Biblical Windows
Part of : Γράμμα : περιοδικό θεωρίας και κριτικής ; Vol.20, 2012, pages 93-104
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93-104
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This paper examines different translations of the Bible from Hebrew, a Semiticlanguage, into Indo-European languages, using the methodology ofroot semantics and focusing on the Hebrew terms translated into Englishas “window”. Analysing the semantics of the roots of the Hebrew terms,we discover that in addition to the concept of “window” as an opening ina wall, they also have varying significations of whiteness, light, prophecy,purity, judgment, cleansing, and blessing. All the Hebrew terms are traversedby the idea of light and purity, and also display different transformationsof the idea of light, meanings which are lost in translation intoIndo-European languages. The theoretical implication is that there are inBiblical Hebrew meanings that never pass to the Indo-European translations,because the Hebrew language is the vehicle of a worldview totallydifferent from that of the Indo-European languages.
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References (1):
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