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Biblical Translation in Historical Context

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Biblical Translation in Historical Context On Indigenous Agency Bible Translation in Historical Context The Changing Role of Cross-Cultural Workers by Gilles Gravelle 1. Introduction he cross-cultural transmission of God’s Word into new languages and cultures began, as Andrew Walls points out, in the third century T B.C. when the Jewish Bible was translated into the Greek language, and, we might add, into Greek conceptual schemes. Then it was communicated cross-culturally, so to speak, when Jesus the Logos came in human form to live among people and tell them in the Aramaic language things He received from the Father. Following that, the gospel made a cross-cultural quantum leap into the known world on the day of Pentecost when a group of Jesus’ Jewish dis- ciples began telling of the wonders of God’s works in possibly a couple hundred languages. The Holy Spirit was establishing His universal church by means of cross-cultural transfer. This latter event illustrated a future practice when lin- guistic outsiders would communicate Scripture by means of the local language rather than their own language. This has been the pattern for over 2,000 years, but mostly so only during the last 200 years. The gospel is introduced by mis- sionaries (linguistic and cultural outsiders) to live in new linguistic and cultural contexts. But the process of transmission is not complete at that stage. Cross-cultural transmission usually takes place in partially assimilated ways.1 If we believe the ultimate goal of mission is to make Christ live in new languages and cultures then it cannot end with cross-cultural transmission. Bible transla- tion is only an activity that helps achieve that aim. The final stage of transmis- sion would be the indigenizing stage when the people fully grasp the nature of Gilles Gravelle, Ph.D., is the Director Christ as prophet, priest and king, the one who holds the universe in balance, of Research and Project Development c with The Seed Company, a U.S. placates God’s wrath, provides ultimate peace and delivers people from evil. affiliate organization of Wycliffe Bible That, it seems, is the point where the gospel has completed its migration into a Translators. He researches, writes, nation of people. and speaks on mission strategies in regard to Bible translation work, with First, we will briefly review what has been accomplished during the last 2,000 special emphasis on emerging models of Bible translation practice and years to gain a fresh understanding of the cross-cultural workers’ role in Bible global partnerships. translation. Next, we will examine how the practice and process of Bible cInternational Journal of Frontier Missiology 27:1 Spring 2010•11 12 Bible Translation in Historical Context: The Changing Role of Cross-Cultural Workers translation may look quite differ- the sort of church that was first mod- first in the colonial languages and then ent during the indigenizing stage of eled in Antioch. This possibly reveals eventually in the local languages. Then translation. Then in light of that, we a nearness to that great culminating by the mid-twentieth century, growth will discuss what may need to change event as described in Revelation 7:9.2 in cross-cultural Bible translation work in order for the cross-cultural workers began to accelerate with the emergence The illustration below shows how, in Bible translation to more effectively of parachurch volunteer organizations. after the Chalcedon split in 451 A.D., make Christ known among unreached Their mission was to provide the New the cross-cultural transmission of the peoples, train leaders and nurture sus- Testament and some Old Testament gospel took on more of a mono-cul- tainable movements among Muslim, portions in the local languages, par- tural perspective. That is, the messen- Hindu, Buddhist and tribal cultures. ticularly in places where the people gers no longer typically communicated groups had no access to Scripture. 2. The Stages of Bible the message using the local language Translation as a Process of and culture of the people they meant to Because of this largely Western cross- reach. Instead, they communicated the cultural mission effort in Bible transla- Incarnation gospel through their own language and tion, approximately: Scripture reveals that from the begin- cultural worldview. 