Bible Study
A More Complete Introduction
As outlined in my book, “I Will Give You Rest,” it has
become clear to me that the provision that Jesus has
made for us to be transformed into His image in this life is
much more profound than many understand. In fact, it is
meant to be an ongoing, daily miracle.
In reading English translations of the New Testament, I
became suspicious that there were inconsistencies, even
incongruencies, in some of the Epistles. For instance, it
makes no sense that Paul, in writing to the Galatians,
would start out dressing them down for getting caught by
legalism (Gal 3:1-5, 5:4-9); and then to turn around and
admonish them to do certain things (Gal 5:14-21).
In order to learn more about this possibility, I took a
semester of New Testament Greek. That class was not
enough to make me knowledgeable in the language, but it
did give me my answer: translation from Greek to English
is not simple. The languages are structured so differently
that the translator has to surmise what the writer was
saying. In this process, the translator’s theology
unavoidably gets built into the translation. One
unconscious bias that gets built in is the Western mind set
of the primary importance of the will and the intellect as
the means of living this life. This bias is in every English
translation I have read.
The assumption in translating the New Testament is that
the Apostles, writing in Greek, knew what they were
saying – their writing was inspired by God. So the task of
translation is not to make the text say what I want it to say,
but rather to correctly and clearly bring out the author’s
meaning.
I attempted to find a person who was a credible New
Testament Greek scholar to partner with me in a
translation project. I wanted to create an English
translation that properly reveals the fundamental truth that
we need to be changed into the image of Jesus, or we can
not produce good works. No one was interested.
Eventually, I felt the Lord impelling me to do it myself. I
said, “But Lord, I am so feeble in my understanding of New
Testament Greek.” But He kept after me. I realized the
project was too important to let it drop. I looked for
possible resources that I could lean on to help me.
There are many portions of the New Testament that do not
deal with the transformation issue, and which therefore are
not problematic. Therefore, rather than starting from
scratch, I chose to use an existing translation as a basis.
That way I only have to revisit those passages that
specifically deal with sanctification. I also needed one that
was in the public domain (not copyrighted). I discovered a
perfect candidate: Young’s Literal Translation of 1898.
This translation has never gained popularity because it is
literal. It retains much of the Greek sentence structure,
and therefore does not flow gracefully to an English
reader. However, it is considered by many scholars to be
very accurate.
I also wanted to present a comparison with a “traditional”
English translation so that the reader could easily see my
changes. I chose the King James Version for several
reasons. It is also in the public domain, it is considered by
many to be a very accurate translation, and it is familiar to
many. I would like to be clear that I did not choose it
because it has more Western bias than other English
translations. It certainly has the bias, but no more than
most.
As I began this project, I was reticent. This is the Word of
God. One needs to be very careful not to change it,
because it will not go well for those that do so. The Greek
was accurate. The Lord encouraged me to proceed.
Something needed to be produced, because the need was
so great; and there wasn’t anybody else to do it.
Wherever I have fallen short, it is out of ineptness, not
malice or intent.
I would like to present an open invitation to anyone who is
fluent in New Testament Greek to correct me where
necessary. I would absolutely love to hear any expert and
scholarly input. I am called to attempt this translation
because no one else is presently available.
It is with great humility, and a great deal of trepidation that
I present this work. My prayer is that it will help open my
readers’ eyes to the great Good News which can set them
free.
I know the truth that the Lord literally wants His children to
be transformed into the image of Jesus by the blood of His
sacrifice. The question is whether I have done an accurate
job of translating these sacred writings.
The definitions of the Greek words that I have used are
primarily taken from “The Complete Word Study
Dictionary” by Spiros Zodhiates (AMG Publishers, 1992);
though I also consulted other lexicons. For grammar, I
primarily relied upon “Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar”
by William D. Mounce (Zondervan, 2003). I was able to
obtain online a parsed version of the Textus Receptus,
which was invaluable to me in identifying Greek verb
forms. I use Strong’s numbering system to refer to the
Greek words. Inserted into my translation are page
numbers, which are the pages in my book, “I Will Give You
Rest.”
I have posted this translation on my website rather than
publishing it in hard copy. That way it can be corrected
and updated as needed. It is a work in progress. I am only
translating those verses that deal with sanctification, and it
will take me time to get to all of them. The reader is
encouraged to use a translation of their choice for the rest
of the Bible, though some translations are more accurate
than others. The King James Version is not a bad choice.
My prayers are that I have rightly heard the Lord give me
this assignment, that He has guided me in the translation,
that someone fluent in New Testament Greek will appear
on the scene to help me, and that many will be blessed as
they discover the profound truth of the provision that God
has made for them through Jesus Christ.
Post Falls, Idaho February 2010
A More Complete Introduction
As outlined in my book, “I Will Give You Rest,” it has
become clear to me that the provision that Jesus has
made for us to be transformed into His image in this life is
much more profound than many understand. In fact, it is
meant to be an ongoing, daily miracle.
In reading English translations of the New Testament, I
became suspicious that there were inconsistencies, even
incongruencies, in some of the Epistles. For instance, it
makes no sense that Paul, in writing to the Galatians,
would start out dressing them down for getting caught by
legalism (Gal 3:1-5, 5:4-9); and then to turn around and
admonish them to do certain things (Gal 5:14-21).
In order to learn more about this possibility, I took a
semester of New Testament Greek. That class was not
enough to make me knowledgeable in the language, but it
did give me my answer: translation from Greek to English
is not simple. The languages are structured so differently
that the translator has to surmise what the writer was
saying. In this process, the translator’s theology
unavoidably gets built into the translation. One
unconscious bias that gets built in is the Western mind set
of the primary importance of the will and the intellect as
the means of living this life. This bias is in every English
translation I have read.
The assumption in translating the New Testament is that
the Apostles, writing in Greek, knew what they were
saying – their writing was inspired by God. So the task of
translation is not to make the text say what I want it to say,
but rather to correctly and clearly bring out the author’s
meaning.
I attempted to find a person who was a credible New
Testament Greek scholar to partner with me in a
translation project. I wanted to create an English
translation that properly reveals the fundamental truth that
we need to be changed into the image of Jesus, or we can
not produce good works. No one was interested.
Eventually, I felt the Lord impelling me to do it myself. I
said, “But Lord, I am so feeble in my understanding of New
Testament Greek.” But He kept after me. I realized the
project was too important to let it drop. I looked for
possible resources that I could lean on to help me.
There are many portions of the New Testament that do not
deal with the transformation issue, and which therefore are
not problematic. Therefore, rather than starting from
scratch, I chose to use an existing translation as a basis.
That way I only have to revisit those passages that
specifically deal with sanctification. I also needed one that
was in the public domain (not copyrighted). I discovered a
perfect candidate: Young’s Literal Translation of 1898.
This translation has never gained popularity because it is
literal. It retains much of the Greek sentence structure,
and therefore does not flow gracefully to an English
reader. However, it is considered by many scholars to be
very accurate.
I also wanted to present a comparison with a “traditional”
English translation so that the reader could easily see my
changes. I chose the King James Version for several
reasons. It is also in the public domain, it is considered by
many to be a very accurate translation, and it is familiar to
many. I would like to be clear that I did not choose it
because it has more Western bias than other English
translations. It certainly has the bias, but no more than
most.
As I began this project, I was reticent. This is the Word of
God. One needs to be very careful not to change it,
because it will not go well for those that do so. The Greek
was accurate. The Lord encouraged me to proceed.
Something needed to be produced, because the need was
so great; and there wasn’t anybody else to do it.
Wherever I have fallen short, it is out of ineptness, not
malice or intent.
I would like to present an open invitation to anyone who is
fluent in New Testament Greek to correct me where
necessary. I would absolutely love to hear any expert and
scholarly input. I am called to attempt this translation
because no one else is presently available.
It is with great humility, and a great deal of trepidation that
I present this work. My prayer is that it will help open my
readers’ eyes to the great Good News which can set them
free.
I know the truth that the Lord literally wants His children to
be transformed into the image of Jesus by the blood of His
sacrifice. The question is whether I have done an accurate
job of translating these sacred writings.
The definitions of the Greek words that I have used are
primarily taken from “The Complete Word Study
Dictionary” by Spiros Zodhiates (AMG Publishers, 1992);
though I also consulted other lexicons. For grammar, I
primarily relied upon “Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar”
by William D. Mounce (Zondervan, 2003). I was able to
obtain online a parsed version of the Textus Receptus,
which was invaluable to me in identifying Greek verb
forms. I use Strong’s numbering system to refer to the
Greek words. Inserted into my translation are page
numbers, which are the pages in my book, “I Will Give You
Rest.”
I have posted this translation on my website rather than
publishing it in hard copy. That way it can be corrected
and updated as needed. It is a work in progress. I am only
translating those verses that deal with sanctification, and it
will take me time to get to all of them. The reader is
encouraged to use a translation of their choice for the rest
of the Bible, though some translations are more accurate
than others. The King James Version is not a bad choice.
My prayers are that I have rightly heard the Lord give me
this assignment, that He has guided me in the translation,
that someone fluent in New Testament Greek will appear
on the scene to help me, and that many will be blessed as
they discover the profound truth of the provision that God
has made for them through Jesus Christ.
Post Falls, Idaho February 2010
Get The Book
My calling is to reach as many people as possible with the
truth of the healing Jesus has provided.
My book, "I Will Give You Rest," was written as an instruction
manual to teach believers the process Jesus provided to set us free
and give us rest, in this life.
All of the chapters are vitally important, or they wouldn't have
been included in the book. See the "Table of Contents."
If you like what you read online,
you will love the book!
If you are in ministry, or if you buy multiple copies, there is special
reduced pricing available. Click here, or on "Buy Multiple
Books" on the left.
If you can not afford to buy the book, please e-mail me
describing your circumstances, and we will consider sending you a
free copy. We want as many people as possible to be helped.
Copyright Edward Kurath 2008
My calling is to reach as many people as possible with the
truth of the healing Jesus has provided.
My book, "I Will Give You Rest," was written as an instruction
manual to teach believers the process Jesus provided to set us free
and give us rest, in this life.
All of the chapters are vitally important, or they wouldn't have
been included in the book. See the "Table of Contents."
If you like what you read online,
you will love the book!
If you are in ministry, or if you buy multiple copies, there is special
reduced pricing available. Click here, or on "Buy Multiple
Books" on the left.
If you can not afford to buy the book, please e-mail me
describing your circumstances, and we will consider sending you a
free copy. We want as many people as possible to be helped.
Copyright Edward Kurath 2008
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Divinely Designed
Being changed into the image of Jesus
Being changed into the image of Jesus
You need a copy of the whole book in your hands! |
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Links to Audios
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