Jesus used the vine in the last of his “I AM” predictions in the gospel of John. In this discourse, Jesus used the vine which was familiar to his audience for better understanding and appreciation of God’s word. Great work has been done on the analogy of the vine by scholars and theologians however, little work has been done on the translation of the Greek words, ᾱμπɛλος (ampelos) and κλῆμᾱ (klema) as used in the Asante-Twi Bible. Using the mother-tongue biblical hermeneutics methodology, this article examines the translation and interpretation of ᾱμπɛλος and κλῆμᾱ in the Asante-Twi Bible in comparison with five Ghanaian mother-tongue Bibles namely, the Akuapem-Twi Bible, the Fante Bible, and the Ga, Ewe and the Frafra Bibles. The findings show that translators used varied approaches to render ᾱμπɛλος and κλῆμᾱ to suit the understanding of the indigenes. Some translators used transliteration or literal approach, others coined their own words having consulted the indigenes about better terminologies that will suit their understanding of some difficult texts. This article makes a contribution to the need to re-translate and re-interpret the words bobe and ban particularly in the Asante-Twi Bible to avoid speculation. KEYWORDS: Mother-tongue, translation, interpretation, Asante-Twi

The quest for the identification of the fruitless branch has been an enduring theological battleground between the Calvinists and the Arminians who argue as to whether or not the removal of the fruitless branch indicates the loss of eternal salvation. Using a qualitative approach, this study sought to examine the various interpretations on the eternal security of the believer with a focus on three phrases in the passage namely; ἐν ἐμοὶ, (in me) and airō (cut off) and μείνατε ἐν ἐμοί (abide in me). Findings show that the analogy of the vine is a critique to the belief of once saved, forever saved because of the use of “in me” and the “cutting off” of the fruitless branch which cannot happen without a prior linkage to the stem of the vine. Since the fruitless branch can only represent one of the various views, it is recommended that fruitfulness should be the key to one’s walk with the Lord to avoid eternal separation. Keywords: Eternal, Salvation, Fruitless, Vine

The quest for the identification of the fruitless branch has been an enduring theological battleground between the Calvinists and the Arminians who argue as to whether or not the removal of the fruitless branch indicates the loss of eternal salvation. Using a qualitative approach, this study sought to examine the various interpretations on the eternal security of the believer with a focus on three phrases in the passage namely; ἐν ἐμοὶ, (in me) and airō (cut off) and μείνατε ἐν ἐμοί (abide in me). Findings show that the analogy of the vine is a critique to the belief of once saved, forever saved because of the use of “in me” and the “cutting off” of the fruitless branch which cannot happen without a prior linkage to the stem of the vine. Since the fruitless branch can only represent one of the various views, it is recommended that fruitfulness should be the key to one’s walk with the Lord to avoid eternal separation. Keywords: Eternal, Salvation, Fruitless, Vine