The following is a stained glass window from 1855 by artist H. Beiler over the altar of the Evangelische Stadtkirche Bad Rappenau, Bad Rappenau, Germany:
Photo by Llez, hosted by Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
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 different Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek terms that are translated as “(olive) oil” and “(animal) fat” in English are translated in Kwere with only one term: mavuta. (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
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María Magdalena antes tenía adentro siete demonios que Jesús había expulsado.
El sábado descansaron hasta la noche (y entonces) María Magdalena, María y Salome se fueron a comprar perfume para ungir y frotar el perfume en el cuerpo muerto de Jesús.
El domingo, temprano en la mañana Jesús resucitó y primero encontró a María Magdalena, ella vio con sus propios ojos que Jesús estaba vivo otra vez y se fue.
Después de la salida del sol las otras mujeres estaban en camino para ir a la tumba, y mientras caminaban dijeron: “¿Cómo vamos a quitar la piedra? ¿Quién nos va a ayudar a rodar la piedra?”
Continuaron en el camino y vieron que la piedra fue revuelta, y fueron y entraron y vieron a un hombre jóven con ropa blanca sentado.
Las mujeres se asustaron y el ángel dijo: “No tengan miedo, uds buscan a Jesús de Nazarét, que fue crucificado y murió, ya se ha levantado, su cuerpo no está, miren.
Ahorita vayanse y adviertan a los discípulos y a Pedro diciendo: “Recuerden que recien antes Jesús les ha dicho: ‘voy a Galilela y uds también vayan a Galilea a ver a Jesús.'”
Las mujeres tenían miedo y estaban nerviosas y huyeron caminando, y no decían nada y se fueron.
Mary Magdalene before had seven demons inside her that Jesus had thrown out.
On Saturday they rested till nighttime and (then) Mary Magdalene, Mary and Salome went off to buy perfume to anoint and rub the perfume onto Jesus’ dead body.
On Sunday, early in the morning Jesus rose and first met Mary Magdalene, who saw with her own eyes that Jesus was alive again and went off.
After sunrise the other women were on their way to go to the tomb, and while they walked they said: “How are we going to take away the stone? Who will help us to roll the stone away?”
They went on and saw that the stone had been rolled away, and they went over and entered and saw a young man with white clothes sitting there.
The women were frightened and the angel said: “Do not be afraid, you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified and died, he has already risen, his body is not here, look.
Now go and warn the disciples and Peter saying: “Remember that not long ago Jesus has told you: ‘I go to Galilee and you must also go to Galilee to see Jesus.'”
The women were afraid and nervous and they fled, walking away and they said nothing about it and left.
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 16:1:
Uma: “After the worship day was past, Maria Magdalena, Maria the mother of Yakobus, and Salome, they went to buy fragrant stuff. Their intention was to go oil Yesus’ body with the fragrant stuff.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “After the Saturday was over, the day of-no-work, Mariyam the woman from Magdala, and Salome, and Mariyam the mother of Yakub bought ointment (fragrant) in order to go there and treat-with-ointment the body of Isa.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when the Day of Rest was finished, Mary of Magdala, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, for they were going to the grave to annoint the body of Jesus.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “When the day for-resting was finished, Maria Magdalena, Salome and Maria the mother of Santiago went to go buy perfume in order that they would go and rub-it on Jesus’ corpse.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “When the sun had set on that Day of Rest, Maria Magdalena, Maria the mother of Santiago, and Salome went to buy perfume to pour on the body of Jesus.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
One of the distinctions of the gospel of Mark is a breathlessness of telling the story of Jesus. One way that is achieved is by using the Greek kai, normally “and” in English, at the beginning of sections. Different versions and languages have found their own ways of translating it, but the German translation by Walter Jens (publ. 1990, 1998) is unique by consistently using Und ich erzähle or “And I’m telling (you)” for every such occurrence of kai.
The name that is transliterated as “Mary” in English is translated in Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) with a sign that combines the letter M and “witness” (because she witnessed the crucifixon). (Source: Missão Kophós )
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
diagenomenou tou sabbatou ‘the sabbath having passed’: this would be any time after 6:00 P.M. on Saturday, when the first day of the week would begin. In the context, it would have been Saturday evening when the women bought the spices.
diaginomai (only here in Mark) ‘to go through’: of time, ‘to pass,’ ‘to elapse.’
For Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James cf. 15.40.
ēgorasan (cf. 6.36) ‘they bought.’
arōmata (only here in Mark) ‘spices,’ ‘aromatic oils (or, ‘salves’)’: used in the Jewish practice of anointing the dead, for burial.
aleipsōsin (cf. 6.13; cf. murizō in 14.8) ‘they might anoint’: it is to be noticed that this is an anointing, and not the (Egyptian) art of embalming. Therefore Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodalepour embaumer and O Novo Testamento de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo. Revisdo Autorizadapara … embalsamá-lo may be misleading.
Translation:
The phrase and Salome may require a transposition in order to avoid the meaning of Mary being the mother of both James and Salome, e.g. ‘Mary from Magdala, Salome, and Mary the mother of James.’
Spices must not be translated in such a way as to refer only to spices used as condiments, a not infrequent error. In Tzeltal the proper equivalent is ‘fragrant medicines,’ in which ‘medicines’ is a general term for any kind of ointment or salve, regardless of its function. In Navajo, the only phrase which may be employed is ‘herbs for anointing,’ in which ‘herbs’ covers all types of substances derived from plants. In Amganad Ifugao a descriptive equivalent is ‘sweet-smelling things.’
Evidently the buying of the spices took place in the evening after the sabbath had ended at sundown, but the actual going to the tomb was early the following morning.
Anoint him is ‘anoint his body’ in many languages; otherwise there is an implicit reference to Jesus as still living.
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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