Note on Text and Translation
Note on Text and Translation
{L17} Translations from one language to another inevitably involve interpretation. So-called literal translations are impossible and so a translator of ancient Greek must often choose between a more or less literal translation. A more literal translation retains the structure of the original Greek as much as possible and does not attempt to solve interpretative difficulties for the reader. A less literal one aims at readability for the modern reader but sometimes requires interpretative decisions that may also be resolved in a different manner. I have attempted to walk a thin line between these two, sometimes emphasizing readability and at others literalness. I have generally reserved my interpretative decisions for the commentary in the footnotes.
{L18} The reader will observe that I have interacted with other English translations in my commentary, especially two recent ones by Bart D. Ehrman and Michael W. Holmes. Both are excellent renderings of the original Greek and deserve close consideration by anyone who undertakes the task. Neither translator has provided a commentary but both rely on certain earlier traditions of translation with which at times I disagree. These disagreements are of two kinds. The first has to do with alternative readings of the Greek text where there is room for legitimate difference of opinion. The second and more debatable has to do with theological issues that may be influenced by the translator's assumptions. No conscientious translator seeks to impose his own views on the original writer but interpretation always requires some assumptions about the writer's meaning. If two translators do not share assumptions, they may disagree about how to translate a given word or phrase. Assumptions can be of many kinds: historical, linguistic, contextual, conceptual, and theological. The last kind shows up in my differences with Ehrman and Holmes at several places. My translations have also been informed by the fine work of P.Th. Camelot O.P. (French) and Walter Bauer (German).
{L19} The reader will note that occasionally certain words are placed in brackets [...] in the translation (e.g. see Eph 11:2 and 12:2). This means that the bracketed words are not found in the original Greek text at this point but are strongly implied. Some past translators have simply added such words without indicating their absence in the original. I wanted the reader to know when certain words with heavy content were added by me. The Greek text that provided the basis of this translation is found that in the Sources chretiennes edition (vol 10) of Ignatius's seven letters edited by P.Th. Camelot. In the case of Polycarp's Letter to the Philippians, I used the Greek text in Bihlmeyer and Schneemelcher Die apostolischen Vater, 3rd ed. (1970). For the Martyrdom of Polycarp I used Herbert Musurillo, The Acts of the Christian Martyrs. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972). These editions all appear in the online resource Thesaurus Linguae Graecae. When significant variations occurred in manuscripts not chosen by these editors, I have noted them in the footnotes.