Religion

Major Nikon

(36,899 posts)

11. True

Mon Dec 3, 2018, 10:51 AM

Dec 2018

The meaning of words changes over time in all languages. This is even more true during a time when the vast majority of the population was illiterate and dictionaries didn't exist.

For an accurate translation, it's not only important to know what words are being used, but when and where and by whom. For almost all of the bible, we just don't know any of those things. Meanwhile documents in antiquity were highly frangible which required them to be rescribed periodically and during this process other errors were produced.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

72 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Here's a Page from the original 1611 printing of the King James [View all] MineralMan Dec 2018 OP

Hardly call it a "guess" zipplewrath Dec 2018 #1

OK. Whatever you say, then. MineralMan Dec 2018 #3

Explanation can be found in post#6 Major Nikon Dec 2018 #8

And what did English sound like in olden days: MineralMan Dec 2018 #2

Good study Bibles attempt to address these issues exboyfil Dec 2018 #4

Yes, they attempt to do that. MineralMan Dec 2018 #5

Furthering your point, watoos Dec 2018 #26

When we turn to look at explainers and explicators MineralMan Dec 2018 #32

There's a good reason why many Christians reject anything other than the KJV Major Nikon Dec 2018 #6

Yes. In almost 2000 years of translations, edits and manipulations, MineralMan Dec 2018 #9

Paul's epistles were only authentic to Paul Major Nikon Dec 2018 #13

Well, you're correct, of course. MineralMan Dec 2018 #18

Ah Paul! zipplewrath Dec 2018 #20

There is an answer Major Nikon Dec 2018 #21

Well that, and... zipplewrath Dec 2018 #23

I gather circumcision was not much of a selling point, too. Pope George Ringo II Dec 2018 #60

... but he was a very good writer TomVilmer Dec 2018 #25

The best hucksters are quite articulate and persuasive Major Nikon Dec 2018 #48

Indeed; Paul was a first-century L. Ron Hubbard or Joseph Smith. /nt LongtimeAZDem Dec 2018 #49

Interesting comparison! MineralMan Dec 2018 #51

Also of note, it is not easy to find words of equivalent when translating Raven123 Dec 2018 #7

Yes, absolutely. MineralMan Dec 2018 #10

True Major Nikon Dec 2018 #11

And even a mouse (the rodent) is a changeable thing. MineralMan Dec 2018 #19

Similar reaction in my house. Another group of humans seem afraid of mice (and -like creatures) erronis Dec 2018 #22

Your (apparently rhetorical) question ... MousePlayingDaffodil Dec 2018 #12

I'm not sure what question you are trying to answer Major Nikon Dec 2018 #15

Yes. I understand that. MineralMan Dec 2018 #16

What about this thought? watoos Dec 2018 #34

More interesting questions. I don't know. MineralMan Dec 2018 #52

Have you read Bart Ehrman? BlueSky3 Dec 2018 #61

No, but I'll check it out when I have time. MineralMan Dec 2018 #62

Misquoting Jesus led to me questioning my life-long fundamentalist beliefs classof56 Dec 2018 #66

Thanks for the rec. MarvinGardens Dec 2018 #70

Unfortunately zipplewrath Dec 2018 #24

So your opinion is edhopper Dec 2018 #72

I'm still hoping eth and thorn make a comback sometime soon. Act_of_Reparation Dec 2018 #14

Wouldn't that be fun? Reintroduce old orthography. MineralMan Dec 2018 #17

Don't you mean... geardaddy Dec 2018 #31

Exactly! MineralMan Dec 2018 #33

They are alive and well in Iceland, the exception to the general rule The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2018 #29

Excellent example of how isolation tends to freeze language. MineralMan Dec 2018 #35

And now they are trying to preserve it by avoiding loan-words The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2018 #39

That's wonderful information! MineralMan Dec 2018 #46

I mean I am hoping they make a comeback in English. Act_of_Reparation Dec 2018 #54

You can start the trend. The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2018 #56

Sounds like a blast. Act_of_Reparation Dec 2018 #57

LOL! MineralMan Dec 2018 #63

They're still used in Icelandic. geardaddy Dec 2018 #30

Indeed they are. Someone else also pointed that out, just upthread. MineralMan Dec 2018 #41

Yep, I posted that just before I saw the response upthread. geardaddy Dec 2018 #58

The more, the merrier! MineralMan Dec 2018 #59

It's still used in Norwegian and Danish. The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2018 #43

I think you would be interested in this book. MarvinGardens Dec 2018 #27

Well, now that two people have recommended that book, MineralMan Dec 2018 #64

Bart Ehrman BlueSky3 Dec 2018 #65

From Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason mart48 Dec 2018 #28

Some look it as a creation of some deity. MineralMan Dec 2018 #37

There's another layer of ambiguity to add to what you've mentioned, thucythucy Dec 2018 #36

That's a very good point. Thanks. MineralMan Dec 2018 #40

Another thing to consider today is MineralMan Dec 2018 #44

This thread has become something unusual. MineralMan Dec 2018 #38

I study WW1 thbobby Dec 2018 #42

Very pertinent. MineralMan Dec 2018 #45

Well worth thinking about, if we care to do so. elleng Dec 2018 #47

Yes. Much more recent, of course. MineralMan Dec 2018 #50

Suddenly It hit me MFM008 Dec 2018 #53

Yes. MineralMan Dec 2018 #55

To repeat the point that the meaning of a text changes with time, struggle4progress Dec 2018 #67

That's very interesting, indeed. MineralMan Dec 2018 #68

A Plan for the Improvement of Spelling in the English Language.... mbusby Dec 2018 #69

i might have ended up being called retarded, cause those fonts are hell on my dislexia. pansypoo53219 Dec 2018 #71