Translational Choices and Interpretation in Galatians 1:13–16: An Appraisal

Abstract

Standard translation appears to disambiguate the text of Gal 1:13–16 in a way that stresses or even interprets Paul's words to mean that he had left Judaism when he wrote Galatians. Arguably, the text might not indicate that Paul had left behind his Jewish identity, but that he had grown in his understanding of it. Thus, while standard translations are faithful to a traditional understanding of Paul and his “conversion” from Judaism to Christianity, a less explicit translation might be also true to the source text. This observation may be important beyond this specific passage: It might also raise fundamental questions about possible concepts of “faithful renderings” within Bible translation.