The Holy Injil: The Good News According to Luke

By Injil Publications

The Holy Injil in Modern English: The Good News According to Luke is an entirely new, fresh, and vibrant translation of this important part of the Holy Scriptures.  English has become the world’s lingua franca. This text of the Holy Injil is designed specifically for English speakers whose religious vocabulary is influenced b

• Language: English
• Publisher: Injil Publications
• Release date: Sep 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9780991388981

Book preview

The

Holy Injil

In Modern English

The Good News

According to Luke

Holy Injil: The Good News According to Luke. First edition.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from The Mantalaan Translation (MT), © 2015. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Additional text and maps © 2015 by the original authors.

Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, except as provided by the fair use provision of copyright law, without the prior permission of the publisher.

ISBN 978-0-9913889-7-4

To purchase individual copies of this book visit Amazon.com.

For bulk purchases contact the publisher at [e-mail].

If you have comments or questions see www.Holy-Injil.net or contact the publisher at [e-mail].

Preface

The Most Famous Book in the History of the World

The Bible is the most famous book in the history of the world. The most translated, the most printed, the most distributed, the most loved, the most read. It is also the most hated and the most vilified. Either way, to be ignorant of it is to be ignorant of history, of religion, of literature, and ultimately of humanity itself.

English translations of the Bible outnumber those in any other language. Historically, they have been designed for people whose religious conceptions were influenced by Latin, the dominant language of Western Europe in the Middle Ages. This translation is for those whose religious conceptions have been influenced by Arabic, the dominant language of Western Asia and North Africa for well over a millennium.

The English word Bible ultimately derives from the name of an ancient city, Byblos, once located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. Papyrus reeds were there made into paper and exported. In Greece, books written on this paper became known as biblion, a form of which eventually gave rise to the English word Bible.

The translation provided here is part of the Bible, also known as the Holy Scriptures, or the Scriptures. Specifically, this selection is from what is often called the New Testament. The selection was written by Luke, a first-century physician and historical investigator. Luke interviewed those who knew Jesus Christ, or Isa al-Masih as he is known in the Arabic world.

English speakers borrow the term Christ from Greek via Latin. The equivalent term in Arabic, Masih, is related to the Old Testament Hebrew word mashiah and means anointed one, a title used for kings and priests. Luke wrote in Greek, the lingua franca of his day, and his text was called euangelion, meaning good news. In English it became evangel, via Latin evangelium. The Old English translation of the term was gōdspell (good + news), which later became gospel. In Arabic, the Greek term became Injil, where it also serves as the name of the New Testament. For those influenced by Arabic, Luke’s work is therefore the Injil (or part of the fuller New Testament Injil) about Isa al-Masih, now the most famous person in human history.

The translation provided here was first done in traditional English. Arabicized forms of certain names and terms, like those above, were then selected for English speakers whose religious vocabulary tends to be Arabic. Central to that is the name or reference for the deity. English God is a Germanic word found in languages throughout northwestern Europe. Arabic-influenced speakers of English may use that term, but most are more inclined to say Allah, a Semitic term related to Hebrew words for God. Middle-Eastern followers of Isa, some of whom trace their origins back to the first and second century A.D., generally call the God of the Bible Allah.

The purpose of this publication is to show respect to Arabic-influenced English speakers. They live around the world, they number in the hundreds of millions, and they deserve a translation of the Holy Scriptures designed for and dedicated to them.

About the Translation Methodology

As literal as possible, as free as necessary.

So goes the motto. It’s clever and hard to dismiss, but it’s difficult to apply.

Without care, translators who try to be as literal as possible often end up creating a nasty tasting stew of obscurity and ambiguity. Publishers may promote such a text, and those who know the source language may praise it. But the so-called accuracy of literal translations means nothing when the audience is confused. A committed reader may swallow such a stew. To the intensely committed it might even become a steady diet. But we do better to ask if it’s both healthy and palatable. In terms describing literature, is the translation clear, compelling, and relevant?

The motto’s as free as necessary second half is also hard to apply. Languages continually change, dialects divide, and flavors of speech approach the number of speakers. More insidious, freedom can open the way to a mere itch for something fresh or flashy. Straight speech deserves respect for its clarity and power. So even on the creative side, translators must ask themselves if potential additions—implied information, figures of speech, explanatory content and the like—are truly central to the marriage of message and reader. If not, such devices risk becoming like labels on a designer product. Translators must be particularly careful with religious texts. A holy book is a divine inspiration, not a translator’s masterpiece.

As literal as possible, as free as necessary. Balance is a difficult and maybe impossible goal. But translators try, convinced of the power of old truths in new tongues and modern forms. With all that to consider, and in prayerful and humble reliance upon the Almighty, here is the basic methodology of this new version:

1. Translate directly from the original language texts (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek), with reference to versions in other languages, especially English.

2. Translate the meaning of the whole, not simply its parts. A look at any dictionary proves that words in isolation have many definitions. Only meaning—words, phrases, sentences in a specific context—can be translated from one language to another.

3. Divide multi-clause sentences into shorter units.

4. Clarify relations between phrases, clauses, and sentences.

5. Clarify ambiguous syntactical constructions, such as genitive (of) phrases and locative (in) phrases.

6. Points 1-5 may be summarized this way: Given that there is no translation without interpretation, fully carry out and represent the hard work of interpretation.

7. Employ active verbs wherever possible, noting the subjects (agents) and objects (patients).

8. Select clear, modern English vocabulary. Many older terms, though sometimes much loved, are easily misunderstood or no longer in general use.

9. Keep figures of speech intact when they were alive to the original audience and still communicate clearly in English. Otherwise, modify the figure so it communicates today.

10. Include explanatory footnotes, with the caveat that they represent only a fraction of the many issues faced in translation.

