The Languages Of The Bible
1. Were all the books of the Bible originally written in one language?
No, besides Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic were used.
2. What books were written in Hebrew?
Almost all the books of the Old Testament.
3. What books were written in Greek?
In the Old Testament, the Second Book of Machabees and the Book of Wisdom; in the New Testament, all books except the Gospel of St. Matthew.
4. What books were written in Aramaic?
The Gospel of St. Matthew.
5. When were the books of the Old Testament, that were originally written in Hebrew, translated into Greek?
About 220 years before Christ.
6. Why was the translation from Hebrew into Greek made?
Because the Jewish people was dispersed into countries where the Greek tongue predominated, and so it gradually forgot the mother tongue, speaking only Greek. Hence the wish to have the Bible in the Greek tongue.
The Septuagint Version
1. Who were the translators of the Old Testament?
The translators of the Old Testament were Jewish scholars well acquainted with both the Hebrew and the Greek languages.
2. By what name is this translation known?
It is known as the Septuagint Version.
3. Why is it called by that name?
It is called by that name because it was commonly supposed that seventy scholars were employed in the work of translating.
4. Was it known by any other name besides that of the Septuagint?
It was known as the Alexandrian Version to distinguish it from the Hebrew or Palestinian Version.
5. Why was it known as the "Alexandrian Bible?"
Because this translation was made in Alexandria, Egypt, which had the biggest and most vibrant Jewish community outside of Israel.
6. Is there any other difference between the Septuagint and the Palestinian version, besides their language?
Several; The Septuagint contains more books than the Palestinian version and is about three hundred years older. The Palestinian Version originated approximately around 106 A.D. and is different from the Hebrew texts that were the basis for the Septuagint translation.
7. Why does the Septuagint have more books than the Palestinian version?
The translators had a well-founded belief that these books were inspired.
8. Were these added books accepted by the Hebrews?
Yes, but only up until 106 A.D., when the Palestinian, known also as the pharisaic version, became the norm.
9. Was the Septuagint Version much in use in Our Lord's time?
It was used not only by the Greek-speaking Jews but also by the Palestinian Jews; Our Lord and the Apostles frequently quoted it.
10. Did this Greek translation of the Bible help to spread Christianity?
It helped very much, because Gentiles, particularly the Greek philosophers, had read it, and had knowledge of the prophecies referring to the Messiah, with the result that when St. Paul preached to them, many converts were made.
The Vulgate
1. Name again the languages of the Old Testament before the time of Christ.
Hebrew and Greek.
2. In what languages did the Apostles write their Gospels and Epistles?
They wrote their Gospels and Epistles in Greek, except St. Matthew, who wrote his Gospel in Aramaic.
3. How did translations in languages other than Hebrew and Greek come into existence?
As Catholicism spread among peoples of different languages, the demand for the Bible in their various languages grew.
4. Name some of the earlier languages into which the Bible was translated.
Armenian, Syrian, Coptic, Arabic, and Ethiopian.
5. Was the Bible translated into Latin?
Many translations into Latin were made during the early Catholic centuries.
6. Were these Latin translations satisfactory?
No; many inaccuracies existed, due to errors of the copyists, or errors of translation caused by a poor understanding of the original language.
7. Which of the Latin translations was the best known?
The best known Latin translation was either the "Old African" or the "Old Italian" (Vetus Itala).
8. What was the result of the general dissatisfaction with these Latin translations?
Pope Damasus (Pope from 366 to 384) commissioned St. Jerome to make a new and accurate translation.
9. How did St Jerome go about this work?
He studied carefully the Hebrew and Greek versions, and from these made his new translation.
10. By what name is the Latin translation of St. Jerome known?
It is known as the Vulgate Version. Vulgate means common or vulgar in Latin and it was called so because Latin was the common tongue of the Western Roman Empire.
11. Does the Vulgate have the Church's special approval?
The Council of Trent (Italy) in 1546 declared it to be the only authentic and official version for the Latin Rite: " The same Sacred and Holy Synod ... hereby declares and enacts that the same well-known Old Latin Vulgate edition ... is to be held authentic in public readings, disputations,sermons, and expositions, and that no one shall dare or presume to reject it under any pretense whatsoever." (DZ. 785). It is still the official Catholic Bible today.
The Douay Bible
1. Is there a Catholic translation of the Bible in English?
Yes, it is the translation known as the Douay-Rheims Version. It was translated from the Latin Vulgate.
2. Why is it called "Douay-Rheims"?
Because it was begun at Rheims and finished at Douay in 1582-1609 by a group of English priests exiled in France.
3. What happened in the sixteenth century to cause the publication of a reliable and accurate translation?
During the Protestant "Deformation" in England many false translations had been made, hence there was great necessity of placing in the hands of Catholics a reliable and accurate translation.
4. Is it true that the Bible was never translated into vernacular languages before the Protestant Deformation?
It is not true; the first translation known in England was the translation into Anglo-Saxon made by Venerable Bede in the eighth century. There is a Gothic translation, made by a certain bishop Ulfilas around 380. The first German translation predates Luther by a good fifty years.
5. Why do Protestants assert that the Bible was never translated before the Deformation?
Through a mixture of ignorance and bad faith.
6. What is the most well known of the false English Protestant translations?
It is the version called the "King James," named after the King who commissioned it in 1604. It was finished in 1611. It is still the most popular of the Protestant Bibles in the English speaking world.
7. What is wrong with the "King James" version?
Like all the Protestant Bibles, it is incomplete and poorly translated. It is a "Pick and choose" version. Such is the real lack of respect of the "Reformers" for the word of God!
