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292 THE HISTORY OF THE QUR'ANIC TEXT

to 'You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble!
You're nothing but show-oils'. The translator's aim, he concludes, must be
to adhere faithfully to the text, not to cajole it into saying what the translator
wants it to say.59
Barclay Newman, the CEV's chief translator, responds by insisting that
he and his team were faithful to the intent of the Greek text."

In most of the New Testament, 'theJews' is best understood to mean
'the other Jews' or 'some of the Jews' or 'a few of the Jews' or 'the
Jewish leaders' or 'some of the Jewish leaders' or 'a few of the jewish
leaders'. Never does it refer to the nation as a whole ... It was Pontius
Pilate - the Roman governor - who sentenced Jesus to death! And
those men who nailedJesus to a cross were Roman soldiers.v'

Denying that the CEV has watered down anything, Newman adds that
Jesus' message was meant to uniteJews and Gentiles rather than provoke
anti-jewish sentiments. A faithful rendition of the NT requires a search for
"ways in which falseimpressions may be minimized and hatred overcome" .62
In pursuing this goal however, the CEV team often creates its own false
impressions about the Israelites by swinging in the opposite direction. For
example:
The KJVprovides this translation of 2 Chronicles 21:11-13,

11 Moreover [jehcram] made high places in the mountains of
Judah, and caused the inhabitants ofJerusalem to commit forni-
cation, and compelledJudah thereto.
12 And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet,
saying, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because
thou hast not walked in the ways ofJehoshaphat thy father, nor
in the ways of Asa king of Judah,
13 But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast
madeJudah and the inhabitants ofJerusalem to go a-whoring,

59 Bible Review, vol. xii, no. 5, Oct. 1996, p. 42.
60 BJvL Newman, "CEV's Chief Translator: We Were Faithful to the Intention of
the Text", Bible Review, vol. xii, no. 5, Oct. 1996, p. 43.
61 ibid, p. 43. \Ve must note that the contrast between Newman's views and that of
the Talmud could not possibly be more divergent. Israel Shahak writes, 'According
to the Talmud, Jesus was executed by a proper rabbinical court for idolatry, inciting
otherJews to idolatry and contempt of rabbinical authority. AllclassicalJewish sources
which mention his execution are quite happy to take responsibility for it: in the Tal-
mudic account the Romans are not even mentioned." rJewish History, Jewish Religion,
pp. 97-98.] And as toJesus' fate, "the Talmud states that his punishment in hell is to
be immersed in boiling excrement." [ibid, pp. 20-21.]
62 Bible Review, vol. xii, no. 5, Oct. 1996, p. 43.