Sunday, September 4, 2011

BLT: a new blog on the Bible, Literature, and Translation

- Racism in Translation

- an announcement of The Jewish Annotated New Testament coming soon from Oxford University Press
That's just a foretaste of what you're to find at BLTnotjustasandwich.com, a new blog on the Bible, Literature, and Translation.

The most informed and informative literary blogger, Theophrastus, is the one starting the blog.  (He's also the best biblioblogger with a pseudonym, although the Biblioblogger Library has yet to include him or his blog.  Likewise, he has more insight on translation theory and translation practice with respect to the Bible and other literature than many of us.)  He announces the formation of the blog, here and also here, where you are welcomed
Welcome to the blog named BLT. It is not just a sandwich.  It stands for a set of topics that we hope to discuss:  Bible, Literature, and Translation.  We’ll talk about the Bible as literature and the literature of translation and the translation of Bibles and the translation of literature and literature of translation and Bible as a translation and literary translations of Bibles and so on.  And we are certain to throw in the arts, the sciences, philosophy, mysticism, religion, and pretty much everything else.

The initial crew of bloggers represents a diverse set of viewpoints but one that is unified in our openness to new ideas and a fundamental belief in the dignity of all humans.  This blog is open to all: Jews, Catholics, Mainliners, Evangelicals, Eastern Christians, Atheists, Theists outside the Judeo-Christian tradition, etc.  For me a strong underlying theme of this blog is that  everyone has a voice — especially people that have been traditionally marginalized.

I’ll let my co-bloggers (currently J. K. Gayle, Suzanne McCarthy, and Craig Smith) introduce themselves, but I’ll simply mention that I am a professor at a US university with strong interests in applied issues in linguistics.

There won’t be any bacon or other treif meat in my posts, but there will be lots of substance.  I look forward to hearing from you.
Notice that Suzanne McCarthy, whom Theophrastus mentions, is the most current top and #1 Biblioblogger in the Top 10 Biblioblogs by the most recent vote among all bibliobloggers in the world, the most democratic measure of the Top.  Her blog, Suzanne's Bookshelf, is also #37, in the most current top 40 of the Top 50.

Notice that Craig Smith, whom Theophrastus mentions, blogs at Notes from the Dreamtime and is the only biblioblogger to have produced an entire translation of all the Hebrew and the Greek of the whole Bible, actually The First Egalitarian Translation ever, although he also is yet to be included in the Biblioblogger Library.

And Theophrastus mentions me.  But you already know me.  More importantly, you are invited to BLT!  Feel free to get the word out.

5 comments:

Shawna Atteberry said...

So after Theophrastus threw that fit about Craig and his pagan Bible translation that emmasuclates Godde, he's working with Craig? Wow. Just wow.

I never did respond directly to any of Theophrastus' comments on my ebook, but there was one I wish I had responded to. He was very offended that I pictured Godde as a housewife in a poem I wrote. I got the idea from Jesus in Luke 15:8-10:

“Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Everyone loves to talk about Godde the Shepherd and Godde the Father, but you never hear anyone mention Godde the Housewife when talking about salvation or preaching on Luke 15: an evangelical favorite.

Theophrastus said...

Shawna -- you misrepresent my view. I believe you erred in your characterization of Craig's translation (which you never even attributed to Craig). I think Craig's translation is a stronger one than yours. I thought your Bible translation had pagan origins -- not Craig's, which is a much less interpretive translation.

Suzanne said...

Shawna,

You must link back to that conversation, so I can take it up with Theo!

Shawna Atteberry said...

Speaking of our pagan Bible translation: we just released The Gospel of Mark. You can find it here: http://godde.wordpress.com/2011/09/04/matthew-version-0-2-and-mark-version-0-1-now-available/.

J. K. Gayle said...

Shawna, Theophrastus, and Suzanne,

I wonder what Craig's thoughts would be about Shawna's translation, and vice versa. (Shawna's Christian Godde Project blog does link to Craig's The Minor Prophets: the Twelve translation at his smithcraft.org blog.) In my view, it's commendable whoever you are and however you do it that you would attempt a translation of such a significant work as the Greek new testament. Seems to me those who've done it have a fresh perspective by which to evaluate the work of others who've done it.

For the rest of us, it's easy to sit back and to evaluate the choices. We all can observe the differences:

25 Then Jesus prayed, “Thank you, Mother, Lady of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the wise and learned and revealing them to infants. 26 Yes, Mother, this was what you wanted. 27 My Mother has given me everything. No one knows the Son except the Mother. Nor does anyone know the Mother except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wants to reveal her.
28 “Come to me, all you overburdened workers, and I will let you relax. 29 Work for me and let me teach you, because I am gentle and humble. You will be refreshed, 30 because my work is easy and my workload is light.”
--Matthew 11, Shawna's team's translation

25 Then Jesus prayed, "Abba God, Creator of heaven and earth, to you I offer praise; for what you have hidden from the learned and the clever, you have revealed to the youngest children. 26 Yes, Abba, everything is as you want it to be."
27 Jesus continued,
"Everything has been handed over to me
by Abba God.
No one knows the Only Begotten
except the Only Begotten--
and those to whom the Only Begotten
wants to give that revelation.
28 Come to me,
all you who labor and carry heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon your shoulders
and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble of heart.
Here you will find rest for your souls,
30 for my yoke is easy
and my burden is light."
--Matthew 11, Craig's team's translation

What do you think, Shawna? What does Craig think? I think we also should ask him.