Faster Unto Thee

Ryken's "Choosing a Bible" for Free

Today I stumbled across a free online copy of Leland Ryken's Choosing a Bible: Understanding Bible Translation Differences at the ESV Blog. I own a print copy that I purchased several years ago and have pointed others to it as well.

Formerly titled Bible Translation Differences, the little booklet is adapted from Ryken's larger book The Word of God in English. The booklet argues for an essentially literal approach in Bible translation, against the dynamic equivalent approach. Obviously, it is in support of the ESV, but the points he makes are part of why I prefer to use an essentially literal translation like the ESV over the NIV or the more extreme The Message.

This booklet is worth reading, arguing with, and gleaning much gold from.

A Boomer's Contest

Over at A Boomer in the Pew, David Porter is hosting a drawing for a new, calfskin edition of the fabulous ESV Study Bible. All one has to do to register is make a short post on his/her blog like this one here about his blog, and then enter a comment on his blog. So this is my shot at winning. It is worth the effort since this edition of the ESV Study Bible retails at over $200! Thank you, David, and may the Lord bless your studies in His word.

Ravi Zacharias on Contemplation

I must confess that while I subscribe to the A Slice of Infinity newsletter from Ravi Zacharias  International Ministries, I often delete it. The issues are always good and written by various team members of RZIM. But with all that I have to read in a given day, they are often too long. But today's caught my eye, convicted my soul, spoke to contemporary ministry, and spoke to my commitment to reading through the whole Bible this year with the ESV Study Bible reading plan (Download Daily Bible Reading Plan ESV pdf ). Here it is, written by Zacharias himself:

Think on These Things

 One of the tragic casualties of our age has been that of the contemplative life--a life that thinks, a life thinks things through, and more particularly, thinks God’s thoughts after Him. A person sitting at his or her desk staring out the window would never be assumed to be working. No! Thinking is not equated with work. Yet, had Newton under his tree, or Archimedes in his bathtub, bought into that prejudice, some natural laws would still be up in the air or buried under an immovable rock. Pascal’s Pensees, or “Thoughts,” a work that has inspired millions, would have never been penned.

 What is even more destructive is the assumption that silence is inimical to life. The radio in the car, Muzak in the elevator, and the symphony entertaining callers "on hold" all add up as grave impediments to personal reflection. In effect, the mind is denied the privilege of living with itself even briefly and is crowded with outside impulses to cope with aloneness.

 Aldous Huxley’s indictment, “Most of one’s life... is one prolonged effort to prevent thinking,” seems frightfully true. Moreover, the price paid for this scenario has been devastating. As T.S. Eliot questioned:

Where is the life we have lost in the living?

Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?

Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?

The cycles of heaven in twenty centuries bring us farther from God and nearer to dust.

 Is there a remedy? May I make some suggestions for personal and corporate benefit? Nothing ranks higher for mental discipline than a planned and systematic study of God’s Word, from whence life’s parameters and values are planted in the mind. Paul, who loved his books and parchments, affirmed the priority of Scripture: “Do not go beyond what is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6). And Psalm 119 promises that God’s statutes keep us from being double-minded.

 The church as a whole and the pulpit in particular must challenge the mind of this  generation. The average young person today actually surrenders the intellect to the world, presuming Christianity to be bereft of intelligence. Many a pulpit has succumbed to the lie that anything intellectual cannot be spiritual or exciting.

 Thankfully there are exceptions. When living in England, our family attended a church where preaching was taken quite seriously and one-hour sermons to packed auditoriums were the norm. Cambridge, being rife with skepticism, demanded a meticulous defense of each sermon text. I mention this to say one thing. When we were leaving Cambridge, our youngest child, who was nine years old, declared the preaching of this church to be one of his fondest memories. Even as a little boy he had learned that when the mind is rightly approached, it filters down to the heart. The matter I share here has far-reaching implications. We do a disservice to our youth by not crediting them with the capacity to think. We cannot leave this uncorrected.

 The Bible places supreme value on the thought-life as that which shapes all of life. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he,” Solomon wrote. Jesus asserted that sin’s gravity lay at the level of the idea itself, not just the act. Paul admonished the church at Philippi to have the mind of Christ, and to the same people he wrote: “[W]hatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8). The follower of Christ must demonstrate to the world what it means not just to think, but to think justly. That is, in the words of aging David to his son Solomon, to “acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject  you forever" (1 Chronicles 28:9).

