public example / triumphal procession

Grace Fabian tells the story of the translation of these concepts in Colossians 2:15 and 2 Corinthians 2:14 respectively into Nabak (in: Fabian 2013, p. 86f.):

“We [Fabian and her co-translator, Kondo] discussed Colossians 2:15. That verse talks about Christ making a ‘public spectacle’ of Satan when he died on the cross.

“’Public spectacle,’ how do you say that in Nabak?

“We set it aside and moved to 2 Corinthians, but we hit a snag at 2:14. I wondered how we could ever express these concepts in the Nabak language. The scene is a triumphal procession of Paul’s day accompanied by the sweet odors from the burning of spices in the streets. Then we talked about the cinnamon bark that the Nabaks burn to create the pungent aroma during their dancing and how our lives are a fragrance to the Lord and to others around us because the Good News is within us.

“At last, we were satisfied that we had stated these verses in Corinthians clearly at least, it was the best we could do for now. It was time for coffee break, and Kondo stepped outside to stretch. He noticed the rose bushes growing next to the office wall, lovingly planted and cared for by my husband, which were now budding, and blooming. ‘That’s the way we are most of the time,’ In commented.

“I wasn’t sure what he meant but he continued, ‘The rose has a beautiful fragrance, but no one knows it until the rose blooms. Most often we Christians stay tightly closed like these buds.’ He held a bud gently between his fingers as he continued. ‘We often keep the Good News to ourselves, but the verses we translated today are telling us to open up and let the fragrance of Christ come out.’

“In the afternoon we continued. ‘Sweet aroma’ was one thing, but what about ‘triumphal procession?’

“We talked about the humiliation conquered people would feel being led through the crowds of cheering victors and presented to the king.

“To my surprise Kondo said, ‘This isn’t a problem to translate. We do almost the same as Bible times.’ He described a traditional song and dance that the Nabaks enjoyed performing when their victorious warriors came home from battle. He even demonstrated how the victors flap their loincloth in the faces of their defeated foes to humiliate them; we realized we had the expression we needed for that other troublesome verse in Colossians about public spectacle. So, in Nabak we say, ‘When Jesus died on the cross he took away the bow and arrows from Satan. Jesus disarmed him, and, in a manner of speaking, He flapped His loincloth in their faces.’”

complete verse (Colossians 2:15)

Following are a number of back-translations of Colossians 2:15:

  • Uma: “When Kristus was killed on the cross, he defeated all the evil spirits who have-authority and have-power, and he clearly announced that victory of his.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “And there on that post the demons/tempters who have authority were really defeated by Almasi. Their authority to rule was taken away by Almasi and he showed to all people that he was the winner.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for those supernatural beings who are demons who have authority, God removed their authority and by means of His defeating them by means of the death of Christ on the cross, he showed that they no longer had any power to resist.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “And also by means of that death of his on the cross, God removed the authority of the powerful unseen-ones and showed that they were already defeated in the sight of all that exists.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And because also of the death of Jesu-Cristo there on the cross, all that can’t be seen which have big knowledge/skill (usually occult) and authority have also had their strength removed from them. They really have been caused to surrender by God and he made them like captives that he openly-displayed, the proof that he had defeated them.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “When Christ died on the cross, he threw to the ground the word of the boss here in the world, because those who were empowered, all of them went to the ground. In full sight they were shamed because he won out over all.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Nabak: “When Jesus died on the cross he took away the bow and arrows from Satan. Jesus disarmed him, and, in a manner of speaking, He flapped His loincloth in their faces.” (See here)

Translation commentary on Colossians 2:15

Perhaps the best way to display the various ways in which this verse has been interpreted is to set them forth in a schematic arrangement, before considering the specific words. The subject of the verbs may be (A) God or (B) Christ. The participle apekdusamenos may be taken as (1) active or (2) middle. Its object (a) may be “rulers and authorities” or (b) it may have no object.

A.1.a: “God disarmed the powers”: Peake, Abbott, Lohse, Beare; Revised Standard Version Goodspeed Phillips New American Bible New International Version Jerusalem Bible Bible en français courant Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch Traduction œcuménique de la Bible.
A.2.a: “God divested himself of the powers”: Twentieth Century New Testament New English Bible. (Moffatt has a variant on this: “God cut away the angelic Rulers and Powers from us.”)
B.1.a: “Christ disarmed the powers”: TEV mg Biblia Dios Habla Hoy Barclay.
B.2.a: “Christ freed himself from the powers”: Lightfoot, Moule; Good News Translation Translator’s New Testament.
B.2.b: in this interpretation, the participle apekdusamenos is understood absolutely, and the accusative phrase “the rulers and authorities” is taken as the object of the following finite verb “he made an example of them.” In this case the implied object of “Christ stripped away (from himself)” is “his body,” an interpretation favored by the Latin Fathers (apud Lightfoot).

And at the end of the verse the prepositional phrase en autō may be taken as meaning “in Christ” or “in the cross.” Most take it to mean “in the cross,” either with God as the subject of the preceding verbs (Abbott, Peake; RSV mg Twentieth Century New Testament Translator’s New Testament Jerusalem Bible New English Bible New International Version Moffatt Barclay Traduction œcuménique de la Bible Bible en français courant; and, by implication, Phillips Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), or with Christ as the subject (Lightfoot, Moule; Weymouth Good News Translation Translator’s New Testament Biblia Dios Habla Hoy Barclay). Some who take God as the subject take en autō to be “in Christ”: Lohse, Beare; Revised Standard Version Goodspeed New American Bible. Vulgate takes en autō to be reflexive (en hautō), “in himself.”

Faced with such a bewildering variety of possibilities, the translator must decide which seems most probable, assary to introduce all of the alternative possibilities.

Freed himself (Good News Translation) or “disarmed” (Revised Standard Version): the verb apekduomai (only here and in 3.9; the cognate noun apekdusis only in 2.11) means “to strip off, divest, take off (like clothing).” If taken as a middle it means “he stripped himself”; if as an active, “he stripped the rulers and authorities.” The form is middle, but many understand it to have an active force (see Bl-D, #316; A&G; Lohse, Beare).

If one follows the Good News Translation interpretation freed himself, it is possible to say “caused himself to no longer be under the power of.” If, however, one interprets the verb in an active sense, then one may say “he took away the power of the rulers and authorities” or “he caused the rulers and authorities to no longer have power.”

Commentators are agreed that “the rulers and authorities” are spiritual, supernatural, powers—so Good News Translation the spiritual rulers and authorities. As in other contexts, it may be useful to translate spiritual by “spirits” and then to reproduce rulers and authorities by verbs indicating activities, for example, “spirits that rule and govern.”

Made a … spectacle of them translates the verb which appears only here and in Matt 1.19 (compare the noun deigma in Jude 7). Public (Revised Standard Version Good News Translation and others) can be understood as “boldly” (so Lightfoot, Abbott, Moule); the noun parrēsia usually means “confidence, boldness.”

He made a public spectacle of them may be translated as “he caused everyone to see,” or “he showed them off to everyone,” or “what happened to them he made very conspicuous,” or “he caused them to walk along behind him, so that everyone would see.”

Leading them as captives in his victory procession translates the Greek verb thriambeuō, found only here and in 2 Cor 2.14. It refers to the well-known triumphal procession of a victorious general, leading captive rulers in chains at his chariot wheels. Compare Jerusalem Bible “paraded them in public, behind him in his triumphal procession,” New English Bible “led then as captives in his triumphal procession.”

By leading them as captives may be expressed as “by having them tied up and walking along behind him” or “by making them march behind him with hands tied.”

In his victory procession may be expressed as “as he rides along showing that he has been victorious” or “showing that he has conquered these powers” or “… these spirits.” But in view of the figurative usage involved in this passage, again it may be necessary to mark the expression as a simile, for example, “as though marching in triumph.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1977. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .