Dynamite!

Translating words cross-culturally can leave a lot to be desired.  Sometimes a given language lacks a single word to exactly represent a single word in another language.  Gaps result, and with them, holes in understanding.

I'm reading a book by a Christian historian who says the Greek words dynamis and energia were used dozens of times in the early New Testament manuscripts when referring to God’s power or work in His people.  Dynamis is the root of our word dynamite; energia refers to explosive energy, like what comes from dynamite when detonated.   When these words were translated into more crisp-and-clean, formal English words (power or work), there was significant loss in meaning. Somehow the image of a charged-and-waiting stick of dynamite, and the explosion coming from it, are a lot more eye-opening, hair-raising, and (let’s face it) compelling than the image of ability and competence (synonyms for power), or service and exertion (synonyms for work).

To demonstrate the above example, the Apostle Paul’s passion to proclaim Jesus as God’s Son literally erupts in Col. 1:29: “For this (the gospel message) I labor struggling, according to His energy energizing me (with divine dynamis exploding in energia).”  This creates an image of an awe-inspiring volcano spewing far-reaching lava.

Or how about Philippians 2:12-13?  “Therefore (since your attitude/life/vision should be the same as that of Jesus, verse 5)…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for God is energizing (with energia) in you, both to will and to energize (with energia) for His good pleasure.”

I realize some of my thoughts here are interpretative.  Please bear with me as I ruminate! It just seems when talking about God’s work/power in my life, I’d rather envision it as the Greeks did: dynamis and energia.