[Faith-talk] Translation in Theology.

[Mostafa]

Dear all, peace be with you.

Today I would like to critically reexamine a subject that I have previously brought to discussion.

  It is translation and how it significantly effects the global discernment of theology.

   I believe we have discussed this before.

I previously posed a basic contention, and I so far have not received convincing responses.

I will therefore rephrase my contention onto four major factors, and I hope that someone would voluntarily deputize to thoroughly scrutinize.     

1; • Theology is essentially based on authentically attested narratives, so how can translated texts affirm to that proposition?

2; • It is immensely improbable to accurately verify the textual authenticity of a translated theological reference if it originally comes from either ancient or dead languages.

3; • I demonstratively decline the scenario which allegedly presupposes reliability of disingenuous scribes or translators.

  Those people have not been properly examined as whether they are trusted and entirely reliable.

Their translations are potentially surmised to  massive illegibility.

  They exhaustingly differ with each other, as the translation pursuits to satisfy the contemporary class, so it is rewritten in vernacular terms as to basically appeal modern readers.

  4; • English language has abundantly recalculated  Ancient Greek and Hebrew terms, so they can appositely accommodate western modern philosophy.

   Does that effect the discernment of theology in the twenty first century?

        I believe that I have to further illustrate on the latter.

For anyone to derive, analyze or interpret the Noble Koran, he is to requisitely master the disciplines of Arabic Grammar, Morphology and Rhetoric.

  These are cardinally indispensable  characteristics and inevitably obtained skills for anyone interested to pursue in the field of Koranic Theology.

Now, I want to greatly apprehend about what majors someone demands to attain in order to interpret either the Torah or the Gospel?

I am afraid, but I would much prefer to call them the Torah and the Gospel rather than the Old and the New testament.

The testament of Allah is eternally static, what is abrogated and altered is the divine jurisprudence.

Jurist verdicts are expected to alter and abrogate to suit various circumstances  that are pertained to different ages and human conditions.

       Well in addition to current English translations of the Torah and the Gospel, we are uncertain of whether those who translated them from Ancient Greek and Hebrew to Latin and then into English, were they competent, trustworthy, attentive and accurate?

I actually cannot speak for them, nor anyone who respects our intellects can surely verify  their total reliability.  

How many Pastor  masters either Ancient Greek or Hebrew as he masters English?

All Imams master the Koranic recitation in its eloquent Arabic, and they can easily compare English translations to that original based text.

That way, they can easily affirm or negate its formation.

I am calling to vivid reconsideration and constant meditation to what people tend to adhere.

 Cordially, Mostafa Almahdy.