--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you translate the Bible with…" description: "\"When you translate the Bible with excessive literalism, you demythologize it. The possibility of a convincing reference to the individual's own spiritu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/joseph-campbell-300_bible_when-you-translate-the-bible-with-excess_534158.png" --- # When you translate the Bible with excessive literalism… ![“When you translate the Bible with excessive literalism, you demythologize it. The possibility of a convincing reference to the individual's own spiritual experience is lost. (111)” quote by Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/joseph-campbell-300_bible_when-you-translate-the-bible-with-excess_534158.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/joseph-campbell-300_bible_when-you-translate-the-bible-with-excess_534158.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/joseph-campbell-300_bible_when-you-translate-the-bible-with-excess_534158.png) > “When you translate the Bible with excessive literalism, you demythologize it. The possibility of a convincing reference to the individual's own spiritual experience is lost. (111)” [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excessive literal translation of the Bible removes its mythic depth, losing personal spiritual resonance. **In simple terms:** Literalism strips mythic meaning. Key Takeaway Embrace metaphor for deeper connection. Themes faith interpretation mythology Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - theology - personal study - sermons Key Concepts symbolism spiritual experience Questions to Reflect On - How does metaphor enrich faith? - Can literal reading ever be sufficient? A Different Perspective Literalism can oversimplify complex texts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Bible Excessive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible-excessive-4480405/) [Convincing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convincing/) [Excessive Literalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excessive-literalism-2285164/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Literalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literalism/) [Literalism Demythologize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literalism-demythologize-4480406/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spiritual experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-experience/) [Translate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/translate/) [Translate Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/translate-bible-4480407/) ## Related quotes > [All science is intelligent inference; excessive literalism is delusion, not a humble bowing to evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/all-science-is-intelligent-inference-excessive-literalism-is-delusion/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [“Whether Jewish or Christian, our religions have stressed too strongly the strictly historical aspect, so that we are, so to say, in worship of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/whether-jewish-or-christian-our-religions-have-stressed-too-strongly/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [I have undertaken to translate the Bible into German. This was good for me; otherwise I might have died in the mistaken notion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/i-have-undertaken-to-translate-the-bible-into-german-this-was-good/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [“Moyers: Then what does love have to do with morality? 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Taking literally ancient parables from thousands of years ago…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/of-course-when-you-shut-off-your-brain-from-rational-analysis-any/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“If there were such a thing as terminal literalism, you'd have died in childhood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/if-there-were-such-a-thing-as-terminal-literalism-you-d-have-died-in/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Entrenched scriptural literalism is, in my opinion, completely out of touch with reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/entrenched-scriptural-literalism-is-in-my-opinion-completely-out-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The doors leading out of scriptural literalism do not open from the inside. The moderation we see among nonfundamentalists is not some sign that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-doors-leading-out-of-scriptural-literalism-do-not-open-from-the/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [My spiritual evolution I would describe as journey from literalism to figuratism. I now see all religious texts as pointing to an ineffable truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rowe/my-spiritual-evolution-i-would-describe-as-journey-from-literalism-to/) [Maggie Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rowe/) > [I feel that the only thing that really matters in art and life is to go against the tidal wave of literalism and literal-mindedness-to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/i-feel-that-the-only-thing-that-really-matters-in-art-and-life-is-to/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [But to read all Scripture narratives as if they were eye-witness reports in a modern newspaper, and to ignore the poetic and imaginative form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/but-to-read-all-scripture-narratives-as-if-they-were-eye-witness/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [“Only 8000 different words appear in the Hebrew Bible, compared to the 20,000 or more that the average adult needs to know in most languages.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lane-greene/only-8000-different-words-appear-in-the-hebrew-bible-compared-to-the/) [Robert Lane Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lane-greene/) > [“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to-loosely-interpret-or-simply/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## More by Joseph Campbell > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-privilege-of-a-lifetime-is-being-who-you-are/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The eternal principle, which never was born, never will die: it is in all things: it is in you now. 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And the life that you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-follow-your-bliss-a-kind-of-track-opens-up-that-s-always/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The best we can do is lean towards the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-best-we-can-do-is-lean-towards-the-light/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [I think of mythology as the homeland of the muses, the inspirers of art, the inspirers of poetry. To see life as a poem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/i-think-of-mythology-as-the-homeland-of-the-muses-the-inspirers-of/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [When you are falling --- Dive!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-are-falling-dive/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [We're all seeking...the rapture of being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/we-re-all-seeking-the-rapture-of-being-alive/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Both the artist and the lover know that perfection is not loveable. It is the clumsiness of a fault that makes a person lovable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/both-the-artist-and-the-lover-know-that-perfection-is-not-loveable-it/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) [Explore all 711 Joseph Campbell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## More Bible quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/) [Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/) > [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/) [Michael Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arnold/) > [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/) [Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/) > [“Scripture also teaches that human beings are morally responsible creatures”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-peterson/scripture-also-teaches-that-human-beings-are-morally-responsible/) [Robert A. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-peterson/) > [“The wife of a junior officer cooped up in a horrible canvas partition in steerage for five months wrote: "I had enjoyed much peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-taylor/the-wife-of-a-junior-officer-cooped-up-in-a-horrible-canvas-partition/) [Stephen Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-taylor/) > [O Word of God incarnate . . . 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