Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 7
The speaker argues a mistranslation in the Latin (“in whom all have sinned”) helped drive Western theology toward “we all sinned in Adam,” while Greek readers heard “because all sinned”; how should this example shape the way your group treats cherished doctrinal formulations that may rest heavily on one contested phrase or translation?
Another way to ask: If one disputed translation helped shape major Western beliefs, how careful should we be with doctrines that depend on one key phrase? How should your group handle beliefs built heavily on a contested translation?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Based on the transcript, this example should make a group cautious about building sweeping doctrines on a single disputed phrase, and willing to check translations and original-language sense when a doctrine depends on fine wording. It also encourages humility: long-standing “Western” formulations may partly rest on transmission errors rather than Paul’s intended meaning.
- He introduces the issue: “a mistranslation changed the history of Western theology.”
- Greek sense given: “death passed to all men because all sinned.”
- Latin rendering: “so death passed to all men, in whom all have sinned,” which “apparently refers to Adam,” making it sound like “in Adam, we all sinned.”
- He states: “That’s not what the Greek says at all…somebody made a bad goof.”
- He notes the East/West divide: Greek-speaking Christians “weren’t reading that,” so they heard “we die because we have sinned,” not “we sinned in Adam.”
- He uses it to stress translation vigilance: “Why translations…are important and why we should always check.”