Stormy Waters wrote:The question is simple. Is the translation wrong or not? If it is, then it should be corrected.
I suppose this is a reasonable question. However I have never seen evidence that bad Old Testament laws are a propblem of translation. They appear to have always been some poor laws included in that ancient code. they do not go away by slight of hand.
I think Aristotle Smith is aiming at suggesting that better meaning may be found in the large picture while fragments such as a particular ancient rule may have meaning not clearly reflecting Gods character.
I do not know if he would agree but for myself I find it perhaps most direct to think that God called Isreal to make rules to govern themselves and they using their simi barbaric culture came up with the mix bag of stuff you find in Old Testament legislation. It reflects c800 bc culture and like it or not that is the way things were.