Bible translators must make choices. Every word in Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic has a range of meaning––and that range often doesn't match up exactly with the range of meaning of words in English. Because of this, when translators make a choice of how to translate––as they must do––the range of meaning that existed in the original language is thus limited to what is conveyed by English. How has this limiting through translation affected the way that gender is presented in the Bible? What passages about gender, men, and women, could have been translated differently? These lectures will first examine the basics of Bible translation and will then consider specific passages where the Hebrew and the Greek originals could present a slightly different picture of men and women than many English translations often present.

Part 1 will focus on the Jewish Scriptures and ways that particular Hebrew words and terms have been translated when applied to different genders––it will examine the difficulty of translation, and also the possible cultural values that can be created specifically by the way that translators translate the Hebrew Bible.

Like the previous lecture, Part 2 will consider how Bible translation can impact cultural views and gender roles, but this lecture will focus specifically on the translation of the Christian Scriptures.

Jason Hensley, PhD, teaches religious studies at a private school in Los Angeles. He is a fellow of the Michael LaPrade Holocaust Education Institute of the Anti-Defamation League, a member of Civic Spirit's teacher education cohort, and the award-winning author of 10 books. His work has been featured in The Huffington Post as well as the BBC, and he has served as the historical advisor for a Holocaust documentary.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older.