All the letters by Paul start with the same expression in Wichí Lhamtés Güisnay with the same expression: Amtena ipuhfwas or “It has been time but now it is.”
Bill Mitchell (in Omanson 2001, p. 437) explains: “Languages have their own ways of marking different genres. When the Wichí of Argentina send a message by way of a third person it begins with a particular expression, which, if taken literally, would say: ‘it has been time but now it is.’ It may not communicate a whole lot in English, but it is indispensable in Wichí. In the Wichí New Testament the letters of Paul begin with this word.”
In the instances where the Greek New Testament says Christos Iēsous (Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς) rather than the more common Iēsous Christos and English translations typically translate as “Christ Jesus,” the Bokyi translation says Jisos Karâs or “Jesus Christ.”
“Bokyi is a rather small language in the Cross River State of Nigeria. In one Bokyi village named Bansan the oldest man’s name is Otu Obyi. There is another man in another Bokyi village named Obyi Otu. Even though these two men share the same names every Bokyi person knows that they are two different people because of the order in which their names are used.
“If you are a translator and your language uses this same method of naming people, you can not sometimes write Jesus Christ in your translation and sometimes write Christ Jesus, and still refer to the same person. It will refer to two different people. You should always write Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus, but not both. You will have to decide which order is the most natural in your language.”
“Timothy” is the anglicized form of Timotheus, meaning “honoring God,” “honored of God,” “worshiping God,” “valued of God.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
It is translated in American Sign Language with a sign that combines the signs for the letter T and “young,” referring to 1 Timothy 4:12 et al. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Timothy” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
Retrotraducciones en español (haga clic o pulse aquí)
Yo Pablo estuve predicando en el servicio de Jesucristo, cuando fui arrestado y encarcelado.
Mi hermano en Cristo, Timoteo, vino a me visitarme en la cárcel, y ahora yo Pablo le escribo una carta a Filemón.
Nosotros dos te enviamos saludos cordiales a ti, Filemón, que ayudaste a mi y a mi compañero Timeoteo cuando predicabamos. A todos que se reunen en tu casa, a la iglesia, saludos,y también a todos los hermanos en Cristo, al igual que a Apia amada, y a Arquipo compañero nuestro en la predicación.
Nuestro Dios y Padre y el Señor Jesucristoles den gracia, amor, y paz.
I, Paul, was preaching in service of Jesus Christ when I was arrested and put in prison.
My brother in Christ, Timothy, came to visit me in prison and now I, Paul, write a letter to Philemon.
Both of us send you cordial greetings, Philemon, you who helped me and my companion Timothy as we preached. Greetings to all who meet in your house, the church, and to all the brothers in Christ, and also to the beloved Apphia and our fellow preacher Archippus.
May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace, love, and peace.
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)
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.
“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 )
Following are a number of back-translations of Philemon 1:1:
Uma: “This letter is from me, Paulus, who am imprisoned because of my work spreading the news of Kristus Yesus, and from Timotius, our one-faith relative, we (excl.) send to you, Filemon, our (excl.) relative whom we (excl.) love, and our (excl.) friend of one-work,” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “This letter is from me, Paul and from Timoteo our (incl.) brother who trusts in Isa Almasi. I am jailed here because I follow Isa Almasi. We (excl.) send this letter to you Pilemon. You are our (excl.) friend and our (excl.) companion working for God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Our dear friend and partner Philemon. As for me, Paul, the one in prison because of my faith in Jesus Christ, and as for Timothy, our (incl.) brother, we write to you and to Apphia, our sister because of believing, and to Archippus our fellow soldier of Christ, and we also write to the believers who worship in your house.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “I am Pablo who am-imprisoned because of my serving Cristo Jesus. My companion here, it is our sibling/cousin (henceforth brother) Timoteo. Here is our (excl.) letter to you (sing.) Filemon who are our (excl.) much-loved friend and fellow-worker.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Our(excl.) held-dear friend Filemon, who is our (excl.) fellow-worker of the work of the Lord, there-(with-you) is our (excl.) letter, I who am Pablo, who is being-imprisoned because of my service to Cristo Jesus, and our sibling in believing Timoteo.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Listen, our dear fellow worker Philemon. I, along with our brother Timothy, greet you. I, Paul, am in prison here because I speak the word about Jesus Christ.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
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 inclusive form (including Paul and Philemon) for the equivalent of “our brother” and either the exclusive or inclusive form for “our dear friend.”
In Huautla Mazatec, the translators selected the inclusive we, in Tok Pisin, the exclusive form is used for the second occurrence (“our dear friend”).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff. and SIL International Translation Department (1999).
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