Intertextuality and the Purpose of Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas A. Wayment
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
The Bible ◽  
King James Version

Joseph Smith’s Bible revision project has existed on the canonical periphery of LDS scripture since its inception. In “Intertextuality and Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible,” Thomas Wayment explores the beginning moments of the Bible revision by exploring the first document produced as part of the project and how it led Smith to re-envision the Bible. The Bible project initially sought to expand upon a “revelation . . . which God spake to Moses.” As the Bible revision project took shape over a three-year period, other interests emerged, such as re-envisioning the Old Testament as a Christian epic, and a subsequent effort to improve the readability of the King James Version of the Bible. Wayment charts the changing texture of the Bible revision project through time.

Biblical Aesthetics

2020 ◽  
pp. 90-102
Author(s):  
Shirley Bricout
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Book Of Revelation ◽  
Hebrew Poetry ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The World ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
King James Version

Biblical stories, tropes and images, and also the diction and syntax of the King James Version, are manifest throughout Lawrence’s oeuvre at the levels of form, plot and character. By approaching formal and thematic borrowings through the prism of recent developments in studies of Biblical aesthetics, this chapter demonstrates how Lawrence’s textual dynamics proceed from a sustained dialogue with the Bible that both demotes conventional beliefs and articulates his vision of the world. First, Lawrence’s pervasive use of Old Testament features and Hebrew poetry is reassessed to show how he valued the Bible as an aesthetic text. The chapter then instantiates how the Parables’ rhetorical strength is embedded in Lawrence’s narratives. Lastly, it examines how Lawrence’s artistic appropriation of Hebrew poetic forms and pagan imagery from the Book of Revelation restores pre-Christian image-thought.

himself the title ‘Defender of the Faith’ and it has remained as a title of English monarchs since. Christianity has played an influential role within English politics since the 8th century. The laws of Alfred the Great are prefaced by the Decalogue, the basic ten commandments to which Alfred added a range of laws from the Mosaic code found in the old testament. So, even at this stage there was a strong Judeo-Christian stamp on the law. But it was the close connection between Crown and Church which developed after Henry’s break from Rome that allowed English law to be greatly influenced by Christianity This has led to the situation that now prevails in contemporary England that there is a close interdependency between the norms of Christianity, the law and the constitution. In the coronation oath, the monarch promises to uphold the Christian religion by law established. The Archbishop of Canterbury asks the monarch ‘Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the laws of God, the true profession of the Gospel and the Protestant reformed religion established by law?’ To which the Monarch responds ‘All this I promise to do’. No monarch can take the throne without making the oath. The next section brings together the issue of language, Christianity and law to draw out some of the problems of language. 2.4.1 Sacred texts, English law and the problem of language The sacred texts of the Old Testament and the New Testament collected in the Bible have been translated into numerous languages. Many misunderstandings of texts can be caused by mistranslations. English translations of the Bible are translations of translations. The Aramaic of the original speakers of the Christian message was written in Greek during the first century and from there translated into other languages. The historical Jesus did not, so far as we know, speak to people in Greek; he most likely spoke Aramaic. A few fragments were written in Aramaic, yet the English translations are made from the ‘original’ Greek! The Old Testament was written in Hebrew. However, the English translation is from an ‘original Greek translation’ of the Hebrew. To suggest why the source of translation might matter is also to illustrate the importance of other readings, other interpretations. Other readings and other interpretations are core issues for lawyers: what do these words mean for this situation rather than what do these words mean for ever. To illustrate this point within religion the first phrase in the first sentence from a Christian prayer known as the ‘Our Father’ or ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ will be considered. The English translation found in the ‘King James Version’ from the ‘original’ Greek will be compared to an English translation from an Aramaic version dating from 200 AD. The King James version is authorised by law for use by the Anglican church established by law. The King James Version of the Bible was developed after much bloodshed in the 17th century, and the Aramaic comparison is derived from Douglas Koltz who tried a reconstitution of the Aramaic from the Greek. This latter translation is, therefore, a little suspect as Aramaic is far more open textured than Greek (or indeed English) as will be discovered. However, the exercise provides a useful illustration of the flexibility of language, as well as the manipulation of language users!

