Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Description
The Portable World Bible presents the fundamental tenets of the world's basic source religions. Contemporary readers are offered, in concise, authoritative translations, the religious thought of the ages, selected, interpreted, and arranged in view of modern man's quest for ultimate truths and values. Robert O. Ballou, the volume's editor, has omitted mere stories, history, and ceremonial detail; what remains in every case is the essence of religion, set down with a clarity and simplicity never before achieved. The Portable World Bible is an unparalleled work of poetic and ethical inspiration, a book that makes a deep appeal to the mind and spirit.
User reviews
LibraryThing member AmandaNLangdon
Course book for "Religions of the World"
LibraryThing member Muscogulus
This collection dates back to 1939, and it shows. I’d say it’s mainly interesting as a period piece. The translations are often stuffy and silly at the same time, especially in the short section called “The Moslem.” Consider this from the Koran:
For when there shall be a trump on the
That then shall be a distressful day,
A day, to the believers, devoid of ease.
See what I mean? It’s like poetry for the brain-damaged. That's because the editor, Mr. Ballou, chose the atrocious Rodwell translation from 1876. Even back in 1939 he could have chosen Pickthall, from 1930. Now, of course, there are at least a dozen much better English translations to choose from — if anyone at Viking Penguin could be bothered to update this turkey.
Just one more and I’ll let you go. This is supposed to be from Rumi. It’s a fine story (naturally, considering who wrote it) but the self-consciously “Oriental” translation is atrocious:
A Governor Orders a Man to Dig Up from the Road a Bramble-Bush Which He Has Planted
A certain unfeeling person of pleasant speech planted a bramble-bush in the middle of the road. The passers-by reproached him, and repeatedly told him to dig it up; but he did not do so....
The governor said to him one day, “O promise-breaker, come forward in my business; do not creep back.” He rejoined, “O uncle, the days are between us.”...
You get the idea.
Penguin has certainly gotten a lot of mileage out of this collection; every few years they reissue it with a new cover. If you ask me, it’s long past time to put it to rest.
For when there shall be a trump on the
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trumpet,That then shall be a distressful day,
A day, to the believers, devoid of ease.
See what I mean? It’s like poetry for the brain-damaged. That's because the editor, Mr. Ballou, chose the atrocious Rodwell translation from 1876. Even back in 1939 he could have chosen Pickthall, from 1930. Now, of course, there are at least a dozen much better English translations to choose from — if anyone at Viking Penguin could be bothered to update this turkey.
Just one more and I’ll let you go. This is supposed to be from Rumi. It’s a fine story (naturally, considering who wrote it) but the self-consciously “Oriental” translation is atrocious:
A Governor Orders a Man to Dig Up from the Road a Bramble-Bush Which He Has Planted
A certain unfeeling person of pleasant speech planted a bramble-bush in the middle of the road. The passers-by reproached him, and repeatedly told him to dig it up; but he did not do so....
The governor said to him one day, “O promise-breaker, come forward in my business; do not creep back.” He rejoined, “O uncle, the days are between us.”...
You get the idea.
Penguin has certainly gotten a lot of mileage out of this collection; every few years they reissue it with a new cover. If you ask me, it’s long past time to put it to rest.
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LibraryThing member datrappert
Interesting to dip into if you're looking for an abridged version of a great religious work. Another reviewer cites a bad translation of the Qu'ran, which is probably the case. The quotes from the Bible use the King James version, which is also in many ways not a good translation, but at least it
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reads well--at least the famous parts we know by heart read well. Not sure why "Judeo-Christian" is combined; it hardly seems fair to Judaism. Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1939
Local notes
READIN, inside nightstand
HINDU: rig-veda, atharva-veda, satapatha brahmana, the upanishads, the bhagavad gita, the vishnu purana, the garuda purana, the markandeya purna, the works of sri ramakrishna
BUDDHISM: early buddhist books, 'the dhammapada', 'the lotus of the true law', 'the diamond sutra', 'the tibetan doctrine'
ZOROASTRIANISM: parsi, zoroastrian, the bundahis, the vendidad, 'the zendavesta', the pahlavi texts, the gathas
JUDAISM: the bible, old testament, pentatuch, moses, genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, deuteronomy, joshua, judges, job, psalms. proverbs, ecclesiastes, prophets, amos, hosea, micah, isaiah, jeremiah
CHRISTIANITY: christ, jesus, gospels, acts of the apostles, paul, the epistles
ISLAM: moslem, allah, mohammed, koran, 'the masnavi'
CONFUCIANISM: confucius, 'the li ki', the shih king, 'the analects', 'the great learning', 'the doctrine of the steadfast man',
MENCIUS: the works of mencius, 'the book of filial piety',
TAOISM: chuang tze, tao-te king, the works of chuang tze
HINDU: rig-veda, atharva-veda, satapatha brahmana, the upanishads, the bhagavad gita, the vishnu purana, the garuda purana, the markandeya purna, the works of sri ramakrishna
BUDDHISM: early buddhist books, 'the dhammapada', 'the lotus of the true law', 'the diamond sutra', 'the tibetan doctrine'
ZOROASTRIANISM: parsi, zoroastrian, the bundahis, the vendidad, 'the zendavesta', the pahlavi texts, the gathas
JUDAISM: the bible, old testament, pentatuch, moses, genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, deuteronomy, joshua, judges, job, psalms. proverbs, ecclesiastes, prophets, amos, hosea, micah, isaiah, jeremiah
CHRISTIANITY: christ, jesus, gospels, acts of the apostles, paul, the epistles
ISLAM: moslem, allah, mohammed, koran, 'the masnavi'
CONFUCIANISM: confucius, 'the li ki', the shih king, 'the analects', 'the great learning', 'the doctrine of the steadfast man',
MENCIUS: the works of mencius, 'the book of filial piety',
TAOISM: chuang tze, tao-te king, the works of chuang tze