THROUGH A GLASS, DARKLY.
For now, we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
That’s the King James version of the conclusion of that famous poem, that Ode to Love, Paul wrote, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 13.
Translating is much more an art rather than a science. Here are some other examples of this very famous text:
For now, we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
That’s the New Living Translation, known as the NIV.
Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
That’s how the translators put it in the English Standard Version.
For now, we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
That’s how the American Standard Version runs.
Differences.
All versions differ. Why? Because translating is an art, not a science.
I translated 4 books from Dutch to English, all published by or through Eerdmans in Grand Rapids, Mich. USA. My theory of translating is: an effort to render a foreign text in a new language more beautiful than the original. And I believe that I have somewhat been successful in this effort.
I realize this sounds rather boastful, that’s why the Dutch have a saying: the phrase “Eigen roem stinkt” translates as: “Your own fame stinks”. It means that boasting about your own achievements or taking too much pride in yourself can be off-putting or unpleasant to others.
But how about if somebody else praises you? I translated Dr. J. H. Bavinck’s book with the Dutch title, “DE MENSCH EN ZIJN WERELD, which the publisher entitled, “Between the Beginning and the End”, subtitled, A Radical Kingdom Vision.
Of the four reviewers, Dr. John Bolt of Calvin Seminary regarded the script as ‘elegant’, while Dr. Charles Van Engen of Fuller Theological Seminary was more explicit, writing, Bert Hielema’s translation is outstanding, readable, fluid, clear, forceful, and compelling.
In his 150 pages book, Dr. Bavinck, a professor of missions at the Amsterdam Free University devoted an entire chapter to the concept of God’s Kingdom, a topic he thought – and I concur – is sorely misinterpreted or misunderstood in contemporary Christianity: totally seen ‘through a glass darkly’.
Why?
Whenever the secular press refers to the outcome of the Christian Life, it sees Heaven as the goal of human existence, a concept totally influenced by Pagan Greek Philosophy. Most of Christianity has promoted and maintained this religious error, to the point where Trump, with the almost unanimous endorsement of The American Religion, has scrapped all environmental protection rules, in full accord with this pagan notion. Not only is much of the Church’s teaching totally wrong or misdirected, its vision has become more than blurred: It has become an obstacle to Salvation. “The Radical Kingdom Vision”, as espoused by Bavinck made him write:
“It is God’s intention to unite all fractured parts of his creation into one overarching harmony. There is no such thing as individual salvation: all salvation is of necessity universal. The goal of our life can never be that we personally may enjoy God and be saved in Him. The goal of our life can only be that we again become part of the wider context of the Kingdom of God, where all things are again unified under the one and only wise will of him who lives and rules for ever.”
In plain language this means that: My salvation and the salvation of creation go hand in hand. That is the “Radical Kingdom Vision” Dr. Bavinck opens up for us. No wonder Jesus lamented, “Many are called, and few are chosen”. (Matthew 22: 14).
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, is there truth in this at all?”
We should be careful in what we believe for sure. Much of what I was told to be the ‘gospel’ truth – heaven, hell, evolution, doctrines, ‘Sunday best’, the place of women – has darkened in obscurity. Is same sex next?
Today, the mirror has become almost totally black, as Gnosticism rules the church, a heresy the Apostle John repeatedly warned against. Its central point is that spirit is entirely good and matter is entirely evil, making the human body/creation, bad, while only heaven/spirit is good. That today is the church’s ruling faith, in total contrast with John 3: 16, where Jesus categorically states that God’s total love is centered on his creation, hence Dr. Bavinck’s definition of redemption: the salvation of the person and salvation of creation go hand in hand. Indeed: a radical concept.
Did you ever hear that in church?