RE: Reason for B-Greek

From: Jonathan Robie (jonathan@texcel.no)
Date: Thu Dec 10 1998 - 10:51:47 EST

At 09:37 AM 12/10/98 -0600, Carl W. Conrad wrote:
 
>Bottom line: Learn the original languages of the Bible to protect yourself
>from those who *purport* to read and understand them.
>
>But alas: who can protect us from our own deficiencies? A good reason to
>pray, even when reading the Bible in the original language(s).
 
I definitely agree - but...

Realistically, most people won't ever learn Greek, and most who do won't
learn it that well. Biblical translations are, for the most part, very good
translations, and a parallel Bible will help you see where they disagree.
For the average person, who doesn't know Greek and won't, I'd suggest this:
(1) compare several unrelated translations, and don't put too much weight
on interpretations that vary among them (2) stick to the main meaning of a
text and not what various people want to read into it, and (3) ignore
anyone who purports to know the meaning of the original Greek, especially
if they emphasize the phrase "original Greek" and use it often.

For those of us who really want to know the meaning of a text in detail,
and are willing to learn Greek to do so, I echo Carl's caution that we have
to be careful not to think too highly of our own abilities. The B-Greek
mailing list has been very useful for me here, since it exposes me to
people who know more than I do. Comparing commentaries can also be helpful
here.

But prayer and being open to the spirit are essential, whether or not you
read the original Greek. Humility is also essential - we will never know
everything, and we don't have to.

Jonathan
 
jonathan@texcel.no
Texcel Research
http://www.texcel.no 

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