Journal of Language and Linguistics Volume 3 Number 1 2004 ISSN 1475 - 8989

This loosely integrated collection of eleven papers from various disciplines (Bible exegesis, dogmatic theology, linguistics, literary theory, Bible translation) examines the tension between change and preservation in religious language in the ongoing process of interpreting and re-interpreting the Bible. The volume contains selected proceedings of a conference held at the University of Leuven in July 1998 and, as is often the case in such collections, the contributions vary considerably in length, scholarly acumen and focus. Some reflect a keen awareness of academic debate and will be appreciated by the specialist, while others tend towards a general, even anecdotal approach aimed primarily at the more casual reader. Almost all the papers have their own bibliography, but one article has no critical apparatus whatsoever. Some brief notes on the participants and an index are also absent and would have been valuable.

The editor's contribution consists principally of an introduction that includes a brief but informative overview of the individual chapters. The contents thereafter are organised into two sections of 'Metaphor' and 'Translation'. Although the editor makes a worthy attempt to connect the two as 'mechanisms of semantic change' highlighting the fact that both face the same challenge of 'finding new, historically and co(n)textually appropriate linguistic means to express a complex content', one feels this link may be a tenuous one, and wonders whether the apparently buoyant state of research into both distinct subjects might not have justified the production of two separate volumes.

The section on 'Metaphor' begins with a stimulating chapter by Lieven Boeve examining a cognitive theory of meaning from the perspective of fundamental theology, and is followed by five papers which present theoretical discussion in a largely accessible manner alongside careful and detailed case studies of the use of metaphor in a biblical context. These range from an analysis by Pierre van Hecke of the meaning structure of a single lexical item, to the consideration of broader topics such as the 'journey'-metaphor in the Old Testament by Olaf Jäkel, and the Christian metaphors of grace as 'gift' and as 'moral accounting' by Greg Johnson. Of particular note are Ralph Bisschops's examination of Ezekiel's wedding metaphors which challenges Lakoff and Johnson's interpretation model, and Brian Doyle's solid yet lively investigation of a rare word play metaphor in Isaiah.

The second part of the volume consists of five chapters focusing on various semantic aspects of Bible translation. Kjell Magne Yri discusses the role of metaphorisation and argues that religious terms should be chosen from everyday experience rather than borrowed from the indigenous religious domain; Kristin de Troyer employs the concepts of cognitive semantics to evaluate the translation of a Hebrew biblical text into Greek; Katrin Hauspie elaborates on the contribution of semantic flexibility to Septuagint Greek lexicography, and Eugene Nida discusses the importance for the translator of cultural context and its relation to meaning. The most substantial contribution is that by David Tuggy who addresses the debate between 'literalists' and 'idiomaticists' and covers an impressive amount of ground with commendable clarity.

The linguistic calibre of the discourse, given that most of the contributors would not appear to be native speakers of English, is on the whole very high, although the presence in some chapters of colloquialisms and of errors in spelling and punctuation suggests that the editorial process was not a rigorous one.

Despite the diversity of the individual papers, the volume affords an informative introduction to a range of issues surrounding the translation of religious language, while at the same time presenting the more specialised scholar with a number of sophisticated analyses of relatively complex examples. The material will be of interest to linguists, theologians and exegetes alike, as well as offering the general reader a stimulating insight into the subject.

Barbara Burns
University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK