Tuesday, September 01, 2009

New proposals for CBMW

Like many others I will also be switching to the NRSV.

However, I am wondering if now that the CBMW has a victory with regard to the TNIV, they will now shift their focus of concern to other Bibles containing some measure of gender accuracy.

The Luther Bible, for example, which has no expression (in German) for the "sons of God" but only for the "children of God" should also be withdrawn from circulation. It is of even more concern that in the Luther translation, the human race was named "human" (Mensch) and was not called after "man" (Mann).

Although much damage has already been done to Christianity by both the Luther and Tyndale translations, perhaps it is still not too late to have the Luther Bible replaced with something more representative of God's word. The Tyndale translation has lost traction already in English, so is not so much of a concern.

After that, there is some concern about whether Calvin's commentary on 1 Timothy should continue to be published in the United States. Apparently it was Calvin's Latin translation of 1 Tim. 2:12 which gave rise to the TNIV version,
    I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man.
There are still other projects to take on. Erasmus was of the opinion that 1 Tim. 5:8
    If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
referred exclusively to women. This was because there is no masculine pronoun or reference in the Greek, and the context suggests that women were the intended referents.

I think that if the contribution of Luther, Calvin and Erasmus to Bible translation could be eradicated, there might be a chance for a fresh start all around in establishing the religion of male priority.

8 comments:

John Starke said...

You can still read your TNIV. They are going to make everyone burn their copy.

Blake said...

Suzanne, what do you think of the NET Bible?

Rod said...

Suzanne,

Can we start an NRSV-onlyist movement? :)

Suzanne McCarthy said...

Blake,

The notes are for the most part really great. The style isn't the most poetic language on earth.

Now, two good things and two negatives.

In 1 Tim. 2:12 the notes correctly reference the negative meaning of authenteo.

In 1 Cor. 14 the notes correctly acknowledge that the verse 35 etc, were originally in the margin. While the notes attribute these verses to Paul, I think anyone can conclude from the notes that no one has the foggiest.

Now, the two negatives.

1 Tim. 2:15, the notes say that childbirth is a symbol of female submission to the male. I almost lost my lunch. Its crude.

The Junia notes are the worst piece of commentary I have ever read in my life.

How about that? Some good and some bad.

But because of the "Biblical Gynecology" article written by Dan Wallace, I am not physically able to read the NET Bible without ill affects.

I don't think many women want to say how dreadful this stuff is because they don't want to be called a this and that kind of feminist.

Suzanne McCarthy said...

Rod,

How right you are. I feel encouraged already. Perhaps the TNIV really is redundant. I just don't know.

Peter Kirk said...

now that the CBMW has a victory with regard to the TNIV

No they haven't. Read my post. Nevertheless I love your irony.

Suzanne McCarthy said...

Thanks Peter. I am not sure about all this.

Darryl Rowe said...

Well, all I can say...thanks CBMW and whoever else contributed to the demise of the TNIV.

It is now so much simpler, two remaining viable translations, one of which, as a Type 3 (at best) translation, I will not use (I'll use Type 1 or 2 only). So...goodbye NLT.

Guess I'll buy an NRSV...wait! I just did.