An important point about Bible translation is that it comes under God's providence, and is not miraculous. In other words, translation is a human activity guided by the Holy Spirit, and thus providential, but not miraculous. Miracles all through the Bible take place instantaneously. In the same way, the inspiration of Scripture was a miraculous activity. "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Peter 1:21). This clearly refers to miraculous events, with the word "spake" being in the aorist, therefore looking at the whole event, which took place in past time. (If it were a continuing process, it would have been in the imperfect tense.)
Again, 2 Tim. 3:16 very obviously refers to miraculous events. When "God breathes" ("inspiration," θεοπνευστος), that was an event, not a process. Events called miracles ("miracle," "sign," "wonder") in the Bible are invariably one time events. Study it out, like I did and you will see. Translation, on the other hand, is a process. As a process, it cannot be miraculous, but must be providential. (If you don't understand God's providence, please don't simply spout off, but ask questions, okay?) Therefore, a translation into any language cannot be inerrant. Inerrancy is only guaranteed by a miracle. Humans are never inerrant unless God intervenes with a miracle. (How many times have I said something stupid in a sermon, Japanese or English, yet God still worked??
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Here is a really great quote from influential 19th century French theologian Louis Gaussen:
"The divine word which the Bible reveals to us, passes through four successive forms before reaching us in a translation. First, it was from all eternity in the mind of God. Next, it was passed by Him into the mind of man. In the third place, under the operation of the Holy Ghost, and by a mysterious process, it passed from the prophets' thoughts, into the types and symbols of an articulate language; it took shape in words. Finally, after having undergone this first translation, alike important and inexplicable, men have reproduced and counter-clhlked it, by a new translation, in passing it from one human language into another human language. Of these four operations, the three first are divine; the fourth alone is human and fallible."
Louis Gaussen, Divine Inspiration of the Bible, 1841, trans. by David Scott, reprint (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1971), 154-155.
Again, 2 Tim. 3:16 very obviously refers to miraculous events. When "God breathes" ("inspiration," θεοπνευστος), that was an event, not a process. Events called miracles ("miracle," "sign," "wonder") in the Bible are invariably one time events. Study it out, like I did and you will see. Translation, on the other hand, is a process. As a process, it cannot be miraculous, but must be providential. (If you don't understand God's providence, please don't simply spout off, but ask questions, okay?) Therefore, a translation into any language cannot be inerrant. Inerrancy is only guaranteed by a miracle. Humans are never inerrant unless God intervenes with a miracle. (How many times have I said something stupid in a sermon, Japanese or English, yet God still worked??
)Here is a really great quote from influential 19th century French theologian Louis Gaussen:
"The divine word which the Bible reveals to us, passes through four successive forms before reaching us in a translation. First, it was from all eternity in the mind of God. Next, it was passed by Him into the mind of man. In the third place, under the operation of the Holy Ghost, and by a mysterious process, it passed from the prophets' thoughts, into the types and symbols of an articulate language; it took shape in words. Finally, after having undergone this first translation, alike important and inexplicable, men have reproduced and counter-clhlked it, by a new translation, in passing it from one human language into another human language. Of these four operations, the three first are divine; the fourth alone is human and fallible."
Louis Gaussen, Divine Inspiration of the Bible, 1841, trans. by David Scott, reprint (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1971), 154-155.
