Synonymical Variation in the New Testament of the Fourth Redaction of the Old Czech Translation of the Bible (1450-1489)
Abstract
The fourth redaction of the Old Czech translation of the Bible contains many examples of synonymical and perhaps even diaphasic variation. The older variant of the New Testament is ascribed to the Czech Utraquist assistant bishop, theologian and diplomat Martin Lupáč (died 1468).
The more recent variant is represented by the New Testament of the Prague Bible (1488), the first Slavic printed Bible. The fourth redaction of the Old Czech Bible is more concerned with explanatory devices than the previous redactions, as well as containing traces of theological views of its authors.The lexical variety of the translation is also influenced by the intention to not repeat the same expression in the same verse or a group of verses following one another.
The example of this synonymical variation in the fourth redaction is visible in the verse Mk 15:7, where the relative pronoun "qui" appears three times in the Vulgate. Lupáč's translation, as well as the Prague Bible, have it replaced with three Old Czech synonymous relative pronouns: "jenž", "který" and "ješto".
Some older redactions also use relative pronouns variably, but they only incorporate two variants, not three as the fourth redaction does.There are also tendencies to incorporate an aesthetic approach in the text are found even in M. Lupáč's translation of the fourth redaction.
The Old Czech translator replaces the same Latin lexeme in the subsequent verses with several synonyms to avoid its repetition. An example of this approach is Jn 4:38, where the same lexeme -labor- appears three times in the text of the Vulgate.
The same root of the word is translated in three different ways by Lupáč and the translator of the Prague Bible: by using verbs "dělati" ʽto doʼ and "pracovati" ʽto workʼ, as well as the noun "úsilé" ʽlabourʼ. Synonymical variation in the Old Czech translation of the Bible shows just how rich the lexis of the translation is, and the mature and intensive work of the translators when looking for the appropriate expression.