Sir, – I enjoyed Dave Robbie's letter in which he observes that the phrase "many dwelling places" was "mansions" in his day (May 15th).
The Greek word "monai" in John 14:2 first appeared as "mansions" in the Tyndale Bible of 1526. I'm not suggesting that Mr Robbie is nearly 500 years old, especially as the phrase "dwelling places" actually comes from another 16th-century translation, the Geneva Bible of 1599.
A controversial 2002 translation called The Message offers "plenty of room for you" while the 2011 New International Version goes for "many rooms".
Interestingly, the most recent translation of all – the 2014 Modern English Version – reverts to the 1599 rendition “dwelling places”.
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God only knows how "monai" might be rendered were the Bible ever translated by a gaggle of estate agents! – Yours, etc,
RONAN SCANLAN
Leopardstown,
Dublin 18.