Joseph Hong's presentations from Bangkok 2016

Extracted text from 2016BKKWkshpBib_Culture1Outline.pdf:

Bible Nature, Culture, Languages, Social Organizations Look at the Bible from the perspectives of study about human beings. Why from a cultural perspective? Understand better the Bible from human viewpoint to do a better translation PNG: Most linguistically & culturally diverse country in the world. For a population of 7-8 million, there are over 800 languages. Highest diversity index: 0.99 Number One. Next are Vanuatu (0.972), Solomon Islands (0.965), then all African countries till No.9 India (0.930). Diversity of languages means diversity of ethnicity, cultures, customs, practices, etc. Diversity not only in languages and cultures, but also in nature, such as species of plants & animals, geography. Diversity of languages = need to communicate and to translate - use of English or the local national language. Why do we have to translate the Bible? = to communicate the Bible message; reading the Bible in a foreign language is not ideal; the faith may not take root in the heart of the reader. Linguistic diversity: A curse or a gift from God? GEN 11.1-9 versus ACT 2 For scientists & linguists: linguo-diversity is comparable to bio-diversity; languages are more diverse near the Equator, just like bio-diversity is stronger near the Equator Why such diversity? Geographical isolation, social isolation due to structure of small bands of hunters-gathers, tribal warfare and constant hostilities between villages preventing contacts Today, extinction of languages is at a rate more alarming than that of species of animals and plants. Minority languages are endangered if not revitalized: spoken & taught to the young, available in print or other media, used in ceremonies, folklore, rituals, songs NAUTRE = Planet Earth created by God, entrusted to the care of humans: avoid over-exploitation With the arrival of agriculture and industry, the nature or planet earth has suffered; deforestation & loss of habitat lead to the extinction of many plants and animals Only humans and their domestic animals & plants can multiply, the rest is crowded out for lack of space; humans and a few species of domesticated animals and plants monopolize the space. Bible contains some messages about care and concern for the nature. DEU 20.19; 22.6 The development of human society from hunting-gathering (foraging) to planting and herding: Echoed by the two sons of Isaac: Esau & Jacob; and by the two sons of Adam & Eve: Abel & Cain. Culture is a central concept in anthropology, encompassing the range of phenomena that are transmitted through social learning in human societies: human behaviors, interactions, language, kinship, gender issues, marriage, art (dance, song, music), ritual, religion, technologies (cooking, food, shelter, clothing, jewelry, material culture), social & political organizations and institutions, mythology, philosophy, value systems, customs & manners, education, etc. GEN 4.17-22; 9.20; 10.9 Early record of human culture SOCIAL ORGANIZATION: The record in OT reflects the development of human society. Basic unit from beginning: family and close relatives, then small band of hunters-gatherers and tribes. The shift from nomadic to sedentary life style happened with the arrival of the domestication of a few plants and animals. The idea of land ownership became important, because of the need for land for plantation and for herding. The history of the ancient people of Israel, their entry into Canaan and the taking of the land echo this development of the importance of land ownership Formation of village, simple settlement close to plantations and domestic animals. Food surplus led to explosion of population, then formation of towns and fortified settlements. NUM 13:17-20 Food surplus allowed some people to have free time & became the elite with special privileges. Some engaged in activities other than procuring food, such as artisans, musicians, keepers of stories & myths, priests, landowners, chiefs, rulers, government officials, kings. Ancient Israels social structure reflects this development. From nomadic tribes to villages, to towns, fortified cities, kingdoms, empires highly developed civilizations. Conflicts, violence, wars: The more ethnically diverse a region is, the more prone it is to conflicts, violence and wars, due to competition for land and resources.

Extracted text from 2016BKKWkshpBib_Culture2Outline.pdf:

Bible - Kinship, Family, Marriage, Rites of Passage, Sexuality, Taboo Ancient Israel: a patriarchal system, presented only descendants along the male line as attested by genealogies recorded in the Bible Some trace of matriarchy in the Bible: as attested by the fact that maternal uncles (brothers of ones mother) hold more authority than the father. E.g. Laban in the story of Jacob. In some societies in PNG, South Asia & South East Asia, it is the maternal uncle who plays a more prominent role than the father. E.g. Khasi people in N-E India. In patriarchy, women have no status, are dependent on their father or brothers, and after marriage on their husbands or sons. The worse is women were treated as objects, possessions, property items. They were treated inhumanely and cruelly, or even criminally, according to todays value system. Story of Noah entering the arch: Wife is listed after sons and before daughters-in-law GEN 6.18. In Nehemiahs time, listed after sons and daughters NEH 4.14. Since women were considered as property, rape was seen as property violation. The victim was not the woman, but the man who owned. So the legal remedy was the transfer of ownership
the rapist was required to pay a bride price, the woman became his property. DEU 22.28-29a In this light we can understand the stories: Lot and his 2 daughters, the Levite and his concubine in JDG 19, the way Amnon treated his half-sister Tamar 2SA 13.14-15.

