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 )
Following is a hand colored stencil print on momigami of Peter by Sadao Watanabe (1970):
Image taken with permission from the SadaoHanga Catalogue where you can find many more images and information about Sadao Watanabe. For other images of Sadao Watanabe art works in TIPs, see here.
The Greek, Latin and Hebrew that is translated with “joy” or “gladness” in English is translated with various associations of “sweetness” or taste: Bambara has “the spirit is made sweet,” Kpelle translates as “sweet heart,” and Tzeltal as “the good taste of one’s heart,” Uduk uses the phrase “good to the stomach,” Baoulé “a song in the stomach,” Mískito “the liver is wide open” (“happily letting the pleasures flooding in upon it”) (source: Nida 1952), Mairasi says “good liver” (source: Enggavoter 2004), Noongar has koort-kwabba-djil or “heart very good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang), and Chicahuaxtla Triqui “refreshed heart” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.).
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 12:14:
Uma: “She recognized that it was Petrus’ voice on the outside of the door. Carried by her gladness, she did not immediately open the door, but instead she hurriedly returned going back into the house, saying to her friends: ‘It is Petrus [emphatic] at the door there!'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “She recognized the voice of Petros. She was very glad and because of her joy she did not right-away open the door but she ran inside to tell them. She said, ‘Petros is there standing outside.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “She recognized the voice of Peter, however since she was so happy that Peter had arrived, she did not open for him because she ran and returned because she would tell her companions that Peter had arrived already, and he was there on the outside.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “When she recognized Pedro’s voice, she forgot to open on-account-of her happiness, and she immediately-ran to go tell that Pedro was at the entrance.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “When she heard the voice of Pedro, she recognized it at once. But in the big-size of her happiness, it didn’t enter her mind to open the door. She returned inside running to tell that the one knocking outside, it was Pedro.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Recognized Peter’s voice may be rendered as “knew that it was Peter who was speaking” or “recognized that Peter was speaking.”
Though the expression was so happy that she ran back in without opening the door seems relatively simple in its structure in English, this may require certain adjustments in other languages because of the problems of temporal sequence, for example, “she was very happy; she did not open the door but she ran back into the house.”
Announced may simply be “told everyone.”
Outside accurately translates the meaning of the Greek phrase, “in front of the door,” for Peter would have been standing outside of the inner court of the house.
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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