School of Lay Ministry – New England Synod
Fall 2008 Retreat
Notes from Don Larsen’s presentations
The Bible – A library
• The Bible is itself a library of writings testifying to God’s mighty deeds in human history from many perspectives and in many literary forms. The documents in the Bible were written over the course of more than 1000 years.
The Bible – The cradle of the Word
• For Martin Luther, the Scriptures are “Word of God” in a derivative sense. Luther speaks of the Bible as the cradle of the Word, as Christ’s swaddling cloths, as the womb that bears Christ. (One of the best resources available on Luther’s approach to the Bible is in the American Edition of Luther’s Works published by Concordia Publishing House in 1959. It is the companion volume entitled Luther the Expositor: Introduction to the Reformer’s Exegetical Writings by Jaroslav Pelikan. Read especially chapter three, “The Bible and the Word of God.”)
I. THE WORD OF GOD
- GOD SPEAKS –
Isaiah 55:10-11
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
• The Word of God always does what it says.
• It is an effective Word, not like ineffective human words.
The Word Creates
Genesis 1:1-3
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2 the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
• Bara or “he creates.” Only God serves as the subject of this verb in the OT, never humans. (See Psalm 51:10
• God speaks, and it is so. This implies that creation is not an accident; it expresses what God intends. Word personalizes; God enters into creative deed.
• See also Psalm 148:1-5; Isaiah 40:25-26; 2 Esdras 6:38; 2 Corinthians 4:6.
The Word Creates Right-Relatedness
Psalm 33:1-9
Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous. Praise befits the upright. 2 Praise the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings. 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. 4 For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. 5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. 6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle; he put the deeps in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
• The creative Word is itself rightly-related to creation.
• This means that the world that God created is full of God’s faithful care and steadfast love. As a result, the world is meant to be the home of right-relatedness for all God’s creatures.
The Word Creates Israel for Right-Relatedness
Exodus 20:1-3
Then God spoke all these words: 2 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 there will not be to you any other gods before me [you shall have no other gods before me].
• The Ten Words. The primary meaning of Torah is instruction, not law. These Ten Words are the core of God’s instruction to Israel about how to live in right-relationship with God and others. Read entire chapter.
• Verse 2 indicates that the relationship is pure gift, God’s choice. God promises Israel: “I am yours, you are mine.”
• Verse 3 is also indicative, not imperative; promise, not command; gospel, not law.
• Verse 3 assumes that there are indeed other gods who have seductive power. Luther’s explanation in the Large Catechism: “What is it to have a god? What is God? A god is that to which we look for all good and in which we find refuge in every time of need. To have a god is nothing else than to trust and believe him with our whole heart… That to which your heart clings and entrusts itself is, I say, really your God.”
• Other gods may seduce, but do not have the last word. See Romans 8:38-39.
Psalm 147:12-20
Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! 13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you. 14 He grants peace within your borders; he fills you with the finest of wheat. 15 He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. 16 He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. 17 He hurls down hail like crumbs-- who can stand before his cold? 18 He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow. 19 He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and ordinances to Israel. 20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances. Praise the LORD!
• God’s Word continues to order creation in life-giving ways.
• God’s word/command to nature becomes God’s word/command to Israel.
• Just as the world is well-ordered by God’s word/command, so Israel is to live by God’s word.
• Knowledge of God’s Torah is God’s unique gift to Israel.
Luther invites us to read Israel’s story as the Church’s story, too. We are invited to read the Church’s story by means of Israel’s. What do you think?
The Creative Word becomes the Prophetic Word
Amos 1:1-2
The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of King Uzziah of Judah and in the days of King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake. 2 And he said: The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds wither, and the top of Carmel dries up.
• God created us for right-relatedness. In the face of skewed-relatedness, God’s word of promise becomes God’s word of demand. When we choose to live unjustly with one another and God, the rightly-related Word by which God created heaven and earth and Israel becomes the Divine Roar.
• The expression “the word of the Lord” occurs 241x in the OT. Of these, 221x (93%) refer to a prophetic oracle. Of these, the expression becomes “the word of the Lord came to so-and-so” 123x.
• This expression always occurs as a definite construction: the Word, never a Word.
• This implies concreteness, the complete Word of the Lord for this situation.
