> > just that I disagree with the assertion, which both Gabby and you are making, that interpretative guesses are necessary during translation. I think it's far more difficult, certainly, and perhaps in isolated places impossible, to do a good translation without explaining away difficult passages. But I think anything less is selling the text out. I don't think an honest conveyance of the Bible's literary power will ever be at the expense of its deeper meaning, because much of its meaning is translated through literary technique. *shrugs* I guess my point is that anything but an almost entirely literary translation becomes more of an interpretation, and good translators of religious texts do that as little as possible. [...]
>
> I think I could agree with that. In fact, your point would be all the stronger, if you'd kindly point out some passages that have that problem. In other words, cite verses which have traditionally undergone such "reinterpretation" during translation, thereby leading support to doctrine or dogma that was NOT implied by the original text. :-)

I'll tell one that we went over in RinkChat. The text of Mark that says, "And thus he declared all foods clean." These days, anything is considered food. But back then, anything called unclean by Torah was not considered food. Ergo, what he declared ritually clean was everything that was considered food *then*, i.e. things not forbidden by Torah.

Unfortunately, it gets interpreted according to *today's* way of thinking, which doesn't always work.

But I suspect you may mean the *translator's* interpretations. Okay, try this...

Easter & Passover have very little in common. The time of year is he same; it's spring. They both do have eggs. But the reasons for these are very different.

Ancient celebrations of Easter involved worship of the goddess Ishtar(sounds like Easter), a fertility goddess who is said to have hatched from (tada!) a giant colored egg. It also celebrated the return of spring. The rabbit, BTW, is included because of their notable fertility.

Years later, Emperor Constantine decided to unite the kingdom by combining the festivals of Easter with the celebration of the resurrection of the latest addition to his deities -- Jesus.

Passover, as you may recall, is a holiday marking the angel of death's passing over of the houses of the people who put the lamb's blood on their doorposts. The egg was added later to symbolize the destruction of Jerusalem.

And yet, the Greek "pascua"(sounds so much closer to "Pesach", doesn't it?) is translated "Easter" in scripture.

> > Tom "One of these days I'm gonna get into an argument about something non-biblical around here" Schmidt
> > tmschm@wm.edu
>
> Real argument? I hope not. I'm enjoying how we're looking at the issues from different perspectives. It's like examining variant Scriptural readings from various biblical commentators, eh. The only difference is that I'm just winging it -- whereas you, and Darien, gabby, Grace and Issachar etc. are actually immersed (or have been immersed) in the real text, studying it. Living it, though with your faculty for critical thought you may not think you're doing so. You gain pleasure from discussing the Bible; it's one of your favorite subjects, as you've indicated. And to date I have *always* appreciated what you have to say.
>
> Wolfspirit

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25 Adar 5760