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RE: The Curmudgeon's Bible - What the Heck Is A "Pastor?"
True up to a point; my point being that translators ought to translate, not obscure matters.
Thanks for commenting.
True up to a point; my point being that translators ought to translate, not obscure matters.
Thanks for commenting.
Translating is an unbelievably complicated work in which many decisions need to be made to transfer a source text into a presently readable work. There will always be a certain percentage of controversial decisions made, and I'm sure one could argue both points of every discussion at every decision. This is why many teachers read the bible in their original written languages, Aramaic, Greek and Hebrew.
Your point about not obscuring matters is also a matter of perspective. For the Roman Catholic Church, which is around from about 50 AC the latin text (the Vulgate)was considered for ages as the official bible and in Latin, the verb pascere means - "to lead to pasture, set to grazing, cause to eat". Hence the word "pastor", that was in those days less obscure than a word like Shepherd, since English wasn't very developed at that time..
As languages and histories evolve, these things happen. They are impossible to prevent. Words and their meaning change continually, but...
It's not the label that matters, it's the heart.
That is why translations need to change continually. Translation is undoubtedly complicated work, requiring many decisions. Sadly, many translators are "stuck in the past," or worse yet, use their translations as vehicles for promoting ideas based on personal bias.
My "Curmudgeons Bible" series is a growing collection of articles in which my purpose is to enlighten readers who do not have the benefit of knowledge of the original languages. If you review the collection on my Christianity Library Shelf, you'll see that I do not claim to be an "expert" in languages or translations.
However, it doesn't take an expert to observe that there are significant deficiencies in existing translations, nor to point out some of the more egregious ones for the benefit of uninformed readers. And I admittedly bring my own personal biases to the table. This gives my readers what may be new insights, and thus new choices and paths to greater understanding.
Words matter. Meanings matter. The intent of the heart matters. While the distinction between "shepherd" and "pastor" may not be a huge one, there's a slippery slope that has begun if you claim that it matters not at all:
Far be it from me to argue scripture with you, brother. Thank you for the wise words, I'm going to think about this and read some more of your posts in this series.
Thanks for your gracious interaction. I hope we'll be able to chat about scripture again.