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, 5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." 6 Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy." 7 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a boy'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD." 9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."
• God’s effective Word, the Word which always does what it says, is placed in the mouths of prophets. This Word which both destroys and builds up, both kills and makes alive, becomes God’s commissioning Word. God chooses prophets. Prophets do not volunteer for the job. See also Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 2:1-3:3, Amos 7:14-15.
• Prophets experience this call as God’s compelling Word. See Amos 3:3-8. At times, prophets experience this compelling Word as irresistible as it is unwelcome and feared. It cruciforms their lives. See Jeremiah 20:7-10.
• The authentic prophetic Word is not a matter of comprises, pandering to the powerful, or empty promises. Preaching gains authenticity and authority only through the Word that God gives to speak. See Jeremiah 23:23-32.
• Yet Israel’s very life depends upon this word. See Deuteronomy 8:3 and Amos 8:11-12.
The Prophetic Word still speaks
Deuteronomy 23:1-6
No one whose testicles are crushed or whose penis is cut off shall be admitted to the assembly of the LORD. 2 Those born of an illicit union shall not be admitted to the assembly of the LORD. Even to the tenth generation, none of their descendants shall be admitted to the assembly of the LORD. 3 No Ammonite or Moabite shall be admitted to the assembly of the LORD. Even to the tenth generation, none of their descendants shall be admitted to the assembly of the LORD, 4 because they did not meet you with food and water on your journey out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam son of Beor, from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. 5 (Yet the LORD your God refused to heed Balaam; the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loved you.) 6 You shall never promote their welfare or their prosperity as long as you live.
Isaiah 56:1-8
Thus says the LORD: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed. 2 Happy is the mortal who does this, the one who holds it fast, who keeps the sabbath, not profaning it, and refrains from doing any evil. 3 Do not let the foreigner joined to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely separate me from his people"; and do not let the eunuch say, "I am just a dry tree." 4 For thus says the LORD: To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, 5 I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. 6 And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it, and hold fast my covenant-- 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. 8 Thus says the Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, I will gather others to them besides those already gathered.
• Because God’s Word is concrete, not a religious abstraction, it changes as it addresses new situations. Old torah provisions are transformed, even abrogated, as God’s Word exercises its power to include. See Matthew 5:21-48.
• One of Luther’s chief interpretive principles was “let Scripture interpret Scripture.” Inner-biblical interpretation reveals an inner-biblical dynamic that points toward the dynamism of God’s Word and away from using individual passages of the Bible as “proof texts.”
Word and Wisdom
Another stream that flows into Israel’s rich theology of the Word comes from the wisdom movement. This influence is a key to understanding the NT personification of the Word in Jesus Christ.
The “wisdom movement” was an international theological/philosophical movement of sages and scribes that spread through the ancient Near East. Wisdom was understood as the ability to discern the patterns that bring order to the everyday world. The wise person was one who used wisdom so as to live well and thrive within these patterns.
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
• As Israel’s sages/scribes were influenced by this movement, they in turn shaped it. Life-giving knowledge and wisdom is rooted in the fear of the Lord.
• Sages in Egypt and Mesopotamia may have personified Wisdom before Israel did so, but Woman Wisdom in Israel’s wisdom literature is a uniquely complex figure in the ancient world.
• Proverbs 8 and 9, taken as a whole, is the key text for Woman Wisdom. She speaks at length, inviting and instructing.
Proverbs 9:10-11
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. 11 For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life.
• She restates the basic theme of Proverbs concerning the fear of the Lord (see also Psalm 111:10). Wisdom also announces that She is the means by which God multiplies days and grants long life. See also Deuteronomy 6:1-3.
• My focus in these notes is to outline the trajectory of the Word of God through the Bible, but here I will mention that Torah is personified in rabbinic Judaism, influenced by texts such as this. The metaphor of personified Torah may have also influenced early Christian presentations of Jesus, particularly Matthew’s Gospel.
Wisdom of Solomon 9:1-4
O God of my ancestors and Lord of mercy, who have made all things by your word, 2 and by your wisdom have formed humankind to have dominion over the creatures you have made, 3 and rule the world in holiness and righteousness, and pronounce judgment in uprightness of soul, 4 give me the wisdom that sits by your throne, and do not reject me from among your servants.
