07-12-2008, 08:10 PM
Average Rating: Customer Rating for this product is 4 out of 5
Customer Rating for this product is 4 out of 5 Janet Magiera's 'Peshitta' Translation
Albion, a Peshitta New Testament enthusiast, 06/29/2007
I've been reading Janet Magiera's Peshitta translation. I'm in Yohannon's (John's) Gospel right now. If the truth be told, I think that Ms. Magiera translated from the Peshitto, and NOT the Peshitta though. But I think that it's better than Murdock's Peshitto translation. Magiera did NOT use Aramaic (Syriac) names for Yeshua, or His disciples, nor for anyone else (or for place names either!) in her N.T. I personally found that to be a bummer. There are a few sentences that are redundant in her N.T. (which she calls 'The Peshitta'). I would have personally removed those, but since I don't speak Syriac, there MIGHT have been a logical reason to retain them in this translation. I think that Janet Magiera did a pretty good job of translating, and considering her tight connection to George Lamsa, her translation is remarkably free of 'Lamaism's'. That surprises me. Her N.T. is also bound well, and it's easy to read, overall. Sometimes I find myself reading a passage twice, or three times, and then checking it against another translation of the P'shitta. Usually that's Joseph Pashka's Peshitta N.T. (this translation by Pashka is also from The PeshittO), which I don't like near as much as Magiera's translation. The best of all (in my opinion) is Paul Younan's Peshitta translation, but it's only available in the four Gospels. I wish that Janet Magiera's Peshitta/Peshitto translation had also been published in a leather edition, but alas, it's published in hard back only. I personally think that when Andrew Gabriel Roth publishes his Mari/P.E.A.C.E. Peshitta translation, that there will probably be no longer a reason to study from Magiera's translation, but I guess that we'll find that out in due time. I would probably give this 'Peshitta' translation 4 out five stars. It's quite readable, but I think that Janet Magiera flaked out by not using Aramaic (or Syriac) names for N.T. character's and place names.
I have edited out several things here from my original review.
Here's my thought on the how, and the why, of Janet Magiera's "Peshitta" translation.
I think that she wanted to SELL this translation within "Christianity".
That was "her target audience", as they say in the world of Bible translation.
I think that she wanted to "shed" some of the bad stuff that George Lamsa had written in the years before, and I think that she tried pretty hard to do just that.
There's a distinct line that she did not cross, by making her "Peshitta" translation into another "Lamsa New Testament".
Although Lamsa IS mentioned many times, as are his teachings.
Janet Magiera seems to not really care about the world of 'Peshitta Primacy'(Which I find very odd!), nor did she translate for a Messianic/Nazarene audience either.
But for the very MANY denominations within organized Christianity, this seems to be who she's really trying to sell her translation to.
She also uses MANY footnotes, and readings that are directly transcribed from "The Old Syriac" texts. Which cause's me a lot of worry as to the accuracy of her translation as well.
Her translation is VERY TECHNICAL, and one really needs to be able to read Syriac, to totally understand it all.
She uses the text to help the student to learn, but it's still pretty tough to read, unless you understand Syriac.
If you read a piece of text, sometimes you'll 'get it' on the first reading, but other times, it must be read multiple times, to finally get to the point of understanding.
I think strongly that she blew it by not using Aramaic for people and place names, where that could easily have been done.
But then again, IF she HAD done this, would her translation have sold within Christianity to the point that it has?? I doubt it.
I guess that I would call this 'a hodge podge' kind of translation. It seems to have come together from many varied (and varying) sources.
I think that we paid about $40.00 for this translation, and it is absolutely NOT worth $40.00!
Let the buyer beware!
It seems that the longer that I've read this New Testament, the more that I don't like it. It's worn on me, in a kind of bad way.
And she will pull 'a fast ball' like with the term "Accuser", and she will say "this means THAT".
But exactly just HOW it means "that", she never let's you know. I especially dislike those parts of her "Peshitta".
And I'll end this rant by saying that she should have NOT called her translation "The Peshitta", but used the correct term 'The Peshitto'.
But I guess IF she had done THAT, she would have to a certain degree, broken ties with her old teacher, George Lamsa, and his 'Peshitta Bible'.
This is a pretty negative review, made more so by time, and numerous readings of Magiera's translation now.
It's interesting to note that Janet Magiera lives in "Truth or Consequences", New Mexico.
