Archive for the ‘Bibliology’ category

Bible Translation and Paradigm Standards

March 10th, 2008

Introduction
I have written a bunch about the Bible, why we should read it and how we can read it. I have also been critical of “paraphrases,” like the Message. I would now like to offer some constructive suggestions for future Bible translations.

Purpose
The role of a modern Bible translation is NOT to make the Scripture personally relevant or culturally meaningful (these are the function of the Holy Spirit and Bible study). It IS the role of a Bible translation to faithfully render the original source language into a comprehensible modern language.  (Note: Comprehension is a function of both Accuracy and Intelligibility)

ILLUSTRATION:  Lets take the following sentence and illustrate the ideas of “personal relevance,” “cultural meaning,” and “comprehensible language.”
“The smoke stacks rose above the city.”
The sentence above is comprehensible to anyone who  reads the English language.
Personal Relevance: This sentence, although comprehensible, may lack personal relevance.   The average reader may read this and say, “so what?”  But if the reader grew up in steel town like Johnstown or Pittsburgh, PA; and their father worked in a steel mill, this sentence would have immediate relevance to their life and may even bring up strong emotions of past events.  

Cultural-Meaning: What if the reader is from a small African village and has never seen a smoke stack?  Is the “smoke stack” floating above the city like some kind of bird?  Without some research, this sentence lacks cultural meaning to anyone who has never seen a refinery, steel mill, or lived in a city.  
In summary, this lack of personal relevance and cultural meaning, does not invalidate the fact that the sentence itself is comprehensible.  A good translation must be comprehensible, whereas  personal relevance and cultural meaning are left to the Holy Spirit and study.
Goals
Here are some of the key goals for any modern translation that seeks to faithfully render an ancient language into a comprehensible modern language.  I really should give examples for these, but that will have to be left to a future work.
  1. Don’t subvert the role of the Holy Spirit.
  2. Allow the character of the ancient literary styles to shine forth
  3. Respect the art of poetry.
  4. Maintain the historical integrity of key words throughout the entire text.
  5. Translate to the highest possible standard, instead of the lowest common denominator.
  6. Maintain textual harmony through consistent translation of key words.
  7. Don’t force the text into a “system” of theology.
  8. Allow for ambiguity where the text is ambiguous.
  9. Don’t shield the modern reader from the culture surrounding the text. 
  10. Don’t try and make the Bible culturally relevant.
  11. Choose the simplest and easiest reading of a passage that does not violate any of the above.

Key Translation Features
1. References to God
a. Capitalizing the Personal Pronouns for God: It is most helpful to follows the tradition of capitalizing the personal pronouns which reference God; He instead of he. Returning to this once common convention helps clarify the proper subject in longer passages. This is especially helpful in the Gospels which have many long sections without any mention of Jesus by name.

