The Bible Translation Continuum

This might be a hard blog to read because of the content and length. Sorry :)

Bible Translation is a highly undervalued art.  To add insult to injury, some people (e.g. KJV Fundamentalists) are highly critical and suspicious of Bible Translation.  I think this stems from a poor understanding of what exactly Bible Translation is.  

Bible Translation is the process of taking the Biblical Text and converting it into another language. Because language is constantly evolving, Bible Translation will always be necessary until God intervenes and breaks the curse of Babel.  Bible Translation takes a high level of skill and training.  There are a variety of methods to doing Bible Translation, and they exist on a sort of continuum.

This picture sort of illustrates my point.  On the left side is what translators call a more "wooden" translation, sticking closer to a literalistic (as my Hebrew professor calls it), word-for-word, functional translation.  The farther left you go, the more probable it is that you will see adverbial participles rendered in a temporal manner, less gender sensitivity, and more ambiguity in the text.  The farther left you go, the more Greek and Hebrew it will sound, even if it has English words with it.  On the right side is the more free translations.  The more right you go, the more interpretation is done.  Translators will interpret genitive ambiguities, such as the term αγαπη θεου.  This means "love of God."  But does it mean God's love for us, or our love for God?  Free translations look at the context to decide, and place their interpretation as the translation.  Free translations are also more likely to include gender neutrality and interpret participles.  They actually sound like English rather than Greek and Hebrew put into English.  This picture does not exactly represent the middle very well, but in my studies, we've called the general middle section dynamic translations.  These translations seek the middle way between free and functional translations.

This is the difficulty of Bible Translation: should we be more literalistic, and word-for-word, thus perhaps forsaking intelligibility, or should we focus on intelligibility and perhaps (unknowingly) interpret the text wrongly?  Or should we seek to find some middle ground between the two paths?  This is the blessing of English.  Because there are so many translations, you can decide which translation method is best for you and pick a Bible from that translation camp.


As an example, we can use 1 Peter 5:10, which I just translated for my Greek 4 class.

• Greek
• ὁ δὲ θεὸς πάσης χάριτος, ὁ καλέσας ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν αἰώνιον αὐτοῦ δόξαν ἐν Χριστῷ, ὀλίγον παθόντας αὐτὸς καταρτίσει, στηρίξει, σθενώσει, θεμελιώσει.
• My Translation
• "And though you suffer a little while, the God of all grace, who called you into his eternal glory in the realm of Christ, he himself will restore you, support you, strengthen you, and steady you."
• Looking at my translation, you can see that I prefer a more free translation; I like to interpret a little more, but it's my own translation and I believe everyone does some sort of interpretation, even when they read an ambiguous sentence in English.  As you can see, I place the participial phrase "ὀλίγον παθόντας,"(though you suffer a little while) at the beginning of the sentence in English, in order to connect God to the actions that he will do in the future.  Further, I interpret the dative ἐν Χριστῷ to be a dative of sphere: this is why I put "in the realm of Christ."
• Functional Translation (NASB)
• "After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you."
• This functional approach still seems to contain some "free-ness" in it: the translators moved word order as I did in order to connect God to his later actions.  Thus, "after you have suffered...the God of all grace..." rather than "the God of all grace...after you have suffered...".  In a functional fashion though, the translators kept the participial phrase ὀλίγον παθόντας as a temporal participle rather than interpreting it as a concessive participial as I did. Note also that the NASB translators opted to keep the dative ἐν Χριστῷ vague here, "in Christ," rather than interpreting it as a dative of sphere as I did.
• Free Translation (NLT)
• "In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation."
• This free translation did all sorts of things. I don't even know where to begin.
• Dynamic Translation (HCSB)
• "Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little."
• This dynamic translation keeps "God of all grace" fronted, in the beginning of the sentence.  The HCSB translators still change word order a little, placing ὀλίγον παθόντας at the end of the sentence rather than in the middle, as it is in Greek.  The HCSB leaves ἐν Χριστῷ vague and translated the adverbial participle in a temporal manner as the functional approach did.  In a free manner, the HCSB says that God will "personally" do all these things, rather than that he "himself" will do all these things.

