12-16-2007, 05:47 AM
Lars asked about Victor Alexander's 'Disciples New Testament'.
This was the first P'shitta translation that I bought after giving up on George Lamsa's "translation".
Check out this piece by Victor:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.v-a.com/bible/confession.html">http://www.v-a.com/bible/confession.html</a><!-- m -->
I wrote to Victor Alexander a couple of times, BEFORE I bought his New Testament.
He really IS a member of The Assyrian Church of the East.
He really DOES speak Syriac (which the Assyrians call "Assyrian").
But Victor followed Lamsa by inserting a LOT of HIS IDEAS, instead of just translating.
Any New Testament 'translation' IS going to to have the translators ideas to a certain degree. And THAT'S OK.
But there is CHANGING THE TEXT, which in MY OPINION, is NOT "translating".
For example, Victor called Yohannon's WORD, "Miltha", or in his English: "Manifestation".
I think that this word is TRUE to the Syriac text, but in other places, he used words and ideas, that I believe were foreign to the Syriac P'shitta.
In my OPINION, some of these ideas bordered upon being "New Age".
Did he get this from George Lamsa......or some other study that he did, I just don't KNOW.
I tried speaking with him by e-mail before I bought his book, I wanted assurance that his N.T. would follow "orthodox" (SMALL 'o') Christian ideas, because of what Lamsa had done.
He assured me that his translation WOULD BE TRUE to the ancient Eastern P'shitta text, and to Christianity, especially Syriac Christianity.
Well, he said that, but most of the good stuff in his N.T. is in THE FOOTNOTES, and NOT in the translation itself.
It could be that because I DON'T read or speak Syriac, that the fault *is in my understanding* (or LACK THEREOF), but I don't really think so.
I think that Victor started out on the right foot, but got side tracked somewhere down the line.
His translation is ALL Anglicized English using 'Jesus', 'God' and 'Lord', as well as Anglicized names for all of the Disciples and other N.T. characters.
Again, just as with Janet Magiera, I think that this is a failure of the translator, and is almost cow towing to the American church crowd that just can't imagine a Messiah called "Yeshua" or "Eshoo".
And God forbid that the Disciples names are in Syriac!
I mean the sky might actually FALL! <!-- s
--><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/cool1.gif" alt="" title="Cool" /><!-- s -->
Another thing, the copy that I got was half one kind of paper, and half another kind of paper, and it's like "yellowed" paper, mixed with white paper. I mean WHAT'S UP WITH THAT? <!-- s
hocked: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/shocked.gif" alt="hocked:" title="Shocked" /><!-- shocked: -->
The cover is just thick white paper, that if you hold it alot and your a sweaty person at all, the cover begins to come apart. <!-- s:whaasup: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/whaasup.gif" alt=":whaasup:" title="Whaasup" /><!-- s:whaasup: -->
Lastly, I spent about $35.00 to $45.00 (not counting shipping) back in 2000 to get a copy of Victor's translation.
That SAME COPY is now like $100.00!! Come on Victor!
Give us a break here! PLEASEEEEE.
OK, OK, I'll get off my soap box now, but I'll leave you with THIS:
If your lookin' FOR THE REAL DEAL, the Eastern Peshitta text, go with Paul Younan's Gospels, or The Way International's whole set of 5 books.
I've got EVERY SINGLE Syriac to English P'shitta New Testament that's out there now, and take it from yours truly, those two are the VERY BEST!
Apologies to anyone who's feeling's that I might have hurt here.
Shlama, Albion
P.S. A *FOOTNOTE* on all of this.
If you want my OPINION, Andrew Gabriel Roth has a GREAT DEAL riding on his forthcoming translation, 'MARI', or P.E.A.C.E.
So FEW "translators" have gotten it RIGHT with the P'shitta N.T., it's time that SOMEONE DID!
I mean give us a translation that WE CAN BE PROUD OF, that we don't have to ask ourselves "Is this New Age theology?"
Enough of that's already BEEN DONE!
We're countin' on YOU Andrew, and I really feel that YHWH is behind you, and your Translation, and we're behind you TOO!
