Hermeneutics, Contexts, Identity: a Critical Discussion of the Bible in Africa

2003 ◽  
Vol 10 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 378-415
Author(s):  
Gerrie F. Snyman
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
The West ◽  
Bible Translations ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Critical Scholarship ◽  
Bible Interpretation ◽  
Reading Context

AbstractThis article provides a critical discussion of some aspects in The Bible in Africa: Transactions, Trajectories, and Trends (West & Dube 2000). The book gives its intended Western reader the opportunity to see (an etic view) how others perceive the Western cultural context. The discussion focuses on the following aspects: (a) The role and possibilities of critical scholarship; (b) The possibility to find a common (for those living in the West and inAfrica) reading context in the light of Cancun and the new 'Empire (c) A model for deconstructing colonial Bible interpretation over against (d) a model of connectivity between the Bible and Africa in terms of resonance and continuity; (e) The essential role missionaries played in Bible translations; and (f) a reflection on some hermeneutical considerations in reading the Bible in Africa.

scholarly journals Discipled by the West?—The Influence of the Theology of Protestant Missionaries in China on Chinese Christianity through the Translation of the Chinese Union Version of the Bible

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 250
Author(s):  
Chao-Chun Liu
Keyword(s):  
The West ◽  
Turn On ◽  
Bible Translations ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Chinese Christianity

Over the last one hundred years, the Chinese Union Version of the Bible (CUV)—translated by Western Protestant missionaries—has enjoyed an unparalleled status as the Chinese Bible or the “Authorized Version” of the Chinese Bible. However, despite such towering significance, no scholarly works to date have systematically examined the influences of Protestant missionary theology on the translation of the CUV and, in turn, on Chinese Christianity. As an introductory attempt to explore this question, this paper first highlights this gap in current scholarship and the importance of filling this gap. Then, it presents four factors and two limitations in examining the theology of the CUV and conducts a case study on the theological topic of dichotomy versus trichotomy in the translation of the CUV along with four other Chinese Bible translations. After examining how the translators’ theology might have influenced these translations, it suggests how such influence through the translation of the CUV might have shaped Chinese Christianity both past and present, thereby demonstrating how the understanding of Chinese Christianity can be deepened by examining the relationships between missionaries’ theology, their Bible translations, and the development of Chinese Christianity.

Towards an Ecological Handbook for Bible Translators

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-342
Author(s):  
Stephen Pattemore
Keyword(s):  
Minority Language ◽  
Ecological Crisis ◽  
The West ◽  
Christian Life ◽  
Careful Choice ◽  
Contemporary World ◽  
The Core ◽  
Bible Translations ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Earth

The urgency of the ecological crisis has come too late for the West to change significantly the language of its Bible translations. Yet in many “ecological hotspots,” first Bible translations are being made. Previously I argued for minority-language Bibles that are “green to the core,” taking account of the contemporary ecological crisis. These would involve a careful choice of vocabulary and paratextual materials to help the audience understand texts that impact the earth in their first context and in the contemporary world, in an effort to demonstrate that care of the earth is part of the “normal Christian life.” This paper examines passages from Revelation to help frame them in these terms for the translator and suggest relevant translation choices and places where notes might prove helpful. The aim is to provide a model for an “Ecological Guide to Translating the Bible.”

scholarly journals Mark the Evangelist: His African memory

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Willem Oliver
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
General Assumption ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
The West ◽  
Oral Culture ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Western View

Mark is the author of the oldest gospel in the Christian Bible. Not much is known about him or his family except for a few references in the Bible. The general assumption, originating in the West, is that Mark was born and bred in Palestine. One of the main proponents of the Western view is Walter Bauer, a German theologian of the first half of the 20th century. His views rely heavily on the argument from silence, as Africa had – and to a great extent still has – an oral culture. Contrary to the Western view, Thomas Oden, an American theologian, did research on the oral culture and investigated the African memory of Mark. This article presents a critical discussion and a review of the book written by Oden in 2011 titled The African memory of Mark. Oden seems to be very subjective in his remarks in favour of Africa, as is also clear from his book titled How Africa shaped the Christian mind, written in 2007, and the question is if he really has enough grounds for his postulations.

The Bible in the Twentieth-Century Anglophone World

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark P. Hutchinson
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
North Carolina ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Biblical Interpretation ◽  
Public Knowledge ◽  
Protestant Churches ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Public Debates ◽  
Billy Graham ◽  
Anglophone World

This chapter looks at the tensions between biblical interpretation and the political, social, and cultural context of dissenting Protestant churches in the twentieth century. It notes that even a fundamental category, such as the ‘inspiration’ of Scripture, shifted across time as the nature of public debates, social and economic structures, and Western definitions of public knowledge shifted. The chapter progresses by looking at a number of examples of key figures (R. J. Campbell, Harry Emerson Fosdick, H. G. Guinness, R. A. Torrey, and R. G. McIntyre among them) who interpreted the Bible for public comment, and their relative positions as the century progressed. Popularization of biblical interpretation along the lines of old, new, and contemporary dissent, is explored through the careers of three near contemporaries: Charles Bradley ‘Chuck’ Templeton (b. 1915, Toronto, Canada), William Franklin ‘Billy’ Graham, Jr (b. 1918, North Carolina), and Oral Roberts (b. 1918, Oklahoma).