More to follow, thanks for reading.

Seeking Humility

God's been showing me this year that Christianity is so much more about an attitude of humility than I ever thought.

Read with me, Luke 18:9-14:

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

I've been dwelling on this parable for about a month now.  I keep asking myself, "Andrew, are you comparing yourself to others?  Do you have a checklist of all the things that it takes to please God?  Or are you standing off, unable to even look at heaven, beating your chest, saying, "God have mercy on me, a sinner!"?"  Seeking a humble life is like seeking a sinless life: the moment you assert that you are humble or sinless, haven't you then violated that goal? It's an impossible goal, but that's just the sort of life that God has called us to live.  We must always seek to be humble before God, and though it is impossible, it is not impossible to strive for humility.

Communication is Key

Wow, it's been quite a while since I've updated y'all!

First things first, I've decided not to do the Journeyman mission trip.  The main reason behind this decision is that I really believe Bible Translation is an urgent need for millions of people and that while I would be doing ministry on a Journeyman trip, I would not really be working to become a Bible Translator for another couple of years, at least.  Thus, in order to become qualified to work with Wycliffe, I've decided to continue on with my studies next year and pursue an MA in Linguistics and Biblical Languages at Biola in LA, or an MA in Linguistics at GIAL in Dallas.

Another reason I've decided to forgo this Journeyman is that my whole life, God has been showing me how to serve him, especially the last two years, He's revealed a lot about who I am, what my interests are, and how I can use those things for His Kingdom.  In the last two years, He's given me a passion for language and communication.  This passion for communication seems to affect everything I do: I study more languages, I read more books and articles about missiology, contextualization and communication, and I have a growing desire to use this knowledge to bring more people to Christ. Hence, Bible Translation!  My goal is to see people become disciples of Christ, and to provide the Word of God for them as a guide.  I know that translation sometimes gets a bad rep, but if everyone could look past their post-modernistic tendencies, I believe you truly know that although exhaustive communication is probably not possible, true communication is possible, and does happen.  As DA Carson puts it, "an individual can 'fuse' his 'horizon of understanding' with [another's] 'horizon of understanding' in order to assure true understanding of the message, even though it may not be exhaustive understanding."

There's a whole world of studying that I have to do before I'm ready to be a Bible Translator, but I'm already practicing; I've translated James, Colossians, First John, a good section of John, a good section of Romans and I'm currently translating 1 Peter from Greek into English.  It's difficult, and I have much to learn, but I'm so encouraged by God's movement.

Pray that I will let God lead me.
Pray that God will draw to himself new disciples as a result of my work.
Pray that God will continue to drive my passion for communication and that I will remain focused on the vision that He has placed on my heart and in my mind.

Journey With Me

Hello everyone!

I'm sorry it's been such a long time since my last update.

I think a lot has happened, especially just in the past few days.

I guess to start off, I've been thinking about my brothers a lot.  They've been going through some bad stuff the past few months, most of which they are very much in control of.  It makes me really frustrated because I want them to be successful, and I want them to enjoy life, and ultimately I want them to please God with their lives, yet they don't seem to have those goals.  Or, if they do, it seems as if they are only interested in taking the immediate path to happiness which, it is my impression, is their view of what success really is.  That is, they view immediate happiness as success. I don't know how to talk with them.  I want to be supportive and caring, but I don't want them to think that I agree with the decisions that they're making.  Please pray for that situation.  Pray for my brothers, that they would see Jesus and follow him.  Pray for me, that I would not become frustrated or angry with them, but that I would apply grace to them, and that I would let my speech be "seasoned with salt," as Colossians says.  Also pray that I would give this burden up to Christ, as Jesus himself instructed us to cast all our burdens on him since he cares for us.

