{"id":38542,"date":"2020-10-18T23:07:43","date_gmt":"2020-10-19T03:07:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=38542"},"modified":"2020-10-18T23:10:41","modified_gmt":"2020-10-19T03:10:41","slug":"review-of-the-new-testament-a-translation-by-david-bentley-hart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=38542","title":{"rendered":"Review of The New Testament: A Translation by David Bentley Hart"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The New Testament<\/p>\n

A Translation<\/em><\/p>\n

by David Bentley Hart<\/p>\n

Yale University Press, 2017. 577 pages.
\nReview written October 18, 2020, from my own copy.
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

It seems so presumptuous to write a review of The New Testament<\/em>! Rest assured this is a review of this particular translation in order to recommend it to other students of the Bible.<\/p>\n

I was interested in this translation because of reading the author\u2019s book on universalism, That All Shall Be Saved<\/a><\/em>. The translation came first, and I\u2019ve found that many proponents of universalism have an in-depth knowledge of biblical Greek. This author is no exception.<\/p>\n

He does claim to have approached the text without theological bias, admitting that there will always be some, but trying to be faithful to what is written. Here\u2019s a segment from his Introduction:<\/p>\n

I should note that this is not a literary translation of the New Testament, much less a rendering for liturgical use. If it conforms in any degree to any current school of translation theory, it is certainly that of \u201cformal,\u201d rather than \u201cdynamic,\u201d equivalence \u2013 though, in fact, I believe that no translator should entrust his or her choices to the authority of any \u201ctheory\u201d whatsoever. Again and again, I have elected to produce an almost pitilessly literal translation; many of my departures from received practices are simply my efforts to make the original text as visible as possible through the palimpsest of its translation\u2026. Where the Greek of the original is maladroit, broken, or impenetrable (as it is with some consistency in Paul\u2019s letters), so is the English of my translation; where an author has written bad Greek (such as one finds throughout the book of Revelation), I have written bad English.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I\u2019m writing this review after finishing the entire book \u2013 for many months, I\u2019ve read one two-page spread per day as part of my devotions. I may start up again on this, but I will also keep the book on hand for times when I\u2019m curious about how this author renders the original Greek, to get another perspective on a biblical passage and, I think, a clearer idea of how it was written in the original text.<\/p>\n

I have to say that in all my reading of this book, there was one verse that made me cry out in delight at his clear rendering. It was Philippians 2:10-11 \u2013<\/p>\n

So that at the name of Jesus every knee \u2013 of beings heavenly and earthly and subterranean \u2013 should bend, And every tongue gladly confess that Jesus the Anointed is Lord, for the glory of God the Father.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The insertion of the word \u201cgladly\u201d means you can\u2019t pretend this verse means that one day God\u2019s going to force knees to bow.<\/p>\n

But I also enjoyed the many footnotes (Really!) with explanations for why he translated things a certain way. And I especially enjoyed the section at the back titled, \u201cConcluding Scientific Postscript.\u201d It includes some particular notes on the Prologue of John\u2019s Gospel and some details in the Greek that can\u2019t really be expressed in English. Then he includes notes on translating nineteen specific words, beginning with aionios<\/em>, \u201cwhich in most traditional translations is rendered as \u2018eternal\u2019 or \u2018everlasting,\u2019 except in the many instances where such a reading would be nonsensical.\u201d He goes on for several pages about why this is not an appropriate translation, referencing extra-biblical Greek sources as well as the Greek-speaking church fathers, besides giving other reasons for his choices. Of course this is a crucial point for universalists, and he makes a strong case. The second word he looks at in depth is gehenna<\/em>, and he explains why \u201chell\u201d is not an appropriate translation for that. The rest of the words do not apply so particularly to universalism, but it\u2019s all tremendously interesting and enlightening, and gives insight into what the Bible says.<\/p>\n

David Bentley Hart finishes up this volume with these words:<\/p>\n

I do hope this translation will, for many readers, help to cast new light on his or her understanding of the origins and contents of Christian faith. And I repeat my assertion, which may seem slightly incredible, that I have tried not to advance my theological or ideological agenda, but rather to capture in English as much of the suggestiveness and uncertainty and mystery of the original Greek as possible, precisely in order to prevent any prior set of commitments from determining for the reader in advance what it is that the text must<\/em> say (even when it does not).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Why review this book? To let other students of Scripture know about this amazing resource. I hope some of you will seek out a copy to aid in your own study.<\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Nonfiction\/new_testament.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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