That might say more than I ever could, here in this review! <!-- s
--><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/poketoungeb.gif" alt="" title="Poke Tounge" /><!-- s -->
Shabbat Shalom, Albion
Customer Rating for this product is 4 out of 5 Janet Magiera's 'Peshitta' Translation
Albion, a Peshitta New Testament enthusiast, 06/29/2007
I've been reading Janet Magiera's Peshitta translation. I'm in Yohannon's (John's) Gospel right now. If the truth be told, I think that Ms. Magiera translated from the Peshitto, and NOT the Peshitta though. But I think that it's better than Murdock's Peshitto translation. Magiera did NOT use Aramaic (Syriac) names for Yeshua, or His disciples, nor for anyone else (or for place names either!) in her N.T. I personally found that to be a bummer. There are a few sentences that are redundant in her N.T. (which she calls 'The Peshitta'). I would have personally removed those, but since I don't speak Syriac, there MIGHT have been a logical reason to retain them in this translation. I think that Janet Magiera did a pretty good job of translating, and considering her tight connection to George Lamsa, her translation is remarkably free of 'Lamaism's'. That surprises me. Her N.T. is also bound well, and it's easy to read, overall. Sometimes I find myself reading a passage twice, or three times, and then checking it against another translation of the P'shitta. Usually that's Joseph Pashka's Peshitta N.T. (this translation by Pashka is also from The PeshittO), which I don't like near as much as Magiera's translation. The best of all (in my opinion) is Paul Younan's Peshitta translation, but it's only available in the four Gospels. I wish that Janet Magiera's Peshitta/Peshitto translation had also been published in a leather edition, but alas, it's published in hard back only. I personally think that when Andrew Gabriel Roth publishes his Mari/P.E.A.C.E. Peshitta translation, that there will probably be no longer a reason to study from Magiera's translation, but I guess that we'll find that out in due time. I would probably give this 'Peshitta' translation 4 out five stars. It's quite readable, but I think that Janet Magiera flaked out by not using Aramaic (or Syriac) names for N.T. character's and place names.
I have edited out several things here from my original review.
Here's my thought on the how, and the why, of Janet Magiera's "Peshitta" translation.
I think that she wanted to SELL this translation within "Christianity".
That was "her target audience", as they say in the world of Bible translation.
I think that she wanted to "shed" some of the bad stuff that George Lamsa had written in the years before, and I think that she tried pretty hard to do just that.
There's a distinct line that she did not cross, by making her "Peshitta" translation into another "Lamsa New Testament".
Although Lamsa IS mentioned many times, as are his teachings.
Janet Magiera seems to not really care about the world of 'Peshitta Primacy'(Which I find very odd!), nor did she translate for a Messianic/Nazarene audience either.
But for the very MANY denominations within organized Christianity, this seems to be who she's really trying to sell her translation to.
She also uses MANY footnotes, and readings that are directly transcribed from "The Old Syriac" texts. Which cause's me a lot of worry as to the accuracy of her translation as well.
Her translation is VERY TECHNICAL, and one really needs to be able to read Syriac, to totally understand it all.
She uses the text to help the student to learn, but it's still pretty tough to read, unless you understand Syriac.
If you read a piece of text, sometimes you'll 'get it' on the first reading, but other times, it must be read multiple times, to finally get to the point of understanding.
I think strongly that she blew it by not using Aramaic for people and place names, where that could easily have been done.
But then again, IF she HAD done this, would her translation have sold within Christianity to the point that it has?? I doubt it.
I guess that I would call this 'a hodge podge' kind of translation. It seems to have come together from many varied (and varying) sources.
I think that we paid about $40.00 for this translation, and it is absolutely NOT worth $40.00!
Let the buyer beware!
It seems that the longer that I've read this New Testament, the more that I don't like it. It's worn on me, in a kind of bad way.
And she will pull 'a fast ball' like with the term "Accuser", and she will say "this means THAT".
But exactly just HOW it means "that", she never let's you know. I especially dislike those parts of her "Peshitta".
And I'll end this rant by saying that she should have NOT called her translation "The Peshitta", but used the correct term 'The Peshitto'.
But I guess IF she had done THAT, she would have to a certain degree, broken ties with her old teacher, George Lamsa, and his 'Peshitta Bible'.
This is a pretty negative review, made more so by time, and numerous readings of Magiera's translation now.
It's interesting to note that Janet Magiera lives in "Truth or Consequences", New Mexico.
That might say more than I ever could, here in this review! <!-- s
--><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/poketoungeb.gif" alt="" title="Poke Tounge" /><!-- s --> Shabbat Shalom, Albion