[B-Greek] re my wooden interlinear translations
Jim West
jwest at highland.net
Fri Nov 4 16:24:25 EST 2005
Dan Gleason wrote:
I just want you all to know that is the way I read the
> Greek text. I read it in painfully literal way - and I do it on purpose
> - for a purpose. ... I do it to emulate Marks style, which appears
> on the surface, at times, to be grotesque.
But the point is, you are not emulating Mark's style. Mark didn't write
grotesque Greek, nor did what he write appear nonsensical to the Greek
reading, thinking, speaking people whom he addressed. And you aren't
emulating Mark's style because Mark didn't write in English. Mark's
Greek is perfectly fine. Sure, it isn't Homer- but he didn't want to be
Homer.
What seems to be going on is that you have a preconception about Mark,
his style, and you cannot, or will not, let it go. Carl hasn't chided
you because he's a mean sort of person (that's really more my forte)-
he's chiding you because you seem so utterly determined to ignore good
suggestions and advice in terms of translating.
You say you are writing a book on Mark. Would you mind sharing a bit
about your background? I always find it useful to know where someone is
coming from- so I can see where they are going. Where did you study
Greek? What's your educational background? And, bluntly, (sorry, I
tend to be so); what are your qualifications for writing a book on Mark?
And, by the way, Carl has written an insightful commentary on Mark,
listed on his website, found in his signature.
Best,
Jim
--
D. Jim West
Biblical Studies Resources - http://web.infoave.net/~jwest
Biblical Theology Weblog - http://biblical-studies.blogspot.com
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