EXAMPLE: Matthew 27:27-37
27:27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s residence and gathered the whole cohort around Him.
27:28 They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe around Him,
27:29 and after weaving some thorns into a crown, they put it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand, and kneeling down before Him, they mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
27:30 Then they spat on Him and took the staff and repeatedly hit Him on the head.
27:31 And after they had mocked Him, they took off the robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him away to be crucified.
27:32 Now as they were coming out, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon, whom they compelled to carry His cross.
27:33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means ‘Place of the Skull’)
27:34 they offered Him wine mixed with gall to drink. But after tasting it, He would not drink.
b. Restoring the personal name of God: In the Old Testament, all references to the personal name of God should be restored. The trend in most translations is to use the term LORD. The King James Version also erred by using the artificially created name “Jehovah.” Both translation traditions fail to preserve the relational intimacy of God’s revealed name of YHWH. 
EXAMPLE: Psalms 23
23:1 YHWH is my Shepherd, I shall not diminish.
23:2 He makes me repose in lush pastures; he leads me beside refreshing waters.
23:3 He restores my whole being; He guides me along right paths for His name’s sake. 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff—they bring me comfort.
23:5 You prepare a table before me in the full view of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup overflows.
23:6 Surely goodness and covenant-love will pursue me all the days of my life, and forever I will dwell in the house of YHWH.
2. References to Men & Women & the Community of the Way
a. “Man” is the special name given to God’s creation of both male and female. A translation should hold onto God’s special name without any concern for modern “gender” convention or the all too common linguistic ignorance. When the reader sees “Men” or “Man” starting with a capitol “M“, he can know the context is referring to the male and female sexes. If the readers sees “men” or “man” starting with a lower case “m“, he can know the context is referring to males only.
b. The name of family community: Brethren is another one of those NT words that can create some confusion.  In some instances it refers to men and in others it refers to both men and women.  By simply capitalizing those references which refer to both men and women, we are able to maintain the integrity of the text and help the modern reader understand the context and make a right application.  Therefore, “Brethren” would include men and women and “brethren” would refer to men only.
EXAMPLE: Galatians 1:10-12
1:10 For am I now seeking the favor of Men or of God? Or am I striving to please Men? If I were still trying to please Men, I would not be a bond-slave of Christ. 
1:11 For I want you to know, Brethren, that the gospel which I preached is not according to Man. 
1:12 For I neither received it from Man, nor was I taught it, instead it was through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
Notice how the words Man and Men are, in context, referring to both male and female sexes and are capitalized. This keeps the translation faithful to the original inspired text and helps the modern reader determine the intended meaning. It also makes clear the distinction between Jesus as Divine and thus superior to the created race of Men.  
c. The Title of Inheritance: Some modern Bible translations have tried to remove the masculine reference to “Sons” by using terms such as “children” which are not present in the original text. In pandering to modern femanist conventions, these translations strip the text of its historical meaning. Yet there is genuine concern that some readers may think the term “Son” only refers to males. In an effort to be faithful to the revealed text and to offer the highest level of reader comprehension, translations should capitalizes all references to “Son” or “Sonship” when it means both male and female. In summary, the term “Son” can and does include both male and female who are adopted into God’s family and the term “son” will only refer to the male child. The term children, will be used only when it is used in the Greek.
EXAMPLE: Galatians: 3:25 -3:29
3:25 But now that faithfulness has come, we are no longer under a guardian. 
3:26 For in Christ Jesus you are all Sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 
3:27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 
3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond-slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 
3:29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.
In this sample, the term Son is important because it lets the reader know of our special standing, both male and female, inside of God’s family is based on inheritance (Sonship). A proper understanding of inheritance only comes from the context of Old Testament civilization. Consequently, if we remove this title of “Son” and make it gender neutral, as some modern translations do, then we void the text of its inherent meaning and power.
3. Textual Keys
a. Textual Authority: Modern scholarship has contributed much to our understanding of Scripture, but in some specific cases the Majority text to be superior in both clarity and authority.  This paradigm will be reflected in the content of a good translation on a case by case basis.
EXAMPLE:  I will explore this more in the future.
b.  Old Testament Quotes: In all cases where the New Covenant quotes the Old, the text has been bolded, italicized, and CAPITALIZED to look like THIS.
EXAMPLE: Matthew 2:13-18
2:13 Now, after they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph saying, “Get up, take the Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.”
2:14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the Child and Mary, His mother,
2:15 He stayed there until Herod died. In this way what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet was fulfilled: “I CALLED MY SON OUT OF EGYPT.”
2:16 Herod was furious when he learned that the wise men had outwitted him. And sent soldiers to kill all the boys from age two and under, according to the time he had ascertained from the wise men, who lived in and nearby Bethlehem.
2:17 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,
2:18 “A CRY OF ANGUISH IS HEARD IN RAMAH — WEEPING AND MOURNING UNRESTRAINED. RACHEL WEEPS FOR HER CHILDREN, REFUSING TO BE COMFORTED — FOR THEY ARE DEAD.”

c. References to the Torah: When the New Testament refers to the Torah, the translation uses a capitol “L” for “Law” (Torah). In other instances where another law is in mind, a lower-case “l” is used.  Also, most English translations insert the word “the” before Law, but by eliminating this tradtion, it creates a mild awckwardness for the reader that helps emphasize which Law (Torah) is being discussed.
EXAMPLE: Galatians 3:21 
“Is Law then opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly have been based on Law.
d. The Historical Present: One of the most mistranslated potions of the New Testament are passages which employ the historical present narrative. See this example from the book of Matthew.

