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might-be-don
Registered Member
Date Joined Jun 2001
Total Posts : 830
| Posted 7/23/2003 1:40 AM (GMT -6) |   | Just thinking...
It seems that much of the bible is written in terms of metaphor ( is like ). A simple, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. ", almost defies an "is" .
The process of translation from "is like" to "is" seems to be a constant source of disconnect between us and the meaning of things. Our forensic, pull it apart, to get at the "is" methods don't always produce the intended results of the "is like".
I'm reminded of Doc's call for a metaphor for us being determined, yet accountable. No one was able to produce anything that even approached something adequate ( in my opinion ). Is a return to metaphor as a complete expression, without an "is", the language of the future, as it was in the past?
peace, don
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"You cannot step twice into the same river; for fresh waters are ever flowing in upon you." Heraclitus | | Back to Top | | |
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PotOnWheel
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Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 9890
| Posted 7/23/2003 4:02 AM (GMT -6) | | | | |
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Laika
Registered Member
Date Joined Mar 2003
Total Posts : 2433
| Posted 7/23/2003 4:18 AM (GMT -6) | | William Jefferson Clinton, biting lower lip
quote:
"it depends on what your definition of 'is' is"
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Laplace
Registered Member
Date Joined Apr 2003
Total Posts : 138
| Posted 7/24/2003 5:28 AM (GMT -6) | | might-be-don,
Not sure if I understand your question completely, but you seem to be commenting on the limitations of language in regards to "true meaning" in the Bible (and everything else in communication).
Language is simply a reflection of interpretations and cultural thought patterns fundamentally. For example, English may have only one word for "snow", but an Eskimo language may have four or five. Chinese may have one word meaning both smile and laugh, but we obviously make the distinction. Finally, in English we have the word "know". But in many languages (such as German) they have two words. One which means factual knowledge, and another which means familiarity with people.
Even a word like the "is" coupla is not universal. It may mean "equal to", or it may mean "existance".
Metaphors can be more effective in expressing these thought patterns because metaphors emphasize emotional reaction and familiarity than technical specifications. I remember an episode in Star Trek: The Next Generation where an alien race had a language completely based upon metaphor. This had limitations for those who were not familiar with the the back story of the proper nouns or have no concept of the idea (for some languages, there is no word for "feminism" because the concept is strange [why would a woman want to be like a man?]), but actually could be quite effective because you knew not only the facts, but also the feeling behind it.
Given all this, and especially since the Bible was not written in modern English, we have to be careful when to distinguish between a metaphor/simile and a literal. This is where I think we rely upon scholars and context to tell the difference. Jesus is not a sheep with horns, but He IS the Son of God.
However, the trend is probably not towards metaphoric language simply because we are now in an era where most of the world is literate. And since we rely so heavily on text, we oft cannot see the context or "feeling" in the words. For example, the phrase "What's up with you?" can have both positive and negative connotations. In addition, our world today demands more exactness (blame lawyers for that).
What language does God speak then? Evidence from the Hebrew language indicates it DID emphasize more on feelings and thus metaphor and also probably had an inherent hierarchy of words (The words God [Elohim], Mother, Father, Land, all begin with their letter "A" [Eleth]). However, whatever we will speak in Heaven will probably be something perfect with no ambiguity and beyond our current understanding.
"Balance in all things" - Dak'kon, Planescape Torment | | Back to Top | | |
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