 Okay, welcome back everybody to our second lecture on BC212, Christian apologetics. We just gone through in our first lecture on the canon of scripture, how the scriptures came together, how it put together for us. Any questions from anyone on that? You may have gone through this information earlier, but any questions? All right, so the next thing we want to understand is about translation and how are these translations done and what are the difference between all these different English versions, English translation and English versions of the Bible. So let's talk about that a little bit, share the video. So when we look at so many different translations, first of all, people will look at the translations, different versions, sometimes even for us as believers. Some translations or some versions of the English Bible don't seem to say the same thing, they don't seem to convey the same thing in the English language. So why is there this difference? And that's going to be very confusing. The second problem is also that in some versions there would be certain texts that are missing. So why is that? Why is that? King James, new King James have these verses and certain texts, the most recent ones will not have it and so on or why would they put it in the footnote separately? What are the significance? So both to answer about these questions, we need to understand how and why there are so many English versions of the Bible. So basically there are two things, one is there are two important texts we must understand when so many translations of the Bible are being done, usually most of them and I'm not saying all of these because there are some instances where a single individual has worked on the translation. But usually there's a group of translators, people are well versed in Hebrew, other group and somebody, a group or well versed in Greek and so on, who will there be a team of people working together on the translation. So the translators, whether it's an individual or a group have to decide on two things. First they have to decide on what which set of manuscripts are they going to use or how are they going to use these manuscripts. So before they're older than the New Testament, how are they going to work with these manuscripts? Second they have to decide on what way of it is the translation philosophy. I mean who are they translating for and what are they trying to achieve through their translation in the English language. So the translators think about these two things. Now when we talk about manuscripts, broadly speaking, there are two sets of manuscript families. One is referred to as the majority text, the other one is the neutral or Egyptian text. So what is the difference? The majority text, that translation approach is the translators are going to include what is found in the majority of the manuscripts. They're going to work with them. The neutral or the Egyptian heirs, we are going to include what was in the oldest, that is the date of the manuscript, what was in the closest, the oldest of the manuscript and depending on so was it close to where it came from, where the things happen. So one is looking at the majority text. That means then is this text found in the majority of the manuscripts? Another is looking at the time and the location. Is it, what is text that is closest to the original and is it from that part of the work? Because manuscripts maybe started with Hebrew and Greek and then there were other regional languages into which these manuscripts were translated. You'll find up here, Syriac, Coptic, Latin and Aramaic in Greek, of course. So there were regional languages into which these manuscripts were translated. So you want to know are these really close to the original and to the location in which the actual writing took place. So you will find that in certain Bibles they will say MSS, the majority of the text, the majority text has this or does not have this. So that means they're saying, look, we are doing, we're using this neutrals type of work and this is not found in majority text. This is informing us that it is there in the oldest version but it's not in the majority text, things like that. The translators have made a choice what set of manuscripts they could use but they're also cross-referencing and telling us that, hey, this is found in the oldest text but it's not found in the majority text, not every text, every manuscript does not contain this portion. So on that basis you will find that if somebody is using the majority text, you will find that they may omit something that was found in the oldest text but it's not found in the majority text. So they may omit that but they will let you know, they'll put a note saying, okay, it's not found in the majority text so we have left it out. So that's the reason you have certain portions of scripture left out based on the different types of manuscripts they're using or that's why you'll have footnotes that say this is found here but it's not found in that majority text. We have included it but we're letting you know it's not found in the majority text, things like that. So it's good to read the footnote and so you understand, okay, the translators have made some decision here on what to include but not include but remember that this is also, this is on a very small portion of text. It's not like the Bible is filled at these things here and there you'll find certain footnotes that say this is what has happened. Another important criteria that is the translation philosophy that determines how something is translated. So in translation philosophy there are at least five major categories. The first one is what is referred to as formal equivalent segments, we are going to do word forward. So if that word is in Greek or Hebrew, we will translate it into the corresponding words in English and in order to make the sentence read well, we will introduce some words but if we introduce some words which we will try not to do but if we have to, if we have to, we will put