These scribbles — never meant for public eyes — are the true “secrets.” They show us that even the most faithful translators struggled between and spiritual meaning . The Danger of Translation Translating the Gospel has always been a high-risk task. William Tyndale was burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English. In the Muslim-majority contexts, certain historical translations of the Gospel into Arabic were banned, copied in secret, or disguised as other texts.
Which translates to: "Secrets of the Translated Gospel, Episode 1" asrar aynjl mtrjm alhlqh 1
In early Arabic translations of the Gospel, translators had to decide whether to use Allah for God — a theologically loaded term. Some Christians embraced it; others rejected it, fearing confusion with Islamic theology. This remains a sensitive topic today. Episode 1 Highlight: The Lost Translation of the Desert Fathers In this episode, the narrative focuses on an obscure 7th-century Arabic translation of the Gospel found in the Monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai. Unlike later translations, this one includes marginal notes revealing the translator’s doubts: “Is ibn (son) literal or metaphorical here?” These scribbles — never meant for public eyes
Here’s the full blog post: Every translation is a journey. And when that journey involves sacred scripture — specifically the Gospel — it becomes a voyage through theology, history, politics, and mystery. Welcome to Asrar Al-Injeel Al-Mutarjam (Secrets of the Translated Gospel). In this first episode, we uncover the hidden challenges, controversies, and wonders behind translating the Gospel from its original languages into the tongues of millions. The Original Words: Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew Before any translation existed, the Gospel message was spoken in Koine Greek (the common Greek of the Roman Empire), with some Aramaic phrases attributed to Jesus, and Old Testament references rooted in Hebrew. The New Testament wasn’t written in classical literary Greek — it was the language of everyday people, merchants, and slaves. This remains a sensitive topic today
It looks like the phrase you provided — — appears to be a Romanized (Latin-script) version of an Arabic title. When transcribed back, it likely refers to something like:
In the next episode: When Translators Become Heretics — The Case of the Arabic Harmonies. Have you ever compared two different translations of the same Bible verse? Share your thoughts in the comments below.