centurion

The Greek that is translated as “centurion” in English is translated in Noongar as “boss of the Roman soldiers (lit.: ‘men of fighting’)” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang), in Uma as “Roman army warchief” (source: Uma Back Translation), in Western Bukidnon Manobo as “a person who was not a Jew, the captain of a hundred soldiers” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation), and in Mairasi “leader of Roman warriors” (source: Enggavoter 2004).

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Roman Centurion .

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).

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 (Acts 22:25)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 22:25:

  • Uma: “Arriving there, Paulus was fastened to a post to be beaten. That’s why he said to the warchief next to him: ‘Can a Roman citizen be beaten if his case has not-yet been tried [lit., sat-upon]?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When Paul had been bound by them and was about to be whipped, Paul said to the lieutenant who was standing there, ‘Are you obeying the law when you beat a person/man of Roma like myself, and-what’s-more I have not yet been judged/tried?'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when they had tied Paul up because they were ready to beat him, Paul said to the sergeant there, he said, ‘Does the law permit that you beat me, a subject of the town of Rome, before you have investigated me?'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But when they tied-him-up-against-something to whip-him, Pablo spoke to the captain who was standing there and said, ‘Isn’t it against the law that you whip a person who is a Romano if you don’t try-him first?'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But when Pablo had been secured to the securing-place, he spoke to a captain of soldiers who was standing near him. He said, ‘Isn’t it so that it’s against the law of the Romano to whip a person who has Romanoship when he hasn’t yet been passed sentence on?'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 22:25

The phrase rendered to be whipped may be taken in the sense “with leather straps.” That is, Luke may either be telling the reason that Paul was being tied up or the means by which Paul was being tied up. The New English Bible accepts the same interpretation that the Good News Translation does, though it provides a footnote giving the alternate possibility.

The term lawful may be rendered as “according to the law,” “is this what the law says,” or “does the law allow you.” In some languages, of course, law may always be rendered as “laws” to indicate the body of laws.

The phrase a Roman citizen may, in this context, be rendered as “a person who has all the rights of the people who live in Rome” or “a person who is just like those in the city of Rome.”

Who hasn’t even been tried for any crime translates a Greek word which is also used in 16.37. The word may indicate one who has not been tried or one who has been tried and found innocent. In the present context, the emphasis is clearly on the former of these two possibilities. This final clause may be translated in some languages as “a person whom a judge has not passed sentence on,” “a man who has not been condemned in court,” or “a man to whom the judge has not yet said, You are guilty of a crime.”

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 22:25

22:25a

But: The Greek conjunction often translated as “and” or “but” introduces this verse. It is sometimes not translated, as in the New International Version. The Berean Standard Bible translates the Greek conjunction here as But because the Berean Standard Bible, as well as some other English versions, see contrast between what the commander commanded in 22:24 and what Paul said here. Other English versions do not see contrast here. For example:

And (King James Version)
-or-
When they tied Paul… (New Living Translation (2004))

they stretched him out: The soldiers prepared to flog Paul by putting his hands forward and up around a post. They were preparing to tie his wrists to the post and flog his back. Some ways you might say this are:

they stretched out his arms/hands to tie them ⌊to a post⌋ and then whip him
-or-
they stretched his arms out and began to tie him up so they could whip him ⌊on his back⌋

to strap him down: There are two ways to interpret the Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to strap him down:

(1) They indicate that the soldiers were preparing to flog Paul. For example:

for the whips (English Standard Version)

(New International Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition, NET Bible, English Standard Version)

(2) They indicate that he was tied with leather straps. For example:

with the thongs (Revised Standard Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, King James Version, God’s Word)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because the soldiers had already put chains on Paul’s wrists (21:33). They would probably use those to tie Paul to the whipping post.

22:25b

centurion: The centurion was an officer in the Roman army who usually led one hundred soldiers. Translate this word as you did in 10:1 (“centurion”).

22:25c

Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman citizen without a trial?: The Greek words are literally “If a man/person (is a) Roman and uncondemned, it is lawful for you(plur) to flog him?” There are two issues here:

Issue 1: Meaning

There are two ways to interpret the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as without a trial:

(1) It means have a trial and the judge declares a person not guilty of a crime. It implies that all appeals are completed and the judgment of “not guilty” still stands. For example:

Do you have the right to beat a Roman citizen who has not been proven guilty? (New Century Version)

(Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, New Century Version, English Standard Version, King James Version)

(2) It means not have a trial. For example:

Is it legal for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and has not been brought to trial? (New Jerusalem Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) because the Greek word is the negation of “to condemn as guilty;” it is not the negation of the Greek word that means “to judge.”

Other ways to translate these words following interpretation (1) are:

Does the law allow you to flog a Roman citizen, and an unconvicted one at that? (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Do you have the right to beat a Roman citizen who has not been proven guilty? (New Century Version)
-or-
Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who has not been judged guilty in court
-or-
Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen to whom the judge has not yet said, “You are guilty of this crime.”

Roman law protected Roman citizens from being flogged before a judge said someone was guilty and deserved to be punished. If the person appealed his case, they were also not allowed to punish him until the appeal upheld the judge’s decision. In some languages, this will not be clear. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Roman law stated that a Roman citizen should not be flogged unless a judge first decided he was guilty and all court appeals agreed with the judge.

Issue 2: Rhetorical Question

This rhetorical question implies that the soldiers should not flog Paul. The centurion knew that a judge first had to decide that a Roman citizen was guilty of a crime before that person could be flogged. Translate these clauses with that meaning. Some ways are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned? (English Standard Version)

• As a statement. For example:

⌊You and I both know that⌋ it is not legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been judged guilty.

Is it lawful: This phrase refers to what the law permits. It implies the Roman law here. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

Is it legal (New International Version)
-or-
Does the law allow (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Do you have the right (New Century Version)
-or-
Does your/Roman law say that

a Roman citizen: The word citizen indicates that the Roman government considered Paul to belong to Rome. He had rights as a Roman. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

a Roman by right
-or-
have Roman citizenship
-or-
legally a person of Rome
-or-
belong to Rome
-or-
on the list of Roman people

General Comment on 22:25c

Paul clearly implied here that he was a Roman citizen. In 22:26 the centurion showed that he understood that implied information. In some languages the implied information will not be clear. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Include the implied information in your translation. For example:

If someone ⌊like me⌋ is a Roman citizen and no judge has declared him guilty, is it legal for you(plur) to flog him?
-or-
Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen, ⌊like me,⌋ who hasn’t even been found guilty?
-or-

⌊I am⌋ a Roman citizen. Is it legal for you to flog ⌊me⌋ when ⌊I⌋ have not even been found guilty?

• Translate literally and explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:

With this question, Paul clearly implied that he was a Roman citizen (see 22:26).

• Allow 22:26 to explain the implied information.

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