Re: selling greek

Stephen C Carlson (scarlso1@osf1.gmu.edu)
Mon, 18 Mar 1996 14:53:05 -0500 (EST)

Nichael Lynn Cramer wrote:
>At 4:32 PM 16/03/96, D. Peterson wrote:
>>One of the rabbis said:
>>"Reading scripture in translation is like kissing your bride through a veil."
>>
>>I have filed the serial numbers off that and made it slightly less sexist,
>>but I think it expresses the concept quite pithily.
>
>I can't find the source, but a (perhaps) more gender-neutral ;-) statement
>of which I'm quite fond compares the reading of translations to "looking at
>the back of a tapestry".

The analogy that I'm familiar with is that reading a translation is
like watching a black & white television with good reception; reading
it in the original Greek after but a year or two of study is like
watching a color TV with static.

Stephen Carlson

-- 
Stephen C. Carlson, George Mason University School of Law, Patent Track, 4LE
scarlso1@osf1.gmu.edu              : Poetry speaks of aspirations, and songs
http://osf1.gmu.edu/~scarlso1/     : chant the words.  -- Shujing 2.35