Good translation is difficult work. It is easy to criticize but hard to do. While I am by no means an apologist for everything Luther, this particular subject is not an open and shut case of “adding words” to the Bible, as our own forum discussions have demonstrated in the past:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2801154/posts
See post#28 in particular.
As one who has attempted amateur translation of both Hebrew and Greek into modern, informal English (purely for my own edification - I would not foist such feeble exercises on the public at large), I can tell you there are gaps between the languages that are sometimes not easy to fill without making somewhat risky decisions about the meaning of the text and how best to represent it. I remember hearing about one translator (Wycliffe group, I think) working in a language where there was no word for love. Every single place the word appeared in the original it had to be adorned with “added words” that gave it the meaning of love in that linguistic context, in that culture. To fail to add those words would have been to refrain from telling the whole of God’s truth.
Again, I’m not making an argument for or against any particular choice of Luther. He was a man and was as fallible as any pope ever was. We all make mistakes, and then we justify them. Only God has an accurate score card. I’m just saying that in translation, to make a sound accusation against a particular choice of words, you need to do more than jsut say “added words” = “wrong words.” It may be true, or it may not. It depends on the specifics, case by case.
Donning flame-retardant suit now ... There, I’m ready, flame away ...
Doesn’t Greek have 7? ways of saying love - depending on the depth of love and/or what it applies to? No flame from me. Surface readers (w/o the HS) are the ones critical, IMO. To be sure, they follow man-made teachings while saying they are followers of Jesus Christ/The Word.
Difficulty of translation doesn’t explain elimination of entire books from the Old and New Testaments.
I never miss a bullseye when shooting.
I shoot, then draw a circle around wherever the hole is.