the masculine “Junias” rendering in a footnote, so that’s fair. However, “ἐπίσημοι ἐν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις” can mean “well known among the apostles,” i.e. they were really awesome apostles, or “well known to the apostles,” meaning the apostles thought they were great. ESV renders it “well known to the apostles” so as to not imply that there was a female apostle. There is a footnote listing “messengers” as an alternate translation to ἀποστόλοις, but no footnote letting the reader know that Junia may have been an apostle.

1 Timothy 3:11 ~ While discussing instructions for deacons, Paul suddenly gives a verse listing qualifications for γυναῖκας which simply means “the women.” Complementarians want this to be a reference to the wives of deacons while egalitarians want this to be female deacons. ESV renders it “Their wives” with “Women” in a footnote, but gives no indication that this could be instructions for female deacons.

If you wanna know more about this stuff, go bug Eric Huntsman and tell him you want to borrow the copy of Essays on Women in Earliest Christianity Vol. 1 that he stole from me. It has a great essay on Junia & Phoebe and another essay on “the women” in 1 Tim. 3:11.

By: jondh

jondh — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:35:29 +0000

Really liking this ESV, Jack. Thanks for the tip! Pray, since I’m only superficially acquainted with the egalitarian/complementarian debate, to which passages do you refer?

By: Bridget Jack Meyers

Bridget Jack Meyers — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:33:56 +0000

The ESV has been pretty good. My only complaint with it so far is that its passages on women demonstrate a severe complementarian bias.

By: jondh

jondh — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:39:41 +0000

I’ve got to confess, if it’s not the KJV or the NRSV, I’m not interested.

But I haven’t checked out the ESV yet. I’ll get on it.

By: Bridget Jack Meyers

Bridget Jack Meyers — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 05:59:58 +0000

Sucker!

I’m glad you have an open mind about using other Bible translations. And welcome to the blog.

By: BrianJ

BrianJ — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 05:14:41 +0000

I’ve gotta tell ya, Jack, how mad you’ve made me. Just when I was going through my Google Reader deleting subscriptions because I don’t have time for so much blogging, I find your blog and all its great content. Well, you’re on my reader now—are you happy?!

PS. I’m one of those sickos that actually likes the KJV, but I study out of the NIV and NET just as often.