NWT translation

by apostate man 12 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  TheOldHippie

  Jason BeDuhn's book where he compares various New Testament translations, will be out towards the end of this year. It is quite clear that in spite of some blunders, he ranks he NWT among the very best translations ever - and he is no way biased, he is theologically uninterested, he is a language man. I think it is far too easy for people not being into Greek or Hebrew studies to shout here or elsewhere thatit is a corrupt translation; one needs to spesify, compare, study, not just shout. Kader recommended the Old Testament translation of the NWT and received letters from people critizising the NWT. OK, he said, send me examples, spesify what you mean. And he writes afterwards that he has not received any spesifications; they critics never replied, it was - as this - just shouting with no real content. So in stead of three lines of shouting, one needs to dig deeper.
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  KJV

  I'm kinda of fond of the KJV!
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  GinnyTosken

  TheOldHippie said:

  It is quite clear that in spite of some blunders, he ranks he NWT among the very best translations ever . . .

  An important question is, "What criteria does Jason BeDuhn use to rank the NWT among the best?" When I asked him in what ways it is superior, he praised a very slavish word-for-word correspondence in the English words used to parallel the Greek, "a 'hyper-literal' translation, it sticks very close to the Greek, even making awkward English reading." In the little bit of study I have done, I have noticed that the NWT uses this "slavish word-for-word correspondence" only when it suits them. If consistency will cast doubt on JW dogma, they will often use a different word or phrase to translate.

  See: http://www.eskimo.com/~jcw/jcw97.html

  The same question can be asked in regard to his praise for the Kingdom Interlinear. I wrote to him and asked, "Best in what way? Are there many interlinear New Testaments available?" He answered, "No, there are not very many. As I said, accurate, inexpensive (even more than I thought), and for the other reasons cited below."

  While a literal word-for-word translation was useful to BeDuhn in working with beginning Greek students, it is not particularly useful to people who want to read and understand the many idioms, colloquialism, and proverbs contained in the New Testament:

  BeDuhn used the KIT with his beginning Greek students and praised it for the very qualities the translators of the SV wish to avoid—a literal, word-for-word translation with little change in syntax. I understand now how this would be helpful to students of Greek who do want to wrestle with the meaning behind the literal words. Not being a student of Greek, I would rather rely on scholars who are knowledgeable of idioms, colloquialisms, and proverbs, and who are alert to spot puns and plays on words.

  There are many humorous examples on the net of what happens when someone translates literally word-for-word. A few of my favorites:

  Outside a Hong Kong tailor shop: Ladies may have a fit upstairs.
  In a Bangkok dry cleaner's: Drop your trousers here for best results.
  In a Copenhagen airline ticket office: We take your bags and send them in all directions.

  from "Prof. Jason BeDuhn letter on the NWT/KIT (part 1)"
  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=10361&site=3&page=1

  TheOldHippie also said:

  . . . and he is no way biased, he is theologically uninterested . . .

  Everyone has biases, including Jason BeDuhn. I'll temper that by saying that in my experience with him, I have felt it was his intent to be fair. Many ex-JWs sent Jason BeDuhn harsh e-mails after he was quoted in the Watchtower. Some ex-JWs were rude to him and behaved in ways I would consider unethical. I do wonder if Jason BeDuhn's experiences with ex-JWs have caused him to hold fast to his opinions as stated in the Watchtower and defend them.

  As far as I know, Jason BeDuhn does not try to defend a particular religion's dogma, but he is theologically interested in that he did his dissertation on Manichaeans, who propagated the idea of duality--good and evil, light and darkness, order and chaos. My own opinion is that Jason BeDuhn is influenced by his interest in Manichean thought. He mentioned to me that he admires JW's willingness to die for their beliefs.

  . . . he is a language man.

  Jason BeDuhn has studied several languages, including Greek, but Biblical Greek is not his area of specialization; his Ph.D. is in Comparative Studies of Religions. He used the KIT to help students who did not have a strong background in Biblical languages.

  See Jason BeDuhn's Curriculum Vitae:
  http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jdb8/jason-cv1.html

  Jason BeDuhn himself said, "Every translation is biased towards the views of the people who made it. It is hard to judge who is right and who is wrong simply by comparing versions. You must go back to the Greek." He asked for examples in "where the translators deliberately give a false meaning for a word or phrase. Not a meaning within the range of possibility for the Greek, but something actually false and ungrammatical."

  BeDuhn's request is almost impossible to satisfy. The translators of the KIT and NWT are anonymous. Even if one could verify the names of the translators, only those translators are in a position to know their intentions. Were they deliberately twisting the words in the Bible, or did they make honest mistakes?

  I do agree with TheOldHippie that it is best to be specific, compare translations, and study, and not just paint the NWT black because it is used by JWs.

  Ginny

  See also: "Prof. Jason BeDuhn letter on the NWT/KIT (part 1)"
  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=10361&site=3#124290