3 words that have split the Church
by Chris Goswani, Premier Christianity:
What’s in a word? Time and again, Christians have divided over one single word, says Chris Goswami. Whether it’s a reference to the virgin birth, mentioning the Father and the Son in the creeds or how we talk about same-sex relationships today, is there a better way?
In the 1950s, thousands of Christians were outraged by a new translation of the Bible. There were protests and reliable reports of Christians burning Bibles and sending the ashes back to the publisher.
The Bible at the heart of this uproar was not some radical reinterpretation; it was the Revised Standard Version (RSV). Why would Christians protest over – and even consider burning – the RSV?
The reason for all this anger? The answer lies in a single verse – in fact a single word.
In Isaiah 7:14 the RSV reads: “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
For comparison, in the NIV the same verse reads: “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Italics added)
The RSV translates the Hebrew word almah as “young woman”. It is a literal rendering, referring to a young woman of marriageable age who has not yet had children – a ‘maiden’ we might say. The NIV (and the much earlier King James version) does an equally good job, using ‘virgin’, emphasising the prophetic nature of the verse concerning Jesus.
Today the NIV enjoys widespread popularity, while the RSV and the NRSV are far less popular. According to Ron Rhodes’ The Complete Guide to Bible Translations (Harvest House) there is even an Isaiah 7:14 litmus test used by some as “the quickest way of determining if a new translation is trustworthy”.
In fact, the meaning of almah most likely changed over the centuries, as often happens. And to give both versions their due, the NIV and RSV both include footnotes referencing this dual meaning.
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