• Word and wisdom are brought into parallelism here. Wisdom is the one who sits by God’s throne. (Hint, hint, hint!!!)
Sirach 24:1-4
Wisdom praises herself, and tells of her glory in the midst of her people. 2 In the assembly of the Most High she opens her mouth, and in the presence of his hosts she tells of her glory: 3 "I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and covered the earth like a mist. 4 I dwelt in the highest heavens, and my throne was in a pillar of cloud.”
• Wisdom not only speaks; she is spoken by God. Word of God and Wisdom, Logos and Sofia are brought into ever closer connection by scribes like ben Sirach.
• The full title of this book is “the Wisdom of Jesus ben Sirach.” It is also known as “Ecclesiasticus”, not to be confused with Ecclesiastes. For many reasons, I highly recommend reading the Prologue that begins the book.
Sirach 51:23-26
Draw near to me, you who are uneducated, and lodge in the house of instruction. 24 Why do you say you are lacking in these things, and why do you endure such great thirst? 25 I opened my mouth and said, Acquire wisdom for yourselves without money. 26 Put your neck under her yoke, and let your souls receive instruction; it is to be found close by.
• See Matthew 11:28-30.
And the Word became flesh
The theological trajectories of Word and Wisdom through Israel’s history and literature were brought together by early Christians in unique ways as they explored the implications of the good news proclaimed by Jesus (the kingdom of God) and the good news proclaimed about Jesus (Christ crucified and risen).
1 Thessalonians 2:9, 13
You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God… 13 We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God's word, which is also at work in you believers.
• 1 Thessalonians is the oldest preserved Christian writing. Written by Paul around 50 or 51CE, these verses from chapter 2 place the expressions “gospel of God” and “word of God” in parallelism. Like the OT prophets before him, Paul understands the word of God as the message of salvation, a message of good news. This Word does what it says; God’s word is at work in/among believers. See also the parable of the sower and its interpretation in Mark 4, Matt 13, and Luke 8. (Compare Mark 4:14, Matt 13:19, and Luke 8:11.)
1 Corinthians 1:17-8, 22-24
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. 18 For the message (logos) about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God... 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
• For Paul, preaching/proclamation bears the One whom it proclaims. In verse 17, Paul says Christ sent him to proclaim the gospel. Verse 18 is better translated “For the word (logos) of the cross… is the power of God.” In verse 23, he says he proclaims Christ crucified, Christ the power of God, Christ the wisdom of God.
• The words sophia (wisdom) and sofos (wise) occur over 25 times in chapters 1-3 of this letter, as the wisdom of God is contrasted with human wisdom. Paul “baptizes” the language of Israel’s wisdom literature by utilizing that language to explicate the cross of Christ. In so doing, he critiques more speculative approaches to wisdom in the Greek world and points the way toward linking personified Wisdom with Christ.
Acts 13:13-16, 43-44
Then Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John, however, left them and returned to Jerusalem; 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading of the law and the prophets, the officials of the synagogue sent them a message, saying, "Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, give it." 16 So Paul stood up and with a gesture began to speak: "You Israelites, and others who fear God, listen…” When the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. 44 The next sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
• The strategy of the earliest Christian missionaries like Paul was synagogue-based. Paul came into a place, sought out the synagogue, and delivered a “word of exhortation” to Jews and Gentile God-fearers. Verses 16-41 contain Paul’s word of exhortation, a sermon using the OT to proclaim Jesus crucified and risen as the Messiah. Interestingly, Hebrews 13:22 uses this same expression – word of exhortation – as a description of that entire letter.
• In the scene’s conclusion (verse 44), the “word of exhortation” is described as “the word of the Lord.” See also Romans 10.
Luke 4:16-21
When [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
Luke 24:25-27
Then [Jesus] said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?" 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
Luke 24:44-48
Then [Jesus] said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you-- that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.”
• As bookends holding together Luke’s account of Jesus’ ministry, cross, and resurrection, Luke presents Jesus as the key to reading the scriptures. The scriptures are opened up as God’s Word by the word of Christ crucified and vindicated.
• 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:6 and John 5:31-47 suggest that the painful separation between synagogue and church in the 1st century CE is rooted in diverging reading strategies.