that in italics. In other words, otherwise we are going to stay with the original text. So this is formal equivalence, it's a word for word translation and you have, you know, the English standard version, King James, the American standard variable, these fall into that category. Then there is functionally thought for thought. So here the translator is not doing a word forward translation. They say, okay, we are going to understand what the writer was thinking and we're going to tell you in English what the writer was thinking. So this is usually, there is a little interpretive process involved where the translators are saying, this is what the writer was thinking and I'm telling you what the writer was thinking in English. The goal is, we want to make it easier for you to understand, read and understand, easy to understand, that's the goal. So being thought for thought translation and some of these, yeah, you're living translation and we comment this category, but understand that in thought for thought, there is an interpretive process that's happening by the translators. They are understanding what was written, they are then saying, here's what the writer was thinking and telling it to you. Now there's another approach which is trying to go in between they're trying to say, well, we want to do word for word and at the same time we want to do thought for thought, means we be translating word for word at the same time we're translating it in a way that we will tell you what the writer was thinking when he was using that word. So this is an optimum equals word for word and thought for thought. So you have some Bibles that come into that category also known as optimum then there is meaning for meaning. So now we're going one level higher which is not just word for word, it's not thought for thought, but it's meaning for meaning. This is what he meant, so I'm telling you what he meant. So, for example, the fashion translation is trying to do that here and it is very helpful because they're kind of not only interpreting but they're also explaining. So in thought for thought, we are doing a little bit of interpretation in meaning for meaning, we are interpreting and explaining a little bit and they're communicating it to the listener in the English language meaning for meaning and finally there is a paraphrase. The paraphrase is more like let me give you a summary of what was being said. So it's not word for word, not necessarily thought for thought meaning for meaning, it's like okay I will tell you in my words in very easy to understand English a summary of what was being said. So we're going another level away from the original text but there is a reason why all of this is happening. So the motivation in these translations is we want to help the reader understand and we want to help the reader. We want to make it easy for them to understand and so if you look at this little chart here it's very useful. So on the left side if you think this is the original text whether Hebrew or Greek or Arabic here and here's the whole range of translations. The word for word is okay this word is there in Greek. I will give you the equivalent the word in English or words for that word a single word if it needs more words in English and only in order to make things easier I will introduce in additional words identify that if I put it there. So you have interlinear which is basically exactly word for word they don't they don't even put it into English sentence just this word this word right here interlinear and then you have new American simplified the English standard version the revised standard version King James new King James. So these Bibles are in this word for word translation process then slowly are moving into thoughtful thought right the Hoffman Christian standard Bible the Neuro wise standard version the new American Bible Jerusalem Bible international version and the new today's international version some new things to wish thought for thought right so now there's a little more interpretive process then as you come in here meaning for meaning get into these versions new living translation and and so on passion translation so on and then you come on the other end of the spectrum which is the message Bible the living Bible message Bible contemporary English version our paraphrase that means we're giving you a sense of it what they said what was being said that's kind of a summary of what would be said now the motivation behind these translations is in the paraphrase we just want to make it simple as simple as possible for the reader and make it as simple as possible make it easy for them to read make it you know very engaging put it in contemporary language and even use you know even include illustrations that are from modern day so put it in in a way that a modern day user can understand whereas and so then you have thought for thought meaning for meaning is okay let's help the reader understand give you know this is what the thought this was meaning in word for word the goal is hey we want to stay close to the original text we let the reader to the work of understanding interpreting and you know deciding how to work with the text but our goal is to be close to the original structure and form of the text right so that's the reason why we have this whole range of scripture and you know so obviously the question is so that helps understand you know by there could be variations in how that same verse is reading differently in different versions because in a word for word translation they've just given you the literal words but as in the thought for thought a meaningful meaning there's been some interpretation that has already taken place so they have kind of changed it to say this is what we think the writer is saying or this is the meaning of what he was saying so it may come on differently and in a paraphrase it's really further up it's like okay we're giving a summary so so when you read you know these different versions of the by English Bible