Bibles

I'm reading the Bible in several different versions these days. In addition to the two English versions that are pretty standard for evangelicals, the English Standard Version and the New American Standard, I'm reading Richmond Lattimore's translation for the New Testament. Lattimore taught Greek at Bryn Mawr College from 1935 until he retired in 1971. He was a poet and noted translator of the Greek classics. His translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey are still regarded as having set the standard for literary Greek translations. He translated the New Testament directly from the Greek without prior commitment to tradition or dogma, but merely regarding the NT as Greek literature. He chose to translate fairly literally so that the individual authors' personalities and styles would show through; he rarely smooths out the awkwardness of a Greek construction. The body of the text has no verse numbers or chapter headings, being laid out like a novel instead. I've really enjoyed reading it because the translation occasionally sounds very odd to an ear accustomed to the evangelical Bibles. Some of his word choices, which at first have seemed implausible, have turned out to be valid possibilities according to the standard lexicons; others reflect his expertise with classical Greek rather than the Koine. All in all, a great read.

I'm also working my way, slowly, through my Jewish Study Bible published by the Jewish Publication Society. I love both the translation (it's very fresh) and the commentary. I used it extensively when I co-taught a series on Isaiah with Dr. Bruce Ware; now I'm focusing on the Torah. This week, I also received Robert Alter's The Five Books of Moses; another literary translation. Alter is well-known for his literary criticism of the Hebrew Bible. As far as I know, he regarded the stories as fiction; his focus was on the literary structure of the text. I've found that he's very helpful in that.

Of course, I'm also reading the Greek and Hebrew texts myself. It is that which has given me an appreciation for the art behind these literary, but faithful, translations.