Hans Combrink grew up in Stellenbosch. He completed the BA (Theology), BA Honours (Greek), BTh, and MTh degrees all cum laude at the University of Stellenbosch where he met his wife Patricia. They joined Wycliffe and served with SIL in translation for two decades. In June 2014 Hans joined Biblica and since Feb 2016 serves as Vice President, Global Translation.
Bible Translation and Spirituality
Abstract
There has been a renewed interest in spirituality as a result of the influence of postmodernism. Spirituality is not limited to Christianity, but constitutes a fundamental dimension of the human being, the lived experience of that dimension, and the academic discipline which studies that experience. With regard to Biblical spirituality, it is widely recognized today that there are different spiritualities in the Bible and that these find expression in different spiritualities in the faith community.
What is not immediately clear is how exactly spirituality relates to Bible translation, if at all? This paper postulates that different spiritualities in the course of history have given rise to different perspectives on the theory and practice of Bible translation. It will therefore explore the interrelationship between spirituality as embodiment of faith and Bible translation as embodiment of the Word by looking at some defining moments in the course of history.