Bible Translation Was Not Enough Summary

2.3 Effects

Now that we have examined the origins of the Hebrew Bible, the KJV and the NIV and have analyzed in depth two chapters of the prophet Ezekiel it is now time to direct our attention to what effects the Bible has had on human society. I find it useless to speculate on the waning interest the Holy Bible is generating given that it is probably fundamentally linked to Westwern society there is no doubt it will ever lose its powers to inspire. In chapter 9 of The Challenge of Bible Translation, Translation Was Not Enough: The Ecumenical and Educational Efforts of James "Diego" Thomas and The British and Foreign Bible Society", Kent A. Eaton discusses the relationship between colportage, i.e. travelling and selling Bibles, and missionarism. A

It was simply to ahead of its time and falied to realize the extent of prevailing conservative attitudes. After his South American exploits and a brief sting in Canada, Thomson moved to Spain where he again tried to bridge the gap between Protestants and Catholics and improve the educations system. What does this all add up to? Has the translation of the Bible encouraged or even spurred certain attitudes, the most important of which may be trying to communicate religious fervor to other cultures through the use of language? The translation of the Bible has undoubtedly left its mark on the world of translation. Wether good or bad, change is inevitable and there is no doubt in my mind that if the Christian holy text is not offered up for interpretation, ordinary people will simply choose to indulge in pulp literature of lower quality but which is more accessible. What about the myriads of Bibles on the market and how do they help? Indeed it is sometimes frustrating to make a choice and one should not convince him or herself that he or she is indeed holding the ultimate version of the Lord's