Thematic Dictionary of Matthew: Intralingual Translation of Spiritual Themes

By PETER Rev. Prof. PRYCE

Several advantages accrue from this present template of Spiritual Themes in the New Testament Book of Matthew. 1. To the Minister who is studying the Scriptures, this dictionary of spiritual themes in the Book of Matthew will help you to know and understand the main teachings that constituted the Salvation Ministry of Jesus Christ. You will know

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dr. Peter Pryce
• Release date: Jul 9, 2019
• ISBN: 9789988880088

PETER Rev. Prof. PRYCE

Rev. Prof. PETER PRYCE, DSEF, BA, MA, B.Soc.Sc Pol Sci, IBA, PhD, is a Scribe of the Law of the God of Heaven, a Prophet of the Word of God, a Professor of French in Bowie State University, USA, a Bilingual Conference Translator and Interpreter, a Prolific Christian Theological Author of 111 theological books, a Research Scholar of the Qur'an, an expert in Sacred Text Analysis of the Bible and the Qur'an, a Spiritual Forensic Analyst, host of Radio and TV Bible and Qur'an Lecture Series, a Technical Writer and Book Editor, and finally a Bible Commentary Writer.

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Dedication

I acknowledge Holy Spirit and dedicate this book to Holy Spirit for giving me the wisdom to understand the Holy Scriptures to write this book in order to help others to also come to the understanding of the Word of God.

Isaiah 28:26 (KJV) For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.

Jeremiah 30:2 (KJV) Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.

John 14:26 (KJV) But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

+ + + + + + +

I, Prof. Peter Pryce, dedicate this book to:

Bishop Dr. Rodwell Buckley

Prelate: Faith Mission Temple International, Inc. USA

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Christian missionary and evangelistic works of Bishop Rodwell Buckley and Faith Mission Temple International, Inc. USA, at 102 Kennedy Street N.W. Washington D.C. 20011, this day Sunday 10th March 2019.

Foreword

My first interaction with Dr. Peter Pryce was via one of his colored Bible Study flyers that he gave to my son Alfred Buckley who brought Dr. Pryce to me and when I read his credentials, I knew that he was a writer.

Why dictionary? because the book reveals meanings of spiritual themes of the doctrines that Jesus Christ taught in His three-year Ministry. Why the need to show spiritual meanings of what Jesus Christ taught? Because Jesus Christ spoke all the time in parables hence His teachings need Scripture Teachers to teach them.

My spiritual connection with this book - Thematic Dictionary of Matthew – Intralingual Translation of Spiritual Themes, is that, I am also a Minister and Teacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, therefore I relate to teachings of Jesus Christ as contained in this book. My second spiritual connection to this book lies in the importance of teaching and education as a foundation of the church, which this book seeks to present. My third spiritual connection to this book is that it is being published as part of the 40 Year Anniversary of my life’s work as a Missionary for Christ through the evangelistic arm of Faith Mission Temple International, Inc. USA. My fourth spiritual connection to this book is that it is a tangible evidence of the beginning of the spiritual collaboration between Dr. Pryce and myself and a milestone of the yet many chapters of partnerships that will characterize our Christian experience worldwide.

In what way is education a cornerstone of the church? The Christian Educator, the Theologian, or the Bible Scholar, having first studied the Word of God, helps to give clarity to people and to Ministers of the Gospel who are on their way to becoming preachers of the Word. The Theologian of the Gospel of Jesus Christ helps to give a better understanding of the teachings of Jesus Christ. The Christian Educator and Bible Scholar help to give direction to those who minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and Dr. Pryce seeks to do just that, teaching researched Christian doctrines through books even as did our beloved Apostle Paul.

How do you assess the instructional/educational Ministry of Faith Mission Temple International, Inc. worldwide? What is its importance to you? It is viable because it assists Pastors and lay workers to strengthen their faith by providing the basic tenets of the Christian beliefs of Faith Mission Temple. The Instructional/Educational Ministry of Faith Mission Temple International is very important because when people hear the teaching of the Word, they proceed to talk about it in a way that makes sense to their individual lives, helping them to walk in Christ daily.

