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    The Murderous History of Bible Translations: Power, Conflict and the Quest for Meaning
    Unavailable
    The Murderous History of Bible Translations: Power, Conflict and the Quest for Meaning
    Unavailable
    The Murderous History of Bible Translations: Power, Conflict and the Quest for Meaning
    Ebook344 pages5 hours

    The Murderous History of Bible Translations: Power, Conflict and the Quest for Meaning

    By Harry Freedman

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Harry Freedman recounts the fascinating and bloody history of the Bible.

    In 1535, William Tyndale, the first man to produce an English version of the Bible in print, was captured and imprisoned in Belgium. A year later he was strangled and then burned at the stake. His co-translator was also burned. In that same year the translator of the first Dutch Bible was arrested and beheaded. These were not the first, nor were they the last instances of extreme violence against Bible translators. The Murderous History of Bible Translations tells the remarkable, and bloody, story of those who dared translate the word of God.

    The Bible has been translated far more than any other book. To our minds it is self-evident that believers can read their sacred literature in a language they understand. But the history of Bible translations is far more contentious than reason would suggest. Bible translations underlie an astonishing number of religious conflicts that have plagued the world.

    Harry Freedman, author of The Talmud: A Biography describes brilliantly the passions and strong emotions that arise when deeply held religious convictions are threatened or undermined. He tells of the struggle for authority and orthodoxy in a world where temporal power was always subjugated to the divine. A world in which the idea of a Bible for all was so important that many were willing to give up their time, their security and often their lives.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury Publishing
    Release dateMay 5, 2016
    ISBN9781472921680
    Unavailable
    The Murderous History of Bible Translations: Power, Conflict and the Quest for Meaning
    Author

    Harry Freedman

    Harry Freedman is Britain's leading author of popular works of Jewish culture and history. His publications include The Talmud: A Biography, Kabbalah: Secrecy, Scandal and the Soul, The Murderous History of Bible Translations Leonard Cohen: The Mystical Roots of Genius and Britain's Jews. He has a PhD on an Aramaic translation of the Bible from the University of London. He lives in London with his wife Karen. You can follow his regular articles on harryfreedman.substack.com.

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    • 3/5
      I was disappointed with the book "The Murderous History of Bible Translations: Power, Conflict, and the Quest for Meaning" by Harry Freedman. From the title, I had expected the book to be about Bible translators who were martyred for their efforts. William Tyndale was mentioned, but little was mentioned about other martyrs. I feel the book breezed over some major events, and went off on side tangents for some inconsequential items. The best I can say about it is that the book was factually true, but I don't know who the target audience should be. For novices, I'd recommend two books by Donald Brake: "A Visual History of the English Bible: The Tumultuous Tale of the World's Best-selling Book" and "A Visual History of the King James Bible: Dramatic Story of the World's Best-Known Translation". For someone who is knowledgeable about the history of English Bible translations, there's little new, useful material in this book. Reading it wasn't a waste of my time, but I wouldn't recommended it.