Getting the Bible back to its roots

[davidinalameda]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/books/11/18/arts.bible.translation.reut/index.html

Biblical scholar Robert Alter's major new English translation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible -- alternately called the Five Books of Moses, the Torah or Pentateuch -- has some critics manning the barricades while others are applauding his efforts to return the work to its original Hebrew meanings and majestic repetitions.

A professor at the University of California at Berkeley, Alter says since he has never found a biblical translation that he liked or could recommend to his comparative literature students, he decided to do his own, starting with the story of Genesis and ending with the death of Moses.

His argument is that past translations either get the Hebrew wrong or mangle the Bible's syntax or lose the power of the work or even are so up-to-the-minute that they become too conversational to be accurate or interesting.

[sui generis]

1. I'm in -- will probably read it just 'cause

and I'm one of them godless elitist atheist homos. As someone who speaks in multiple tongues even when sober, I always find it fascinating how "literal" translation of a phrase sometimes elicits much greater meaning than just shoehorning a translation into local (and temporal) colloquialism.

The ghost is willing but the meat is weak!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Desert Wisdom

is a book by Neil Douglas-Klotz. It takes excerpts from the Bible (Old and New Testaments) and ancient texts from Egypt and Sumeria, as well as Sufi poetry. He does a direct and new translations of each, and includes extensive notes and spiritual practices. What I find most interesting about this book is how it relates ancient concepts to modern scientific theory.

[indigobusiness]

4. Yes! It is fascinating how honest analysis shows the similarities

in the different approaches to the mystery of 'what is'.

re "how it relates ancient concepts to modern scientific theory."

The old saw of science v religion is preposterous.

[ezekiel333]

3. Great book

It goes back to the roots, which the current anti-Christians (fundies et al) are not going to like looking at. It is very well done.

[GOPBasher]

5. I've been comparing Genesis creation story to the big bang theory.

I can't wait until that comes out. It'll be a better resource to use, I imagine, than any of the major translations out there.

[Brentos]

6. Genesis

Robert Alter previously had translated the Book of Genesis. It is the most remarkable work on Genesis I have ever read. It is beautiful, flows nicely, and he annotated everything so you know where and why he did what he did so you can judge yourself. I can't recommend this enough!

Thanks,
-Brent

[newyawker99]

7. Hi Brentos!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast: