Interpretation

What goes into the process of interpretation? Today as I got out of the car I almost uttered the words "Thanks for waiting for me!" Fortunately I did not. As some of you might know, those words by themselves do not indicate whether my companions waited for me or not. They could easily indicate that they had already headed for the store and the bargains waiting inside. They could just as easily express my genuine satisfaction at seeing them waiting for me to get out of the car to walk inside together. Interpretation is not merely a series of words, but a series of words within a greater context of words.

What does this have to do with the Bible? Well as I begin to prepare for a message on January 3, 2010 I am convinced that the context is incredibly important. What is the passage? It is the Haustafeln or Household Code found in Ephesians 5.22-6:9. Historically it has been looked at as a unit that is derived from other ancient instructions on how a household should run, specifically in this case a Christian household. So what is the problem?

The problem is that the section seems out of place. It follows a segment that discusses "evil days", "drunkenness", "foolishness", and singing songs of thankfulness. Either "Paul" is able to spin his audience's heads on a dime or there is some connection. But how often is this passage, especially "wives to your own men" interpreted outside of a context, usually modern, that limits its understanding to behavior within a household???

As I have been studying Paul in other writings, I am more impressed with the rhetorical method used than the actual words. It is common to find a general statement (sometimes called a principle) followed by specific statements (referred to as applications). I find it more helpful to think of it in terms of a point and an example or series of examples. If this is the case, then the passage becomes exceedingly clear.

Ephesians 5.21 states "Submit yourselves to each other in the fear of Christ." While the verb "submit" is technically a participle (a verbal noun) and not an imperative (verbal command) it is generally translated as a command. The problem follows because 5.22 quoted above as "wives to your own men" doesn't possess a verb.

What if Paul is using the household code as the example for how to actually submit to one another? It would be simple to explain to the members of society accustomed to submission: wives, children, slaves. But how would one explain this Christian (in the fear of Christ) submission to those accustomed to lording it over others: husband, father, master?

What if Paul's language of love is actually the example of how a husband submits to a wife? What if it is in dying that submission is actually seen? Is it really possible that a Christian husband, father, master could actually demonstrate his life in Christ by imitating Christ? Is Christ's death submission to the will of God? Is our male death submission to the will of God?

Would an appropriate interpretation of this passage within the context of Ephesians matter to the world in which we live today? It gives one room to ponder.

Translation Theorizing

I've been listening to some recordings of lectures by Raymond Brown on the Gospel of John as I drive back and forth to Wichita.  He is speaking to a group in England and raises the issue of translation.  As one of the preeminent scholars on John's Gospel in the 1960's through the 1980's, Brown is quite qualified to discuss biblical translation theory.  However, he doesn't discuss the theories behind translating a text in Greek to produce a text in English or some other language. Rather, he introduces the term to discuss the communication of cultural events and understanding from one culture to another in a contemporary time and place.

This concept intrigues me. I will admit that most of my studies and teachings are focused on contextualizing the Bible, putting the text in its original culture and language to my best ability.  However, the real issue that prevents the Bible from having an impact on the culture of America is our inability to translate it.  Currently the American generations extend from those who experienced Pearl Harbor to one that didn't experience 9/11/01.  Each generation has its own culture.  Those who grew up during the 50's differ from those who grew up during the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's.  The values and beliefs of each generation are different; and when separated by a decade they are remarkable different.

The difficulty of having an impact on a distinct generation rests in our skill in translation.  Only when the Bible teacher can translate the meaning he or she finds in the biblical text into words, figures, examples, and ideas that another generation can understand will the Bible's message be proclaimed effectively.  

My question is, "how much time do I spend working on my translations?"