Guest or foreigner? From the evangelical message (Mt 25, 31-46) to the Polish translations of the Bible Cover Image

Gość czy obcy? Od przekazu ewangelicznego (Mt 25, 31–46) do polskich przekładów biblijnych
Guest or foreigner? From the evangelical message (Mt 25, 31-46) to the Polish translations of the Bible

Problems of equivalence

Author(s): Stanisław Koziara, Renata Przybylska
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Translation Studies
Published by: KSIĘGARNIA AKADEMICKA Sp. z o.o.
Keywords: the category of ‘foreigner’; the Bible; Polish translations of the Bible; translational equivalence

Summary/Abstract: The paper tries to draw attention to problems related to accurate conveyance in translation of certain forms and ideas contained in the Bible. It focuses on a fragment of the parable of the final judgment from the Gospel of St. Matthew (Mt 25, 31–46) which speaks about acts of love towards neighbours. Besides the evangelical command to care for the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and imprisoned, it contains an order to accept a FOREIGNER, described in the Greek and Latin text of the Bible as ksénos and hospes, respectively. The first goal of this paper is to attempt a reconstruction of the linguistic and cultural context in which those names for the FOREIGNER were used. The second, essential, goal is to philologically evaluate a collection of native equivalents of those foreign words which appear in 34 Polish translations of the Gospel of St. Matthew, from Old Polish to newer and contemporary renderings. The remarks presented in the paper are philological in nature and primarily refer to linguistic descriptive procedures, with a necessary utilization of certain findings in the fields of exegesis and Biblical hermenutics.

  • Issue Year: 2017
  • Issue No: 24
  • Page Range: 73-91
  • Page Count: 19
  • Language: Polish