Although I found the story of Babel itself to be very intriguing, I focused more on the fact that there were a plethora of different translations of the story of the Tower of Babel.
It never occurred to me how many different connotations can be found in a line
of writing and how many valid translations of one text can exist. Although the
original story of Babel was very concise, I found it interesting how some
translations had added details and facts that the translators found it worthy
to mention. Because of this, the ancient translated texts people read today
need to be taken with a grain of salt. Religious people need to keep in mind
that the stories they are reading in ancient texts have been filtered by a
human. People need to use their own judgment while reading holy books to ensure
they are gleaning the correct meaning of the text that the author intended to convey.
I think you have made a good point about taking the modern translations with a grain of salt. It doesn't always have to be interpreted so literally and there are absolutely multiple translations and interpretations that people can make for themselves. In this one specifically, I think it's important to keep that in mind.
ReplyDeleteI also looked at the readings from this point of view. Most of the biblical texts have been interpreted and will be interpreted differently by the readers too.
ReplyDeleteI agree; each translation was slightly different from the last that it makes you question what the translator found important to the overall story and what they felt could be omitted in the big picture. I think it really reflects on how humanity affects the grand scheme of things.
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