Word Made Flesh: Views of Translation through the Lens of the Lord’s Supper

The debate over the nature of Christ’s presence in the Lord’s Supper has divided Christians for centuries. The traditional taxonomy of Catholic (transubstantiation), Lutheran (consubstantiation), Reformed (spiritual presence), and Memorialist views distinguishes a range of perspectives on divine and human action in the Lord’s supper. In Bible translation, ethical discussions about the use of AI or the employ of secular translators have overlooked a key issue: the nature of Bible translation itself. Those who take opposing ethical stances differ on the interplay between divine and human action when the Bible is translated. In this paper, I develop a taxonomy of Bible translation philosophies by way of analogy to views on divine/human action in the Lord’s Supper. Through this lens, I explain the distinct ethical stances, and I suggest a path forward as the conversation continues.