EXAPLE: Matthew: 8:18 
Now when Jesus saw the great crowds around Him, He gave instructions to cross over to the other side of the sea. 8:19 But a certain scribe came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 8:20 And Jesus says to him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” 8:21 And another of the disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 8:22 But Jesus says to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” 8:23 Now when He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.
Note the words in red. These words are written in the present, active, indicative and improperly translated in the past tense. However, this does not take full advantage of the artistic imagery in these passages. Notice in contrast how the words in blue are in the context of the aorist, active and are translated using the past tense. The disciples “said”, but Jesus “says.” This mixed use of tenses may seem odd at first to the English reader (and that is why most translations don’t do it), but in an age where the narrative is all important, a proper translation of the preset active indicative in juxtaposition to the aorist active can help bring the words of Jesus to life and help transport the reader into the very presence of Jesus’ in history.
Conclusion
This is a good starting point, but there is a lot of work that should be done.  I cannot promise a reply to every comment, but I am open to reading your ideas
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Posted in Bibliology, NT Translation, OT Translation

Jehovah is not in the Bible!

February 26th, 2008

Did you know that the name “Jehovah” is not in the original Bible?

Exodus 3:14 reveals the personal name of God as “I Am Who I Am” (That’s right, Popeye stole it from God.) In the Hebrew this was written as YHWH . Through time,religionists made this special name so “sacred” that some refused to write it and would insert other names in its place.

The name “Jehovah” probably first came into use during the Middle Ages where the consonants from the revealed name of God; YHWH, and  the vowels from one of the generic terms for God: adonai, were combined into the new Man-made word “Jehovah.”

As time went by, the Hebrew was translated into Latin, the Latin into German and  the German into English.  Eventually the translation from one language to the next converted the “Y” into a “J” and the “W” into a “V”.   If you have ever met someone with a German accent, you will notice how the letter “w” is pronounced like the English “v” and the letter “y” is pronounced with “j” sound.   Eventually the King James translation adopted the made-up term “Jehovah” which is not really in the Bible.  Of course this has a lot of important implications for all of the King James Version Only folks, the Jehovah’s Witness faithful, and even for all of our English translations.

There is a newer practice of writing the personal name of God as, “Yahweh.”  This translation brings back the revealed name of God by using the Hebrew consonants with the addition of vowels to make it more readable in English.  This is a completely acceptable translation.  However, my own practice is simply use the Hebrew consonants with no added vowels, but the pronunciation of YHWH is the same as Yahweh.

I hope that helps my readers better understand why I use the personal name of God; YHWH, in my writing.

This blog post is based on my Bible curriculum available at EmergingLife.org.

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Posted in Bibliology, OT Translation, Paterology

Reading the Bible for Life

February 25th, 2008

The Bible is one of the all time best selling books.  You own a copy of a good translation, but like many others you still wonder, “Can I really understand what it says?” In short, yes. Yes, you can read the Bible and have a clear understanding of what YHWH is speaking to you. God intended for us not only to read the Bible, but to read it for life! What does it mean to read the Bible for life? Reading the Bible for life doesn’t just mean extending our days on earth, but reading our Bible so that our lives will be transformed and renewed.

2 Timothy 3:14-17 You, however, must continue in the things you have learned and are confident about. You know who taught you 3:15 and how from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 3:16 Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 3:17 that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work. (NET)

This passage makes clear that the mark of a Christ-follower is that he finds personal meaning and life through reading and living out the Scripture. Reading the Bible is without a doubt a matter of life. But now what? Yes, we may all agree, the Scripture is a good guide for living, but isn’t reading it all a matter of opinion and perspective? Can’t we all just read into it what we want? Is YHWH really speaking to me? If so, how can I even know what He is trying to say? We must have confidence that God is speaking to us right now through His Holy Bible.