As far as personal ministry goes, I've singled out two people on my swim team that I really want to invest a lot of time into.  I believe them to be "people of peace,"  Please pray that I will be intent on sharing the gospel with them, not only by my actions, but also by what I say to them.  Pray that God will give them open ears and open hearts.

Now, for an update on my post-graduation plans.  As I said in my last blog post, Journeyman financial policies are changing, but it's still on hold.  This has caused me to be very wary about getting too excited or banking too much on the idea of being a Journeyman.  Furthermore, if I am accepted into the Journeyman program, I will be required to attend an expo conference in order to match me to a missionary on the field.  Now, it just so happens that the next expo conference, the expo conference that would put me on the field right after I graduate, is on the exact same dates as the NAIA Swimming and Diving National Championship.  If you know me at all, you know that mission is immensely more important to me than swimming, but since I am getting a lot of school paid for by swimming, and since this is my last year swimming after 16 years, and since my team is counting on me, I will not be missing Nationals.  So then, I will have to go to the next expo conference, which is next October.  I've been somewhat concerned that I may be required to raise half the support, so I've started to make contingency plans just in case.  I began applying to two grad schools several weeks ago.

A couple days ago I began feeling very anxious about after school.  I'm going to miss my friends, and I still don't know what to do; should I wait and see what happens, or should I just go ahead and go to grad school?  Well, yesterday I spent much of the day praying and reading Scripture and I began to feel more and more like I should really put effort into finishing my Journeyman application and then I should just wait for God to move.  I've decided this is what I'm going to do.  My goal is to finish my Journeyman application entirely by Thanksgiving.

Thanks for following and reading, and please pray that God will shape me into the person that He wants me to be.  Pray that God will be shown to others around me and pray that I am diligent in my studies and my swimming.

Grace and peace,
Andrew

Solitude With God

Hi everyone! Sorry it's been awhile since I've updated the blog.

          First, an update on my Journeyman progress. I am still working on the application (It's quite extensive). There are a number of things going on with that. The IMB voted to change the financial policies, so it's looking like I will have to raise quite a lot of financial support in order to go. I believe God is in control of the situation and please pray that I wouldn't consider the financial issue a real problem; if God wants me to go, he will provide, and money is not an issue to to God. On that note, David Platte, the new IMB president, has actually put that new financial policy on hold, so there's a chance that I won't end up needing to raise that money.

          Spiritually, I've had an interesting past month or so. There are moments where I just feel completely overwhelmed with God's presence, and moments where I feel really alone. I've been reading a guy named Henri Nouwen, who actually writes quite a lot about loneliness and aloneness. He says that "many people deal with [aloneness] through loneliness. That means you experience your aloneness as a wound, as something that hurts you, makes you miserable. It makes you cry out, "Is there anyone who can help me?" Loneliness is one of the greatest sources of suffering today. It is the disease of our time." He goes on to say that "As Christians we are called to convert our loneliness into solitude. We are called to experience our aloneness not as a wound but as a gift - as God's gift - so that in our aloneness we might discover how deeply we are loved by God." This isn't to argue against any sort of community, it's just to say that "it is precisely where we are most alone, most unique, most ourselves, that God is closest to us." Nouwen says that from this state of solitude that we can then truly reach out to other people and form really solid community.
          So, in this past month, I've been trying to convert that aloneness that I feel into solitude with God, and for the most part, I feel as if I've connected with God in a deeper way. Scripture especially is beginning to move me more emotionally and I think spiritually. Let me share a verse with you that I've found particularly moving. John 1:12 reads:

"ὅσοι δὲ ἔλαβον αὐτόν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα θεοῦ γενέσθαι, τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ."
"But to all who received him and believed in his name, he gave authority to become children of God."

          When I read this verse, I was just overcome with how incredible that is. God, the creator of all things, the supreme Authority, has actually given us authority, the right, to become his children. This means I can come to Him as my father. I can approach him and talk to him about anything. I can tell him about my problems, and you know what, he'll love me regardless. I can, as the parable goes, take my inheritance, squander it, and in my greatest moment of despair, decide to return back to him, who will be actively waiting for me to come home and welcome me home with the 'fattened calf' and a big party. This verse has really helped me understand my faith in a more intimate and personal way, and I'm so thankful for God my Father.


