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tellville · #6 (**permalink**) 01-15-2008, 02:40 PM

Hey Steve, Nigel, and Thomas

Steve first:

There is a Korean translation, and most of them do have parallel Bibles, but would not the Korean suffer the same criticisms you give to the modern texts? All major foreign translations that I am familiar with use today's critical text, not the texts underlying the KJV.

But even if this were not the case, the problem is that the theological/biblical language, names, places, etc. are different than in the English. These terms don't translate the same from the Greek and Hebrew into Korean as they do into English and thus make the Korean translations useless to them due to the fact that my preaching and the Sunday school teaching is all done using English terms. I guess they could do the grunt work and just read both passages all the time but Youth don't usually like doing that much work. It makes reading the Bible more like homework from Korean school then an edifying experience of reading the Bible. Also, for many of them, their reading of Korean is not very good. I even have better reading skills then some of them (and I am improving everyday)!

I really don't think the textual data at the bottom of the page really affects them (if they even read it). When I was a youth and knew nothing about textual debates the data that there were older manuscripts, etc. didn't affect me. I would think "ok, that makes sense". Because none of these kids have grown up on the KJV they don't really know that English Bibles read a bit differently in the past anyway! In the 7 years I have been teaching youth I have never been questioned on the footnotes on the bottom. I have taught about textual criticism and stuff, but this only reinforced their faith in the text.

Also, given that I am not convinced that the KJV texts are better I do not view the footnotes as a bad thing.

Most of my kids are basically fluent in English, that's why they come to English service instead of the Korean service, they just have a really hard time reading the Bible in the more formal and older translations. I don't blame them!

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Nigel

While I think your project is a worthwhile one, especially for those who follow your textual views, I doubt it would ever catch on. Even if a whole group of scholars did a whole new translation using the KJV textual data, I am sure almost everyone on this board and elsewhere would pan it as being inferior to the KJV. That's just the mindset.

I do know Greek and Hebrew to a good enough degree so as to translate the Biblical text as a whole, but given the above reason, and the fact that I am still not convinced of KJV underlying text superiority, I find it hard to desire to be a part of such a project!

But I will say this: I am always in awe of those who take the time to actually translate the whole of Scripture into another language. I applaud you and Larry.

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Thomas

I appreciated your post. I don't have much to say beyond what I said to Steve.

I want my kids to read the Bible. If I were to insist on using the KJV all Bible reading would disappear. That's just the reality of it. Like Steve said, modern Greek is so much removed from NT Greek that an update is needed, well I offer to you this: The English in the KJV has finally reached the point where it is nonsensical to those under the age of 20 who have not been brought up in it or have not had extensive training in the English of the time. That's just the reality.

If the underlying text of the KJV is really that important then I think it is about time all the churches who think this pony up the cash and get a bunch of scholars together and do a whole new translation. But alas, like I said before, I highly doubt that it would ever be accepted. I think there are other issues at play on this issue beyond textual data.

Again, I apologize for the rant. It just pains me as a pastor to hear kids say that their Bible is just too complicated and the English to confusing to understand. As someone coming from the Protestant tradition, hearing that the Bible is too hard to understand and comprehend breaks my heart, especially when that need not be the case.