So why do I want to talk about an insignificant variant? The answer is simple. In many cases the reliability of Biblical texts is stated simply in terms of the number of variants that exist in the manuscripts. This number is quite high, but most of these variants are not significant. They may involve identical…
. . . in fictional form on my Jevlir blog.
One basis I use for comparing Bible translations is the way in which idioms are handled. It’s difficult to measure this precisely, because you have to consider several things: Is the idiom as used comprehensible to modern readers? Does it mean the same thing to modern as to ancient readers? Is there a reasonable English…
A Canadian training manual for diplomats includes the United States on a list of countries where prisoners are at risk of being tortured.
Well, I am fully aware of the irony of my posting this right after I write a post about getting more substantive, but I really can’t resist. Besides, the tip of my (floppy) hat goes to Eddie Arthur, so it’s really all his fault. It seems that Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary wants to wear different…
MSNBC has the story of a 3 year sentence in Belarus for publishing the Mohammed cartoons. There seems to be a lot of support for the notion that people have the right not to be offended. I’d suggest they grow up instead.
Note: I will be using the English verse numbering throughout. Hebrew verse numbers are one greater in this chapter, thus this is Psalm 40:7 in Hebrew. In reading Psalm 40 several times, since it’s the lectionary passage for this week, I noticed a few things that I would have missed in just one pass. One…
Aside from numbering problems, Psalm 40:7-8 appears to be quite straightforward on first reading in Hebrew (where it is verse 8-9). The numbering problems include chapter numbering (39 in the LXX), and verse numbering (8-9 in Hebrew, 7-8 in English). Of course, we all know that verse numbering is not inspired; it is often positively…
Always presuming, of course, that I’m not myself. I can’t resist these quizzes. This one is Peter Kirk’s fault. Which theologian are you?created with QuizFarm.com You scored as Paul Tillich Paul Tillich sought to express Christian truth in an existentialist way. Our primary problem is alienation from the ground of our being, so that our…
There’s a propaganda piece that has been showing up in Florida, possibly as part of the fight against evolution in new proposed educational standards. It comes from a site with which I’m fairly well acquainted–Chick Publications. One sickening piece of propaganda from that organization is titled Apes, Lies, and Ms. Henn. It is obvious that…