Adapting Illustrations and Examples for Cultural Contexts
Holy Scripture frequently employs metaphors and illustrations to convey divine and spiritual truths, recognizing that human understanding often apprehends intellectual concepts through sensible objects [7]. This approach is rooted in the natural human capacity to learn through the senses, making it fitting for spiritual truths to be taught using material likenesses [7].
The adaptation of these illustrations for different cultural contexts is a practice evident throughout Christian history. For instance, early Christian writers like John Chrysostom, whose homilies were delivered to specific audiences, utilized rhetorical styles that differed significantly from later scholastic methods [3]. While modern discourse often demands systematic analysis and arrangement, Chrysostom's sermons, though rich in content, were structured differently, reflecting the tastes and expectations of his time [3]. The process of translating and editing such ancient texts for contemporary readers often involves making "minor changes in phraseology" to ensure the sense is plainer and to replace "archaic and obsolescent words or expressions" with more idiomatic modern language [2]. This editorial work, seen in the American editions of Chrysostom's homilies, demonstrates an effort to bridge cultural and linguistic gaps for the sake of clarity [1, 2, 5].
Similarly, biblical commentaries often highlight the illustrative nature of scripture. For example, the commentary by Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown on Proverbs 11:31 draws attention to the "illustrations" used in the text, noting how these examples confirm the sentiment of the proverb and point to future rewards and punishments [4]. This underscores the enduring role of illustrations in conveying moral and theological lessons.
The need for cultural adaptation is also reflected in the scholarly work surrounding major theological texts. Translators of works like Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion have recognized the importance of providing footnotes and contextual explanations to clarify difficult passages or to elaborate on the "more exact import" of the original Latin text [6]. This practice acknowledges that even within a shared theological tradition, the nuances of language and cultural assumptions require careful mediation for new audiences [6]. The goal is to make profound theological arguments accessible and understandable, much as the original biblical authors and early church fathers sought to communicate spiritual truths through relatable means [7].
Sources
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Acts & Romans: the references have been, so far as possible, adapted to the American edition. It is obvious, however, that this adaptation could not be perfectly made because but few of the volumes of the American edition of the Homilies had appeared when this volume was prepared for the press. References to English editions of works not yet accessible in an American edition were, of necessity, left unchanged. Some small-portions of the work of the English editors which seemed to have no present value iv have been omitted. It is not improbable that still other omis”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Acts & Romans: iii Preface to the American Edition. ———————————— In the preparation of this volume of Chrysostom’s Homilies on Acts and Romans, the effort has been to improve the Oxford edition by some changes and corrections, and by the addition of critical and explanatory notes. The translation remains substantially unchanged. Frequent minor changes have, however, been made in phraseology, where it has seemed to me that the sense could thereby be made plainer. Archaic and obsolescent words or expressions have often been replaced by more idiomatic modern language.”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Galatians–Colossians–Thessalonians: which one after another occurred. Now, modern taste requires much more system and symmetry in building a discourse. The Schoolmen taught their pupils to analyze and arrange, 1 1 How this came about, the editor has sought to explain in his “Lectures on the History of Preaching” (New York, Armstrong), p. 103 f. and modern preaching has taken the corresponding form, for good and for ill. An expository sermon of to-day must be much more systematic in its explanations, and much more regular in its entire construction, than those of th”
- Proverbs (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Proverbs 11:31: Behold--Thus calling attention to the illustrations (compare Pro 11:23), the sentiment of which is confirmed even in time, not excluding future rewards and punishments. Next: Proverbs Chapter 12”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Galatians–Colossians–Thessalonians: from that of the translators in England, and become too baldly literal. The foot-notes in square brackets are from the editor. The others are from the Oxford translators, being retained except where they were superseded by the change of text or of translation, or for some other reason appeared to be no longer useful. Their references to other volumes of the Oxford edition have been conformed in the paging to the American edition for Matthew, Acts, and Romans, and the Statues; elsewhere the pages were simply omitted.—J.A.B. 1 How ”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 2: translation of Calvin’s Institutes into English is a real desideratum . In fulfilling this need the translator or translators would perform the greatest service if the work of translation were supplemented by footnotes in which at crucial points, where translation is difficult or most accurate translation impossible, the Latin text would be reproduced and comment made on its more exact import. Furthermore, footnotes which would supply the reader with references to other places in Calvin’s writings where he deals with the same subjec”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part (Prima Pars), The Nature and Extent of Sacred Doctrine, Art. 9: Article: Whether Holy Scripture should use metaphors? I answer that, It is befitting Holy Writ to put forward divine and spiritual truths by means of comparisons with material things. For God provides for everything according to the capacity of its nature. Now it is natural to man to attain to intellectual truths through sensible objects, because all our knowledge originates from sense. Hence in Holy Writ, spiritual truths are fittingly taught under the likeness of material things. This is wha”