it looks so different because of the way in which they have worked on the original text to make it easy for the modern reader but this leads us to the question I was going to mention which is you know it's okay which is the right version to use well it really depends on what the the goal is if you're you know if you're really if you're if somebody's a new believer they just want to get an idea of what what is the Bible what is a new testament or what is the Bible then you would and if they don't want to get into some heavy studying on that then you know we would say okay why don't you start with some easy to read paraphrase or if they're able to handle if anything is just good and they able to handle it we can say okay why don't you do and thought for thought like an idea or something you know but for those of us who are who want to study you want to get in you know weekend we will go into the Hebrew the Greek ourselves and we want to do a word for it then yeah then for us yeah a word for words is very very useful right you're getting closer to the original text so you know this is what it is so usually I'll share with you how I approach this so when I'm studying I will you I will study usually with the new king James and I will look up the Hebrew the Greek for what I'm studying and then I will also try to read across this range across the spectrum you know and and of course today because we have software we can do that very very easily so I'll click on a verse and I'll say I'm going to read this verse and all the other other versions so I will see how this was one verse is has been translated in many different versions so it gives me a broader understanding it also helps me how to communicate this to a modern audience so I'll go into the Hebrew and Greek because I want to understand because that one Hebrew word can have a Greek word can have multiple meanings as I want to understand that and so it gives me good grip on this was what was said and now how do I communicate all of that to the audience today so reading other versions and looking at you know other words other ways of saying it helps so then I will quickly read through all the other versions and it's so easy to do these days because of you know we have software to help us I can read through all the other versions and so okay this is how I can communicate the thought what was what is originally stated this is how I can present it to the audience so it kind of gives you a good grip it also gives you a lot of confidence when you're speaking because you've studied right from the original text so you'll know that this is what the original text said you know I'm not speaking based on a paraphrase but I'm not even speaking based on a meaningful meaning rendering I have gone to the original text I've read the Hebrew I've read the Greek I've seen what those words mean so I mean you can speak with a lot of authority a lot of confidence you're coming from that level and then of course you're communicating it in a very simple manner so it makes it easy for people to understand so for those of us who are going to be preaching teaching ministering in English I would say you know make take advantage of all of the versions that are there you know it's it's such a big blessing we start from a study of the Hebrew the Greek words and then take advantage of all the modern translations so that it helps us communicate to the modern audience right so you have all of these things let me pause and let me see if there are any questions here okay so Chaiya's question is Torah and the Bible yeah so the first five books it's it's just a name given to that collection right the collection of the first five books Torah and it was a name given by the Jewish people the Hebrews we don't use it like you know when we say we don't say turn to the Torah no we don't say we don't use that it was just used by the Jewish people so we as believers we say Old Testament use New Testament right and the first five books of Moses are part of the Old Testament the the term Bible refers to the whole collection of Old and New Testament these 66 books okay so there's no problem the word Torah I say something they use we don't use it and we don't only hear about any you know we don't say please turn to the Torah we don't say you just say we refer to the name the book the body poem turn there yeah translation transliteration so another question here is there was a difference in the terms translation transliteration so as I understand it translation you know it's an attempt to go from one language to the other while trying to stay as close to the original text that's the goal of the translator transliteration is it's giving you a little bit more liberty that means I'm not doing a word for word or literal translation but I there's a more freedom I am translating but I am also interpreting it to the to the reader in translation making it easy for my reading so I think that would be the you know in general speaking this is what we would understand the difference between translation translation but again depending on the context and who's saying this we can we can it may mean something different Ren what about using e-sword yeah like we mentioned in our first year class on I mean nutex we shared you know different software tools that we could use a recommended e-sword which is something I use of course there are a lot of other tools and some people are more comfortable with other tools like the blue letter bible or logo or software or some people even use the online bible gateway so a lot of other tools online software tools that people use so yeah we could use any one of these to study to look up study you can free commentaries and so on just another question also in scriptures there's a lot of difference in the meaning yeah it's true an example you shall be my witness it translates to us as we have to be a testimony he probably means the same thing but it comes to be it means the word martyrs meaning being a martyr how do we