John 1:1-4, 14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people… And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.
• This hymn that serves as the prologue of John’s Gospel brings the careers of Word and Wisdom together into an unforgettable synthesis. The story of God’s Right-Related Word from the creation of the world through the creation of Israel, from the prophetic word through the apostles’ word, is synthesized with the images of personified Wisdom from Israel’s wisdom literature. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the Logos.
• See also Colossians 1:15-20, Hebrews 1:1-4, Philippians 2:6-11 and Revelation 19:11-13.
Excursus
Some scholars have suggested that the presentation of Jesus as the Word of God may have been developed against an interpreted backdrop of silence, a long experience in Israel’s life of God’s silence. Amos had announced a coming famine of the word of the Lord (Amos 8:11-12). Psalm 74 seems to be a communal lament composed long after the destruction of Solomon’s temple. The psalmist laments that Mount Zion sits in ruins, that God’s “foes have roared within your holy place” and that they have set up their own “emblems” within the ruined sanctuary as desecration. The psalmist cries “there is no longer any prophet, and there is no one among us who knows how long.” (verse 9) In a letter to a Christian community written in the early 100’s, a contemporary of the evangelist John (Ignatius, bishop of Antioch) spoke of “God who revealed himself through Jesus Christ his Son, who is his Word which proceeded from silence.” (Magnesians 8:2)
II. SUGGESTED RESOURCES AND STRATEGIES
Canon
To learn more about the development of the canon of OT and NT, I suggest the following resources.
Harrington, Daniel J. “Introduction to the Canon,” in The New Interpreter’s Bible. Edited by Leander E. Keck, volume 1, pp. 7-21. Nashville: Abingdon, 1994. This article is an excellent overview in an excellent resource.
McDonald, Lee M. The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon. Revised and Expanded Edition. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1995. This is a full, clear presentation by a scholar pastor, an evangelical who studied at Harvard and now serves a congregation and serves on the faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary. The bibliography alone is worth the price of the book.
Canon with the Canon
Forget alphabetical order! This listing is by batting order. Read the essays in the following order.
Powell, Mark Allan. “How Can Lutheran Insights Open Up the Bible?” in Opening the Book of Faith: Lutheran Insights for Bible Study. Edited by Scott Tunseth. Pages 20-45. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2008. This essay is vintage Powell and very helpful.
Luther, Martin. Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings. Edited by Timothy F. Lull. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1989. If you don’t already have this book, get it. Lull created a “canon within the canon” of Luther’s writings by selecting key works for a single volume. Read the works in Part II – The Power of the Word of God.
Luther, Martin. Prefaces to the New Testament. Edited by Edgar Krentz. St. Louis: Concordia, 1972. To mark the 450th anniversary of Luther’s German New Testament, Concordia received permission from Fortress to publish Luther’s preface to each NT book in one slim volume. Concordia simply reprinted them from volume 35 in the American Edition of Luther’s Works. The reprint is now out of print, but as of this morning Amazon had two copies for about $10.00. A good deal.
Pelikan, Jaroslav. Luther the Expositor: Introduction to the Reformer’s Exegetical Writings. Companion Volume, Luther’s Works – American Edition. St. Louis: Concordia, 1959. Still in print. Read especially chapter three, “The Bible and the Word of God.”
McCurley, Foster R. “Confessional Propria as Hermeneutic – Old Testament” in Studies in Lutheran Hermeneutics. Edited by John Reumann, Samuel H. Nafzger and Harold H. Ditmanson. Pages 233-251. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1979.
Burgess, Joseph A. “Confessional Propria in Relation to New Testament Texts” in Studies in Lutheran Hermeneutics. Pages 253-267. These two essays by McCurley and Burgess were written as part of an exchange between Missouri Synod theologians and theologians from the Lutheran bodies that eventually merged into the ELCA. Both essays are much more technical than Powell and so are much heavier going, but they offer a glimpse of Lutheran scholars at work using the principles Powell describes in a situation of controversy. (And besides, Dick likes Foster McCurley. Ask him.)
Brown, Raymond E. The Churches the Apostles Left Behind. New York: Paulist Press, 1984. This is an important book about the formation of the NT. I include it in this section because Brown analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the diverse theologies of the early Christian communities whose writings were finally accepted into the canon.
