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 are a number of back-translations of Luke 24:17:
Nyongar: “Jesus said to the two, ‘What are you talking about, walking together?’ They stopped walking and their faces were sad.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “Yesus said to them: ‘What is it that you are continually talking about as you walk?’ They stopped with a glum appearance.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “He said to them, ‘What are you talking about while you are walking?’ They stopped and it could be seen in the faces of the two that they were sad.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus said to them, ‘What are you talking about as you walk?’ And they stopped there, and it could be seen by their faces that they were very sad.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Jesus said to them, ‘What are you talking about while you are walking?’ They stopped and it could be seen in their faces/eyes that they were sad.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Jesus questioned them, saying, ‘What is that which you are discussing as you walk?’ They stopped-walking and looked at Jesus, their faces really being sad (lit. overcast/in shade).” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.
As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff.), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.
Here, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.
In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.
tines hoi logoi houtoi hous antiballete pros allēlous ‘what are these words which you cast at each other?’
antiballō lit. ‘to cast against,’ here of words, hence ‘to exchange.’
peripatountes ‘walking,’ hence ‘as you walk along.’
kai estathēsan “they came to a halt” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation), ‘they stood still,’ ingressive aorist.
skuthrōpoi ‘gloomy,’ ‘downcast.’
Translation:
What is this conversation which you are holding with each other, or simply, ‘what affair are you talking about’ (Ekari), ‘what are you discussing’ (cf. An American Translation).
Looking sad, or, “with sad faces” (Good News Translation), ‘(their) faces clouded’ (Ekari). For sad see references on 18.23.
Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.
