Chapter 17
Alterity, orality and performance in Bible translation
The Bible contains numerous features of alterity (aspects which reflect its “otherness” to modern readers) which are compounded by its cultural and generic diversity. Here, we examine alterity in Bible translation through the lens of Emmanuel Levinas’s concept of the Other, which he viewed as an equal rather than an inferior, and his insistence that oral, face-to-face encounters with the other are primary. Performance translation recreates the oral nature of the biblical text, providing a means both to encounter the alterity of the Bible in a meaningful way and to convey it to contemporary audiences. We use a liturgical psalm and a proverbial saying to illustrate the potential of performance translation in conveying the alterity of the Bible in translation.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 1.1Alterity, performance and Bible translation
- 1.2Levinas on alterity and oral performance
- 2.Psalm 24 as the performance of alterity
- 3.Proverbs and the performance of wisdom
- 4.Conclusions
-
Acknowledgement
-
Notes
-
References
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Cited by
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West, Gerald
2023.
Textual Criticism, Literary Criticism, and State Capture: Returning 3 Reigns 12:24p–t to the Canon of Local African Communities.
Journal for Semitics 32:2
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