"Thus let your light shine in front of humanity that they may see good works from you, and esteem your loving center in upward vision." True to its mission to be very literal and less anthropomorphic, Holy Wind Living Breath New Testament quotes Jesus as speaking of feeling "esteem" for your "loving center" in "upward vision." All are alternatives to traditional biblical language. And all three of these translations reflect a very literal , etymological rendering of the Greek words. In the case of "loving center", as the Introduction to Authentic Teaching of Jesus observes:
The word PATER (typically "Father" in most translations) is, as Kittel notes, from the monosyllabic "pa" or "ma" or even "ba" lisped by a small child for a parent, the loving center of its life. When used in the singular, of a literal male parent, HWLB translates as "father." In the plural, it conveys the sense of "parents." The cognate "PATRIA" is a family, not a group of fathers. Often, however, in order to capture its earliest semantic sense, the phrase "loving center" is used.
One of the goals of HWLB is to allow for a larger view of immanence in the teachings of Jesus. This also explains the very literal translation of "heaven" as "upward vision". From two Greek words, meaning to see upwards, HWLB always has "upward vision" and thus allows the reader to see the different ways the original word is used in various contexts.
We all really do have the light within us. But, we choose to let this light shine in the presence of others as we do good, reflecting esteem for the loving center of us...a truly upward vision of life.
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