2012 ◽  
pp. 28-28
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
English Translation ◽  
Lord's Prayer ◽  
Sacred Texts ◽  
The Bible ◽  
English Translations ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
English Law ◽  
The Law ◽  
King James Version

The Concept of Palestine: The Conception Of Palestine from the Late Bronze Age to the Modern Period

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nur Masalha
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Political Geography ◽  
Classical Antiquity ◽  
Late Bronze Age ◽  
Collective Consciousness ◽  
Ancient History ◽  
Master Narratives ◽  
The Bible ◽  
School History

The Concept of Palestine is deeply rooted in the collective consciousness of the indigenous people of Palestine and the multicultural ancient past. The name Palestine is the most commonly used from the Late Bronze Age (from 1300 BCE) onwards. The name Palestine is evident in countless histories, inscriptions, maps and coins from antiquity, medieval and modern Palestine. From the Late Bronze Age onwards the names used for the region, such as Djahi, Retenu and Cana'an, all gave way to the name Palestine. Throughout Classical Antiquity the name Palestine remained the most common and during the Roman, Byzantine and Islamic periods the concept and political geography of Palestine acquired official administrative status. This article sets out to explain the historical origins of the concept of Palestine and the evolving political geography of the country. It will seek to demonstrate how the name ‘Palestine’ (rather than the term ‘Cana'an’) was most commonly and formally used in ancient history. It argues that the legend of the ‘Israelites’ conquest of Cana'an’ and other master narratives of the Bible evolved across many centuries; they are myth-narratives, not evidence-based accurate history. It further argues that academic and school history curricula should be based on historical facts/empirical evidence/archaeological discoveries – not on master narratives or Old Testament sacred-history and religio-ideological constructs.

Witches and Forgers

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Mandelbrote
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Republic Of Letters ◽  
The Bible ◽  
God's Word ◽  
1 Samuel ◽  
The Witch

Scepticism and loyalty represent the poles of van Dale’s career. Two contexts have been mentioned as relevant here: the seventeenth-century attack on magic and superstition, and the circles of friendship that created a contemporary Republic of Letters. This chapter evaluates both contexts, as well as others that may throw light on his relatively neglected attitude to the text of the Bible. It brings into focus two important intellectual episodes: his treatment of the account of the Witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28:3–25), and his engagement with Hellenistic sources relating to the text of the Old Testament, especially to the miraculous composition of the Septuagint. These issues brought van Dale to ask questions about God’s Word. The chapter explores the limits of his scepticism, the extent of his scholarship, and the role of friendship and isolation in his development. Finally, it draws attention to his place in contemporary Mennonite debates.

Spinoza and Biblical Philology in the Dutch Republic, 1660-1710

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jetze Touber
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
Dutch Republic ◽  
Biblical Criticism ◽  
Ecclesiastical History ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Biblical Scholarship ◽  
Dutch Golden Age

This book investigates the biblical criticism of Spinoza from the perspective of the Dutch Reformed society in which the philosopher lived and worked. It focusses on philological investigation of the Bible: its words, its language, and the historical context in which it originated. The book charts contested issues of biblical philology in mainstream Dutch Calvinism, to determine whether Spinoza’s work on the Bible had any bearing on the Reformed understanding of the way society should engage with Scripture. Spinoza has received massive attention, both inside and outside academia. His unconventional interpretation of the Old Testament passages has been examined repeatedly over the decades. So has that of fellow ‘radicals’ (rationalists, radicals, deists, libertines, enthusiasts), against the backdrop of a society that is assumed to have been hostile, overwhelmed, static, and uniform. This book inverts this perspective and looks at how the Dutch Republic digested biblical philology and biblical criticism, including that of Spinoza. It takes into account the highly neglected area of the Reformed ministry and theology of the Dutch Golden Age. The result is that Dutch ecclesiastical history, up until now the preserve of the partisan scholarship of confessionalized church historians, is brought into dialogue with Early Modern intellectual currents. This book concludes that Spinoza, rather than simply pushing biblical scholarship in the direction of modernity, acted in an indirect way upon ongoing debates in Dutch society, shifting trends in those debates, but not always in the same direction, and not always equally profoundly, at all times, on all levels.

scholarly journals A silent unheard voice in the Old Testament: The Cushite woman whom Moses married in Numbers 12:1–10

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David T. Adamo
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Significant Role ◽  
African Women ◽  
Single Word ◽  
Women In The Bible ◽  
The Bible

Most of the time, women’s names are not mentioned, words are not put in their mouths or they are not allowed to say a word, and their achievements are behind the scene in the narratives. Passages that mention the presence and contribution of African women in the Bible are especially neglected, perhaps because there are few African women biblical scholars and also deep prejudices against women. References to the African wife of Moses (Numbers 12) are so scanty in the Bible that very few critical biblical scholars noticed them. The purpose of this article is to discuss critically the narrative of the Cushite woman whom Moses married and her marginalisation by the author of the story in Numbers 12:1-10. The narrator of the text did not only refuse to give her a name, there is no single word put in her mouth despite the dominant and significant role her presence played in the narrative. Why is she silent and what does her silence mean? The answers to these questions are discussed in this article.