Do you think that a church should have a Director of Theology to guide the learning of Scripture? Yes, I do think that the church should have a credible and knowledgeable person as a Director of what the church believes and teaches about God. That Director of Theology must be aware of and have a deep knowledge of the entire denominational structure which brings growth to those who hear the teachings of Jesus Christ.

What should be the guiding principles for the Director of Theology in the church? The Director of Theology should have a deep foundation and knowledge of what the Church, the Body of Christ, believes and based on his knowledge, he teaches according to Scripture in order to provide guidance to those who become a part of the unseen Body of Christ and a visible part of the structure of the local church.

How do you assess Dr. Peter Pryce’s ability to fulfil this role? I assess Dr. Pryce’s ability to fulfil the role of Director of Theology for the following reasons:

He has confessed Christ as His Savior and Lord.

He has been teaching as a Professor of French in an Institution of Higher Learning in the USA with credibility.

I believe that he has the ability to articulate what the Church believes and the doctrines that the Body of Christ needs for edification.

Dr. Pryce also has excellent knowledge of international affairs.

Dr. Pryce possesses great faith, integrity, and dedication to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

When we compare the efficacy of preaching and teaching as instruments of church growth, we can say that Bible teaching is good but preaching and teaching are effective in preparing those who hear to understand the thrusts and beliefs of the church. Preaching is good but teaching is an added skill within the church’s organization to bring more meaning to the doctrines of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 28:18 (KJV) And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Matthew 28:19 (KJV) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Matthew 28:20 (KJV) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

By virtue of Matthew 28:18-20, the success of the Gospel of Jesus Christ depends on teaching, and that directs us to go and teach and to preach, and I believe that in that command to teach, is also preaching, because the two go hand in hand. Implicit in the direction to go and teach bears a theological weight on the Teacher not only to teach but also to preach, so that people can understand the Scriptures.

The good and effective Bible Teacher is the one who is able to do a quarter of what Jesus Christ taught. If that Teacher can even emulate Jesus Christ in just one fourth of what Jesus Christ did, he is an effective Bible Teacher. Since the LORD called me to do missionary work, I have seen the church grow more beyond my wildest dreams because of teaching the Bible.

We are not afraid to be criticized but when you criticize, use that Book called the Bible. In my six years of doing missionary work in Liberia, we have been teaching the Scriptures and as a result, we have seen successes of mergers and counting 25 congregations at this time in Liberia, 5 congregations in Sierra Leone, and an emerging Faith Mission Temple in South Africa. I recommend this book!

Bishop Dr. Rodwell Buckley

Prelate: Faith Mission Temple International, Inc. USA

40th Anniversary of the Christian Missionary and Evangelistic works of Bishop Rodwell Buckley and Faith Mission Temple International, Inc., at 102 Kennedy Street N.W. Washington D.C. 20011, USA.

Preface

On Saturday 5th January 2019 @ 6.17 PM, in Silver Spring, MD, USA, I stood in my living room and stared through the window while hearing and meditating on the Word of God. At first, I thought of making a list of the themes in the New Testament. Then it occurred to me that it was too broad.

As I thought more on the emerging plan, I realized that, actually, each Book of the Bible could yield several themes/topics and that I could start with Matthew and do it in such a way that Bible Colleges, Bible Teachers, Bible Students, and Theological Seminaries would find usefulness in the Book, which usefulness I have spelled out in the introduction.

I began by writing the script in a linear, numbered format. I was at number 34 when I realized that, in fact, each number could be a chapter since each number represents a theme/topic that could be developed in several pages, and yet, I did not want to write several pages and risk the main theme/main idea getting lost in the mix. Rather, I wanted to retain the main idea, the only theme, the only thesis statement in such a bare-bones fashion that you would have no choice but to deal with it else, there would be nothing else to see nor read! That is the reason you find some very short chapters in the book.

After the main idea in the verse/verses has sunk in, then you may begin the next cognitive or written phase of relating it to your life, commenting on it, or writing an essay on it as a valid evidence of your biblical scholarship, scriptural understanding, and clerical progress.

