Recently, we've got a new translation of The Bible. This happens every 20-30 year or so. The purpose is to bring the old book closer to contemporary language, and make it easier to read.
Most important, in this respect, was probably the German translation by Martin Luther, and subsequent translations to all other languages. In 1517, Martin Luther nailed up his 95 theses on the church-wall in Wittenberg. He argued that for most people, it would be more useful to read the Bible in their own language, rather than in Latin, which they didn't understand.
This sounds like a reasonable argument, but the Pope got pissed and didn't agree. That's hardly a surprise. The Pope is always against any kind of change.
Back to our new translation of The Bible: One of the most remarkable changes is that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is not a virgin anymore. In the new translation, "virgin" has been replaced by "young woman".
(I don't speak Hebrew, but I suspect that "virgin" and "young woman" translate to the same word in Hebrew, more or less.)
This is good news. I never believed in the virgin-story, and I've been arguing against it ever since elementary school.
When I was a kid, we had a Christian school system, and Christianity class had a preaching purpose. Most teachers were pragmatic about this, but in 3rd grade, we had a teacher who was very serious about the preaching. Our first conflict came up when I refused to believe in the Original Sin. I refused to believe my little baby brother was a sinner.
She got angry and yelled at me. Actually, she said that she wasn't angry, but God was:
"GOD IS ANGRY WITH YOU ... MWUUHAAHAAH ... YOU LITTLE HEATHEN."
This was kind of scary, of course, for a nine year old boy. After a couple of days, however, I realized that nothing happened, and nothing was going to happen. God was probably too busy to punish me, or maybe he just forgot. He's known to be a revengeful God.
Anyway, I never worried about God's anger ever since.
Later, when we learnt about the Virginborn, I immediately rejected it as a rediculous idea. The older kids in the street had explained to me how babies are made. They even showed examples, in some magazines they had hidden in a buried metal case.
I supposed that Jesus had been made in the same way.
Now it's nice to see that even the bible translators rewrite the virgin story. Maybe God is angry with them? At least the Pope is >:)
By the way, here's a great song: The Virginborn by Gorgoroth. If you like slow and doomy old-school black metal, you should click on the link. If not, don't do it; God may get angry with you >:D
(That's little-boy Jesus and his mother, the young woman Mary in the picture. I took it in Kotor, Montenegro last summer, when she was still assumed to be a virgin.)
I went to Buddhist school. Some of the "nuns" could be mean too. Luckily we weren't afraid of Buddha's punishment.
ReplyDeleteMy Darcy Vibrates…
I was the same way in Catholic elementary school--challenged just about everything and the nuns and priests didn't like it so much. So, I wonder if these Bible revisions are why some wording of certain prayers said in the Catholic churches are also changing? My kids go to Catholic school and they are learning the newly printed words, but they can't really tell me why. There you go -- that's the Church for you, right there. ;)
ReplyDelete(I tell them not to worry about it. Church should have no bearing on how one prays, anyway.) ;)
More for them to memorize, though!
I was also the same way when I was at a catholic school. But I don't think anyone ever said God was angry at me. It is nice to know that they changed that, even if it makes God angry. :)
ReplyDeleteThankfully, I went to public schools growing up. They don't allow God's punishment there, but it's not really needed. Just going to public school was horrible enough.
ReplyDeleteI didn't sit all the way through the song 8 minutes!?!), but I listened to enough to make me reminisce my high school days...
i think the lutherans have always thought mary wasn't a virgin, at least that's what a lutheran friend of mine explained when i asked her what was the deal with being a lutheran. so the pope was probably annoyed with martin luther for a number of reasons. i could be totally wrong though, as i have had no formal religious training whatsoever. i just pick stuff up here and there. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat information in this post!
ReplyDeleteEnid: Buddha is nice and peaceful >:)
ReplyDeleteJayne: Priests and Christianity teachers need to be challenged, all the time. Prayers have changed here as well. The wording of Pater Noster is not the same as when I was a kid (I don't pray, so no problem for me)
Kelley: Our school system has changed alot since my childhood. Protests from the growing number of Muslim imigrants, and humanist organizations were important drivers.
Nessa: I went to public school too. This was what our public school system was like in the past. It was an effective system for turning kids into Atheists and Satanists. Hope you enjoyed the song >:)
id: Yes, the Pope was annoyed with Martin Luther for several reasons. For instance, Luther didn't accept that you could pay (to the Catholic Church) to get forgiveness for your sins. This was an important source of money for the church.
Romance Reader: Thanks >:)
Lots of the hebrew and aramaic has been mis-translated.
ReplyDeleteNot raised catholic but episcopalian. I had the same problems though very early on. original sin? just born babies tainted and sinful? virgin birth? dead and risen god? not an original idea btw, the dead and risen god is very old. in the end the one I really could not accept was the concept of the loving god who condemned you to eternal fire and suffering if you believed anything different. Live a good, peaceful, compassionate life but don't believe in the divinity of Jesus? Lake of fire for you buddy.
I am agnostic, not that that has any bearing on your post.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting blog, I'll come back and read a few more posts.
ellen: I think there are different ways to translate the Bible. I've heard of 3 different approaches: (1) staying as close as possible to the original text, (2) staying as close as possible to contemporary language and (3) special-purpose traslations, e.g. bibles for kids. Regarding the concepts and doctrines of Christianity, I'm in the same boat as you.
ReplyDeleteFriko: I probably started as agnostic too, and made up my mind and became atheist. Please read as many post as you like. Hope you enjoy them. However, looking back on my old posts, I'm not always proud of them >:)
Lots in this post to comment on!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to be able to read all of the Holy Texts in their original language - that way I could make up my own mind about what is and isn't there.
My Mom was brought up in an orphanage run by "Christian" nuns...well, there wasn't much Christian charity in those virgin mothers.
And I suggest that any fundamentalist religion/religious teacher or leader - from Christianity to Zoroastrianism - who says to a little boy that "God is angry with you" should be vigorously challenged.
Judy, South Africa
My understanding--passed by word of mouth, as I am no language or theology scholar, is the Christ story was originally GREEK and the word for Virgin in Greek is ALSO the word for maiden (meaning female-unmarried). That's the story I've believed for quite some time, too--that Mary didn't marry Joseph until AFTER she was pregnant.
ReplyDeleteMan, those harsh teachers need to take a step back. Glad it didn't warp you for life... erm... or maybe it did, but you seem to have come through it in any case...
I never understood Genesis. If Adam & Eve were the only people on Earth, and Cain & Able went out and 'begot' wives, where did the wives come from?
ReplyDeleteI´m glad I have found your blog, via one of your comments left at Nessa Roo´s. I am also an atheist who enjoys writing (attacking) religion. Nice post Cold, I look forward to more from you.
ReplyDeleteNice post. Anytime information (bible or whatever) is blocked by someone with power, you know there's going to be trouble!
ReplyDeleteJudy: I don't care if God is angry with me, I've gotten used to it. Regarding the (so-called) Holy texts, there are quite a lot of them, selected among even more options. It would be interesting to know why some texts ended up in the Bible and some didn't.
ReplyDeleteHart: Yes, you're right; The New Testament was originally in Greek and the Old Testament in Hebrew. Anyway, my Greek is as bad as my Hebrew, except that I know all the Greek letters from math and physics.
M Pax: Yes, that's quite a mystery. But with the help of God everything is possible. So they say, at least >:)
Joe: Thanks. Nice to meet a fellow Atheist.
Lydia: Thanks. Power is scaring, in particular when misused.