I noted in comments related to last week’s sermon on Romans 12:3-8 the divide between older and modern commentaries on the spiritual gift list in vv. 6-8. Older commentators apply this list to the officers of the church (elders and deacons) while modern commentators tend to interpret this list as generally applicable to all believers.
I also found several interesting translation and interpretation related issues in this passage. One involves the translation of the noun praxis in v. 4.
The KJV renders it as follows: “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office (praxis).”
The Geneva Bible gives a similar rendering of praxis: “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not one office.”
It seems that this translation choice for praxis as “office” in v. 4 is related to the interpretation of the gift list in vv. 6-8 as applying to office bearers. Modern translations of praxis in v. 4, on the other hand, reflect the modern interpretation of the gift list as egalitarian in application by choosing to render the word as ‘function” rather than “office.” Examples:
NIV Romans 12:4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,
NAS Romans 12:4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,
NKJ Romans 12:4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,
ESV Romans 12:4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function,
Here is a place where the older translations (Geneva, AV), emerging from the Reformation context, diverge from modern translations in a way that reflects a distinctive interpretation of the passage.
JTR
I also found several interesting translation and interpretation related issues in this passage. One involves the translation of the noun praxis in v. 4.
The KJV renders it as follows: “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office (praxis).”
The Geneva Bible gives a similar rendering of praxis: “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not one office.”
It seems that this translation choice for praxis as “office” in v. 4 is related to the interpretation of the gift list in vv. 6-8 as applying to office bearers. Modern translations of praxis in v. 4, on the other hand, reflect the modern interpretation of the gift list as egalitarian in application by choosing to render the word as ‘function” rather than “office.” Examples:
NIV Romans 12:4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,
NAS Romans 12:4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,
NKJ Romans 12:4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,
ESV Romans 12:4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function,
Here is a place where the older translations (Geneva, AV), emerging from the Reformation context, diverge from modern translations in a way that reflects a distinctive interpretation of the passage.
JTR
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