 Let us serve the God of creation with both hearts and minds. After all, it is not that I think, therefore, I am, but rather, the great I Am has asked us to think, and therefore, we must.

Ravi Zacharias is founder and president of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

One Year Daily Bible Reading Plan

I have never used one of the read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plans before, but in 2009 I plan to.  In the back of my new ESV Study Bible is a daily reading plan that intrigues me because because after it moves through the Pentateuch canonically, it then moves chronologically through the history of the Old Testament.  To make the readings fit the pattern of the four daily reading categories of Psalms and Wisdom Literature, Pentateuch and the History of Israel, Chronicles and Prophets, and Gospels and Epistles, there are four books that are included twice: the Psalms, Isaiah, Luke, and Romans. 

If you would like to try this plan but have not yet purchased an ESV Study Bible, you can see the online version at www.esv.org, and even subscribe to the feed there. And here is the Download Daily Bible Reading Plan ESV pdf , provided by Justin Taylor.

What I am hoping to gain in using this plan are several things.  First, a good bird's eye view of the Bible as a whole.  Second, to benefit from quantity.  I typically focus on fine details in a text, so being forced to keep up a faster pace than normal will help me gain from the other side of the quality/depth vs. quantity issue than I usually do.  Third, I plan on looking for how the Bible expounds on a few themes - the nature of human depravity and the nature of the atonement.  Or to put it another way, what is the basic problem-solution issue that undergirds the whole of biblical theology.  Fourth, I am curious how reading the prophets chronologically might shed light on changes in Israel's spiritual problems.  Fifth, a plan such as this will keep me from intentionally or unintentionally skipping portions of the Scripture.

What do you think?  What are some other benefits from reading through the Bible in a year?

Further Impressions on the ESV Study Bible

My first overall impressions of the ESV Study Bible were very positive and my esteem for it continues to rise.  Here are some more thoughts about this wonderful new tool

1.  I mentioned in my last post about this new resource that its sheer size would limit where I took it and how I used it. That has turned out to be true - sort of.  While it is too big to lug around for hospital visits and can look imposing at a patient's bedside, I still bring it along with me - but keep it in my car.  You see, I can't part with it.  I may use my pocket sized ESV at the beside, but I keep my ESV Study Bible nearby - you know, just in case.  The notes and resources in it are so helpful and so spark my curiosity that I can't part with it. Its mere presence makes me feel prepared to answer my own questions and those of others.  Sure, this habit reflects my own drive to engage in theological discussions, but that is just how useful this new tool has become to me.

2.  The notes do reflect a Reformed bent, but not oppressively so.  Schreiner's notes on Romans allow a little wiggle room for Arminians as do the notes on other books, most of the time.  But the notes are always reflect a conservative, evangelical viewpoint, which is just what I want.  The notes also do go beyond offering mere background information or just a straight interpretation of some passage as most study bibles do by offering responses that often amount to systematic theology leading to application.

3.  From front to back, the introduction, articles, and notes often reflect a very passionate and Puritan understanding of spiritual formation and worship.  I love it! From the Preface to the ESV which quotes the words the Moderator of the Church of Scotland uses when handing a Bible to the new monarch in Britain's coronation service, "This Book [is] the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is Wisdom; this the royal Law; these are the lively Oracles of God", to the notes and John Piper's article, "Reading the Bible in Prayer and Communion with God," this study Bible emphasizes the joy and experience of knowing and communing with God through his Word.  There is a sense of worship that permeates the ESV Study Bible that persuades you that the contributors were not merely concerned with presenting solid scholarship, but with presenting scholarship that sparks worship. This is obviously not a study bible for purely academic-minded readers. 

4.  But the ESV Study Bible does lack a few things.  First, it could really use an article summarizing Old Testament and New Testament history, like my  New Oxford Annotated Bible (1991) has.  Most of the historical info one needs is scattered throughout book introductions and in the notes, but 2 articles that give one an overview of the activities of the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian empires in relation to Israel would have been helpful for the Old Testament, and one article on relevant stuff for the New Testament would be helpful too.  Second, I miss red lettering.  I like to see the words of Jesus in red because it helps me locate specific passages in the gospels quickly and develop a snapshot outline of passages.  Third, a second ribbon marker would be nice.  Fourth, so far I have not been able to find a good summary of Hebrew parallelism like the one in my New Oxford Annotated Bible.  Considering how much poetry there is in the OT, this is a great omission. But all of these things that I say this new study Bible lacks, except for the additional marker ribbon, just might be in there somewhere in some article or note that I have overlooked.  This book is so big I will be discovering new treasures for years.