Hermeneutics is the word that describes the many methods we can use to understand the Scriptures so that we can apply God’s Word to our daily life, have a sense of meaning, and live our lives for His purpose. Hermeneutics is the principles of Scripture reading that enable us to understand the text and context of what God is saying and to faithfully apply His truth to our lives. God not only inspired the content of the Scripture, He was also sovereign over the context of history. That means He chose the time, people, language, and methods for a specific reason. Therefore, as we understand each of these hermeneutical contexts, we gain a stronger base for understanding the Bible text itself. Learning to hear what God is saying means that we develop good habits that will guide us to a faithful interpretation of YHWH’s Word. Below are the five key hermeneutical principles that each Christian should learn and begin to practice in daily Bible reading.


First, Rely on the Holy Spirit

As we seek to understand the meaning of God’s Word and apply it to our lives, our first and greatest goal should be communion with the God who wrote it. Hermeneutics is not about an academic exercise so that we can feel superior to others, or so that we can gain knowledge for the sake of knowledge. Rather Hermeneutics is about a personal endeavor to plumb the depths of God and immerse ourselves in His revealed glory.

Second, Explore the Context

What we have outlined so far is that we must have a passion for seeking God when we read the Scriptures. Passion, however, without the guidelines of Spiritual illumination and Scriptural direction leads to certain destruction of the soul. We must seek to provide guidelines form Scripture that will serve as Spiritual boundaries for the enthusiasm we all share for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Bible text stands above our own limited ability to properly grasp and apply its full meaning. Therefore, we must always read the Scripture with great respect and in awe of the God who wrote it. The context of each passage should never be ignored. God inspired the words used by the writers, God chose a certain time in history to make his revelation and God chose a certain people to first hear His Word.  Each element of His Divine Narrative is important because each is a part of God’s self-revelation. A good hermeneutic does not mean that we are in complete control of the Bible. A good hermeneutic means that we now have the ability to gain insight into the Bible so it can have proper authority and control over us.

Third, Identify the Meaning

Take all that you have discovered and, with continued reliance upon the Holy Spirit for illumination, identify the meaning of the passage. As you work it out, here are a few guidelines to help you along the way.

  • Meaning is always consistent with YHWH: God will never say anything that is against His own nature.
  • Meaning comes from all Scripture: God speaks only truth, so every part of Scripture has meaning for your life.
  • God wants you to know the meaning: YHWH spoke His Word so that you could know and follow Him, not to confuse or mislead you.
  • The meaning is the meaning: A passage always means what it says, so unless you have a compelling reason, don’t change the clear teaching.
  • Allow for Paradox: The above notwithstanding, there are passages in scripture that seem paradoxical; unsolvable puzzles that have no obvious solution. There are passages that create more questions than answers. There are teachings about our Father that encourage mystery over answers. Allow paradox to exist. Enjoy the paradox and know that God is greater than your understanding.