In some of the chapters, we adopted the Q and A format (Question and Answer) as a methodology of Scripture research and spiritual development between the Bible Scholar and the Bible Student, as we often see Jesus Christ and Apostle Paul engaging in Q and A both by face-to-face or by means of writing epistles/letters, which today we recognize as Distance Education.

ADVANTAGES OF THE BOOK

Several advantages accrue from this present template of Spiritual Themes in the New Testament Book of Matthew.

To the Minister who is studying the Scriptures, this dictionary of spiritual themes in the Book of Matthew will help you to know and understand the main teachings that constituted the Salvation Ministry of Jesus Christ. You will know the doctrines that Jesus Christ taught and understand them so that you can also model your own Ministry after the Ministry of Jesus Christ for effective results.

It is helpful for a Bible Student to know how many themes there are in Matthew the New Testament Gospel of Jesus Christ! Knowing the themes helps to monitor one’s study progress in the Scriptures, where one began, and what is needful to do subsequently. There are 183 spiritual themes that Jesus Christ taught in His entire Ministry. Here in this book, we identify them, we explain them, and we reference them.

Besides, there are Christians who are not even aware of the relevant themes to study as Christians in order to strengthen their Christian foundation and beliefs. This book provides a solution to that.

Bible Colleges and Theological Seminaries can adopt this template as a curriculum guide in order to know what themes to teach their students given that the entire Book of Matthew constitutes the entire life Ministry of Jesus Christ. Therefore a Pastor or Minister of Christ who is able to accomplish those 183 doctrines as presented in this book would have replicated what Jesus Christ taught in His entire Ministry.

Furthermore, the Bible Teacher can use this template to track his/her instructional progress.

The Bible student can use this template to monitor if his/her Bible School is teaching him/her what he/she should know before graduation.

In this Bible Commentary on the Book of Matthew, we shall research all the spiritual themes in the New Testament Book of Matthew. Let us consider the following verses to confirm our doctrine:

2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

God commands us to study but what topics or themes shall we study? Are all topics/themes good to study? For example, the Scriptures confirm that Joseph was espoused to Virgin Mary but is it also Scripture to seek to know/study whether Joseph and Mary were living together in the same house when her pregnancy of Jesus Christ was found? Is it also Scripture, or not, to seek to know/study whether the Angels were still there at the tomb and looking on, or whether they were gone, when Jesus Christ revealed Himself to Mary Magdalene after His resurrection from the dead?

Deuteronomy 29:29 (KJV) The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Acts 1:7 (KJV) And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

1 Corinthians 10:23 (KJV) All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

Revelation 10:4 (KJV) And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

RESEARCH FORMAT

In this book, the adopted research format is the intralingual translation analysis method where you segment a translation, communication, or text into a lexicological unit, also called unit of thought, also called unit of translation, in order to discover the meaning of that smallest text segment.

A lexicological unit is the smallest segment of thought in a text that retains an idea when separated from the rest of the text, hence this sentence: Here are the Scripture topics/themes in the New Testament Book of Matthew can have these units of thought:

Here are

the Scripture topics/themes

in the New Testament

Book of Matthew

Again, it is the same as when you locate and separate the main idea or the main sentence in a text. Therefore, each chapter will consist of only the main idea located in the corresponding verse or verses in the Book of Matthew. These are bare-bones main idea sentences around which the reader or Bible Teacher has to engage the class to comment on, to pose questions on, to weigh, to discuss, to support, to deny, to dispute, to correlate with other verses, to write biblical research essays on, and so on and so forth.

In other words, the one-sentence chapter that you may find as constitutive of its supporting verses will contain the one and only main idea in those verses whereby, neglecting that main idea or setting it aside will mean that you have nothing else to engage for those verses.

Another intralingual translation strategy that we used is the free translation method where we translate the message, the theme, the main idea, and not the specific words of the original text.

From the introduction to chapter 5, you will find preliminary and fundamental information such as definitions of translation, types of translation, and theoretical matters. Therefore, the Thematic Dictionary of Matthew begins at chapter 6.

