S
science man
Guest
I'm reading the wiki article on Euler and it says that he was a Christian but was forced to learn Hebrew because his father was a pastor. Why was he? I thought Hebrew was only used in Judaism.
S
science man
Guest
ya ok but why was it used in Christianity during his time? Wasn't the Bible translated in the common language of that country by the 17th century?
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science man
Guest
I don't see how it would give you a better understanding of the Bible if it has been translated correctly.
There really isn't such a thing as a correct translation. Better translations and worse translations and different translations that each have equivalent merits. Nuances are lost in translation, regardless of how clever the translator is. And nuances are added. Given the incredible importance for the precise meanings of words and sentences in religious texts, scholars and other kinds of experts have had to learn the original languages and cultures of the texts.
It's a useful article, but I think it misleads, in this context, because it seems like most terms are translatable but 'here are the problem areas or kinds of problems'. But take, for example, almost any abstraction - freedom, closeness, relationship, understanding - and you can imagine how even synonyms in English can have rather different nuances. Further language (and translation) goes way beyond word for word. There are issues of tone, and how a certain word comes across in a certain context: iow the whole sentence.
I gave that book to my father. He seemed to enjoy it. I gave up early.
Philistine!
:spank:
Fraggle Rocker
Staff member
There is no such thing as a perfect translation from one language into another. Take Chinese and English for example. Chinese has no tenses. If you want to translate English sentences in the present, past and future tense into Chinese, you have two choices.
- Add words like "yesterday," "now," "soon," etc. This adds information that was not in the original sentences.
- Leave the time identifiers out and assume that the time is obvious from context. This allows for misinterpretation which was not possible with the original sentences.
I have heard of many Christians who study Greek to try to gain more understanding of the Gospel. (New Testamant) But i have not heard so much of Christians learning Hebew. I guess they want to gain more knowledge of the Old testament (Torah) They may want to study a Hebrew Torah seeking more understanding.
But what ever knowledge they discover will not add to or change the essential Gospel message of Salvation through accepting the Atonement of the Messiah Jesus.
All Praise The Ancient Of Days
Ohhhh.. I get where your heading with this.
If some are seeking to learn other languages because they question the Gospel message delivered in the Bible then they have already rejected the Message of the Gospel and are lost.
But some are seeking to learn other languages because they wish to add to their current knowledge. They are already solid and secure with their salvation through Jesus, but they seek to know as much, to understand as much as they can about the vast knowledge that is within the scriptures.
I guess it is the case of not what people are doing but what is their motivations. I believe God knows each ones motivations.
Most Christians never even read the Old Testament and it makes up about 75% of the bible.
The 4 Gospel accounts make up only about 10%.
The rest of the bible from Acts to the end of Revelation makes up the rest, 15%. And there are a lot of Christians who have never read that part.
I believe one can be saved by accepting the message of 1 Gospel only. So that’s approximately only 3.3% of the Bible.
All Praise The Ancient Of Days
Adstar,
Are you aware of the cunundrum around the word that was translated into English as "eternal" ('forever, without return'; point 4.2)?
If there is such a thing as "eternal damnation", then this significantly changes what the nature of God and the individual souls is like; and this is linked strongly to how that one word is translated.
Are you aware of the cunundrum around the word that was translated into English as "eternal" ('forever, without return'; point 4.2)?
If there is such a thing as "eternal damnation", then this significantly changes what the nature of God and the individual souls is like; and this is linked strongly to how that one word is translated.
God is God. He does not change. Peoples views on Him can run all over the place like headless chickens but He reamins what He is.
All Praise The Ancient Of Days
I'm sorry, I meant that if those passages are translated as "eternal" - 'forever, without return' -, then this changes how we understand what the nature of God and the individual souls is like.
Do you believe that the current understanding you have of the Biblical text is the one and only right one, and that there exists such a thing as "eternal damnation"?
Do you believe that the current understanding you have of the Biblical text is the one and only right one, and that there exists such a thing as "eternal damnation"?
Its a terrific question. It begs the Q: why not?
There are loads of distortions surrounding the explanations. For a start, the notion that 1st C Jews spoke Aramaic instead of Hebrew [Mad Mel's Passion flick] is one big farce. In fact none of the liturgies [Passover/Last Supper] can be performed without Hebrew. If Jesus existed and lived in the 1st C - he would have spoken Hebrew as a mother tongue. Aramaic was a generic street language everyone spoke who never knew a second language. IMHO, Christians never took to Hebrew because the Hebrew was disdained by Christianity, and most probably the Gospels was written by Romans and Greeks. It appears a Hebrew edition of the Gospels will never be found - when its absence cannot be rationalised.
What a waste of fuel! And they call the Hebrew bible as fire and brimstone, while using the word LOVE for the Gospels. Wow.
:shrug:
I vote that the most correct verse in this forum. But it was first recorded in the Hebrew bible.
I accept Both. God is a Just God and cannot compromise Justice. But He is also a God of mercy and forgivness. Having Mercy and forgivness upon the repentant IS JUST. As it is revealed.
Isaiah 57
15 For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “ I dwell in the high and holy place,With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Contrite - Feeling regret and sorrow for one's sins or offenses; penitent.
God showed on many occasions His mercy upon the Hebrews when they had sinned against Him but had upon being convicted repented of their sins. He withheld his wrath. The Gospel message is in lign with what the older scriptures reveal.
Jonah 3
4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”
5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying,Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water.
8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?
10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
All Praise The Ancient Of Days