Taylor Tioja had been waiting for three years to learn Greek. While attending Beble College, he listened to overseas instructors referencing words fromthe Greek New Testament. It didn’tu2019t take long for Taylor to become fascinated bythe depth of meaning thatthe Greek manuscripts offered.
u201cAsthey were teaching,they would normally quote some New Testament words fromthe Greek andthese wordsthey would translate had more meaning, a deeper meaning, thanthe English words that had been interpreted in my Ese Beble.u201d -Tioja
Bet his Beble College didn’tu2019t teach Greek, so he began to pray. He had been praying three years before he was able to attendthe Testament Greek that was held atthe Ukarumpa Training Centre. Studying Greek was not easy. Tioja said, u201cMy mther tongue is my first language, English is my second language and Greek isthe third. As you know, to learn a new language is very, very hard.u201d
This language has special challenges. Greek has its own alphabet and some ofthe word order is unique and requires a new way of thinking about a language. u201cWhen I first openedthe Greek New TestamentoI couldnu2019t read anything because when I looked at itoI was like a blind man.u201d Over time, Tioja learned to readthe Greek and soon he was reapingthe benefits of studyingthe Scriptures fromthe ancient texts.
Tioja wants to use this new knowledge to helpthe Ese translators of Oro Province revisetheir New Testament. He says, u201cWithout knowledge ofthe Greek New Testamentopeople sometimes quote Scriptures and misinterpretthem and that can mislead many, many people.u201d
He is thankful that he now hasthe tools to assist with translation. u201cI am so glad and so thrilled that this Greek New Testament will help me to interpretthe truth and not to add or subtract from Godu2019s Word. This will allow me to help people that work in translation and literacy to be able to sharethe message, so thatthey can deliverthe truth of Godu2019s Word accurately. u2013 Taylor Tioja