APPRECIATION OF THE BOOK

No one writes a book and it is 100% approved of all persons! That is a reference concerning secular authors who write non-scriptural books. Yet, even also with the Bible, there are several verses that rub us sore, that rebuke us mercilessly, and that reveal our evil deeds and lay bare our shame to the public! Even so, yet we do not throw away the Bible even when our humanity is diminished by the same Bible that we hold!

That is the same consideration that you need to adopt with this book. You may disagree with some of the teachings, doctrines, explanations, and references because of the prior education, correct or incorrect, that you have had, but never would you be able to disagree with all the teachings in this book!

When you do disagree, it does not mean that you are right and I am wrong. It could well be that you are wrong and you know it but you feel ashamed to admit it! It could also well be that your disagreement with any teaching in this book is based on something entirely outside this book and which this book may not even have set out to address!

I present two reasons why your possible disagreement with any part of this book does not mean that you are right and I am wrong. Here are Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, High Priests, Lawyers, and Rulers of the Synagogue. Here is what they had been teaching for more than one thousand years before Jesus Christ was born! They always taught the people that Jesus Christ is the son of David!

Matthew 12:23 (KJV) And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

Matthew 9:27 (KJV) And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.

Matthew 15:22 (KJV) And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

Matthew 20:30 (KJV) And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.

Matthew 20:31 (KJV) And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.

Mark 10:47 (KJV) And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

Mark 10:48 (KJV) And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

Luke 18:38 (KJV) And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

Luke 18:39 (KJV) And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

Then when Jesus Christ questioned them about that particular doctrine, they all said in unison that Jesus Christ is the son of David!

Matthew 22:41 (KJV) While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

Matthew 22:42 (KJV) Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.

Nevertheless, the truth was with Jesus Christ while they were the liars! Now how do you go about convincing your Elders with thousands of years of scriptural and doctrinal erudition that they were liars, and that they had been teaching lies all those years?

Matthew 22:43 (KJV) He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,

Matthew 22:44 (KJV) The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?

Matthew 22:45 (KJV) If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?

But the little boy in their eyes, the unlearned, the unlettered, the untitled, the illiterate, and the uncelebrated boy called Jesus Christ proved to them that they were blind leaders of the blind and that they were destined for Hell! Were they happy? No, they were offended and planned to kill him!

Matthew 13:54 (KJV) And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

Matthew 13:55 (KJV) Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

Matthew 13:56 (KJV) And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

Matthew 13:57 (KJV) And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

John 7:15 (KJV) And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?

Matthew 15:12 (KJV) Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

Matthew 15:13 (KJV) But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

Matthew 15:14 (KJV) Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Matthew 22:46 (KJV) And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

Do not lose sight of the most important lesson in the entire Q and A encounter between Jesus Christ and the Elders in Matthew 22:41-46 (KJV)! That lesson is the translation and interpretation methodology that Jesus Christ laid down and thereby revealed the spiritual ignorance of the Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, High Priests, Lawyers, and Rulers of the Synagogue. That translation and interpretation methodology is called: BY THE SCRIPTURES!

Look again at Matthew 22:43-44 (KJV) and tell what you see: those verses are the verbatim references that Jesus Christ used to anchor His thesis! It means that you must teach, preach, explain, translate, interpret, reason, debunk, refute, analyze, search, research, study, examine, and present doctrine ALWAYS BY THE SCRIPTURES!

So, you disagree with me on anything that I have written here in this book? That is fine but present your supporting Scriptures! Reason out your disagreement with Scriptures…and only Scriptures…just as Jesus Christ did…and just as I have also followed Jesus Christ to do here in this book!

Isaiah 30:8 (KJV) Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:

Isaiah 41:21 (KJV) Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.

Here is the second scenario with those same Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, High Priests, Lawyers, and Rulers of the Synagogue:

Matthew 26:61 (KJV) And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.

Matthew 26:62 (KJV) And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?

Matthew 26:63 (KJV) But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.

Matthew 26:64 (KJV) Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Matthew 26:65 (KJV) Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.

