Punctuation: the Amber Light for the Biblical Text–in the Case of Ephesian 1:3-14

Abstract

<p>就如紅綠燈變成黃色時，不是每個人都清楚正確的行為方式，譯者們也不易察覺是否在聖經文本中恰當地使用標點符號。因為在早期的聖經手稿中，字與字沒有分隔也沒有標點符號。現代標點符號是後來添加的，同一文本在不同譯者之間就標點和斷句而言可能存在相當大的差異。例如以弗所書1：3-14，長達十二節的經文在希臘原文僅為一個句子，各譯本選用標點符號應考量諸多因素，因為在閱讀路徑中，它是傳達文本意涵的基本號誌。</p> <p> </p><p>Not everyone is clear about the correct way to act when the traffic light turns amber, nor do translators know for sure whether they punctuate the biblical text correctly, because in the early manuscripts of the Bible there were no word divisions or punctuation marks. The punctuation marks that today’s readers are so used to are a later addition, and the same text can have considerable differences in punctuation from translator to translator. In order to optimally punctuate a text such as the passage Ephesians 1:3-14, which is a long and complex sentence, one must take care, among other elements, of the punctuation marks, since they are rudimentary signs in the reading path with which we convey the meaning of the text.</p> <p> </p>