understand this from the original language it was written yeah so you know so let's say let's take an example right um the example here the Greek word you shall be my witness the word witness like in the Greek is is martyr or somebody who's you know who gives his life as we understand gives their life or the gospel but also means somebody who's testifying to speaking up for you testifying to giving evidence to something that you have witnessed so the translator has to decide how do I put this in English and how do we how do we you know how do we put it in English now I can't say you shall be my martyrs or should I say you shall be my martyrs or should I say you will give evidence to be a witness so it will then depend on the context right because a Greek word could have multiple meanings so you would the translator would say okay the right way to do this is you shall be my witness so that's the English word that corresponds to the Greek word martyr because that's the right in the context that's what Jesus is saying you are witnesses of these things you're going to give evidence to these things right so um in the study the Greek word then we understand oh the word martyrs is used which literally means martyr we understand that Jesus is saying give evidence to and that's also one of the meanings of the word martyrs but we also understand the word martyrs me couldn't mean martyr so studying the Greek or going back to the original text in Hebrew Greek kind of opens up our understanding of that verse and it's okay we know in the original context of how it was spoken this is what it meant that needs to give evidence to believe this but we also know in the usage of the word the meanings could be brought that the reader listeners understood it much more than what the way it was translated so we can bring that out in our preaching and teaching and say hey if you were a listener and you heard Jesus saying you will be my martyrs for the listener listening to what Jesus was saying they would have understood it in an inclusive sense meaning hey he's telling me I should give witness to and I may even have to give my life up for him that's how the listener what I understood it but that doesn't come out in the English translation the English translation says my witness which is one aspect of the meaning the meaning that is taken in the context of what was being said but it does leave out the other aspect of that the Greek word but when we go and study the Greek we understand the broader meaning and then that helps us in our preaching and teaching and explaining of the scripture so that's that's a benefit of going back and study right but that's also the limitation of translation now the amplified Bible trying to work around that by you know using the pattern this is saying this word also means these these these these things right a classic example is in the Greek word partly toss king James muting just translate that's comforter but hey comforter is only one of the seven meanings of the word partly toss so the amplified Bible will put all the other six words partly does comforter but pattern this is intercessor advocate strength in a counselor you know all the other meanings so the amplified Bible is trying to tell us that the Greek word actually has more than one meaning and it means all this right so but then it makes it the amplifier even it's it's it's because very big to read but it's very useful so that's the advantage of going back and looking at the Hebrew and the Greek and saying hey this word could also mean these things and then in the years of the listener they understood it like that and so we can bring it out today and preach all right next question yes so um the the the we saw this just recently I mean just double pages back a child the word Bible right it's given their own page um page 53 I think it is yeah page 53 the meaning of the the books so Bible singular the book Biblia the books so the meaning of the word Bible is the book the book so it's a holy Bible the holy book um could you please refer us to some commentaries that we can use so commentaries are there are four many different commentaries my suggestion would be uh don't read too many commentaries David one or two and the ones I would recommend because like to use I'm not 100% sure of the spelling let me just check it uh David to use at IKM so David because a comment is something I would recommend simply because he comes from a spirit field of perspective so the problem with the commentaries is as with any commentary it's the the commentators perspective so if the commentator is a spirit field any coastal you know by you know that type so obviously the commentaries will come from that perspective if the commentator is an evangelical somebody who doesn't believe you know in the gifts of the spirit and so on so they will come from that perspective so David physics commentary you you will find it within eastward so when you download eastward you could also download the commentary to find it or I think his commentaries are also part of blue letter Bible so yeah this is such for David physics commentary you'll find that I mean if you are if you're using eastward it's there available for free if you are not using eastward you can I think his commentaries also available on the blue letter Bible so that's one I would recommend but again remember that any commentary is is a communication of the person doing the commentary his understanding and so on so don't just take everything you need in the commentary you've got to do your study you've got to do your analysis and don't don't swallow everything read in the commentary yeah hi anything else um Soran is asking are commentaries similar to paraphrase no so commentaries are not translations commentaries are or almost like you could say short summons on based on the text right so that means the person writing the commentary is giving you some maybe an understanding of the text that their explanation or sometimes they may include some