Study Bibles
In addition to those mentioned below, watch for the Lutheran Study Bible that will be published
by Augsburg Fortress sometime in 2009 as a part of the Book of Faith initiative.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha. NRSV. Third Edition. Edited by Michael Coogan. New York: Oxford, 2001, 2007. Get the hardcover edition.
The HarperCollins Study Bible, Revised Edition. NRSV with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books. Student Edition. Edited by Harold W. Attridge with the Society of Biblical Literature. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 2006.
The Jewish Study Bible. Featuring The Jewish Publication Society Tanakh Translation. Edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler. New York: Oxford, 2004. Get the hardcover.
The Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible. NRSV with Deuterocanonical Books. Edited by Richard J. Foster. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 2005. A group of diverse scholars who are sensitive to the problem of “studying the Bible for information or knowledge alone” offer in this study bible a guide to formation as disciples of Jesus. The essays and annotations aim at reading with the mind, reading with understanding, and reading with the heart, so that one’s life and faith are transformed into “greater Christlikeness” through spiritual disciplines. (Readers of Foster’s well-known book Celebration of Discipline will recognize the language here.) Spiritual training is seen as the work of God’s grace in our lives. The approach is centered in “the Immanuel Principle” – the assurance that “God is with us” gives birth to “with-God life.” Lutherans may be challenged by this approach, and will find disagreement with aspects of its theological underpinnings. But I write about this at length because I think this is an important and worthy new trend in study bibles for “mainline” Christians. Next time you’re in the bookstore, spend some time with it.
Translations
Most Christians are unable to read the Bible in its original languages. Most of us rely on translations to hear and read the Word of God. We can be very grateful for the countless number of saints who have translated God’s Word into languages we can understand. But inability to read Hebrew and Greek is an obstacle for in depth Bible study. This is because a translation is always the first layer of commentary on the text. A translation is itself an interpretation, and every English Bible you read is itself a one-volume commentary on the biblical text. Nearly every verse of scripture can be correctly translated in more than one way. In most cases, this reality does not get in the way of understanding the heart of a text. But if you read only one English translation, you will undoubtedly be unaware of things you would see if you read in the original languages.
This doesn’t mean that only Hebrew and Greek scholars can seriously engage the text! But it does suggest that reading in at least two or three translations will help the serious student become aware of different interpretive possibilities. When you see differences in translations of a passage, pay attention and dig deeper with the help of a concordance and a commentary.
I encourage you to read the New Revised Standard Version and at least one other English translation. I would recommend the following.
New International Version (NIV), 1973-78. I do not believe the NIV has yet provided an edition with the apocrypha/deuterocanonical books.
Revised English Bible (REB), 1989. A thorough reworking of the New English Bible.
New Jerusalem Bible (NJB), 1985. A thorough reworking of the Jerusalem Bible.
King James Version (KJV), 1611.
The Message, 2004. This is NOT a translation. It is a paraphrase written by an individual, Eugene Peterson. Peterson is a well-respected Evangelical. The paraphrase reads well in a very colloquial style, but it is essentially a homiletic restating of Peterson’s understanding of the Bible. Here’s an example from Judges 9:22-24a. “Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years. Then God brought bad blood between Abimelech and Shechem’s leaders, who now worked treacherously behind his back. Violence boomeranged.”
There are other fine translations available (e.g., RSV, NAB, TEV, Moffatt, Knox). There are also plenty of new translations still coming forward. Today’s New International Version (TNIV) is an interesting example: its target audience are people in the 18-34 age range. (Given that, TNIV’s usefulness will probably be very short-lived.)
If you read another modern language, purchase a Bible in that language and read it alongside the NRSV. Depending on the language, I might have some recommendations – so contact me if you want more information about a recommended version.
The essay entitled “Translation of the Bible into English” on page 466 ESSAYS in the New Oxford Annotated Bible 3rd ed. is a good review of basic issues in translation and overview of English versions.
Metzger, Bruce M. The Making of the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Eerdmanns, 1991.
Concordances
A concordance is an essential tool for Bible study. Simply put, a concordance is a tool that lists in which verses of the Bible any word occurs. A concordance can be used profitably to locate in Scripture passages for which one remembers only a key word or two. But more importantly, it can be used to pursue themes and topics through the Bible and to explore nuances of how particular words are used.
