Paul

The term that is transliterated as “Paul” in English is translated in American Sign Language 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

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Paul (source: Bible Lands 2012)

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).

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 )

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Paul .

complete verse (Acts 20:7)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 20:7:

  • Uma: “On Sunday we (excl.) gathered to eat together with our (excl.) one-faith relatives in Troas. Our (excl.) meeting house was a tall house. We (excl.) met in the room that was at the very top. Many lamps were lit. Long was the speech of Paulus speaking to the people gathered there. He spoke until the middle of the night, because it was his intention to leave the next morning.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When it was Saturday night, we (excl.) gathered to eat bread which-was-divided-into-pieces to remember the death of Isa. Paul planned to leave the next day, that’s why he preached to the people until midnight.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “On Saturday when the sun had gone down, we gathered together so that we might fulfill the holy supper. As for Paul, he preached to the people and his preaching lasted until the middle of the night because on the next morning he was going to leave.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “On Saturday afternoon, we (excl.) believers all met-as-a-congregation to eat the bread that caused-us -to-remember the death of Jesus. Afterwards Pablo taught until the middle of the night, because he said/thought he would set-out the next day (lit. its tomorrow).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When it was Sunday, when the sun set, we (excl.) gathered together with the taga Troas believers to eat a meal and do Communion, right after which Pablo would teach. And because next day we (excl.) would sail again, he taught for a long time. It reached midnight.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Acts 20:7)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the addressee).

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.

Translation commentary on Acts 20:7

On Saturday evening (see Barclay, New English Bible, and Jerusalem Bible note) is literally “on the first day of the week.” This meeting would have taken place in the evening; and according to the Jewish calculation the first day of the week would have begun on Saturday evening and continued until Sunday at sunset. Some infer, on the basis of the phrase until sunrise (v. 11), that Luke was not counting the day in the Jewish fashion but in the Greek way, by which the day began at sunrise. If this is the case, then the translation should be “Sunday evening” rather than “Saturday evening”; however, the weight of evidence is in favor of “Saturday evening.”

For the fellowship meal (see comments on 2.42) is literally “to break bread,” and some commentators take this as a reference to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper rather than to the fellowship meal which seems to have preceded the participation in the Lord’s Supper. Kept on speaking is perhaps to be taken in the sense of “kept on preaching,” since Paul is the only one speaking. Since he was going to leave the next day explains the reason that Paul kept on speaking until midnight.

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 20:7

Section 20:7–12

Paul resurrected Eutychus

In this section, Paul, Luke, and others were in Troas for seven days. On Sunday, the believers gathered to eat together. Paul spoke to them. He talked for a long time and a young man fell asleep. The young man fell from the place where he was sitting, which was a third story window. He fell to the ground and died. God enabled Paul to cause him to live again. The believers were greatly comforted by this.

Other examples of headings for this section are:

Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas (New International Version)
-or-
Paul’s Last Visit to Troas (New Century Version)

Paragraph 20:7–12

20:7a

On the first day of the week: This phrase probably refers to Sunday. The Greeks considered the day to start at dawn.

In some languages a literal translation would have the wrong meaning. If that is true in your language, you may want to translate the correct meaning. For example:

On Sunday (God’s Word)

But a few scholars think this phrase refers to Saturday evening. The Jews considered the day to start at sunset. If the common language version translates this phrase as “Saturday,” you may want to follow that. For example:

On Saturday evening (Good News Translation)

we: The pronoun we refers to Paul, Luke, the seven men who preceded them to Troas, and the believers who lived in Troas.

to break bread: This phrase refers to eating a meal. The believers probably ate a meal together every week. It was probably the evening meal, since Sunday was a work day then. For example:

for the fellowship meal (Good News Translation)

This meal may have included celebrating the Lord’s Supper. You may want to explain that in a footnote. An example footnote is:

This meal probably ended with celebrating the Lord’s Supper. Jesus told his followers to eat this special meal to remember and honor him (Luke 22:14–20).

It is not clear if everyone ate at this time or after midnight after Eutychus fell and Paul healed him (20:11). The Greek can imply that eating came after gathering together and before Paul started talking (20:7c). Also, 20:11 only says that he ate. It seems a little more likely that they all ate at this time.

20:7b

he talked to them: The context implies that Paul preached to the believers in Troas about Jesus and how to live as Christians.

In some languages a literal translation would indicate the wrong meaning. If that is true in your language, you may need to include the implied information. For example:

Paul spoke to the people ⌊about God’s kingdom⌋
-or-
Paul ⌊exhorted⌋ the believers
-or-
Paul spoke to the people ⌊about Jesus⌋

20:7c–d

Since Paul was ready to leave the next day, he talked to them and kept on speaking until midnight: The word Since introduces the reason for talking until midnight. In some languages the word Since would not connect correctly where it is. If that is true in your language, indicate the connection correctly. For example:

and kept on talking until midnight, because he intended to leave the next day
-or-
He intended to leave the next day, so kept on talking until midnight.

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