background information they may include some cross references they may basically commentaries are explanations of text but there's not only include explanation they could include background information they can include cross referencing they can include what other people have said on the text so commentaries are helping you understand the text so they are different um paraphrase it's uh it's it's a lot of there would be a lot more information more like summons based on the text they're helping us understand the text and the chapter and the book and so yeah okay anything else so in lesson number nine in this lesson we have um try to you know understand some things not necessarily everything but some important things about the bible I'll just quickly close with a few comments here that um there are the last two pages if we just go ahead and share it and we finish this chapter and move into the next so in closing some of the amazing things about the bible is its unity and so this is really amazing that especially in some important details these 66 books are written by 40 different authors across different cultures and different continents they all said the same thing you know example in terms of the origin of the universe the existence of god the nature of god they all said the same thing you know they're writing the same thing that's amazing and especially talk about the triune god the godhead the father the son the holy spirit they're all saying the same thing so the unity of these 66 books is amazing um the historical and archaeological accuracy that means when the bible is talking about places people events these things are you know are historic historically proven and there are also many of these things that archaeologically prove meaning you know some of these old historical cities you can go to say yeah this was the city was where it happened so the bible is not like a you know a legend or a story or a fable there is it's in many ways these things actually happened right so that's another thing very important very interesting there is prophecy that's been fulfilled um amazing prophecies some prophecies that had almost no chance of being fulfilled for example all the prophecies concerning Jesus about 300 of them the possibility that one human person living at one particular time would fulfill all of those prophecies was the chance was one in tenderness to 157 somebody calculated this so in other words it's like hey this is impossible humanly speech that one person could fulfill all these prophecies in his life living on earth but it happened unlike that there are many other amazing prophecies that were fulfilled it's indestructibility so many people have been sent away beginning some people are trying to destroy it but the bible is just increased i like no other book on the earth and it's christ centredness that means the bible is focused on one person the messiah and pointing to jesus the power of the teachings of the bible are powerful they're also timeless so some people say the bible is outdated it's not outdated you open it and read it and it's speaking to us today you know it was written thousands of years ago but it's speaking to us today it's still so relevant and it transforms lives people's lives are changed as between the scriptures right so the bible is so powerful and so amazing now i like this you know this is taken from the giddians giddians bible they typically put this in and most of their new testimonies it's beautiful prose talking about how the bible what the bible is to us today okay so we'll stop we'll pause for that we'll get now into okay let me just introduce what we're going to do in the next lesson so the next few lessons would be focusing about the person of jesus and what we want to do is we want to help understand ourselves why jesus christ is unique why do we say there's no one else like jesus and there's so many religions so many you know gurus or people living religious leaders so on so forth but what makes jesus different why is he unique and then we also want to talk about the credibility of his resurrection that means now we are saying that jesus christ rose from the dead how do we know that's credible because we were not there this happened 2000 years ago how can we defend or explain to somebody who questions the resurrection of jesus so we'll talk about that and then we want to talk about how do we communicate jesus to other religions to people especially from the hindu's and the muslims so the next few lessons i'm going to focus on the person of jesus christ his uniqueness his resurrection the message we present and how do we communicate the message of jesus to people of other religions we'll talk about that then after that we'll get into questions on social issues and then after that we'll talk about suffering you know questions around suffering so that's kind of the direction we're going now in the weeks to come right any questions we'll be close today all right i hope you're everyone's learning something you're getting questions answered and these things are useful as you prepare to talk to other people and share with other people and you know help other people come to explore jesus explore the christian faith okay let's close for today i just request somebody to pray and then we will dismiss but somebody has to practice father god thank you lord thank you for this time that you've given us lot father to know how to understand and read from the scripture's lord what you have for us today lord thank you lord for this time lord father even as this time whatever that you have taught us lord help us to put it into practice lord help each of us lord from where we are lord to begin lord and also lord to understand more of you lord jesus from the scripture's lord so that we be a blessing to others and also lord our life will be a meaningful one on our pieces help us lord bless each one of us present here lord in jesus mighty matchlessly thank you everyone enjoy the rest of your day god bless bye now