LLHU 336 - Lost in Translation: 7 Keys to Understanding Scripture

Where did today's Bible come from, and how has the language within it changed over the millenniums? In this thought-provoking class, you will enhance your understanding of the Bible by looking at seven major keys to its writings: 1) The Aramaic language-more than 12,000 mistranslations from the Hebrew and Aramaic into English (via Greek and Latin) have been documented. How do these affect our interpretation of scripture? 2) Idioms-what they are; examples of prophetic and poetic idioms. 3) Mysticism-more than 40 percent of the Bible is mysticism. When should verses be taken literally? 4) Near Eastern culture-how the culture of the people is important to the scriptures. 5) Psychology of the people-women's roles, Eastern law, Jesus' teachings. 6) Biblical symbolism-parables and philosophies; and 7) Amplification-contradiction in the scriptures, the resurrection, and descriptive poetry. If you have a Bible, please bring it to class, along with a notepad and a curious mind. Be prepared for lively discussion! Patricia has a doctorate in divinity. She is a retired Methodist minister and member of the Noohra Foundation, an international organization that promotes understanding of the Aramaic Bible.