Gud på tibetansk

Om å bruke et upersonlig begrep som gudsbetegnelse i bibeloversettelse

Abstract

The word for Gud used in several Bible translations in Tibetan-related languages is dkon mchog, a concept borrowed from Tibetan Buddhism. The phrase designates an impersonal concept, namely the «Buddhist Trinity»: Buddha, dharma (the teachings) and sangha (the community of disciples). The expression was first used by Jesuit missionaries in the 18th century, and their extensive argumentation shows that its use is due to more than simply its superficial resemblance to the Christian Trinity. Expressions used in translation for unknown concepts undergo over time a semantic shift, by which the concept is reinterpreted and filled with new content corresponding to the biblical understanding. The shift can go via metonymic or metaphoric extension, and the change can be relatively unconstrained. The article argues that the metonymic shift necessary for the concept dkon mchog does not result in polysemy and may therefor give less cause for misunderstanding than the personal but polysemous expressions for God (cf. God/god) used in western Bible translations.