{"id":11333,"date":"2012-12-22T09:02:13","date_gmt":"2012-12-22T14:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/?p=11333"},"modified":"2012-12-22T09:02:13","modified_gmt":"2012-12-22T14:02:13","slug":"beyond-the-queen-james-bible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2012\/12\/beyond-the-queen-james-bible.html","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the Queen James Bible"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"I read with interest in recent days the news<\/a> (which I thought I\u2019d heard announced at some point before) about the\u00a0<\/a>Queen James Bible<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

What this Bible does is translate the eight \u201cclobber passages<\/a>\u201d in ways that reflect what many scholars understand them to mean, seeking to make clear that they are not about contemporary same-sex relationships. Those are the only changes<\/a> \u2013 the rest is the straight (pun intended) text of the King James Version.<\/p>\n

In some instances the translation seems to be right on target, such as in its rendering of Genesis 19:5<\/a>:<\/p>\n

And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may rape and humiliate them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That\u2019s clearly what the text means. But in other instances, it takes proposed background information which is hypothetical and works it into the text in a manner that is perhaps too interpretative (although the same criticism can be made of any\u00a0<\/em>Bible in places). An example is its rendering of Leviticus 18:22:<\/p>\n

Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind in the temple of Molech: it is an abomination.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You can read its distinctive rendering of these and other verses on the Bible\u2019s web site<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hopefully the Queen James Bible<\/em> will generate some useful discussion of these passages. But on the whole, from what I\u2019ve heard about it, I am unhappy.<\/p>\n

One reason I don\u2019t like this Bible is that it sticks to King James English<\/a>. Doing so won\u2019t make any part of it more likely to be understood by modern readers. But a more significant qualm I have is that I don\u2019t think that translating these passages in ways that counter prevailing misinterpretations is something that ought to be done only in a Bible marketed at gays and lesbians. It is crucial that as many Christians as possible read translations that make the issues of translation and interpretation in these issues clear. According to a post at Red Letter Christians<\/a>, there are more hate crimes against gays and lesbians each year than there are against Christians. And the \u201cclobber passages\u201d are one of the reasons that too few Christians care about this<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If one were to actually give the Bible a more significant makeover in the interest of having it address such issues as these directly wherever possible, what might it look like?<\/p>\n

In a first attempt to answer that question, here is a parable, based on one attributed to Jesus in Luke 16:19-31<\/a>:<\/p>\n

There was a straight man who had a loving wife and happy family.\u00a0A gay man named Lazarus would pass by his gate every day,\u00a0<\/sup>longing to have for a relationship of his own even a shadow of the legal standing, social acceptance, and personal safety that that man had.\u00a0Even neighborhood dogs came and walked alongside him and offered him companionship, but he really wished he could walk down the street hand in hand with his partner without being afraid they would get beat up. The straight man gave regularly to organizations that opposed marriage equality.<\/p>\n

The time came when Lazarus died and the angels carried him to sit at Abraham\u2019s side at a fabulous banquet. The straight man also died and was buried.\u00a0In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.\u00a0\u00a0<\/sup>So he called to him, \u2018Father Abraham,\u00a0have pity on me and send someone to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Abraham replied, \u2018Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things,\u00a0but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.\u00a0And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.\u2019<\/p>\n

He answered, \u2018Then I beg you, father, send someone to my family,\u00a0<\/span>for I have five brothers. Let that person warn them,\u00a0so that they will not also come to this place of torment.\u2019<\/p>\n

Abraham replied, \u2018They have the Scriptures;\u00a0let them listen to them.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018I too had the Scriptures, but I did not understand them as I do now. Please send someone to my family!\u2019<\/p>\n

Abraham said,\u00a0\u2018Fine, I\u2019ll send Lazarus.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018No, father Abraham,\u2019\u00a0he said, \u2018He\u2019s gay, and they won\u2019t listen. But if someone who is straight goes to them, they will repent.\u2019<\/p>\n

Abraham shook his head with disappointment and said to him, \u2018If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, and if they will not listen to the pain of those around them, then they will not be convinced no matter whom I send to them.\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Also relevant<\/a>\u00a0to this topic is the latest controversial billboard<\/a> from St. Matthew in the City<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I read with interest in recent days the news (which I thought I\u2019d heard announced at some point before) about the\u00a0Queen James Bible. What this Bible does is translate the eight \u201cclobber passages\u201d in ways that reflect what many scholars understand them to mean, seeking to make clear that they are not about contemporary same-sex […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,61],"tags":[1953,2743,3794,4089,4743,4745,6212,6239,6400,6521,6763,9828,10345,12839],"class_list":["post-11333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gospel-of-luke","category-morality","tag-clobber-passages","tag-dives","tag-gay","tag-gospel","tag-homosexual","tag-homosexuality","tag-king-james","tag-kjv","tag-lazarus","tag-lgbt","tag-luke","tag-queen-james-bible","tag-rich-man","tag-translation"],"yoast_head":"\nBeyond the Queen James Bible<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I read with interest in recent days the news (which I thought I'd heard announced at some point before) about the\u00a0Queen James Bible. 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