Religious Discourse and Translation: a Critical Analysis of the Translation of Priesthood- Related Terms

In light of Critical Discourse Studies (van Dijk, 2008), power relations, abuse of power, and different forms of domination suffered by individuals or social groups are usually mediated by language. Thus, the objective of this study is to examine how translators of the Bible (particularly in the New Testament) show ideologically marked positions by choosing certain translations of the original Greek for priesthood-related terms, with implications for the discursive legitimation of unequal relations between such pairs as laity and clergy, and between men and women. For the study, we selected three passages of the New Testament, in which we examine the options chosen for the translation of the Greek nouns (((((((( and ((((((((, and the verb (((((((( in three different Bible versions.