Please pray for continued solitude with God my Father and Jesus my Savior and the Spirit my Helper.

Please pray for the different levels of community that I have with other people. Pray that I could share Christ and be a light to both believers and nonbelievers.

Please pray that I can be diligent in my schoolwork and my swimming and my applications to Journeyman and grad schools.


Thank you all.

"Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, now and forever! Amen."

"I Know Their Suffering"

This isn't really a post about my Journeyman application or anything, but more of a post of a way that God really blew my mind.  

I like to read Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening every now and then.  Last week I was reading one and Spurgeon was talking about Exodus 3:7b, which in the ESV says "I know their suffering."  I was really just blown away.  I looked up the verse and the context, and Exodus 3 is where God reveals himself to Moses.  I looked up different translations of the verse. In the NLT the verse reads "I am aware of their suffering."  The NIV reads "I am concerned about their suffering."  And then I read it in the ESV which reads "I know their suffering."

This brought up some questions for me.  Does God really know our suffering?  Or does he just know about it and is concerned about it?  I don't know Hebrew (yet), so I can't really look at the verse in the original language to decide.  But as perhaps some of you know, I think my favorite verse has a lot about to say about this exact thing!

John 1:14!  It says, "The word became flesh and lived among us."  This is, as many people have described it to me, absolutely incredible, and sooo earthy if you really think about it.  God himself experienced all sorts of physical things, such as headaches, stomach aches, throwing up, diarrhea, and all manner of crazy earthy things!  It may seem a little bit disrespectful to refer to Jesus in this way, remarking on these things, but I think it really shows his humanity.  Not only did he experience these physical representations of suffering, but he also experienced insane amounts of emotional and spiritual suffering.  God himself experienced grief and heartache.  The Bible says that "Jesus wept" when he was brought to see Lazarus.  But of course, I think the greatest representation of Jesus' suffering is the cross, when he experienced suffering in the most excruciating way, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

So, to answer my questions, YES, God really does know our suffering.  He knows it both as knowledge, but also existentially, because he was a man, and has experienced everything that we've experienced.  And this is just absolutely incredible to me and such a cause to worship God.  I pray that if you're in the middle of suffering, that you might be encouraged by the fact that God himself has been there, and He can really relate to you, and moreover, he really wants to relate to you.  So I think all the translations are true of God; he is aware of our suffering, he's concerned about our suffering, and he really does know our suffering in an existential way.

Praise God :)

The Beginning of Something New

A few days ago I submitted the initial information forms and began the application process to become a Journeyman. Today I received several emails from the IMB. The most important one to me is the one with a link to complete the application (which I think is supposed to take quite a while.)

I'm so very excited for this process and hopefully its culmination: becoming a Journeyman. God has been drawing me to mission for several years now and as I get closer to graduating, I realize that I need more experience on the mission field. I think the Journeyman program will be very good for me in my development as a person, Christian and missionary.

For those of you who do not know what a Journeyman is, it is a two year mission trip which can focus on a number of things, such as Church Planting, Student Ministry, etc.  It is done in conjunction with missionaries who are already on the field for the IMB.  I think this is a particularly great feature of the program because the missionaries on the field understand the issues that may come about for new missionaries and might be prepared to help the Journeyman deal with those issues (such as culture shock).

The reason I'm writing this is to ask you if you would pray for me as I go through this process. I plan to hopefully blog about major steps along the way so y'all can know exactly what to pray for. If you do decide to pray for me, please let me know, so I can talk with you personally about my experiences.

For now, please pray for the rest of the application process. Pray that I can finish it promptly but thoroughly. Pray that I answer questions as honestly and openly as I can.

Thanks so much for your prayer :)

Grace abounds,
Andrew Nelson