| Do the words of the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament mean what they say? Although biblical scholarship differs over the actual word content of the original languages and their original meaning in cultural context, in general the conclusion is yes, the Bible as originally written means what it says. Regarding English translations made from the original languages, however, opinion about meaning is sharply divided as can be seen in the variety of versions currently available. Whether the Bible means what it says depends on the version one is talking about and to whom one is talking.Those who claim that the original forms and meanings can be reproduced in English without distortion produce a Formal Equivalence (FE) translation. Those who claim that the original forms and meanings cannot be reproduced in English without distortion produce a Dynamic Equivalence (DE) translation. Like all polarized discussions, there is probably some truth to both contentions. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
