The Word as word
The Word as word, in addition to being the theme of this website, is also the title of a monograph by the Aardt Foundation’s founder, Michael Straus, on translation theory. At the heart of that work is an understanding that the relationship between thought and language is one where meaning is elicited through a dialogue between reader/listener and text/speaker, allowing room for open space in any given expression to be filled on an ongoing basis over time. Within that framework, we explore the historicity of language in the ongoing reception of ancient texts like the Bible, where readers participate in a lengthy tradition of diverse understandings, constantly mediating past and present as the text is transmitted by such performative means as translation, study and teaching.
The same holds true in other contexts as well, even where the time period is less extended, as is the case with the sections of the website presenting poetry, music, critical writings on Greek theater, and other expressive forms. And these likewise work in harmony with the Aardt Foundation’s range of visual art on display both onsite and online.
Dr. Michael Straus is an attorney, classicist and arts foundation leader. His published works include articles on ritual aspects of Old Comedy, and retributive justice in the Tragedies; a new translation of the New Testament; the first English translation of an epic poem by Pablo Neruda; and a monograph on translation theory. He serves on the board of the American Academy in Rome, and is the Chairman Emeritus of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.
