Because our Western culture is obsessed with efficiency and fast paced living, there is a push for everything to be simplified. Want to read a Bible on your train to work? There's an app for that. Want to understand the Bible? There are translations for that. Better yet, there are translations on Bible apps for that and they may include commentary on each verse. The cultural demands for simplistic renditions of the Bible are increasing daily and often overlooked by critics that may say these translations are blasphemous or shouldn't hold any authority. "The Stowaway" and Noah are just two of many interpretations and translations of the story of Noah's Ark, one of the Bible's most known tales. Your average Joe may consider these renditions as helpful, entertaining, and an easy way to get to the point of the story...is he wrong to associate these products with the Word of the Lord?
According to Beal, contemporary retellings of the Bible like "The Stowaway" and Noah could be considered forms of Biblical interpretations or "niche Bibles." Niche Bibles are translated to speak directly and personally to it's target readers by sticking "to the point in a way the Bible itself does not" (Beal). These retellings interpret Biblical passages for the readers in order "to control meaning, dispelling doubts and questions and directing readers toward specific conclusions" (Beal). By definition, these specific retellings of the Bible would be considered functional rather than form-driven because where form-driven translations remain faithful to the metamorphic language of the Hebrew texts to allow the imagination to make its own images, feelings, and ideas, functional equivalence translations do not stick to the original texts but write something almost completely new though partially inspired by the text.
If one were to regard a "Women's Bible with Commentary," a niche Bible, as a "real Bible" that should hold authority, then by definition and principle, one should also consider "The Stowaway" and Noah in the same esteem. With that being said, contemporary retellings of the Bible are forms of Biblical interpretations and/or niche Bibles and said Bibles are fulfilling the ever-growing demand for simplistic renditions of famous texts. The cultural demand for simplistic Bibles leads to the creation of such...but also leads to critiques questioning the authority of the them. Is there an app that will end this vicious cycle?
If one were to regard a "Women's Bible with Commentary," a niche Bible, as a "real Bible" that should hold authority, then by definition and principle, one should also consider "The Stowaway" and Noah in the same esteem. With that being said, contemporary retellings of the Bible are forms of Biblical interpretations and/or niche Bibles and said Bibles are fulfilling the ever-growing demand for simplistic renditions of famous texts. The cultural demand for simplistic Bibles leads to the creation of such...but also leads to critiques questioning the authority of the them. Is there an app that will end this vicious cycle?
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