A Comparative Study of to Alfa Kai to Omega in the Greek New Testament (Revelation 1:8) and Asante-Twi Bible

Emmanuel Foster AsamoahORCID iD 

Issue: Vol.2  No.1 April 2020 Article 9 pp. 70-77
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/motbit.2020049    |   Published online 20th May 2020.
© 2020 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Bible Translation has been a means the Church uses to bring the Gospel into the language of the recipients to help improve the quality of life of the indigenes. Nonetheless, it must be noted that all over the world most Bible translation materials have experienced numerous revision exercises. An example of this is the Asante-Twi versions of the Bible which has witnessed two revision works; one on the whole Bible in 2012 since its publication in 1964, and a revised New Testament version published in 2013. Even with the recent revised ones, there still exist translation problems, for some words are strange or foreign to the Asante-Twi speaking people; clear example is Revelation 1:8 which is the focus for this study. Using Mother-tongue Biblical Hermeneutics methodology, this thesis delves into the meaning of the Alfa ne Omega no in the Asante-Twi context and its usage in Revelation 1:8; vis-à-vis an exegesis of the Greek word to alfa kai to, to find its equivalence in the Asante-Twi. It was found from the study that Ahyɛaseɛ ne Awieeɛ no is the best rendition of to alfa kai to. This work has thus added an Akan translation and interpretation of Revelation 1:8 to the knowledge of the field of mother-tongue hermeneutics; and it is being recommended that in the future revision of the Asante-Twi Bible, the Bible Society of Ghana should consider using Ahyɛaseɛ ne Awieeɛ to translate to alfa kai to (to alpha kai to omega) in Revelation 1:8. The Alpha and Omega, Bible Translation, Mother-tongue, Asante people, Asante-Twi Bible, to alpha kai to omega.

Keywords: The Alpha and Omega, Bible Translation, Mother-tongue, Asante people, Asante-Twi Bible, to alpha kai to omega.

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Emmanuel Foster Asamoah MPhil, Research Associate, Department of Religious Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi. District Pastor, The Church of Pentecost, Antoakrom, Kumasi – Ghana. Email: hisdivinegrace7@gmail.com
Asamoah, Emmanuel F. “A Comparative Study of to Alfa Kai to Omega in the Greek New Testament (Revelation 1:8) and Asante-Twi Bible.” Journal of Mother-Tongue Biblical Hermeneutics and Theology 2, no. 1 (2020): 70-77. https://doi.org/10.38159/motbit.2020049

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Asamoah, Emmanuel F. “Interpretation Approaches for Biblical Apocalyptic Literature: An Evaluation.” E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies 6, no. 4 (2020): 236-242. https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.2020073

© 2020 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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