Matthew 26:66 (KJV) What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.

I will conclude this second scenario by posing one question to you: Those Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, High Priests, Lawyers, and Rulers of the Synagogue who ruled that behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy, were they right to determine the doctrine of Jesus Christ as blasphemy? NO!

Therefore, disagree with something, agree with something, love the book, do not love the book, yet in the end, do not forget to pick up the gems in this book that will surely help you on your Christian journey:

Jeremiah 3:15 (KJV) And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Apostle John did not agree with the Brother who was a Servant of Jesus Christ doing God’s work, but differently. Therefore, John sought to silence him but Jesus Christ said: the fact that you do not understand him does not mean that you are right; neither does it require that the man should be silenced for doing and saying things differently from how you would say them…please leave him alone!

Mark 9:38 (KJV) And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.

Mark 9:39 (KJV) But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.

Luke 9:49 (KJV) And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us.

Luke 9:50 (KJV) And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

You have read something in this book that you do not agree with? You have read something that your church does not subscribe to? No problem. Such contentions are not new in Christendom. What is important is the solution to conflict of ideas and doctrines, which God gave us in the Scriptures. In other words, the conflicts of ideas and doctrines will remain but the solution of God will prevail. Here is an example of Christian conflict of ideas and doctrines:

Acts 15:1 (KJV) And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.

Acts 15:2 (KJV) When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.

Here is the solution attempt that was used to solve the problem:

Acts 15:3 (KJV) And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.

Acts 15:4 (KJV) And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.

Acts 15:5 (KJV) But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

Acts 15:6 (KJV) And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.

Here is the solution and final authority on the matter: Holy Ghost!

Acts 15:15 (KJV) And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,

Acts 15:28 (KJV) For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;

Here is another conflict of ideas and doctrines that arose in the minds of the Jews and especially in the mind of Apostle Peter. The conflict of ideas and doctrine was that Jesus Christ had cleansed the Gentiles and called them unto salvation. However, Apostle Peter thought: No way should these filthy and unclean Gentiles be saved! Then the solution maker and final authority on the matter who is Holy Spirit, stepped in and instructed Apostle Peter:

Acts 10:9 (KJV) On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:

Acts 10:10 (KJV) And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,

Acts 10:11 (KJV) And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:

Acts 10:12 (KJV) Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.

Acts 10:13 (KJV) And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.

Acts 10:14 (KJV) But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.

Acts 10:15 (KJV) And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

Acts 10:16 (KJV) This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

Acts 10:17 (KJV) Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate,

Acts 10:18 (KJV) And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.

Acts 10:19 (KJV) While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.

Acts 10:20 (KJV) Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.

In conclusion, whether it is tithing, whether it is baptism, whether it is salvation, whether it is human tradition, whether it is signs, miracles, and wonders, let the Holy Spirit himself minister truth to you as in the above two scenarios, and let all men be liars, including myself!

Romans 3:4 (KJV) God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

What you have here in this book is what Holy Spirit revealed to me. Since Holy Spirit is our Teacher and Revealer of the mysteries of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, according to our several abilities and talents, you also should ask Holy Spirit to reveal Scriptures to you, write them out, and make them available in a book as God commanded!

Isaiah 30:8 (KJV) Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:

Habakkuk 2:2 (KJV) And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

Matthew 25:15 (KJV) And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

John 14:26 (KJV) But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 16:13 (KJV) Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

The LORD Jesus Christ give you understanding as you read this book!

Happy reading!

Dr. PETER PRYCE,

DSEF, BA, MA, B.Soc.Sc Pol Sci, IBA, PhD

Professor of French, Bowie State University, USA

Prophet of the Word of God

Silver Spring, MD, USA

Ph.D. in Translation and Interpretation of English and French

French School Management & Consultancy

Technical Writing / Editing / Translation / Interpretation

Consultancy Research in Good Governance

Advanced Professional Certificate in School Administration I & II

International Business: Market Research & Survey

Tel: [phone]

[e-mail]

Introduction

A CASE FOR INTRALINGUAL TRANSLATION

[The following section: A Word to the Critics, was reproduced from Topics in Translation Review – Testing the Perfect Harmony Theory of Translation and Interpreting, Pryce, 2018, pages 140-149]

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The aim of this chapter is to supply evidence in support of the position that unilingual, intralingual, or monolingual explanation is also translation. This chapter aims to provide a proactive defense against those who advance the idea that intralingual translation is not translation because it does not involve two languages.

A WORD TO THE CRITICS

One of the forward-looking, contemporary and emancipatory works aimed at freeing translation and translators from the traditional, eurocentric, source-culture, target-culture binary concepts of translation was written by a Professor of Comparative Literature and Director of the Translation Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Edwin Gentzler titled Translation without Borders (2014, 1-27). It is a prelude to an equally boundary-breaking new journal called Translation: a Transdisciplinary Journal. In this part of the chapter, we review his article in as much as it underpins the fundamental position of this chapter that Bible translation and interpreting is indeed translation.

On the definition of translation, he writes that Translation is not a one-directional, but a multidirectional, unceasing activity component of every culture (Gentzler, ibid., p. 18). Writing under the sub-heading: The Evolution of Translation Studies, Gentzler writes:

James Holmes’s essay, ‘The Name and Nature of Translation Studies’ (1972–75, 67–80). In that text, Holmes not only coined the term ‘translation studies’ for the discipline, he also laid out the scope for this new discipline, suggesting that translation studies cover theory, description, and practice. (Gentzler, ibid., p. 10)

While declaring that we are all translators, Gentzler (ibid, p. 19) casts a broad view on public communication in general and sees translation evolving in all the following areas of human activity in the United States: non-native communications into English, publication of songs, filmmakers’ translation of scripts into movies, journalists’ adaptations and commentaries [notice how Gentzler identifies commentary, as in Bible Commentary, as translation] on international news, and translation of media images whereby new boundaries, not ones based upon national languages, appear, and also, new and highly creative strategies for subverting those boundaries emerge.

The words of Gentzler (ibid. p. 12), on the need for new definitions of translation, uncover the sad limitations within which old definitions of translation have held, and still continue to hold, the mental faculties of some academic progressives bound within narrow eurocentric researches on nations, nation-states, national canons, and literary polysystems while connections between translation and international movements, postcolonial and so-called minority cultures are ignored. In his own words:

Old definitions of transferring a text from one language to the other are being increasingly revised to include aspects and connotations present in other texts not normally considered translations. Today, definitions of language are changing; they must consider new semiotic codes and sign systems, not to mention the problems associated with dialects, hybrids, and emerging languages. Definitions of what constitute a text are also changing, as more oral and performative texts are included in studies. Lines between translation, adaptation, abridgement, paraphrase, and summary are blurring. Intersemiotic translations complicate definitions, as images, paintings, movies, and music are also being studied under translation rubrics. A more up-to-date model might focus less on Language 1 and Language 2, but instead on Culture A (in which multiple languages, discourses, and sign systems exist) and Culture B (which also contains multiple sign systems, many of  which overlap those of Culture A). Where is the border in such a model? It is everywhere at once. (Gentzler, ibid, p. 12)

Translation without Borders does not mean limitless translations of a text but rather, limitless borders only within the cognitive affectants of translation as well as in interpretational references of translation to enable you arrive at the correct meaning. In other words, you can use all references in all disciplines and learning to translate an idea or a concept but you cannot render an impossible translation.

An impossible translation is that translation which allows you to lie deliberately. Many translations of national and historical interests fall within this sad category of intellectual dishonesty where the truth is deliberately whitewashed to placate special interests. This is not what Gentzler is advancing with the idea of Translation without Borders. It is not a certificate to say anything and pass it on as a translation neither is it an intellectual license to lie under the rubric of translation. Translation without Borders does not presuppose any limitless license to the translator to set aside the translational rule of faithfulness. In other words, Translation without Borders means that all cognitive connections and interpretational references that enable the translator to render the correct meaning are all acceptable.

Gentzler advises to rethink translation and seeks to completely erase the borders between languages and cultures that characterize translation. Instead, he proposes a rethinking of translation as an always-ongoing process of every communication (Gentzler, 2014. pp. 1-2). Once we do that, he states, we will no longer see translation as interlingual, which is between two languages and cultures, but rather "as an always ongoing process of every communication".

Surely, Gentzler (op. cit.) would share the same opinion with Clem Robyns who in 1994 wrote on the need for translators to free themselves from the hitherto binary considerations of source versus target culture and to rather consider translation as a construct of solutions in a communication process. The position of the writer of this book has been that of Robyns (1994) hence, it is a welcome development to see Gentzler (op. cit.) re-emphasizing this important idea in Translation Studies.

Gentzler lends his voice to the debate on whether the works of translators can be considered original or independent and separate from the original as traditionally considered and his words refute any such subservience to the so-called source text when the source text itself may well be a translation. He writes:

The metaphor that works best for me is one in which translation is not seen as a form of importing a text from the outside, but rather drawing upon reserves and experiences from within each individual and one’s own multicultural heritage. In this context, translation is not a mechanical activity applied to a text, but the very living substance of both the source and target text, a living, malleable, formable matter. I am no longer talking about translation in the traditional sense, but rather another deeper form of translation, one that underlies the human in this postmodern, global age. (Gentzler ibid, p. 3)

On the question of Bible translation, Gentzler (ibid, p. 6) recalls how Nida’s theory of Bible translation (see Nida’s Message and Mission, 1960 on his practical experience of Bible translation, and Toward a Science of Translating, 1964) influenced both Bible translators and literary translators, not only in the United States, but also in Germany and Austria, and also somewhat influenced the ‘target-text’ scholarship in Belgium and the Netherlands. Yet, he argues, that for the past few decades, Bible translators have been excluded from academic translation studies programs and paradigms of investigation, a point well-made given the fact that this very chapter of this book was occasioned by questions whether intralingual Bible translation is translation, whether Bible Commentary is translation, and whether Bible explanation and interpreting are translations.

Gentzler makes a big case for Bible translators when he writes that translation scholars can learn much about sacred text translation from Bible translators (Gentzler, 2014. p. 15), arguing that no text has been translated more often and into more languages than the Bible, and that no other book aside the Bible has a greater variety of genres, spiritual symbols, tones, metaphorical associations, or emotional appeal. A Biblical-perspective analysis of what Gentzler (op. cit.) is saying would be:

(1) Using the same language as that of a people, God is communicating a message

(2) The condition of the message that God is communicating is that it is presented in parables, in other words, the entire Bible is a parable

(3) This parabolic condition underlying the language of the Bible therefore has to be understood before that message can be accessed

(4) The attempt, effort, or process to communicate that message of God, or the construct of solutions, both cognitive and lexical, undertaken by a person to help another to achieve the right understanding of God’s message, is what is called translation and

(5) If therefore this book: Thematic Dictionary of Matthew - enables understanding into a hitherto difficult or misunderstood Bible verse, then it qualifies to be considered as translation.

The study of the Bible in University curricula, or the use of the text of the Bible in University textual analysis is not anathema to sound scholarship for; indeed, God himself invites the acquisition of knowledge and wisdom through sound scholarship in the Word of God. Hence to become a scholar is not only a secular endeavor because, two thousand years ago, God was first to invite readers of the Bible to distinguish themselves as scholars in the Word of truth. Besides, the entire process of salvation and the Kingdom of Heaven is a School that incorporates all the right key words of a secular University such as: read, knowledge, learned, scholar, instructed, research, veracity, etc.!

Isaiah 29:11 (KJV) And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:

Isaiah 29:12 (KJV) And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.

Malachi 2:12 (KJV) The LORD will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the LORD of hosts.

Matthew 13:52 (KJV) Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

John 5:39 (KJV) Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

The translations and interpretations of the Bible verses that are presented in this book are not contrary to the Bible translation theory and approach of Eugene Nida in Message and Mission (1960) in which Nida focused rather on the dialogical model of the receiver of the text of the Bible with the spirit of God (cited in Gentzler, 2014. p. 6). Nida’s theory of Bible translation strongly favored the message or spirit of the original over its linguistic equivalent just as Robyns (op. cit.) emphasized for literary translation several years later in 1994.

