When I read Romans in the Bible, I am reminded what a complex thinker Paul of Tarsus who preached the gospel of Christ to the Gentiles was a complex thinker. His arguments about Christ and who he is are complex. It makes me wonder if the people Paul was writing were more intelligent than we are today, or if the translations of his letter make his arguments more complicated.
Seriously, I feel really uneducated reading Romans. I have to read passages over and over again. I have a friend who reads and write Greek fluently, even though he is French. My friend is the most studied and intelligent men I have ever met. Paul wrote in Greek, and I wonder if my friend has read the original letters of Paul in the Greek language. It wouldn't surprise if he did because my friend is just that nerdy. I mean, who reads and writes in fluent Greek if you aren't Greek? I'm going to have to ask him.
When I went to college, my professors drilled into our heads to always try to read the original source material in the original language if you can because translators bring their bias to any translation. I would love the read Paul's letters in the original Greek, which would be a lifetime task. I also still want to learn to read Latin, another lifetime task.
Many bible commentaries recommend reading a passage you want to study in the many versions of the Bible, so you can compare the different translations and get a better understanding of the verses you wan to understand. This recommendation may be the way I go, and reading Bible commentaries of course.
People are right. You have to study the Bible yearly to really understand it for yourself.
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