Metodyka tłumaczeń terminów botanicznych w tekstach biblijnych

Abstract

The names of plants that appear in the original text of the Bible cause problems in contemporary translations of the Scriptures. Botanical knowledge and broadly understood other branches of natural sciences can be used in order to properly translate at least some of the more difficult names. First of all, it should be decided whether the kind of plant we want to include in the translation appeared in Biblical times in the territory of Asia Minor. Archeological finds such as fragments of wood, fruit stones and seeds, peels, pollen and other plant remains as well as drawings and murals, with their sometimes very accurate depiction of plants, are of great help. It is also important to distinguish between the literal and the symbolical sense in which the plant appeared. The paper presents an analysis of the names of plants mentioned in quotation Is 41,19 and the way of reasoning in defining them. It compares various translations of the Bible showing erroneous and correct, though not always identical, names of plants mentioned in this fragment. It has been established that in quotation Is. 41,19 the inspired author listed: a cedar, an acacia, a myrtle, a pine, a fir or a juniper tree, an evergreen viburnum, and a cypress or a box tree.