2007-08-15 02:39:13 · 6 answers · asked by who cares! 3 in Games & Recreation ➔ Hobbies & Crafts
yes, i do believe the bible has gone through too many "translations" and "re-translations" and changes and modifications, and additions and deletions etc.
i'm sure other religious books have gone through the same.
2007-08-15 04:04:54 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely... the New Testament is a very carefully selected and edited "selection" of writings in existance:
In his Easter letter of 367, Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, gave a list of the books which would become the New Testament canon.
From the fourth century, there existed unanimity in the West concerning the New Testament canon (as it is today), and by the fifth century the Eastern Church, with a few exceptions, had come to accept the Book of Revelation and thus had come into harmony on the matter of the canon.
Nonetheless, a full dogmatic articulation of the canon was not made until the Council of Trent of 1546 for Roman Catholicism, the Thirty-Nine Articles of 1563 for the Church of England, the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1647 for Calvinism, and the Synod of Jerusalem of 1672 for the Greek Orthodox.
I DO believe the theory that the Catholic Church DID omit certain writings that didn't support their patriarchal, church-only goal.
2007-08-15 11:27:53 · answer #2 · answered by mariner31 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It mostly has due to human failings such as politics. It actually doesn't matter for it is a book that has a lot of good in it. The 10 Commandments are kind of a nice way to run ones life. Take the best out of religious books and life seems to run smoother. I have just read some books by the Dalai Lama and it seems he has a keen sense of how to live a good rewarding life. It is sad however that certain books were left out of the bible and some of the translations are iffy.
2007-08-15 21:20:54 · answer #3 · answered by Taiping 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well of course. It's human weakness. Sometimes while translating or copying I'm sure a scribe somewhere lost his place, ommited a letter or had to find a word similar but that changed the whole meaning of a certain passage.
Personally I believe the King James version is the most accurate in English. Altho not 100%. I would love to be able to read the original in Hebrew or even greek and understand it.
But since my under-educated mind can only comprehend english I'm forced to read and study in english and trust that the Holy Spirit will help me discern the true meaning.
2007-08-15 12:43:17 · answer #4 · answered by Heather R 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Old Testament, of course, exists in the same form as it was when it was first written down, as it has just been copied time after time by scribes when making new scrolls for synagogues and for colleges. As the previous person says, the King James version suffered a bit, but it is as near as possible to the original Greek or Aramaic versions, but not in a very clear way to us in the modern world. There are versions of the New Testament translated from the earliest texts by Hebrew scholars, so you might be able to buy one if you are interested in biblical studies.
2007-08-15 10:38:46 · answer #5 · answered by derfini 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
There can be no doubt that the Bible has endured a LOT of translations from earlier, now-unused languages. Aramic and Old Hebrew are not in use today by anyone but scholars, and they work from unclear precepts. Further, the "King James" version, the most popular, suffered extensively from "political translations" as well.
2007-08-15 10:01:08 · answer #6 · answered by marconprograms 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