LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1998, Page 364

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364

THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS

ed as the Second Adam in whom a new humanity takes its beginning (see
Rom. 5:12 ff.). For Jesus to be “the Son of Man” (literally, “the son of the
man”) indicates his role as the Second Adam, in whom a new kingdom of
God, a new paradise, will be begun. To translate “Son of Man” with “the
Human One” erodes this biblical theme. It is as Second Adam that Jesus is
the “Son of Man.”

One can see this theme in the writings of Paul, who is explicit in his
language. In 1 Corinthians 15 there is an intertwining of terms between the
first Adam and the second Adam. We quote 1 Cor. 15:21-22, 45, 47:

For as by a man (dvépenos) came death, by a man (Gv@pwxog) has come

also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam (A6dp) all die, so also in

Christ shall all be made alive.... Thus it is written, “The first man Adam

(Gv@pumos ‘Aédu) became a living being; the last Adam (‘ASdu) became a

life-giving Spirit ... The first man (@v@pumos) was from the earth, a man

of dust, the second man (G@v@pwxo<) is from heaven.”

As through Adam humankind fell, so through the Second Adam, Jesus,
humankind is restored. Most likely this theme is behind other New Testa-
ment passages as well. For example, Phil. 2:6-8 clearly implies a contrast
between the humiliation and subsequent exaltation of Jesus with the failed
attempt of Adam to exalt himself and his subsequent humiliation: “[W]ho
though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing
to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born
in the likeness of men. And being found in human form (dx dvépwnog) he
humbled himself. ..." The point is not merely that Christ took on the form
of general humanity. It is that he is head of a new humanity as the Second
Adam. Therefore, those who are the followers of Christ are to live accord-
ing to his pattern, not according to the sinful example of the first Adam:
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Phil.
2:5).

This theme informs also 1 Tim. 2:5: “For there is one God, and there is
one mediator between God and men, the man (dv@paxos) Christ Jesus.”
The New International Version Inclusive Language Edition translates this verse
as follows: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and
human beings, Christ Jesus, himself human.” * In addition to the awk-
wardness of the phrase “himself human,” such a translation implies that
the mere humanity of Jesus is Paul’s primary, or even sole point. That the
mediator is in fact human is, of course, a significant aspect of Christ’s medi-
atorial role. Nonetheless, his position as Second Adam and therefore as
one who in that role is a man and not a woman is submerged in the NIVI
translation. Similar considerations most likely hold true also for John 19:5

© The New International Version Inclustre Language Edition (London: Hodder and
Stoughton, 1996)

29

. LANGUAGE CONCERNING CHRISTIANS
AND PEOPLE IN GENERAL

Very often the Scriptures speak of people in general or, more specifi-
cally, of the people of Israel in the Old Testament and of Christians in the
New Testament. How the Scriptures in these cases are to be translated is to
be determined strictly by the language which the biblical authors in fact use.

A. Use of Words Not in the Biblical Text

Sometimes attempts to make the text more gender neutral occur
through the addition of words not in the biblical text or through the chang-
ing of words in the biblical text. For example, some translations wish to
avoid the masculine pronouns “he,” “his” and “him” through the use of
the plurals “they,” “their,” and “them” (see italics in passages below). A
few examples from the New Revised Standard Version follow: *

Ps, 1:1-3:

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, . .. but his
delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and
night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water .... In all that he does,
he prospers.

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, ... but their
delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and
night They are like trees planted by streams of water... . In all that they
do, they prosper. (NRSV)

Matt. 10:39:

He who finds his hife will lose it

Those who find their life will lose it... . (NRSV)

John 11:25:

Lam the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet
shall he live...

1am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me even though
they die, will ive... . (NRSV)

It has been calculated that the words “they,” “them,” “their.” and “those” occur 1732
times more in the NRSV than in the RSV. See Wayne Grudem, “Do Inclusive Language
Bibles Distort Scripture? ... Yes,” Christianity Taday (October 27, 1997), 28

31

where Pilate addressed the hostile crowd with the words, “Behold the
man!” (180d 0 Gv@pamog).

The use of “the Son of Man” or even of “[the} man” for Jesus in the
New Testament, therefore, very likely indicates much more than that he is
simply a human being like we are. The titles may well designate his role
and function as the New Adam, the New Man, through whom and in
whom salvation comes and the future judgment of the world takes place.
Translations which insist on generic and abstract renderings such as “the
Human One” of the Lectionary do not allow this central biblical theme the
possibility of being heard in texts such as the ones discussed above.

John 14:23:

Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, te will keep my word, and my
Father will love Aim, and we will come to him and make our home with
him.”

Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my
Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with
them.” (NRSV)

The plural forms found in the NRSV are not in fact what the Scriptures
say. In each instance the original language of the Bible uses a singular.
Lost is the directness of personal application of these verses in the biblical
text. Moreover, such tinkering with the words of the Scripture may intro-
duce more serious flaws. For example, Psalm 34 contains an important
messianic prediction: “He [God] keeps all his bones; not one of them is bro-
ken” (Ps. 34:20). However, the NRSV translates: “He keeps all their bones;
not one of them will be broken.” This Psalm is fulfilled, according to John
19:36, during the crucifixion of Jesus when the soldiers, perceiving that
Jesus was already dead, determined not to break his legs. But the mes-
sianic specificity of the Psalm is utterly lost in the translation of the NRSV,
which translates with the plural rather than the singular.

A similar translation technique is to change third person nouns and
pronouns to second person pronouns. A couple of examples follow:

Gal. 6:7:

[Whatever a man sows, that will he also reap.

{Y]ou reap whatever you sow. (NRSV)

James 2:14:

What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not
works?

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if wu say you have faith but do
not have works? (NRSV)

Again, the use of the second person is not justified by the original text
of the Bible itself. Moreover, the possible universal application of these
texts appears to be unduly restricted to the readers of the letters (“you”).

B. “Man” as Person or Christian

The use of anthropos (GvOpumos, “man” or “human being“) in the New
Testament presents a number of possibilities. Its use in reference to the
person of Christ has already been discussed. However, what about its fre-
quent use to refer to persons in general or to Christians in particular? Here