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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] hell

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org>
  • To: Rolf Furuli <furuli AT online.no>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] hell
  • Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 12:18:15 +0000

On 18/03/2006 11:30, Rolf Furuli wrote:
Dear Peter,

I will not start a theological discussion in any form, only make a few observations. The Old Testament part of many (I think I am justified in saying "most") modern Bible translations is translated in the light of the New Testament. ...

I am happy to say that the Hebrew Bible translation which I worked on, in common with all such translations sponsored by the United Bible Societies, was specifically intended to be translated in its own right as a work in Hebrew concerning Israelite history and religion, and not in the light of the New Testament. Of course as the translators are Christians they cannot entirely avoid bringing in Christian and New Testament insights. But it was a deliberate policy to avoid this as far as possible, and the UBS Translation Consultant enforced this rigorously.

I would not disagree with the rest of what you write here except for:


... what returns according to the writer of this Psalm, Daniel and other books of the Tanakh is the soul (the very person). Thus, some books of the Tanakh teaches the resurrection of the soul.

It is extremely misleading in these sentences to use the English word "soul". What you mean is the NP$, and as such I agree. But the English word "soul" in itself implies the Greek concept of an immaterial part of the person, not the whole person, which survives death. In this sense the Tanakh teaches nothing at all about the soul, and certainly not its resurrection.

Of course the real problem here is the misleading use of "soul" for NP$ in English Bible translations, based on Greek and Latin translations and patristic theology in which NP$ was misunderstood to refer to the Greek concept of the "soul". But I have indicated to you in the past, I'm not sure about on this list, that one of the worst errors of the New World Translation (which it adopted from KJV or earlier) is its consistent use of "soul" for NP$.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/





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