Fourth, Compare Your Results

Once you have determined the meaning of a Bible passage, take time to compare what you have discovered with what other Christians over the centuries have learned as well. Find trusted friends who are filled with the Spirit and practice sound hermeneutical values. Ask them to share their experience, give advice and direction on a passage. Use study aids, commentaries, and the like, but don’t put this step before the others. It is very tempting to use a study aid as a crutch. How often have you been confused on the meaning of a passage and instead of going through the right hermeneutical process, you simply read the footnote in your Bible and take it as God’s truth. This is the worst possible method of Bible study and will handicap the your ability to learn and apply God’s Word to there life.
Finally, Apply the Word to Your Life
As you seek to apply the Word of God to your life, you must remember that there is only one right meaning to the text, but unlimited applications to your life. Let the Bible speak to your experiences, but make sure that your experiences do not distort the purpose of God’s Word. Here are a few important ideas to always keep in mind as you try to faithfully apply God’s written Word to your life.
  • Don’t Ignore the tough stuff: The passages you like least, are probably the ones you need to hear most, so don’t ignore the tough truths of Scripture and don’t be afraid to apply them to your life.
  • Learn to rightly apply all truth: All truth has meaning, but not the same application. In other words, just because a passage has a different kind of application, does not mean that it is any less true. Every Scripture must be understood literally in the sense that God was did not inspire any part of Scripture without having a sincere purpose. However, the application of each passage will vary depending upon the style and context of each passage.
  • Let Scripture interpret your life-experience: Let Scripture be the filter for your experiences, don’t let your experience filter the Scripture. We each have experiences that help form our view of life and the world around us. When we approach Scripture there are two ways we can handle these experience. We can either use our world view as the filter through which we interpret Scripture or we can use Scripture as our filter by which we can interpret our experience. These two approaches could be no more opposed than evil and good! By using personal experience as the filter to Scripture, the first approach makes our individual experience the source of revelation over the spoken Word of God. When a person says that their experience is the rule by which Scripture must be understood, they are saying that God is working greater in their life than in the Word itself. In stark contrast, the second approach makes Scripture superior to our experience and elevates the revelation of YHWH above our individual perspectives on life. The higher authority of Scripture brings great solace to our lives, as it helps us to live beyond our circumstances and realize that God’s written Word is the everlasting testimony of salvation, not just salvation from hell, but salvation from loneliness, isolation, and confusion. Every experience is valid in the sense that if we experience something, then it is real to us. However, just because we experience something and just because that experience is valid does no mean that our experience is good, bad, or necessary for others. Scripture, when used properly, will serve as our guide to every experience and provide the proper perspective to help us determine the nature of our daily encounters.
  • Don’t get confused: Let the teachings of the clearest passages interpret the meaning of the more confusing or paradoxical passages.
  • Don’t make rash decisions: Don’t make life decisions based on unclear or unsupported conclusions. Seek the whole counsel of Scripture.
  • Enjoy the mystery:  Scripture is designed to help us enjoy God; and often the greatest pleasure we find comes in the mystery of the infinite Divine.  Don’t be afraid to embrace and apply the mystery to your life.

Summary

Hermeneutics is all about reading the Bible for life transformation. This article is based on lesson one of my twelve week series on Foundations in the Bible . I hope to have this available soon through a standard publisher.  In the meantime, if you are a student of the Bible, a teacher, or a brand new believer wanting to learn about God’s Word this article should give you a simple place to start learning and practicing good hermeneutics and to start reading the Bible for Life!

Emerging Life ResourcesThis blog post is based on my Bible curriculum available at EmergingLife.org.

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Posted in Bibliology, Spiritual Formation

Buying A Bible Translation

February 15th, 2008

It is not uncommon to get questions about what “Bible” one should buy. Lots of people get confused by all the different translations out there. The answer to this question can be complex, but the most significant reason for all the different translation is that language changes. The original text of the Bible was written in three languages; Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. As scholars translate these languages into English, we run into the challenge of trying to express them in a way that is accurate to the original text and intelligible for the modern reader. Thus as our understanding of these ancient languages grows and as our own English language changes we seek newer translations to meet these basic needs. Most translations try to balance the factors of accuracy to the original text of God’s revealed Word with Intelligibility; that is how easily the modern reader can comprehend the text. In accomplishing these goals, there are two general approaches scholars use.

Literal Translations come across a little more wooden because the translators try to stay very close to the Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic. Sometimes this can make for long or awkward sentences that are hard to understand in English. On the other end of the Spectrum are the Expanded Translations, the authors of these texts take more liberty with the language and in addition they will add in their own ideas and thoughts to help “clarify” the meaning in English. It is worthwhile to note that translations that are more concerned with HIGH accuracy, tend to read at a HIGHER grade level which makes them more difficult to read for many people. The Translations that focus on reader comprehension, end up with texts that are appeal to a LOWER reading level and LOWER accuracy to the original text. If you want to find a good version that is easy for you to read, yet is faithful to the original Word of God, then compare some of these versions below. [PLEASE NOTE: The Message is put in here as a reference only. It should not be considered a true translation, rather it is far more of a commentary because the author has added words and phrases that appear nowhere in the original text. The author inserts his own theological interpretations which are not necessarily faithful to the revealed doctrines of God.]

There are a lot of bad translations out there as some companies are more concerned with increased sales and some so called “scholars” are more concerned with social reform than obedience to God. That being said, there are also a lot of good ones out there to choose from as well. Here is a list of a few that are well done.