Three principal terms are used to describe concordances: analytical, exhaustive, and complete. Unfortunately, the terms are used rather loosely by publishers – often interchangeably. A classic analytical concordance lists words of some specific translation, usually alphabetically, and links each word to a code that indicates the Hebrew or Greek word behind the English word. The following is an example from Strong’s concordance of the King James Version. The entry tells the reader that “abiding” is a form of the verb “abide” and that “abiding” occurs 9x in the KJV. It lists each occurrence followed by a number. Look up the number in another section of the concordance, and you’ll discover the original word behind “abiding.”
ABIDING (9) [ABIDE]
Nu 24: 2 he saw Israel a in his tents according to 7931
Jdg 16: 9 lying in wait, a with her in the chamber. 3427
16:12 there were liers in wait a in the chamber. 3427
1Sa 26:19 for they have driven me out this day from a 5596
1Ch 29:15 earth are as a shadow, and there is none a. 4723
Lk 2: 8 in the same country shepherds a in the field, 63
Jn 5:38 And ye have not his word a in you: 3306
Ac 16:12 and we were in that city a certain days. 1304
1Jn 3:15 that no murderer hath eternal life a in him. 3306
Zondervan Publishing House has repackaged Strong’s KJV concordance in several products in a product line dubbed the “Strongest.” The Strongest Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible – 21st Century Edition uses King James. The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance applies the same numbering system to a concordance of the NIV. Another product in this series is based on the NASB – the New American Standard Bible.
Because more and more students of the Bible use online or computer software concordances, the two most important NRSV concordances have gone out of print. If you prefer using tools in book form, then I encourage you to track down a used copy of The NRSV Concordance Unabridged Including the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books prepared by John R. Kohlenberger III and published by Zondervan or The NRSV Exhaustive Concordance prepared by Bruce M. Metzger and published by Thomas Nelson. Neither of these books offers a key to Hebrew or Greek words.
Some study bibles include a select concordance. I’ll also mention some online/software resources later.
Dictionaries
The Anchor Bible Dictionary (ABD). Edited by David Noel Freedman, 6 vols. New York: Doubleday, 1992. “The ABD provides the scholarly world and the general public with an up-to-date and comprehensive treatment of all biblical subjects and topics. Our goal has been to provide an eminently readable and yet authoritative reference source for all readers of the Bible.” (From the introduction) The editors succeeded admirably. This is also now available in a CD-ROM.
The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (IDB). Edited by George A. Buttrick, 4 vols. New York, Nashville: Abingdon. IDB Supplement. Edited by Keith Crim. 1976. The IDB is still a treasure trove of excellent though somewhat dated scholarship. Your church library or public library may possess a set. If your budget is tight but you’d like to have a bible dictionary, shop for a used set. Amazon listed several used 5-volume sets in good to excellent condition at under $50.
The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (NIDB). Edited by Katherine Doob Sakenfeld. Projected 5 volumes. Nashville: Abingdon. The first two volumes (A-C and D-H) are now available. You’ll have to wait a while to look up “Word.” But it’s still possible to get in on the subscription price for the set ($280) and get a free CD-ROM of the 5-volume set upon completion.
The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, Revised Edition. Edited by Paul Achtemeier. San Francisco: HarperCollins. 1996. This is an excellent one-volume dictionary.
Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Edited by David Noel Freedman. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000. Another excellent one-volume dictionary.
Commentaries
The New Interpreter’s Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes. Edited by Leander E. Keck and a cast of thousands. Abingdon, 1994. The texts of the NIV and NRSV are printed in parallel columns. Fine general articles cover a range of introductory topics. Each biblical book (including the deuterocanonicals) is prefaced by an introductory essay. Detailed comments on the biblical text follow each section. Each section then concludes with reflections. It is also available in its entirety in CD-ROM. This is a great resource to use. Shelf space and/or cost may be a problem. I’ve noticed that a number of public libraries in our area hold this in their collections, so check it out.
The making of commentaries on the Bible will continue at a dizzying pace until the Last Day. Talk to your pastor about commentary resources when you need to use one. The bibliographies in The New Interpreter’s Bible are full of worthy recommendations.
