Holy Censorship or Mistranslation? Love, Gender and Sexuality in the Bible by K. Renato Lings

Author:K. Renato Lings
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: null
Publisher: HarperCollins India
Published: 2021-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

From these English translations it is impossible to infer that Paul uses the very same expression in two passages. The sex-based approach to para physin in 1:26 is incompatible with 11:24. In the Greek text, however, the overlap in meaning between the two occurrences of para physin is obvious.

Their error

According to the Greek source text of Rom 1:27, the orgiastic, frenzied behaviour in which the males engage, is to be regarded as planē, ‘error’. In other words, they were mistaken. Below is a comparison of how two selected versions render the term.

NJB perversion

NLV sin

In this verse, the ‘perversion’ offered by the NJB implies something immoral, twisted or crooked, which differs from the plain sense of planē. Instead of the correct term, ‘error’, the NLV adopts the word ‘sin’ unnecessarily. Greek has a precise word for sin, namely, hamartia, as in Jn 8:34 (‘slave of sin’), but it is not used in Rom 1.

Censorship or Mistranslation?

This chapter has dealt with a few examples of the mistranslations found in English versions of Rom 1:26–27. No doubt influenced by a long church tradition, translators tend to regard several Greek expressions as referring to same-sex relationships even when they simply describe unconventional behaviour. As the source text is being misrepresented by this process, it is more serious than mistranslation. Indeed, Paul is made to express views he may never have held, and the underlying concerns about idolatry are sidelined. Clearly an element of censorship is at work.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.