KINSHIP: Strong kinship system in the middle east and family solidarity in a pastoral, nomadic society: E.g. Abraham helped his nephew Lot; Jacob fled to his uncle Laban Matrimonial system: endogamy is more common than exogamy to maintain ethnic / blood purity and to safeguard ancestral faith against foreign religion. EZR 9-10 Prohibition of intermarriage with foreigners (wives). King Ahab of Israel married Philistine (Sidonian) princess Jezebel and misled the whole kingdom into idolatry. 1KI 16.30-31 In the creation story the ideal is monogamy one husband and one wife. In reality, as soon as there is record, it is polygamy (polygyny) one man marrying more than one wife. GEN 25.1: 26.34: 28.9 Jacob had 4 wives probably inspired the Muslims that it is permitted to have up to 4 wives. In history, the elite (men) with wealth and authority usually were / are polygynous. Ancient Israel is no exception. Kings might need to marry foreign princesses for political purpose. About King David 2SA 5.13; about King Solomon 1KI 11.1-3. This is not to justify polygamy; but we need to put the OT narrative in its historical and cultural context and perspective.  The only case in ancient Israel is serial fraternal polyandry, in the case of a mans death without offspring, his another brother had to marry the widowed sister-in-law. Still practiced in Jesus time (MAT 22.24-28: The levirate in the Laws of Moses). Bride price: The groom or his family has to pay a handsome price or gifts to the brides family - common in agricultural and pastoralist societies. E.g. Jacob worked 7 years to get one wife. Dowry or groom price: transfer of goods or money from the brides family to the grooms family or to the couple a common practice in farming societies. 1KI 9.16 RITE of PASSAGE: to mark different stages in ones life, important and necessary (imperative) in many ethnic groups and cultures. Example in OT: circumcision as a religious rite, a ceremony to seal an alliance with God in the flesh. GEN 17.10-11 First time mentioned as a solemn request by God in a covenant with Abram. Might originate in ancient Egypt, since Abram spent some time in Egypt. The Egyptian elite and the priests practiced circumcision, as attested on some bas-relief. They might be inspired by the Nubians and Africans who practiced it since time immemorial. NT: Baptism, originally as a rite of purification prescribed by the Laws of Moses, now took on the symbol of repentance and remission of sins. The ruins of cisterns and pools in Qumran attest the practice of ritual washing in Jesus time. Modern rites of passage: baptism, confirmation, bar-mitzvah, hajj (pilgrimage) The regulations of the Nazirite in NUM 6, are also rites of passage for the purpose of ones consecration. Here the notion of taboo is strong. Taboo comes from Polynesian language tapu forbidden, restricted. In some of todays Pacific languages, the word is used to denote holy, sacred te Tohi Tapu = the Hoy Bible Taboo mostly has to do with food, land, period of time and sexuality, particularly incest. The Laws of Moses devote a large part to taboo and sexuality, to regulate. From time immemorial, people found out that incest and consanguinity lead to degeneration and hereditary defects. First record in Bible: GEN 19.30-38; prohibited in LEV 18 & 20 Other major concerns about purity menstruations, hemorrhage, night emission, sexual intercourse, postpartum emission, etc. Food taboo in the OT: LEV 11 & DEU 14; blood, strangled animals and offerings sacrificed to idol in the NT: Acts 15.20 Land taboo: Eden after expulsion of Adam & Eve; the burning bush; the Holy and the Most Holy in the temple; cities of refuge

Extracted text from 2016BKKWkshpBib_Culture3Outline.pdf:

Bible - Belief Systems, Oral / Written Traditions, Myths, Songs & Folklore Religion refers to a belief system well established, organized, a system of norms & values founded on a belief in a superhuman order, a consciousness of supernatural powers or beings. Early humans perceive natural phenomena as manifestation of supernatural powers, superhuman order. Sun, moon, stars, rain, thunder, lightning, river, mountains, etc. were perceived as having a spirit animism. Religiosity, spirituality are seen as genetically programmed in human. Even atheists believe in something. Man needs meaning in life, solace, being free from uncertainty and anxiety. Modern ideologies are no less religions called the natural-law religions, such as liberalism, Marxism, communism, capitalism, nationalism, Nazism, founded on belief in superhuman order.