11. Display a broad variety of English literary styles consistent with the variety of the original text.

12. Points 7-11 may be summarized this way: Create a text that is beautiful, reflecting the vast vocabulary and literary tradition of English, and powerful, releasing the truth for people today.

The goals of this version are as simple as A, B, C:

A) An accurate translation, reflecting the original text as inspired by the divine author.

B) A beautiful translation, reflecting the language of today’s audience.

C) A clear translation, reflecting the majesty, might, and mystery of Allah, the most compassionate and most merciful.

Topical Articles

Following the text of the Good News According to Luke, this edition contains a series of topical articles explaining more about the message of the Scriptures as a whole, the Injil, and its central figure, Isa al-Masih. This section can be viewed as answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ).

These articles quote the Scriptures extensively. Quotations from Luke are taken from the translation of Luke in this book, the Mantalaan Translation [MT], copyright © 2015. Unless otherwise noted, the same is true of all other selections from the Holy Scriptures.

In the smaller number of places where other versions of the Holy Scriptures are cited, they are clearly noted by their abbreviation. They are reproduced directly from published books and electronic sources available to the public. Those translations are:

NET, the New English Translation [2006]

NIV, the New International Version [1984]

NLT, the New Living Translation [2011].

Blessing

The team that was involved in preparing this publication asks Allah ta’ala to bless each and every reader who comes to his word with an open heart and a humble spirit. May the truth he reveals within these pages result in hearts which both experience and produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in this life and also in the life beyond the grave. To him be all glory for ever and ever.

Amen.

The Good News According to

Luke

Author: Luke, physician and traveling companion of Isa’s emissary Paul

Place written: unknown

Date written: probably about A.D. 60-62.

The Holy Scriptures open with the story of creation followed by a description of the first humans enjoying a harmonious relationship with Allah in the beautiful Garden of Eden. This harmony is shattered however when the man and woman rebel against Allah’s rule, bringing shame and the curse of death upon themselves. As a result, they are expelled from Paradise (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-24). But the story does not end there: through his prophetic messengers Allah promises to send his Messiah (Arabic al-Masih, the anointed one—a righteous king and savior), who would establish the kingdom of Allah and provide the way for fallen humanity to be restored to a harmonious relationship with the Creator (Genesis 3:15; 12:1-3; 49:10; Deuteronomy 18:18; 2 Samuel 7:10-13; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7; 11:1-5; 42:1-9; 52:13–53:12; 61:1-2; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Ezekiel 37:24-28; Micah 5:2).

Each of the first four books of the Injil is an account of the good news about how this promised Messiah, Isa al-Masih, came and began to establish Allah’s kingdom; but not in the way most people were expecting. In the years just before Isa was born, the Jewish people were suffering under Roman occupation, and were eagerly awaiting deliverance. Because they were Allah’s Chosen People, many of them reasoned that when the Messiah came, he would free them from pagan Roman rule and set up a righteous kingdom in Palestine. But as the accounts of the good news relate, such people, including most religious leaders like the Pharisees, completely missed the point—that Allah’s kingdom is not an earthly kingdom established and upheld by military force. Ultimately, it is the reign of Allah in the hearts of his people which is reflected in every aspect of life. Allah was acting to remove the curse of Eden and to free all of humanity (including pagans) not from slavery to Rome, but from slavery to the thoughts, words and deeds which will bring us shame and punishment on the Day of Judgment.

Luke, the author of this account of the good news, was a faithful traveling companion and co-worker of Isa al-Masih’s emissary Paul, who remained with Paul even when everyone else had deserted him (2 Timothy 4:9-11); he was also a well-educated medical doctor (Colossians 4:14). Luke was very careful in compiling his data, and diligently researched every account, collecting many eye-witness testimonies, before he composed the most extensive and comprehensive narrative of the life and teachings of Isa al-Masih that we possess (1:1-4).a It is likely that Theophilus, a wealthy gentleman, financed Luke’s research and writing, and oversaw the distribution of the completed work. This was a common practice in the first-century Roman world, and would explain why Luke addressed his account to Theophilus (1:3).

Luke had come to believe that Isa was the promised Messiah. He was probably born into a pagan family and he was writing to a largely non-Hebrew audience, demonstrating that they too could become subjects of Allah’s kingdom, regardless of their ethnicity or background (2:29-32; 7:9; 10:25-37; 17:11-19). Hence, Luke emphasizes Isa’s compassion for the afflicted, despised, and outcasts of society, including women (7:11-17; 8:1-3, 43-48; 13:10-17), pagans and Samaritans (7:1-10; 17:11-19), tax-collectors and notable sinners (5:27-32; 7:36-50; 19:1-10) and the poor (21:1-4). Luke also emphasizes the importance of prayer (5:16; 6:12, 28; 11:1-13; 18:1-8), and the ministry of Allah’s Holy Spirit (1:35, 41, 67; 2:26-27; 4:1, 14, 18; 10:21; 11:13; 12:11-12). He testifies to the joy which the news about Isa brings to those who receive it (2:10; 6:23; 10:20; 19:5-6; 24:52-53). He also records how Isa frequently referred to himself by the Messianic title, Son of Man (5:24 with footnote; see also Daniyal/Daniel 7:13-14), who would come to seek and to save people who are lost (19:10).

Luke’s account is a literary masterpiece, written in the most refined Greek. He begins his narrative with earlier events than the other accounts record, relating prophecies of the births of Prophet Yahya (1:5-25) and of Isa al-Masih (1:26-38). Then he describes Isa’s birth in detail, including many events that no one else wrote about (2:1-40). He is also the only author of the Injil who speaks of Isa going up to the temple in al-Quds as a twelve-year old boy