Feb 16, 2010

The Bible is The Word of God

In 2005 the Dallas Biblical Arts Center was destroyed in a terrible fire. Some of the expensive works of art were rescued by courageous firefighters on the scene, but not without damage. Many of the works were destroyed.

I visited the museum the year before it's destruction, when the dead sea scrolls were on exhibit there. It was an incredible exhibit. The museum housed a wide variety of  Bibles in numerous languages and ages. They had one of the very first types of printing presses there that was used to demonstrate how bibles were first printed.

As we toured the museum they explained the processes of translating the Bible and the extreme care that went into it to ensure that nothing was translated inaccurately. Lets look at the steps involved.
  • Reviewer Check
  • Consultant Check
  • Exegetical Check
  • Consistency Check
  • Format Check
  • Style Check
  • Proofreading
  • Oral Read-through
There are translators and a review committee who prepare the first draft, review the work of others on the team, test the translation with other speakers of the language then receive, study and assess their comments, revise the draft, and check the final manuscript for publication. Revisions are made to make it more faithful to the original meaning, more natural in expression, more accurate and readable.

Then it is back translated word-by-word or phrase-by-phrase to verify that it reflects as closely as possible the meaning and grammatical structure of the indigenous language text. Back translation can improve the reliability and validity by requiring that the quality of a translation is verified by an independent translator translating back into the original language.


Another important element to note is that the Bible should always be translated from it's original language and not from another translation. So as a language changes over time, a Bible translation may be revised to make it more readable, but it must still be translated from the original language to ensure accuracy.

That is quite a process isn't it? Do you know why so much care goes into translating the Bible? Because the Bible is inspired and holy, adherence to the original meaning of the text is crucial. Today computers are used in Bible translation to ensure accuracy but the standards must remain.

I will be discussing more about the Bible in upcoming posts. For now I wanted to share some pictures that I took during my tour of the Dallas Biblical Arts Center. This was before I owned a digital camera so the quality is not what I would like but still acceptable. Click on the pictures for an enlarged image.

From Parchment to Scroll to Bible ~ The Word of God Preserved

Plague of Locusts found in Exodus 10

Hebrew Torah Scroll

I think this is a German Bible



The Gospel of John



I believe that little card says 1578 First Geneva (something) Bible

"You have exalted above all things Your Name and Your Word." Psalm 138:2 (emphasis mine)


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"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

13 comments:

Yolanda said...

Edie,

Good MORNING! This was an amazing sharing of something near and dear. THANK YOU! Do you live in Texas, and if so where?

Lovingly,
Yolanda

Tammy said...

That was very interesting,I always learn so much when I come here.

Have a great day!

Love ya,
Tammy

Loren said...

What an amazing process! So thankful they still go
to great measures to make sure it is still true and the Holy Word of God! Those pictures are awesome!!!

Thanks for sharing Edie! Love u

Sharon Sloan said...

Wow, Edie..,.this is great! Thank you for sharing this! My brother and his family live in a suburb of Dallas, so we will make it a point to visit here next time we are in Dallas!

I do fear some "modern" translations are dishonoring God and His Word. It concerns me greatly. I feel a strong conviction to only use certain translations.

"You have exalted above all things Your name and Your word." Psalm 138:2

Thanks for this great information!

Sharon

TRUTH SHARER said...

I just love seeing these pictures and it often makes me wonder what was in the hearts and minds of those who penned the Word of God. Yes, we know some of that - but what about their lives behind closed doors? What were they like as God spoke His TRUTH to them from His own Spirit???

Love the TRUTH!
I'm all about the TRUTH!
Want Nothing but the TRUTH!
Gimmeee MORE of it!

And to know that it is by God's Hand alone that God's TRUE and LIVING Word has stood the TEST of TIME!

Amazing - Praise You, LORD!

Choosing TRUE JOY,
Stephanie
JESUS ONLY in 2010

From the Heart said...

Very enlightening. I wonder if The Message was translated from the original. I have a hard time reading excerpts that others have used.

Would you tell us how to make a picture larger in your tips?

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Wow Edie - how cool is that?? How amazing to see them in person but thanks for sharing the pictures! Makes me feel closer to the actual written Word!

Heart2Heart said...

Edie,

I thought the process of translating would be very long and thorough but never dreamed just how time consuming it would be. Makes sense when you think of the price to be paid if just one thing was off in the translation.

Love all these pictures and seeing all the details in each of this books!

Love and Hugs ~ Kat

Charity Nee said...

Wow - it makes you thankful for all of their hard work doesn't it?
Hugs and I lovelovelove the interview!!!

rcubes said...

To know more about the Word of God? That will be awesome! I can't wait. I learn a lot here! God bless sister and have a great week!

Chel's Leaving a Legacy said...

Wow, Edie...this is so much up my alley it's not even funny. What great pictures! As much as I love old books, you just can't get any better than a 500 year old Bible!

Thanks for sharing your pics!

KrippledWarrior said...

I got to see the dead sea scrolls when they were in San Diego. The one thing that interested me most was the fact that The Book of Isaiah was the same word for word in the dead sea scrolls and the next oldest copy in existence. Some 1100 years apart. And both hand written.

Leaon Mary said...

Oh Edie I love that you were able to see all this, and thank you for sharing it here! It's incredible... and gives me goosebumps. I'm so thankful for the word. Just finished reading in Matthew and I love how Jesus talks about the word revealing the "mysteries of heaven!" ~ ahhhh I want MORE OF IT!
AND WANT TO KNOW HIM MORE!
Love ya... thanks again for sharing this!