Atlases
HarperCollins Atlas of Bible History. Edited by James Pritchard and Nick Page. New York: HarperCollins, 2008. Excellent. This is the one to get. Great maps, great essays, all kinds of web site recommendations for interactive study. This book is also inexpensive and slim.
The Biblical World: An Illustrated Atlas. Text by Jean-Pierre Isbouts. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2007. I like this book. There are fewer maps than the HarperCollins atlas, but these are quite interesting and tend to trace somewhat different topics. And of course, the photographs are great.
Software
BibleWorks and Logos Bible Software are both outstanding resources. I have BibleWorks loaded on my computers at work and at home. It is still the Cadillac of bible software. It makes a host of translations, lexicons, dictionaries, grammars, concordances and other reference tools available in one software package. Logos is also highly respected and widely used. To check these resources out, I suggest visiting their websites:
BibleWorks: www.bibleworks.com
Logos: www.logos.com
Many other reference works are also available in CD-ROM. I’ve already mentioned dictionaries and the NIB commentary. Superb scholarly commentary series like Hermeneia, Word Biblical Commentary, International Critical Commentary are also now available in CD-ROM.
The Web
The worldwide web makes all kinds of resources available. Yes, there are lots of crackpots out there who will send you in the wrong direction. But there are also wonderful sites from around the world. The first two mentioned here are from Great Britain and Norway.
A good place to visit is Marc Goodacre’s site: www.ntgateway.com The New Testament Gateway is just that – a portal into fine New Testament resources.
Torrey Seland maintains a great site called “Resource Pages for Biblical Studies” at:
www.torreys.org/bible
Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, has developed an excellent web-based set of resources for Bible study. Check it out at: www.luthersem.edu/bible_division/resources.asp?m=-1308
Hebrew and Greek
It is possible to acquire some reading proficiency in one or both of these languages! It takes hard work, a disciplined approach, and good learning tools to make it happen. I think it is also best to study with someone who has already studied the language, has a command of its grammar, and continues to use it in study. If you wish to study Greek and/or Hebrew, you may wish to identify others in the School of Lay Ministry who are also interested and then work together on locating a teacher/mentor to work with you.
These are introductory materials I would highly recommend. I used Croy, Mounce and a famous grammar by J. Gresham Machen in the courses I taught at Hartford Seminary. Machen is best used with a teacher, not in self-study.
Greek
Croy, N. Clayton. A Primer of Biblical Greek with CD. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007. This is a fine resource, concise explanations, plenty of exercises. The lack of an answer key to the exercises makes it harder to use in self-study.
Mounce, William. Basics of Biblical Greek: Grammar. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2003.
Mounce, William. Basics of Biblical Greek: Workbook. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2003. The explanations of grammar are very helpful for beginning students. The exercises are good, but not as good as Croy’s. But there is an answer key in the CD.
UBS, 4th ed. or Novum Testamentum Graece, 27th ed. of the Greek New Testament.
Hebrew
Pratico, Gary and Van Pelt, M. Basics of Biblical Hebrew: Grammar. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2007.
Pratico and Van Pelt, Basics of Biblical Hebrew: Workbook. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2007. This grammar and workbook offers a classic deductive approach.
Kittel, Bonnie Pedrotti and Hoffer, Vicki and Wright, Rebecca. Biblical Hebrew: A Text and Workbook, Second Edition. Buy the set with text, supplement, and CDs. New Haven: Yale Language Series, Yale, 2005. This is a very fine inductive approach.
Williams, Tyler. An Answer Key for Biblical Hebrew: A Supplement to the Text and Workbook by Kittel, Hoffer, and Wright. New Haven: Yale Language Series, Yale, 1996. This is the answer key for the first edition. Check to see if it is included in the second edition set. If not, buy this one.
I believe that some if not all of these Greek and Hebrew resources are now available on BibleWorks7. An additional fee might be required to “unlock” them.
Some Final Thoughts
First, read the Bible. It’s great to read about the Bible – but focus on the real thing.
Second, read expectantly. God’s Word speaks through these words.
Third, get to know the books that form the heart of the Bible. Here’s my list:
• Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Isaiah
• John, Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, I Peter, Hebrews
DONALD LARSEN
OCTOBER, 2008
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