The Greek in Acts 7:2 that is translated as “our ancestor Abraham” is translated in Chichimeca-Jonaz as “Father Abraham, the stalk we came from.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
The term that is transliterated as “Stephen” in English is translated in American Sign Language with a sign that combines “S” and the sign for “stoned” or “rocks,” referring to Acts 7:58. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Stephen” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with a signs for “see” + “heaven” + “open,” referring to Acts 7:55. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
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.
“This window on the east wall of the sanctuary shows us St. Stephen, the first martyr to give his life for Christ. Faith and loyalty are symbolized in the top panel by the cross. You will notice that Stephen’s eyes are turned toward heaven and we recall his words: ‘I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ The bottom section depicts the martyrdom of this great saint who was only in deacon’s orders when he met his death by stoning.”
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 )
The Greek that is translated as “my Father” in English is translated in Matumbi as Tati’ bangu’ or “my fathers.” “Our Father” is translated as “our Fathers” (and likewise “our ancestor” as “our ancestors”). Matumbi uses a majestic plural as an honorific when addressing parents. (Source: Tim Macsaveny)
The name that is transliterated as “Mesopotamia” in English is translated in Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) with a depiction of the two main rivers in the region (Tigris and Euphrates) and the meaning of the word “Mesopotamia” is “between two rivers.” (Source: Missão Kophós )
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 7:2:
Uma: “Stefanus answered: ‘Relatives, fathers! Please listen to my words! Long ago, when our ancestors Abraham was still in the land of Mesopotamia, before he moved to the village of Haran, God who has great power appeared to that ancestor of ours,” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Estepan answered, he said, ‘My brothers and parents, listen to me. I will remind you about what our (incl.) forefathers did in the ancient-past/long ago. The God who is praised appeared hep to our (incl.) forefather Ibrahim when he was living in Mesopotamiya. He had not yet lived in Haran.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Stephen answered saying, ‘You, the elders and my brethren, listen to my words to you. Long ago our ancestor Abraham, the all-powerful God appeared to him while Abraham still lived in the land of Mesopotamia before he had transferred to the village of Haran.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Esteban answered and he said, ‘Brothers and elders, please hear what I say to you. Long ago, the honored/praised and dazzling God appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was staying in Mesopotamia when he had not-yet moved to go to Haran.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Esteban replied, saying, ‘My elders and brethren, please listen well to what I will say. God who is extremely praiseworthy went-to-see/meet our forefather Abraham, when he was still in Mesopotamia, not yet having moved to Haran.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
The name that is transliterated as “Abraham” in English means “father of a multitude,” “father of mercy,” “father of many nations.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
In the vast majority of sign languages, including American Sign Language it is translated with the sign signifying “hold back arm” (referring to Genesis 22:12).
In Vietnamese (Hanoi) Sign Language it is translated with a sign for that demonstrates his new destiny. Previously, he had been called to wander from his home, and the name “Abram” reflected this movement (see here). The new sign name is in one location and stays there, showing Abraham will be given a land to call his own. At this time, Abraham was in the southern part of Canaan, which is shown on the base arm by the location near the elbow. (Source: The Vietnamese Sign Language translation team, VSLBT)
“Abraham” in Vietnamese Sign Language, source: SooSL
In Tira it is transliterated as Abaram. The choice of this, rather than the widely-known “Ibrahim,” as used in the Tira translation of the Qu’ran, was to offset it against the Muslim transliteration which originates from Arabic. (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )
Click or tap here to see two short video clips about Abraham (source: Bible Lands 2012)