Differences Between Catholic And Protestant Versions
1. Does the Catholic version of the Bible differ from Protestant versions?
Yes, in many ways.
2. What is the most noticeable difference?
The most noticeable difference is the absence of seven whole books and parts of two others from the Protestant versions.
3. What books are not contained in the Protestant version?
The Deutero-Canonical Books (See lesson 6).
4. Why are the Deutero-Canonical Books Omitted by Protestants?
Because the Protestant versions of the Bible follow the late Palestinian version of the Bible, which also omits these books (See lesson 8).
5. Name another difference between the Catholic and Protestant versions.
Many important arbitrary changes are found in the texts of the Protestant Bible. According to some scholars, the most popular Protestant Bibles have literally hundreds of mistranslations, additions and omissions.
6. To what do such changes of text lead?
They lead to an entirely different interpretation from the one intended by the Sacred Writer.
7. Give an example of this change of text.
St Paul says, "... Being therefore justified by Faith ..." (Rom. V, 1), and Luther inserted the word "alone" so that the text reads, "Being therefore justified by faith alone."
8. Why were the Reformers so anxious to change texts?
They were anxious to change texts to give force to the particular doctrine of their choice.
9. Should that behavior of the Reformers raise some questions in our mind?
Yes, what did they believe exactly concerning the Bible? Either they did not believe it was the Word of God, and therefore felt free to change it any which way; or if they did believe it was the Word of God, it took a lot of pride and presumption to correct God's word. In either case, they should be called "Deformers" rather than Reformers.
10. Name other differences between the King James version and the Douay version.
The King James version has a preference for words of Anglo-Saxon origin whereas the Douay version freely uses words of Latin origin. The Douay version latinizes the name of some books while the King James gives what they thought at the time to be the Hebrew name. Many Protestant versions other than King James omit the Epistle of St. James.
Source(s):
Latin Vulgate
Douay-Rheims Bible
A Catechism Of The Bible
2007-01-17 06:12:58
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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Do you know that the bible has more historical evidence as to it's truth than any other book of it's time ever written? Many scientists who don't believe in God know that something intelligent had to create life. If John 1-4 were the only part of the bible that existed that would be enough for me. "In the beginning was the Word....
2007-01-16 02:05:18
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answer #2
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answered by gtahvfaith 5
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God inspired the Bible through forty writers.
Inspiration doesn't mean the biblical writer just felt enthusiastic, like the composer of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Nor does it mean the writings are necessarily inspiring to read, like an uplifting poem. The biblical Greek worked for inspiration literally means "God-breathed." Because God breathes out Scripture - because it originates from Him - it is true and inerrant.
Biblical inspiration may be defined as God's superintending of the human authors so that, using their own individual personalities - and even their writing styles - they composed and recorded without error His revelation to humankind in the words of the original autographs. In other words, the original documents of the their own personalities and literary talents, wrote under the control and guidance of the Holy Spirit, the result being a perfect and errorless recording of the exact message God desired to give to man.
Hence, the writers of Scripture were not mere writing machines. God did not use them like keys on a typewriter to mechanically reproduce His message. Nor did He dictate the words, page by page. The biblical evidence makes it clear that each writer had a style of his own. (Isaiah had a powerful literary style; Jeremiah had a mournful tone; Luke's style had medical overtones; and John was very simple in his approach.) The Holy Spirit infallibly worked through each of these writers, through their individual styles, to in errantly communicate His message to humankind.
2007-01-16 17:09:27
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answer #3
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answered by Freedom 7
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39 books make up the Old Testament ,27 make up the New.The Bible was written over a 2000 year period by 40 different authors.Most who never knew each other and lived on 3 different continents,yet all agree on the nature and purpose of God.
Not one prophecy has failed to come true,and there are some coming in the future you can count on.
The Old Testament was written primarily in Hebrew(part of Daniel was in Aramaic),In the New all but Matthew was written in Greek,Matthew in Hebrew.
2007-01-16 02:34:01
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answer #4
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answered by AngelsFan 6
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The written word of God who is Jesus. God used the talents of the men who wrote the books inspired by the Holy Spirit for our salvation. The bible is alive and has power in that it is the words of God and has the potential to change ones life if you are well disposed.
2007-01-16 02:24:02
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answer #5
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answered by Gods child 6
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The original word for "Bible" in Arabic is "Injeel" which means "The Good news" ....
... In the bible you can learn about Jeus Christ who is a formidable person....
... You will see how God has chosen to become man and became Jesus because of his love to humans....
... The bible teaches you about how you can become divine and love all your fellow humans every day and in every way.
It is very much worth reading, God bless you.
2007-01-16 02:03:35
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answer #6
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answered by Cheers For All 3
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you have friends in HIGH places!! buy one and read it! in prayer invite the Holy Spirit to help you understand it before you open to read. it is the only book on earth with a living author! and He loves you. He is the one that will teach and minister to you. find a local Christian church & attend. May His richest blessings be upon you and yr household
2007-01-16 02:18:45
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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A mixture of mythology with a little history thrown in. Much of the material is borrowed from other more ancient civilizations.
2007-01-16 02:00:40
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answer #8
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answered by Anonymous
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1. Who is the "US" that you refer to?
2. And why do you want to KNOW?
IF you will answer these questions, THEN I will respond via my email on my 360 and blog!
Thanks, RR
2007-01-16 04:31:11
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answer #9
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answered by Anonymous
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