1. Your primary study Bible should be one that is more toward the Literal end of the spectrum.

  • New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update – (NASB95) – Reading Grade Level: 11
  • New English Translation (NET). – Reading Grade Level: 11 (?)* (You can even read this Bible on-line at http://www.netbible.org/).
  • English Standard Version (ESV) – Reading Grade Level: 8
  • New King James Version (NKJV) – Reading Grade Level: 9

2. As a secondary Bible you can use for devotionals, prayer and meditation, you are encouraged to use a Bible from the Paraphrased end of the spectrum

  • Good News Bible (GNB) – Reading Grade Level: 6
  • New International Version (NIV) – Reading Grade Level: 8

3. An expanded translation may also help you by providing some good commentary on each passage

  • o The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest – Reading Grade Level: 11 (?)*
  • New Living Translation (NLT) – Reading Grade Level: 9

This list of suggestions is in no way intended to be dogmatic. For those who have used the NIV and have invested in a study Bible, the suggestion would be to buy a cheap NASB95 to supplement their reading of the NIV. Again, the goal is not to convert people to a particular translation, rather it is to help each Christian discover how to read and understand the translation they have and how to use complementary translations to feed their understanding. Here is a little hint. You may be surprised how helpful it can be to use two or more translations; sometimes it can even be more helpful than reading a commentary! But some may ask, “what about all those study Bibles?” Most English Bibles printed today have special study aids to help you understand what God is trying to say through the Bible. Remember the following when buying a study Bible.

1. Commentary is Just Commentary

The first thing you need to know is that these study notes are NOT equal in authority with the actual Bible text. These study notes are simply other people’s opinions about the Bible and do not have the same value or reliability or authority. The people who write commentaries are just people like you and me. They may have more education, but that does not mean they write things that are inspired or on par with Scripture. It is dangerous when the commentary of Man becomes equal (whether by accident or not) with the Doctrines of God.

2. The Text is Best

The second thing is that you do not need a special study Bible to understand what God is saying. Study notes can be of some help in giving you background information and cultural insights, but study notes can never replace God’s ability to teach you by the power of His Spirit through the Christian disciplines of prayer and meditation. Often times these study Bibles can hinder the readers ability to understand the Scripture. The reader can get lazy and focus so much on the notes that they forget to pray and seek God’s illumination on the passage before they seek advice or input from another writer. In many respects the commentary within the Bible is a corruption of the text. It often times removes the authority from God’s Word and places it onto a human commentator. More concerning is that often times people read and get the Scripture confused with commentary and at a later date think they have read something that is in the “Bible” which is really only in the commentary. The more separate the text is the more authority is reserved to the Bible in the mind of the reader.

3. Recommendations

  • Buy a Bible with no commentary at all, really it is ok!
  • Find a Bible that has less commentary and large margins for your own notes Generally these are called inductive study Bibles.
  • Avoid “study” Bibles that are too targeted; “teen” study Bible,”women’s” study bible, “prophecy” study bibles. The more narrow the commentary the more narrowly you will read the text of Scripture which will hinder the broader application of passages to your life.
  • Instead of relying on a commentary stuck into your Bible, buy a separate commentary that you can turn to when you need it.

Here are some final thoughts for those new to the Bible. A lot of people try to read their Bible from cover to cover. Few make it all the way through. This approach is difficult because the books of the Bible are not arranged so that one book always leads directly to the next. If you want to get a good overview, start by reading the gospel of John (New Testament) and then Genesis (Old Testament). By reading these two books, you get an overview of the life of Jesus and the big picture of God’s creation and man’s need for God. If you already have a familiarity with the Bible, you may want to start off reading the book of Romans or find a good study program. And no matter which translation you chose or where you starting reading, please remember that the Bible was written by different authors over many centuries, but there is complete unity in every conceivable aspect of Scripture. God is the sovereign author of each word in Scripture and thus no author or book can be considered independent. Each book is a testimony, one to the other, of the Truth of God’s plan of salvation for his chosen people. We worship the One true God who inspired only one unified and effective written Word.

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* Weust’s work is unique from most other paraphrases.  The reading level is a bit higher than most (my guess of 11th grade is just that… a guess), but it is very readable and easy to understand.

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Posted in Bibliology, Book Reviews, NT Translation, OT Translation