The translation of <i>biblion</i> and <i>biblos</i> in the light of oral and scribal practice

Abstract

The Bible was composed both by way of oral tradition and by scribal activity. Various descriptions exist of the development and relationship of the dominant forms of orality and scribal tradition throughout the history of media culture. Utilising the insights of, and debate on, the field of Biblical Performance Criticism, this article argues for an articulated description of the interrelationship of oral and written. The article argues that these two aspects cannot be absolutely separated, either chronologically or in terms of importance, neither can they be ignored as part of a coherent model to depict the media history of the Bible. In the light of this model the article discusses the interpretation and translation of the words βιβλίον and βίβλος, which are sometimes misunderstood and mistranslated, because of a failure to understand the process of committing the oral biblical tradition to a preferred writing medium.

Emergence of the Tyndale–King James Version tradition in English Bible translation

“…Our approach to translation goes far beyond the realm of a written text and applies to hearing-dominant communication (before book printing in the 15th century CE in the West) as well as text-dominant communication (since book printing) (Naudé & Miller-Naudé 2016). The history of English Bible translation spans both and its continuing tradition of revising and retranslation over centuries is ideal to demonstrate the complex nature of the translation process.…”

“…The incipient texts (Hebrew Bible or Old Testament and Greek New Testament as well as the deuterocanonical books [or Apocrypha]) are conceptualised in the context of hearingdominant communication, which implies that texts are internalised but also written down by scribes for archives and libraries to serve as reference points for recitation and memorisation of the tradition (Naudé 2021a:191;Naudé & Miller-Naudé 2016). In oral-aural and written communication, typified as verbal interpretive culture, the scribes were capable of reading and writing with the implication that there was no need for common people or elites to become literate to function.…”

The Revised Standard Version (1952) and its revisions as a linear emergence of the Tyndale–King James Version tradition

“…Sixthly, although Bible translation is still text-dominant communication, there was a move from print communication, which can be typified as typographic interpretive culture, to electronic or media communication, which can be typified as digital-media interpretive culture (Naudé & Miller-Naudé 2016). The development of digital technology has had dramatic effects on media culture with the increasing (and now widespread) use of the Internet (see the 2013 statistics for the USA with 98% Internet connectivity in Exploring the digital nation: America's emerging online experience 2013:1).…”

“…Western world (Naudé 2005a;Naudé & Miller-Naudé 2016;Orlinsky & Bratcher 1991:29-154). This is the context for the emergence of the English Bible in modern English associated with William Tyndale (ca.…”

Alternative revisions of the American Standard Version (1901) and retranslations within the Tyndale–King James Version tradition

“…This essay provides a historical narrative of these alternative revisions of the ASV (1901), as well as of retranslations within the Tyndale-King James Version tradition in the great age of Bible translation that began after World War II (Naudé 2005;Naudé & Miller-Naudé 2016;Orlinsky & Bratcher In this essay, we demonstrate that in addition to the Revised Standard Version and its revisions as part of the linear emergence of the Tyndale-King James Version tradition in the 20th and 21st centuries, there are also alternative revisions and retranslations of the King James Version (KJV) of 1611 as literal or word-for-word translations, which emerge as divergent branches. The revisions of the American Standard Version (ASV) (1901) emerged in the following branches, namely the New American Standard Bible (NASB) and its revisions, The Amplified http://www.hts.org.za Open Access 1991:29-154).…”