Digit wrote:On the basis that I wouldn't expect such action to be world wide I think my comment still holds. I can't believe that oral tradition or translations can remain word perfect over long time scales, I certainly don't know of any examples do you?
Think about it. How would you know?
Ever play telephone?
I know, from what I do professionally, all about original works and edits.
Precisely my point Clubs, and when dealing with a text like the Egyptian glyphs, with no vowels, the translator has a wide choice of errors. I suspect what you called telephones is what we know as Chinese whispers or trenches, where you start with a phrase and pass it on quietly and see what you get a few people later.
The classical example here starts 'send reinforcements we are goin to advance' and ends 'send three and four pence we are going to a dance'.
To get to the truth of some folk tales they must be followed to their source, and when that source reaches a few hundred years of oral telling you are in the mire.
The Bible states, 'In the beginning the word was with God and God was the word'
The bible says a lot of stuff that doesn't make much sense.
Something is wrong here. War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption, and the Ice Capades. Something is definitely wrong. This is not good work. If this is the best God can do, I am not impressed.
Something is wrong here. War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption, and the Ice Capades. Something is definitely wrong. This is not good work. If this is the best God can do, I am not impressed.
My point Min was that it did make sense in its original context, but the translator translated the words rather than the meaning. As the old saying goes 'it was lost in translation', do that several times and all meaning can vanish.
The same thing happens when you tell a story to people. What would your children make of 'here we go round the Mulberry bush etc', they might be word perfect, but do they understand it?
Again Charley my point is proven, my copy does not read as you quoted but as I quoted. Same source probably but different translations.
Right. Most New Testament Scholars learn Greek, and go back to the earliest manuscripts to avoid the exact problem your speaking of. But what do you do in the case of oral tradition that is eventually written down...Which I believe is your point.
Last edited by Charlie Hatchett on Wed Jan 24, 2007 3:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Skeleton sizes measured between 8-9’. When exposed to the weather for a few days, the skeletons were reported to turn black and begin to crumble. Some reportedly found on the Six Nations Reservation were said to have remains of red hair, and had smoking pipes of carved bone with a snake motif.
Welcome Gary! In the Western United States the Pah-Ute tribe exterminated a group of individuals who were described as red haired giants by eventually trapping and burning them to death in Lovelock Cave, Nevada. Although the bones were recovered in 1911 no archaeological analysis has been done on the remains.
I have seen a picture of one of the skulls in a local museum and it is huge compared to today's individuals. I think we'll have to send in Charlie Hatchett for a photo op. When I re-located those pictures, I'll post them here.
WOW! I heard those stories about giant red headed white men around the campfire in the high desert hanging out with some guys from the Walker River Piute Band! You mean they are realy true?
Yes Charley, that is the point I have been trying to make.
Agreed, an educated guess. Take the flood example. Several different cultures in different regions relay the basic elements of the story. This lends credibilty to the tradition.
Here's one for all to chew on. The first chapter of Genesis speaks of God creating light prior to the Sun and Moon and Stars. Is this explicable in naturalistic terms, or does this take credibility away from the oral tradition?
Be back in a bit...got to play bus driver and haul the kids a couple of places.
