TaborBlog

Today, the first Sabbath following Sukkoth or the “Feast of Tabernacles,” marks a new beginning for the weekly cycle of reading through the Torah in most Jewish synagogues. The weekly reading, called a Parashah,  begins with Genesis 1:1 and goes through 6:8. There is an accompanying reading from the Prophets, called the Haftara, which is Isaiah 42:5-43:10 this week.

If any of my readers would like to see a sample of the Transparent English Bible translation of Genesis 1-12 with extensive linguistic notes it is on the Original Bible Project web site. It can be downloaded free here. There are also some accompanying documents that explain the diacritical marks. You can read more about this unique translation effort on the OBP site, simply browse back through the various posts or use the sidebar “categories” menu. The entire book of Genesis will be published in early 2013 in e-book format with other sections of the Hebrew Bible to follow.

“In my view, the Transparent English version of Genesis makes an invaluable contribution to our understanding of this magnificent and difficult work.   Not only does it open up new possibilities for Biblical study and discussion, it also brings the reader closer to the spirit and sense of the original sources than any other translation I have seen.  Considering that Genesis may be the most influential book ever published, this translation should be of enormous interest to general readers as well as to specialists both in this country and abroad.”

Dr. Richard E. Rubenstein
University Professor
George Mason University
Arlington, Virginia

“Professor Tabor’s consistent attempt to capture in English translation the sound and sense of Genesis in its original form has the salutary effect of causing the reader to stop and think again about the meaning of the text.  Readers who can encounter the text only in English now have an opportunity to look behind layers of theologically motivated translations to something as close as we will probably ever come to the original text.”

Dr. Eugene V. Gallagher
Rosemary Park Professor of Religious Studies
Connecticut College
New London, Connecticut

“Finally, a truly transparent translation!  I have taught biblical texts for almost 25 years and have longed for a translation that didn’t pull any punches when it came to the difficult passages, or that didn’t try to “spin” the meaning of the text in the interests of later theology and doctrine (whether Jewish or Christian).  Tabor’s translation of Genesis renders the Hebrew not just with unparalleled accuracy and fidelity to the text, it also offers readers a sense of the unfamiliar elegance and strange power of the original.  Beautifully conceived and executed, Tabor’s translation is the result of a lifetime of critical learning and scholarly acumen.  It is also a courageous undertaking.  I have no doubt that it will quickly become the standard.”

Dr. A. J. Droge
Professor of Humanities
University of Toronto

“Finally we have a translation of Genesis that is transparent.  Tabor not only reveals the nuances of the Hebrew language in his English translation and detailed footnotes, but he uses the oldest manuscript traditions to do so.  This is a marked departure from traditional scholarly practice, which has relied on a modern eclectic text, one that has been created by a scholarly committee out of hordes of manuscripts spanning the centuries.  But James Tabor’s translation is based on our oldest two manuscripts, and so it represents a version of Genesis that would have been known and used by the ancient people.  This type of serious manuscript translation will revolutionize scholarship.”

Dr. April DeConick
Isla Carroll and Percy E. Turner Chair for Biblical Studies
Rice University
Houston, Texas

“The Transparent English Bible is a unique, innovative translation which successfully offers to readers an impression of the rough-hewn nature of the original Hebrew text with its Semitic syntax and idiomatic expressions.  Though it is not intended to replace more conventional versions, it should pique the interest of many who have an interest in getting closer to the original.  The incorporation of new readings from the Dead Sea Scrolls, and various explanatory notes add to the usefulness of the edition.”

Dr. Edwin Yamauchi, Professor Emeritus, History Department, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio