Translations

• NT Language: Koine Greek
• Not a mystical, “Holy Spirit” language but a real language
• Alexander the Great circa 325 BC combined various Greek dialects into a “common” Greek
•  Sometimes more precise than English (e.g. verb tenses, propositions), sometimes less precise (smaller vocabulary).
• Manuscripts- there are about 4,000 known manuscripts or fragments of the NT (handwritten, hand-copied)
• Manuscripts tend to belong to the same family; some better preserved than others (see  United Bible Societies (UBS) manuscript sheet)
• Alexandrian (best- Vaticanus- B, Sinaiticus- Aleph)
• Western (slightly looser)
• Byzantine (widely printed in Europe, but corrupted. “Textus Receptus”)
• Types of manuscripts
• Papyri (scroll)
• Uncials, minuscules (parchments, book)
• Lectionaries, church fathers, etc.
• Some date as early as 2nd century
• Differences in manuscripts (no two are exactly alike!)
• Accident- copying errors (then propagated to other copies)
• Deliberate- attempts to “fix” the text
• Correcting perceived errors (grammar, style, obscurities, etc.)
• Adding text to make it look more complete (e.g. Lord’s prayer in Luke 11:2-4 compared to Matthew 6:9-13)
• Adding text to support contemporary church practices (e.g. Acts 8:37)
• Textual criticism
• Examines differences in manuscripts and attempts to arrive at the true contents of the original autographs
• General rule: accidents make a text shorter, deliberate changes make a text longer.
• Translation
• Translations are always done from the original language (e.g. Greek to English), not via other languages (e.g. Greek to Latin to English).
• Translation styles (each has its place)
• Literal or Formal Equivalent (F-E)
• Less readable, most accurate
• KJV, NAS, RSV
• Free
• Most readable, least accurate
• Philips, LB, TEV
• Dynamic Equivalent (D-E)
•  Balances readability and accuracy
•  NIV, NAB, GNB, JB, NEB
• Why different translations are different
• Manuscript evidence (e.g. KJV didn’t have access to as many manuscripts as today)
• Translation style chosen (D-E, F-E, free)
• Vocabulary and reading level of target (Philips vs. LB)
• Idioms, figures of speech and units of measure; translating complex verbs
• Technical terms, transliterations (e.g. diakonos, servant, deacon, or minister?)
• Actual Translation of Colossians 3:4 (see UBS Greek for Colossians 3:4, Metzger (et al) textual commentary for Colossians 3:4,  Translation worksheet for Colossians 3:4)

• See handout Eight-translation New Testament of Colossians 3:1-4
• Compare any two translations of Colossians 3:1-4.
• Observe the differences.
• How would you categorize them? (e.g. translation style, manuscript-related, etc.)
• Do the differences change the meaning or point of the text? If so, how?
• Discuss
• What are the benefits of reading more than one translation?
• Is there such a thing as "the best translation?"