Some Translation and Exegetical Problems in the New Testament of the Asante-Twi Bible (2012)
Abstract
The Bible is God’s way of communicating with His people in such a manner that would easily be
understood. This has resulted in the many translations of the Bible from their original languages
to specific target languages, including Asante-Twi. The first edition of the Asante-Twi Full Bible
was published in 1964 as a result of the revision works on the Akuapem-Twi Bible with slight
changes in orthographies. The latest revised edition of the Asante-Twi Bible is the 2012 version.
Since no translation is perfect, the Asante-Twi Bible (2012) also suffers similar challenge. The
researcher identified six (6) of such translation and exegetical problems in the New Testament of
the Asante-Twi Bible (AsTB). These include words and phrases in Matthew 15:19 (moicei/ai );
25:15 (ta,lanta); Galatians 5:23 (evgkra,teia); and Ephesians 4:12 (tou/ sw,matoj tou/ Cristou);
6:9 (avnie,ntej th.n avpeilh,n ); and 6:12 (pa,lh ). The research employs biblical exegesis and mothertongue
biblical hermeneutics in analysing the Greek texts and that of the AsTB texts.
Comparative analyses of the Asante-Twi texts with other Ghanaian mother-tongue Bibles were
done to show how the various Greek texts have been rendered in these mother-tongue Bibles.
The research revealed that the Asante-Twi Bible is widely and mostly used by members of the
mainline Churches irrespective of the level of education. However, the translations of some of
the words fail to meet the thought pattern of the contemporary Asante Christian whose sociocultural
settings are changing with time. It is recommended that stakeholders of the Asante-Twi
Bible continually review it to reflect the understanding of the contemporary Asante Christian
taking into cognisance the changing socio-cultural values of the Asante Christian.
Description
A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Award of Master of
Philosophy (MPhil.) Degree in Religious Studies