In his article, Gentzler did not cover translation review or translation criticism per se. Even so, we see that he begins to provide traces of future research along those lines when he writes:

Translators follow norms, but they also consciously and unconsciously take liberties and invent, sometimes making implicit references more explicit, adding material to explain cultural references, inventing new terms, expressions, and metaphors to glean new connections, and devising evasive routes to access implications otherwise too difficult or traumatic to articulate. (Gentzler, ibid, p. 22)

A translation researcher could therefore select a given translation via which to discover evidences of the above, the reasons appertaining, and the functions that such a work serves in the society. Still, in his own words, we will end the review of Gentzler’s article with a word of advice that he offers to up-and-coming translation scholars:

I suggest that scholars of the future be open to subtle connotations, repressed meanings, lost etymologies, and deep cultural and spiritual references. I suggest that Translation Studies scholars take advantage of collaborative opportunities with such natural partners as semioticians and begin to think without borders in order to see all those twists and turns that comprise the translational fabric at the root of culture. (Gentzler, ibid, p. 22)

Chapter 1

USING THE MONOLINGUAL BIBLE TO CONFIRM TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETING

[The following section: Using the Monolingual Bible to Confirm Translation and Interpreting, was reproduced from Topics in Translation Review – Testing the Perfect Harmony Theory of Translation and Interpreting, Pryce, 2018, pages 157-169]

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In consonance with our defining position that the main objective of translation and interpreting is to transfer meaning from an initiator to a receiver irrespective of how many languages are involved in the transfer, the English King James Version of the Bible contains a number of references that lend credence to our defining position. In the entire Bible, there is only one use of the word translate and it denotes a transfer:

2 Samuel 3:10 To translate the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba. (KJV)

Again in the entire English King James Bible, there are only two uses of the word translated and they also denote a transfer:

Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. (KJV)

Again in the entire English King James Bible, there is only one use of the word translation and it also denotes a transfer:

Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. (KJV)

Then for the word interpret, we found seven references in the entire English King James Bible and all of them denote a transfer of meaning howbeit in some of the references, we see the added dimension of two languages or tongues, proving clearly that we translate and interpret both in one language and also in two or more languages. In other words, both monolingual and bilingual translations are bonafide translations and interpretations:

Genesis 41:8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

Genesis 41:12 And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret.

Genesis 41:15 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.

1 Corinthians 12:30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?

1 Corinthians 14:5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.

1 Corinthians 14:13 Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.

1 Corinthians 14:27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. (KJV)

Next, we researched the word interpreted in the entire English King James Bible and we found eleven instances and, again, in every instance the focus of that key word is a transfer of meaning. As you examine the following verses, take particular note of Ezra 4:7 where we see the use of all the traditional mainstream elements of translation and interpreting namely: wrote, writing, letter, written, Syrian tongue, and interpreted:

Genesis 40:22 (KJV) But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.

Genesis 41:12 And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret.

Genesis 41:13 And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.

Ezra 4:7 And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue.

Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Mark 5:41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.

Mark 15:22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.

Mark 15:34 (KJV) And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

John 1:38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

John 1:41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

Acts 4:36 (KJV) And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,.

Finally, we researched the word interpretation and, again, from the English King James Bible we found forty-two instances and all of them, again, confirm our defining position that you do not necessarily need two or more languages to translate and interpret and that only one language is enough for a veritable exercise in translation and interpretation:

Genesis 40:5 And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison.

Genesis 40:12 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days:

Genesis 40:16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head:

Genesis 40:18 And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days:

Genesis 41:11 And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.

Judges 7:15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

Proverbs 1:6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

Ecclesiastes 8:1 Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.

Daniel 2:4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.

Daniel 2:5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.

Daniel 2:6 But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

Daniel 2:7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.

Daniel 2:9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.

Daniel 2:16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.

Daniel 2:24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.

Daniel 2:25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king