Arabic Bible [Hardcover]

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: American Bible Society (December 2000)
• Language: Arabic
• ISBN-10: 1585162108
• ISBN-13: 978-1585162109
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,432,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best study Bible I Know of, September 6, 2002

By 

Didaskalex "Eusebius Alexandrinus" (Kellia on Calvary, Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Arabic Bible (Hardcover)

Holy Bible in Modern Arabic translations:
Since 1864, when Dr.Cornilius Van Dyck, of the Dutch Reformed Church, completed the translation of the Arabic Bible started by the Rev. Eli Smith with the help of the Lebanese scholars B. Albustani and poet N. Al-Yazgi, no effort was made to modernise the hard to understand outdated arabic. The Anglican publishing house printed an Arabic Lexicon to explain the uncommon Arabic words.

How unique is this edition?
Very unique indeed. The Jesuits revised the Newtestament in 1969 after almost 100 years, and the old Testament from 1980 to 1988. The Bible Society wanted one translation accepted by the vast majority of orthodox, mainly Coptic and evangelically active minority.
Here comes the Orthodox Church tradition: the Controlling authority of the Septuagint and the wider Alexandrine Canon. Athanasius rule to the Catholic Church, detailed in his Pascal letter 367, still applicable in the Coptic Church of Alexandria. The only difference is the sequence. The Catholic epistles are followed by the Pauline letters.

An Arabic Study Bible?
Sure, and a genuinely good annotated Bible, that avoids dictating dogmatic influenced interpretations, with simply commonly agreed footnotes, of scholarly proven facts, explanations and comments. Four colored maps and two indicative sketches, are helpful tools for all students, together with general introduction and brief introductions for each book.
An ecumenical effort for Bible translation into modern Arabic coordinated by the ever active Bible society in the Middle East. Maronite Catholic scholarship (mainly society of Jesus), hand in hand with the continious efforts of the evangelical missions, and participation of some lay Orthodox concluded this monumental work.

Translation principles and rules:
So beautiful is the statement of faith "Throughout history, Bible scholars labored with great erudite and hard work to recover and preserve the original text unblemished" The goal was ultimately rendering in Middle Eastern Arabic speakers a simple modern Arabic language understood by a wide spectrum readership. The word to word translation was avoided in favor of the dynamic equivalent given that translation from Hebrew to Arabic is more expressive due their Semitic brotherhood.
Starting with the best available Hebrew text (Stuttgart: 1968-76),with reference to Aramaic (Syriac) whenever needed. As for the New Testament translation (4th edn.,1994) Koine (Old Greek) the used text was UBS 3, and Nestle Alland no 26.

Two Arabic Bible Versions:
The Bible society has chosen to produce two editions, the full Alexandrine Canon used by the majority Orthodox of the Orient and a minority Roman Unite Churches. A shorter edition ( 'mutilated' in the words of F. Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury), without O.T. Apocrypha, for the minority born again brothers. The color code is Brown for the full canon ( presently reviewed Bible), and blue for the shorter.