The Greek that is typically translated in English as “sign” is translated in Huehuetla Tepehua as “thing to be marveled at” (source: Larson 1889, p. 279) and in Mairasi as “big work” (source: Enggavoter 2004).
Paul
The term that is transliterated as “Paul” in English means “little.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
In American Sign Language it is translated with a sign that signifies the many letters he wrote. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Paul” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with a sign depicting putting away a sword, referring to his conversion from a persecutor of Christians to a Christian leader. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
“Paul (and Saul)” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España
In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a sign that is based on contemporary depictions and refers to the presumed baldness of the top of his head. The description originates from the 2nd-century apocryphal text titled Acts of Paul and Thecla , which represents the earliest and most detailed physical characterization of the apostle in Christian tradition (see also the icon below). (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group)
“Paul” in Hungarian Sign Language — note that only the first part refers to “Paul,” the second part refers to “apostle” (source )
For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .
Following is a Georgian Orthodox icon of Paul the Apostle from the 14th century (located in the Art Museum of Georgia, Tbilisi).
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Orthodox Icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )
The following is a contemporary stained glass window from the Messiah Episcopal Church in St. Paul, Minnesota by Peter Dohmen. Individual glass pieces were made in Germany in accordance with Dohmen’s design, using a technique first developed by Irish monks in the 9th and 10th centuries.
Source for the image and description below: The Stained Glass Windows of Messiah Episcopal Church
“This window is dedicated to St. Paul, the great apostle and missionary, for whom our city is named. At the top of the window is a ship which symbolizes the many missionary journeys of Paul — the Church is our ship, which carries us over the way of life. In the lower section we see Paul on the road to Damascus when he saw a great light and heard our Lord’s voice, which called him to discipleship.”
Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )
Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Paul (source: Bible Lands 2012)
Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Paul .
complete verse (2 Thessalonians 3:17)
Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Thessalonians 3:17:
- Uma: “Greetings from me, Paulus. The end of this letter, [it is] my own hand that writes [it]. Like this is the appearance of my writing in all my letters, so you know for sure it is really my letter.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “I, Paul, am the one writing to finish this. Like this I write, as in all my letters.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “I am Paul; I have signed my name here. This is the mark which I set down in all of my letters, and this is the way I write.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “I am Pablo who have written this conclusion to the letter that I have-had-written. This is what I do in all my letters so that it will be-known that it is truly from me, because of-course the manner in which I write can be recognized.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “Well, this final talk which is greetings, I myself am writing. This really is what I do in each letter I send to wherever place, so that it will be acknowledged as true that I Pablo really am where it came from.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “I, Paul, with my own hand write the words here in order to greet you. When I sign my letter when I have finished writing, this is the word that I write here:” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Translation commentary on 2 Thessalonians 3:17
It is not quite clear in what the greetings consist. There are at least three possibilities: (1) verse 16 (Best), (2) verse 17, (3) verses 17-18. Best thinks that it was at verse 16, and not at verse 17, that Paul took the pen from his secretary’s hand. This would, of course, be necessary if verse 16 were to be the greeting. Parallel passages in other letters suggest that Paul’s personal greeting does not refer backward to earlier verses, but usually includes later verses. For example, see 1 Corinthians 16.21 (v. 22 is scarcely a “greeting,” vv. 23-24 are); Galatians 6.11 (not a greeting, but a reference to Paul’s own handwriting); Colossians 4.18 (cannot refer to preceding verses). Philemon 19 is not relevant since it probably means that the whole letter was written in Paul’s own handwriting.
The Greek of the first few words is very concise, and will often need restructuring in translation. Literally it is “the greeting in my hand of Paul,” that is, “in my (Paul’s) own hand” (cf. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “I, Paul, write the greeting with my own hand”). This may be rendered as “I am writing these words with my own hand,” “these very words I am writing with my own hand,” or “I myself am writing these words.”
Greetings from Paul must be rendered in some languages as “I am greeting you,” equivalent in some languages to “I am saying to you hello.”
This is the way I sign every letter may be expressed as “this is how I write my name at the end of every letter.” Such an expression would include the final clause of verse 17, this is how I write.
On the matter of possible forgeries, see the notes on 2 Thess. 2.2.
Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1976. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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