Canons to the Left of Him: Brevard Childs, his Critics, and the Future of Old Testament Theology

1997 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iain Provan
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Biblical Theology ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Probable Origin ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church

It is well known that the seeds from which the modern discipline of OT theology grew are already found in 17th and 18th century discussion of the relationship between Bible and Church, which tended to drive a wedge between the two, regarding canon in historical rather than theological terms; stressing the difference between what is transient and particular in the Bible and what is universal and of abiding significance; and placing the task of deciding which is which upon the shoulders of the individual reader rather than upon the church. Free investigation of the Bible, unfettered by church tradition and theology, was to be the way ahead. OT theology finds its roots more particularly in the 18th century discussion of the nature of and the relationship between Biblical Theology and Dogmatic Theology, and in particular in Gabler's classic theoreticalstatementof their nature and relationship. The first book which may strictly be called an OT theology appeared in 1796: an historical discussion of the ideas to be found in the OT, with an emphasis on their probable origin and the stages through which Hebrew religious thought had passed, compared and contrasted with the beliefs of other ancient peoples, and evaluated from the point of view of rationalistic religion. Here we find the unreserved acceptance of Gabler's principle that OT theology must in the first instance be a descriptive and historical discipline, freed from dogmatic constraints and resistant to the premature merging of OT and NT — a principle which in the succeeding century was accepted by writers across the whole theological spectrum, including those of orthodox and conservative inclination.

Beyond the Douai-Reims Bible: The Changing Publishing Strategies of the Kellam Family in Seventeenth-Century Douai

The Library ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 344-375
Author(s):  
Alexander Soetaert ◽  
Heleen Wyffels
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Family History ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Host Society ◽  
Bible Translation ◽  
Three Generations ◽  
The Bible

Abstract The career of the Catholic Englishman Laurence Kellam is often reduced to his most impressive edition, the Old Testament of the Douay-Rheims Bible (1609–1610), an English Catholic Bible translation edited by the English College of Douai. Yet, there has been scarce attention for the remaining 190 editions, printed in English, as well as in Latin, French and Dutch, that bear a Kellam imprint. The discovery of another fifty editions that should be ascribed to the Kellam press demands a reappraisal of its activities and significance. By analysing both printed and archival sources, this article intends to fit the Bible edition of 1609–1610, and English Catholic printing on the continent more generally, into the wider perspective of three generations of publishing activities and family history, highlighting the increasingly tight connections between several generations of the Kellam family and the authors, institutions, and fellow-publishers of their host society.

scholarly journals Kritik terhadap Metode Tafsir Hermeneutik Pembebasan terhadap Peristiwa Keluaran Sebagai Suatu Bentuk Pembebasan

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jhon Leonardo Presley Purba ◽  
Robinson Rimun
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Ideological Criticism ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
Output Event ◽  
Interpretation Method

Abstract: Hermeneutics is the exegetical method used by theologians to interpret the Bible according to its views and purposes. This research is a qualitative descriptive study to study the hermeneutic interpretation method of the Output event as a form of change. The Exodus events are important in the Bible, especially the Old Testament because God freed His people from the exploitation and oppression of the Egyptians. Theologians use the Israelite exodus from Egypt as the main hermeneutic or interpretive reference for the purpose of claiming and claiming that the exodus event is the basis for contemporary freedom from slavery, oppression or poverty. Through the spirit of exodus events and events, theologians develop hermeneutic methods to interpret output events according to their views and goals. Hermeneutic interpretation method uses an approach; postmodern, reader-centered method, text-centered method, ideological criticism approach, and critical criticism. Abstrak: Hermeneutika pembebasan adalah metode penafsiran yang digunakan oleh para teolog pembebasan untuk menafsirkan Alkitab menurut pandangan dan tujuan pembebasan. Penelitian ini adalah penelitian deskriptif kualitatif untuk melakukan kajian metode tafsir hermeneutik pembebasan terhadap peristiwa Keluaran sebagai suatu bentuk pembebasan. Peristiwa Exodus adalah peristiwa penting dalam Alkitab, terutama Perjanjian Lama karena Tuhan membebaskan umat-Nya dari eksploitasi dan penindasan orang Mesir. Para teolog pembebasan menggunakan eksodus bangsa Israel dari Mesir sebagai rujukan utama penafsiran atau hermeneutik untuk tujuan semangat pembebasan dan mengklaim bahwa peristiwa eksodus adalah dasar untuk kebebasan dari perbudakan, penindasan atau kemiskinan di masa kini. Melalui semangat pembebasan dan peristiwa eksodus, para teolog pembebasan mengembangkan metode hermeneutik untuk menafsirkan peristiwa keluaran sesuai dengan pandangan dan tujuan pembebasan. Metode tafsir hermeneutik pembebasan menggunakan pendekatan; postmodern, metode berpusat pada pembaca, metode berpusat pada teks, pendekatan kritik ideologis, dan pendekatan kritik pembebasan.

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