It has been my experience that people who accept a literal interpretation of the Bible don’t give any authority to the writings of Augustine or other Fathers of the Church."
Agreed. It is truly amazing - and sad - that so many fundamentalist Christians act as if the books of the Bible were originally written in English.
Obviously, no language can be literally translated 'word-for-word' into another language and still be understandable. I can go into a secular bookstore, or a Christian book store and choose from many versions - i.e. - translations - of the Bible printed in English.
Since I am a religious Jew who is respectful of, and interested in studying Christian Theology, could someone please tell me which one is the correct version - you know - the one that's infallible, etc.
At least with the Torah, it can be read in the language in which it was originally written.
Someone has duped you in to believing that you are incapable of studying for yourself. As if all books that were translated from another language cannot be understood by someone who doesn't speak the original language.
This was a tactic that was perpetuated by the Catholic Church during the Dark Ages, and which also makes the Reformation such a monumental turning point in Church history. Luther's finest contribution to mankind was his desire to get the Word of God into the individuals hands, and was the impetus for the migration of some of the brightest minds in Europe to flee the Catholic Church to America.
That is not to say that a person who choose a mans opinion over straightforward scriptures cannot be a believer. It just means that they are going to be injured along the way as God drags their resisting lives to the destination of his choosing, rather than walking alongside God enjoying a rich relationship.
Since I am a religious Jew who is respectful of, and interested in studying Christian Theology, could someone please tell me which one is the correct version - you know - the one that's infallible, etc. At least with the Torah, it can be read in the language in which it was originally written.
The problem is, unless the symbols within any given language, each have one, and only one meaning, then you face the same logical problem within the system, that you do between the systems.
That said, you can take your hint of sarcasm and shove it up your ass.