Belief in spirits shamanism. Besides, there are sorcerers (sorcery), witches & wizards (witchcraft), magicians, voodoos, which are part of human belief systems. Voodoos in Africa also play the role of doctors. In pre-modern societies, witchcraft and medicine belong to same domain. Voodoos use plants, animal body parts as agents in healing or magic. Folk medicine, especially plant therapy, is common in many cultures: Chinese, South East Asians, Pacific islanders use extensively plants to treat ailments, diseases, sicknesses. The Bible condemns repeatedly people such as sorcerers, witches and magicians, and presents them as acting on behalf of the evil and against God. EXO 7.11-12. The dead are widely perceived as still having their spirit in existence. The Bible condemns people who resort to the device and service of mediums. 1SA 28.7-11 Roles similar to shamans and played in formal belief systems are: priests, priestesses, Levites in OT, rabbi in Judaism, priests, bishops, pastors in Christianity, imam in Islam. Whole chapters in Pentateuch are devoted to the description of priests and Levites. There are passages in NT about church elders, deacons and overseers (epscopos / bishops, 1TI 3.1-7). The Bible also mentions about other beings than humans and God angels, sons of God or heavenly beings (GEN 6.1-4; JOB 1.6; 2.1). The Bible reveals an understanding of the cosmology and cosmogony that does not match todays science. Such as the earth is flat, around which circulate heavenly bodies. MYTHS: Ancient peoples had high & low level deities gods and goddesses in charge of different phenomena & human activities. They have passions, feelings, weaknesses; need to be pleased, invoked, as they have some power & influence on humans. Hence sacrifices to gods as liturgy. Polytheists tend to be inclusive, open to syncretism, not to condemn heretics and infidels. The Romans persecuted the Christians for their refusal to worship emperors threatened authorities.  Monotheism might not necessarily start with Judaism. Anthropologists think that monotheism might have started with the worship of Aten by Pharaoh Akhenaten (1353-1336 BC) in Egypt. Clear statement of a belief in one, exclusive, unique God in OT: DEU 6.4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. This underlines, emphasizes the uniqueness of the God of Israel. Beside polytheism and monotheism, there is also dualism, the belief in two equal forces and the battle between good and evil, sharp distinction between body & soul, matter & spirit. Monotheism (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) has also some dualistic concepts and dichotomies, so as to explain the existence of evil. Otherwise it is difficult to admit that there is only one God who is good. Belief in heaven and hell is also dualist in origin. There are mythical elements in the Bible. OT: Sea monsters such as Leviathan, Tannin, Behemoth, Rahab, Lilith. NT: Dragon Folklore encompasses tales, myths, legends of a particular culture. In ancient times, these were recited from memory and sung in songs, especially before the invention of writing. These songs were in poetry for the sake of easy memorization & recitation. Thats why poetry contains many specific features to aid memorization, such as acrostics, parallelism, assonance, alliteration. There are many songs in the form of poetry in the Bible, like the Songs of Moses & Myriam after crossing the Red Sea (EXO 15), Davids Song of the Bow, a lament sung to mourn for Saul and Jonathan (2SA 1.19-27), the Book of Psalms, the Song of Songs. Songs, folktales, myths, legendary stories, wisdom sayings constitute a peoples cultural heritage; if lost, it would be a loss of identity for that people. So it is essential to record them down. Writing was needed and invented not for recording folklore, which remained for a long time oral and ascribed to memory. Writing was invented because of the need to record accounting of harvest, commerce, trade, properties, contracts, treaties, administration. The need for accurate record became more acute as human population increased and congregated, as agriculture and economy developed and legal matters arose. We can be fairly certain that the Pentateuch were first passed down by oral tradition for many centuries by the ancient Hebrews, i.e. by memorization & recitation from generation to generation, then recorded and written down separately in bits and pieces, and were only later assembled, compiled, edited in writing. Systematic editing and recording took place most likely during the twin-kingdoms first temple period. Thus occurred the transition from oral tradition to written tradition of the sacred text.

