Page 113 - Doctrine and History of the Preservation of the Bible Student Textbook

traditional theological interpretation (especially a conservative Evangelical one). Translations that aim to
31
be an equal blend of the methods share some of the strengths and weaknesses of both methods.

Punctuation

Modern languages generally use punctuation marks. These typographical symbols are used to clarify the
meaning of written information. For the most part, punctuation marks are not pronounced. A person
reading a sentence aloud does not make any noticeable sounds corresponding to those particular
symbols. However, the symbols do affect where the person pauses and what vocal inflections he uses.
Punctuation can have a significant impact on the meaning of a sentence. An example is the statement
“My favorite things are cooking my friends and family” (like a cannibal) rather than “My favorite things
are cooking, my friends, and family.” The addition of commas makes a great difference in how we
perceive you and your favorite things.

Many ancient languages were written without punctuation marks, including Hebrew and Greek, the
original languages used to compose the Bible. Ancient Hebrew even lacked written vowels. Later copies
of the Old Testament Scriptures included vowel points—marks above, inside, or below the consonants—
for easier reading. Punctuation marks were also added, eventually, to aid the reader and help provide
clarity. Many of these punctuation marks were later used to help create similar clarifications in English
versions and other translations.

In ancient Hebrew and Koine Greek, the early manuscripts not only lacked punctuation marks but also
spaces between words. For a native reader of those ancient languages, the breaks between words and
sentences could be easily determined. Formatted in a similar way, the English translation of Ephesians
1:7 looks like this:

INHIMWEHAVEREDEMPTIONTHROUGHHISBLOODTHEFORGIVENESSOFSINSINACCORDANCEWITHTHERIC
HESOFGODSGRACE

Writing in this format, called continuous
writing, is generally explained by the lack of
paper in ancient times. With limited
supplies of paper (or papyrus), continuous
writing allowed for the most text per scroll
or page.

Later Greek manuscripts began to add
breaks for sections used in liturgical
readings as well as accent marks and
punctuations. Many of these clarifications
are included in the edited Greek New
Testament texts used today by translators
to render the Bible into English and other
languages. But even these marks are not
sufficient for all translation issues. For
example, although Ephesians 1:3–14 is one

31 https://bitesizedexegesis.com/2016/12/07/understanding-bible-translation-methods/
112