451 languages have complete ning of time it has been God’s plan Bibles to create diverse peoples, nations, 1,185 languages have complete tribes and languages. Humanity’s After the New Testaments migration from the Garden of Eden to the uttermost parts of the earth Chalcedon split in 843 languages have some Bible portions has resulted in more people speaking 451 A.D., the cross- more languages within more unique Therefore, of the world’s 6,900+ cultural and national settings. God is cultural transmission languages, 2,479 have some or all of working to bring this diversification the Bible. And because many of these of people, languages and nations to a of the gospel took on translations were done in large lan- culmination in heaven. On that day a more of a mono-cultural guage groups, about 94 percent of the great multitude that no one can count, world’s population have some Scripture from every nation, tribe, people and perspective. in their language, with a full Bible language, will be standing before the in the largest languages. Remaining throne of the Lamb worshipping God language translation needs stand at 3 for their salvation. Then in 1793 William Carey, a British about 2,200 languages. It is clear to missionary living in India, established see that the cross-cultural transmission The transmission of God’s Word the practice of cross-cultural transmis- of God’s Word over the past 200 years through Bible translation could be seen sion by translating the scriptures into has resulted in the injection of biblical as a process of incarnation in that each the local languages. This was followed information into many of the world’s stage or period of translation work by the establishment of the Bible languages and cultures. resulted in a better understanding of Societies, beginning with the British African theologian Lamin Sanneh the Word. and Foreign Bible Society in 1804. expresses great appreciation for the Their mission was to provide the Bible To understand the ongoing role of dedication and sacrificial efforts of for people living in pagan nations, at cross-cultural workers in Bible trans- Western cross-cultural translators in lation, it is helpful to review where accomplishing so much. However, he we are in God’s redemptive history. c Figure 1: The cross-cultural transmission does not view the transmission of the Although the history is linear in that of the gospel in history. gospel during the last 200 years as it has a beginning and an end, the complete. Instead, he suggests that it circular chart below reveals how the 21st century Pentecost (33) laid a solid foundation for the struc- diversification process has proceeded multi-cultural and multi-cultural and tural shift from Western translation universal church universal church for two millennia. It shows how the work to indigenous translation work.4 Church was launched through multi- Indeed, Hwa Jung believes the process cultural and multi-lingual means. of transmission is not complete until Following that, it went monolingual Indigenous Period Chalcedon (451) the translation takes into account the and mono-cultural for a long time. (late 20th century) West/East split- deeper and more meaningful history Next, it broadly expanded by means of mono-cultural and culture of the people. a cross-cultural stage. Now, during this current indigenous stage, this spread- Modern mission There are signs that a shift from (1793) cross-cultural Western cross-cultural translation ing of the gospel has come full circle to translation International Journal of Frontier Missiology Gilles Gravelle 13 work to indigenous translation work ow the translation periphery is becoming the is occuring. Andrew Walls explains how Christian history shows advance translation heartland as the indigenizing and recession. “The recession process increases. typically takes place in the Christian N heartlands, in the areas of the great- translators. However, they are not 2.1 The Mono-Cultural Stage est Christian strengths and influences, doing it alone. A mark of twenty-first Translation practice carried out by while the advances typically take century mission is greater global part- cross-cultural translators during the 5 place at or beyond the periphery.” So nership efforts. This will be discussed mono-cultural stage adhered closely eventually the periphery becomes the further in another section. to Greek and Hebrew structures, Christian heartland and the heartland All of this seems to indicate that the terms and mental frameworks, so of old becomes the new periphery in 200-year period of largely Western it was mono-cultural in this sense. serial fashion. and cross-cultural Bible translation Therefore, it was necessary for the There is evidence that this is indeed work begun by William Carey and people receiving the translation to the case. Many now view Africa, others is quickly coming to an end. understand the structure of the source with approximately 45 percent of its Now the translation periphery is language. They also had to grapple population being Christian, as the new becoming the translation heartland with the conceptual understanding of Christian heartland, or the center of as the indigenizing process increases. the source language words in order to Christianity, as some put it. Morever, If the new translators are now the make sense of their own translations. Africans, along with Asians and Latin mother-tongue speakers, how does Naturally, mostly the pastors with Americans, are becoming the new this affect the process and practice of extensive libraries were able to decode cross-cultural missionaries bringing translation? And if this is indeed the the meaning most accurately.
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