Christ as Yogi: The Jesus of Vivekananda and Modern Hinduism

2021 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-140
Author(s):  
David J. Neumann
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Advaita Vedānta ◽  
Advaita Vedanta ◽  
The West ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Modern Hinduism ◽  
Swami Vivekananda

AbstractSwami Vivekananda was the most influential pioneer of a Yogi Christ, illustrating well over a century ago how the life and teachings of Jesus might be incorporated within a larger Hindu worldview—and then presented back to Western audiences. Appropriation of Jesus, one of the central symbols of the West, might be viewed as the ultimate act of counter-Orientalism. This article begins by providing a brief biography of Vivekananda and the modern Hinduism that nurtured him and that he propagated. He articulated an inclusivist vision of Advaita Vedanta as the most compelling vision of universal religion. Next, the article turns to Vivekananda's views of Christianity, for which he had little affection, and the Bible, which he knew extraordinarily well. The article then systematically explores Vivekananda's engagement with the New Testament, revealing a clear hermeneutical preference for the Gospels, particularly John. Following the lead of biblical scholars, Vivekananda made a distinction between the Christ of the Gospels and the Jesus of history, offering sometimes contradictory conclusions about the historicity of elements associated with Jesus's life. Finally, the article provides a detailed articulation of Vivekananda's Jesus—a figure at once familiar to Christians but, in significant ways, uniquely accommodated to Hindu metaphysics. Vivekananda demonstrated a robust understanding and discriminating use of the Christian Bible that has not been properly recognized. He deployed this knowledge to launch an important and long-lived pattern: an attractive, fleshed out depiction of Jesus of Nazareth, transformed from the Christian savior into a Yogi model of self-realization. Through his efforts, Jesus became an indisputably Indian religious figure, no longer just a Christian one. The Yogi Christ remains a prominent global religious figure familiar to Hindus, Christians, and those of other faiths alike.

The Impact of Culture on Reactions to Promise Breaches: Differences Between East and West in Behavioral Integrity Perceptions

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ray Friedman ◽  
Ying-Yi Hong ◽  
Tony Simons ◽  
Shu-Cheng (Steve) Chi ◽  
Se-Hyung (David) Oh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Communication Style ◽  
The West ◽  
Behavioral Integrity ◽  
Cultural Contexts ◽  
East And West ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The U.S

Behavioral integrity (BI)—a perception that a person acts in ways that are consistent with their words—has been shown to have an impact on many areas of work life. However, there have been few studies of BI in Eastern cultural contexts. Differences in communication style and the nature of hierarchical relationships suggest that spoken commitments are interpreted differently in the East and the West. We performed three scenario-based experiments that look at response to word–deed inconsistency in different cultures. The experiments show that Indians, Koreans, and Taiwanese do not as readily revise BI downward following a broken promise as do Americans (Study 1), that the U.S.–Indian difference is especially pronounced when the speaker is a boss rather than a subordinate (Study 2), and that people exposed to both cultures adjust perceptions of BI based on the cultural context of where the speaking occurs (Study 3).

scholarly journals History and theory of Scripture translations

2008 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Claude Loba-Mkole
Keyword(s):  
Frames Of Reference ◽  
Functional Equivalence ◽  
Historical Overview ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Christian Communities ◽  
Bible Translation ◽  
Bible Translations ◽  
The Bible ◽  
History And Theory

This article argues for the importance of Bible translations through its historical achievements and theoretical frames of reference. The missionary expansion of Christianity owes its very being to translations. The early Christian communities knew the Bible through the LXX translations while churches today still continue to use various translations. Translations shape Scripture interpretations, especially when a given interpretation depends on a particular translation. A particular interpretation can also influence a given translation. The article shows how translation theories have been developed to clarify and how the transaction source-target is culturally handled. The articles discuss some of these “theoretical frames”, namely the functional equivalence, relevance, literary functional equivalence and intercultural mediation. By means of a historical overview and a reflection on Bible translation theories the article aims to focus on the role of Africa in translation history.

Empire, Postcolonial Criticism, and Biblical Studies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Jacob
Keyword(s):  
Biblical Studies ◽  
Postcolonial Criticism ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Critical Scholarship ◽  
Convergence And Divergence ◽  
The Relationship

When it comes to the relationship between the Bible and ancient empires, the focus for the most part remains on the past and on the imperial contexts in which these texts were written. It must be noted that even though historical-critical scholarship has drawn our attention to historical contexts, empires continued to remain in the background in biblical studies. This chapter focuses on the relationship between the Bible and empire, not only of the past but also the present. It examines in depth the works of biblical scholars who have made a conscious attempt to expand the field of Biblical studies. Furthermore, by highlighting the points of convergence and divergence between the Bible and precolonial, colonial, and postcolonial empires, scholars can begin to see the ways in which the relationship between the Bible and empire has constantly evolved, transformed, and mutated as scholars transgress boundaries and draw on the work of one another.

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