Extracted text from 2016BKKWkshpGodNames_OtherKeyTerms.pdf:

Translating the names of God and other special terms
Translating the names of God : An important and serious matter in Bible translating All Bible translators have to deal with this matter: This issue can be very difficult to tackle for some languages and can be even divisive UBS Triennial Workshop in May 1991, Zimbabwe: Theme Translating the Names of God & a number of articles were presented In the previous year 1990 in Singapore, I had already presented an article entitled The Translation of the Names of God into the South Pacific Languages , to the Asia Pacific Regional Translation Consultation Statement by the Names of God Study Group, UBS Triennial Workshop at Victoria Falls, 1991 = NT: God (Theos) & Lord (Kurios) = OT: God (El, Elohim), YHWH, Lord (Adonai) = Theos in Greek & El / Elohim in Hebrew: generic terms, also used to refer to pagan gods = Kurios and adonai can both refer even to human beings = YHWH the Tetragrammaton: really serious translational problem with the name YHWH for the God of Israel. It is a proper name = It has a meaning, even explicitly stated in EXO 3.14-15. Its exact pronunciation is still uncertain

Possible Solutions (1) Transliterate / Transcribe phonetically = YHWH: Scholars generally believes that the original pronunciation may be Yahweh . = Jehovah and its other forms of similar pronunciation in other languages have become an established tradition for many bible versions, are even retained in recent revised versions, though they are to be avoided and no new translation follows the model of Jehovah . = Jehovah dates back to the second half of the 16th century and early 17th century, with the Spanish translations of Reina (1569) and of Valera (1602), then in the English King James Version (1611). (2) Translate by the term Lord
= This is to follow the model of Septuagint = This is also to follow the practice of the Jews who avoid pronouncing YHWH and replace it always by Adonai meaning the Lord . = However, this solution has the disadvantage of making no distinction between the rendering of the Hebrew word adonai for lord and that of YHWH. = Some versions adopt the solution of rendering YHWH by LORD and Adonai by Lord , but this practice of font use makes no difference in reading. = Furthermore, there are over 300 occurrences of the doublet expression YHWH Adonai . It is impossible to render LORD Lord . = Some translations opt for rendering YHWH Adonai by LORD God. But there are six occurrences (PSA 38.16; 86.12; 98.17; DAN 9.3,9,15) of Adonai Elohim ; their rendering by Lord God makes no difference, when read orally, from LORD God (YHWH Adonai). (3) Translate the meaning of YHWH, e.g., the One who is , the One who exists , the Eternal
(4) Use a name from target language with suitable meaning.

Arguments for rendering YHWH as such = This is a proper name, a personal name of God and it should be rendered as such. Personal name should not be translated, but rather be transliterated or transcribed. = If the root YH of the name is preserved, it may serve as a link to other names and words containing this root.

Arguments for rendering YHWH as Lord
= This name has a meaning (EXO 3.14-15) and it is not just a cluster of consonants and vowels. Its meaning indicates the nature of God. = The Septuagint provides an example of rendering by Lord . = This Lord in OT provides link to Lord in NT = Since the biblical text becomes canonical, YHWH is never read and is always substituted by Lord. = It is out of respect for the Jews who never pronounce this name nor transliterate it.

YHWH Sebaot = The expressions YHWH Sebaot occur 284 times, mostly in the prophet books. = Gods kingship is highlighted here. God is portrayed as a heavenly king who reigns over the universe, upon the council of heavenly beings (JOB 1 / PSA 82) = Lord of hosts / armies , almighty / all powerful Lord

El / El Shaddai = Hebrew word for God El as God of the fathers and is used in combination with some other words to refer to God = El Shaddai is one of them (7 times) or only the word Shaddai (mostly JOB) occurs 48 times. = A very ancient expression, probably dating back to before when Israelites ancestors lived in Palestine. = LXX renders by Pantokratr (Ruler of all) = Shaddai sdd: destroy, or ikanos = the one who is sufficient, or sadu in Accadian = mountain = El Shaddai = Almight or all-powerful God

El Elyon / Elohim olam = The first expression occurs 9 times, meaning God most high
= The second expression occurs 4 times, meaning God eternal
= A variant expression El olam occurs once: GEN 21.33 = Also with the same meaning God eternal

Jesus Christ (152 times) needs to be translated differently from Christ Jesus (92 times, basically in Pauline Epistles). Son of Man if rendered literally may need a footnote to clarify its meaning: synonym of human being, stressing humility and future glorification (LUK 9.58; MAT 25.31; MRK 8.38) Key Terms, Special Terms Terms such as Leviathan, Rahab, Thannin, Lilith may be rendered literally as proper names and supplied with footnotes or included in a glossary to explain their meanings and connotations. The Greek term drakn has been a controversial matter for translating the Chinese bible.  Absolute need of consistent orthography when rendered phonetically The Mini Dictionary for the Bible , found at the end of various editions of CEV, either arranged alphabetically or semantically, can serve as a model for glossary. Another model is the Word List found at the end of various Good News Bible editions. The one found at the end of the Good News Study Bible contains 269 entries. Such glossary may contain words not necessary from the Bible text, but may help reader understand the history of the transmission of the Bible text, e.g. Septuagint, DSS, Masoretic Text