tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9864334.post116519742965045756..comments2023-10-24T05:49:04.269-04:00Comments on The Chaliceblog: Season's Greetings from Linguist Friend: "Peace on Earth, Goodwill to men"Chalicechickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07781469958573869914noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9864334.post-1165292142813256452006-12-04T23:15:00.000-05:002006-12-04T23:15:00.000-05:00I've responded at length over on The Socinian.I've responded at length over on <A HREF="http://socinian.blogspot.com/2006/12/that-glorious-song-of-old.html" REL="nofollow">The Socinian</A>.faustohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08858053354116695746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9864334.post-1165272212083978112006-12-04T17:43:00.000-05:002006-12-04T17:43:00.000-05:00Oops, I should have written "Schulz" without a "t"...Oops, I should have written "Schulz" without a "t". The reference for Schulz is to his article in the winter 2006 "UU World", with other references there. The reference for Hannah Arendt is to her book on the trial of Adolf Eichmann, discussion of which takes 51 pages in the wonderful biography of her by Elisabeth Young-Bruehl. <BR/> LinguistFriendLinguistFriendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02695715246663202212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9864334.post-1165251775854429462006-12-04T12:02:00.000-05:002006-12-04T12:02:00.000-05:00Thank you, Kit. How we translate does intrigue me;...Thank you, Kit. How we translate does intrigue me; I wrote an undergrad thesis about how a Russian poet translated French poetry, and a doctoral dissertation based on Old Church Slavic translations of Greek religious literature. Those studies focussed on formal aspects of the texts (style and grammar), but what you say about content and interpretation has considerable truth, I think. The phrase "men of (God's) pleasure" in Luke 2:14 certainly referred to Jews as covenanted to God in its earlier use in Hebrew and Aramaic, but just as certainly it was reinterpreted in Greek to refer to themselves by Christians who considered that they had succeeded Jews as the covenanted people. Good biblical commentaries help a lot to sort those things out, apart from translations.<BR/> I am not certain that it is meaningful to talk about humans as is; they are made how they are by specific cultures and gene-pools.<BR/>That is a different issue from a general professional and personal stance of acceptance of people as they are, which is for most purposes probably a wise and uniquely practical one. <BR/> Of course, some of us are monsters, but Bill Schultz has rediscovered Hannah Arendt's <BR/>observation of the banality of most perpetrators of cruelty. That will be a long discussion. <BR/> I hope that the long afterprocess of the death in your congregation goes well. <BR/> LinguistFriendLinguistFriendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02695715246663202212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9864334.post-1165249742612746852006-12-04T11:29:00.000-05:002006-12-04T11:29:00.000-05:00Nice post, LF. I can't help but wonder how religi...Nice post, LF. I can't help but wonder how religious traditions would be different if there existed accurate, original language translations of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures.<BR/><BR/>Maybe not much. We all seem to put our own translation and exegesis onto whatever we read, shaping it to fit our own needs.<BR/><BR/>Given this seemingly immutable trait in human nature, perhaps it's the way it's s'posed to be. Perhaps we are not wrong to do it. Perhaps we are simply acting according to our true nature, like an eagle with its prey.<BR/><BR/>I don't have an answer, but the idea that human beings are okay as is (though we must curb our natural impulses in many ways to avoid hurting others) is something that has been with me for a long time.Lilylouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02328027965155428624noreply@blogger.com