"Truth in Translation" by Jason DeBuhn FREE Download

by My Struggle 15 Replies latest jw friends

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  My Struggle

  Some my be familiar with the website "revelation online" it is a site that put books online for free, usually in PDF format. I don't know how they do it, but they have been around for years. Well, I was looking at books today and noticed the Truth in Translation book.

  If you are not familiar with this book you have not been a JW in the past year or two(or living under a rock). The book touts the NWT to be the most accurate translation, so it has become immensely popular with the Dubs. My father even had one out when I went to see him last weekend, and made mention several times that most secularscholars think that the NWT is the most accurate. He said that Truth in Translation proves the validity of the NWT.....sigh

  Well, at the least I can now look at the book. Here is the download, btw it is in DjVu format. http://revelation-v2.blogspot.com/2008/04/truth-in-translation-accuracy-and-bias_09.html
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  Mad Sweeney

  Thanks for the link.

  If I recall, the book isn't all that high on the NWT as the Dubs seem to insist. As they usually do when citing or quoting "experts" they mine out the gems that support them and ignore both the critical parts and the context.
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  bluecanary

  So if a secular work is in favor of the JWs it's acceptable to do outside research. If a scholar called into question the reliability of the NWT (or any other JW publication or teaching) would your father read that or dismiss it?
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  Strider Arekksu

  Damn hypocrites!
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  My Struggle

  If a scholar called into question the reliability of the NWT (or any other JW publication or teaching) would your father read that or dismiss it?

  HAHA. He would dismiss that in a heartbeat.
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  wannabefree

  I read this book a few months ago trying to hold on to my faith. It did the opposite for me. The reason is, if I was to accept his praise for the accuracy of the translation, I also had to consider his negative views. I still enjoy the NWT, but I have a very different understanding than I did last year this time.

  I suggest reading his book and when using the NWT, be sure to use the large reference edition and examine closely the bracketed words and footnotes. I think the translators were honest in rendering it, that is why paying attention to those things (which are not in the smaller version) makes a BIG difference when you examine it with a mind that is open.
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  My Struggle

  I never considered the book having the opposite effect. I hope that it may work that way on my father.
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  dgp

  I would rather read "Misquoting Jesus" first. The WT focuses a lot on whether the books where correctly translated or not. Well, if you read "Misquoting Jesus" (Bart Ehrman), you realize that the Bible was altered just so many times, that we can't really know what the original writings said, and that the Bible comes from the pen of men. Concern about the translation is nonsensical under this light.

  And we're not talking about the canon yet.
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  TheOldHippie

  "If I recall, the book isn't all that high on the NWT as the Dubs seem to insist"

  On the contrary, it is "high" on the NWT as well as on one other translation, as I recall it was the Jerusalem, was it not? But his objection to the NWT was the use of "Jehovah" in the NT. Now, that is of course a major objection, but as far as renderings is concerned, he is very favourable. It is of course always a discussion as to which scholar to lean on and which not to, but as far as I am concerned, my personal opinion, I as a rule listen more to what the linguists have to say than I listen to the theologians, because of bias. Not that I do NOT listen to theologians, but there easily are many arguments based on "tradition", "church fathers", "all of us" etc. I find linguists not to have that bias, as beDuhn and Kedar show. It is not a question of picking the scholars who are favourable and rejecting the others, but deciding which group of them is more likely not to be biased. That is MY choice.
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  Lieu

  Thanks. I read the book of Tobit (not included in the Protestant Bibles) not long ago and at least now have an understanding of where the Pharasees got that woman with seven husbands ressurrection question from to ask Jesus.

  I like reading stuff.