This was the first P'shitta translation that I bought after giving up on George Lamsa's "translation".
Check out this piece by Victor:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.v-a.com/bible/confession.html">http://www.v-a.com/bible/confession.html</a><!-- m -->
I wrote to Victor Alexander a couple of times, BEFORE I bought his New Testament.
He really IS a member of The Assyrian Church of the East.
He really DOES speak Syriac (which the Assyrians call "Assyrian").
But Victor followed Lamsa by inserting a LOT of HIS IDEAS, instead of just translating.
Any New Testament 'translation' IS going to to have the translators ideas to a certain degree. And THAT'S OK.
But there is CHANGING THE TEXT, which in MY OPINION, is NOT "translating".
For example, Victor called Yohannon's WORD, "Miltha", or in his English: "Manifestation".
I think that this word is TRUE to the Syriac text, but in other places, he used words and ideas, that I believe were foreign to the Syriac P'shitta.
In my OPINION, some of these ideas bordered upon being "New Age".
Did he get this from George Lamsa......or some other study that he did, I just don't KNOW.
I tried speaking with him by e-mail before I bought his book, I wanted assurance that his N.T. would follow "orthodox" (SMALL 'o') Christian ideas, because of what Lamsa had done.
He assured me that his translation WOULD BE TRUE to the ancient Eastern P'shitta text, and to Christianity, especially Syriac Christianity.
Well, he said that, but most of the good stuff in his N.T. is in THE FOOTNOTES, and NOT in the translation itself.
It could be that because I DON'T read or speak Syriac, that the fault *is in my understanding* (or LACK THEREOF), but I don't really think so.
I think that Victor started out on the right foot, but got side tracked somewhere down the line.
His translation is ALL Anglicized English using 'Jesus', 'God' and 'Lord', as well as Anglicized names for all of the Disciples and other N.T. characters.
Again, just as with Janet Magiera, I think that this is a failure of the translator, and is almost cow towing to the American church crowd that just can't imagine a Messiah called "Yeshua" or "Eshoo".
And God forbid that the Disciples names are in Syriac!
I mean the sky might actually FALL! <!-- s
--><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/cool1.gif" alt="" title="Cool" /><!-- s --> Another thing, the copy that I got was half one kind of paper, and half another kind of paper, and it's like "yellowed" paper, mixed with white paper. I mean WHAT'S UP WITH THAT? <!-- s
hocked: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/shocked.gif" alt="hocked:" title="Shocked" /><!-- shocked: --> The cover is just thick white paper, that if you hold it alot and your a sweaty person at all, the cover begins to come apart. <!-- s:whaasup: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/whaasup.gif" alt=":whaasup:" title="Whaasup" /><!-- s:whaasup: -->
Lastly, I spent about $35.00 to $45.00 (not counting shipping) back in 2000 to get a copy of Victor's translation.
That SAME COPY is now like $100.00!! Come on Victor!
Give us a break here! PLEASEEEEE.
OK, OK, I'll get off my soap box now, but I'll leave you with THIS:
If your lookin' FOR THE REAL DEAL, the Eastern Peshitta text, go with Paul Younan's Gospels, or The Way International's whole set of 5 books.
I've got EVERY SINGLE Syriac to English P'shitta New Testament that's out there now, and take it from yours truly, those two are the VERY BEST!
Apologies to anyone who's feeling's that I might have hurt here.
Shlama, Albion
P.S. A *FOOTNOTE* on all of this.
If you want my OPINION, Andrew Gabriel Roth has a GREAT DEAL riding on his forthcoming translation, 'MARI', or P.E.A.C.E.
So FEW "translators" have gotten it RIGHT with the P'shitta N.T., it's time that SOMEONE DID!
I mean give us a translation that WE CAN BE PROUD OF, that we don't have to ask ourselves "Is this New Age theology?"
Enough of that's already BEEN DONE!
We're countin' on YOU Andrew, and I really feel that YHWH is behind you, and your Translation, and we're behind you TOO!
--><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/smile.gif" alt="