All in all, this is simply the best study Bible available today.  Considering giving one for Christmas?  You can't find better prices than at Christian Book Distributors.  My copy was about $56 dollars from CBD, and my local Christian bookstore had the same edition for $96.  Wow.  CBD even beats Amazon last time I checked.

It Has Arrived - the ESV Study Bible - Initial Impressions

It arrived today!  It felt just like Christmas when my copy of the ESV Study Bible arrived in the mail today.  I pre-ordered it several months ago, getting the best price through CBD, and it was worth the weight.

The Religion Today Summaries from Crosswalk on October 17 noted that the ESV Study Bible is selling quite well:

According to a news release, the new ESV Study Bible is undergoing its second printing even before it hits shelves, thanks to pre-order demand that surpassed the initial 100,000 printing. Another 50,000 copies are being printed, with a third printing to follow. Mark Traphagen, Web Sales Manager for Westminster Bookstore in Philadelphia, PA, reports record-breaking sales for the new Study Bible, making it "by far the fastest selling new product in the history of our store." The new study Bible, which uses the bestselling ESV translation released in 2001, contains more than 200 full color maps, 100 articles and introductions, more than 40 illustrations, and 20,000 notes. The notes pinpoint differences between evangelical Christianity and other world religions as well as discuss different interpretations of significant passages. The ESV Study Bible is the most comprehensive study Bible ever published. It was created by a team of 95 of the world's leading biblical scholars, hailing from 10 countries, nearly 20 denominations, and more than 50 colleges, seminaries, and universities.

I have had little time today to look my copy over, but here are a few initial impressions:

1.  It is a beast.  It is heavy and large.  2" thick, with a cover that is 6 7/8" by 9 5/8" long.  While its thorough study features make a less featured Bible seem anemic, and will make one feel prepared in the field to answer questions, its shear size will usually prohibit me from carrying it along on hospital visits, etc.

2.  It is beautiful.  The cover, fonts, binding, paper, layout (single column for the biblical text), etc. are all very well done.  The book is beautiful and a pleasure to use.  There are a few pages in my copy where there are printing errors  (the ink is too light or too heavy), but it is not quite enough to make me exchange it for another copy.

3.  The font used for the biblical text is easy to read, yet elegant enough to gain your visual respect.  Interestingly, and something of a bummer for me, the words of Jesus are not in red.

4.  The introductions to each book are great, though I am sure they vary in quality to some degree due to the fact that various authors wrote them.  I spent some time reading the intro to Ezra and it was very helpful.

5.  The diagrams, charts, and maps are the best I have ever seen in a study Bible.  They truly set a new standard and are perfectly placed. 

6.  A cursory read through the notes, etc. definitely reveals a Reformed bias, but not oppressively so to us in the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition.  As I spend more time this Bible and get a better feel for it, I will post my review of the notes and articles' theological orientation.  But the list of authors is revealing - lots of classically Reformed folks from places like Covenant Theological Seminary and Reformed Baptists from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and other places.  I have only noticed one Wesleyan so far - John N. Oswalt who wrote the notes for Amos.  The articles at the end of this Bible also reflect a heavy emphasis on the Reformers, Puritans, etc.  Don't get me wrong - I love that stuff too, but a little Wesley could have been brought in.

I will make posts on the theological content and orientation of this new tool soon.  For now, I can say that the ESV Study Bible is a must-buy.

Another Sampling of the ESV Study Bible

The Introduction to Revelation pages from the ESV Study Bible are now available for viewing at the ESV Study Bible website.  I have read through the pdf of these pages, and I must say that I am impressed.  The basic interpretive issues, various approaches to interpreting Revelation, and more are expressed in a clear and even handed way.  So far, all indications are that this new study Bible will of great use to general Bible readers and to students as a college or seminary textbook.  These great notes coupled with the excellence of the ESV should provide a good challenge to the dominance of the NIV Study Bible by Zondervan.

The ESV Study Bible will be released in October.  You can pre-order your copy through the above website, Amazon, or Christian Book Distributors. 

New ESV Study Bible Coming

Something is coming that has the potential to replace the NIV Study Bible and the Life Application Study Bible from the top of the study Bible selling list.

My favorite English translation of the Bible, the English Standard Version, is finally coming out in a study Bible format worth getting excited about.  To be released this October, ESV Study Bible  is already being touted as one of the greatest study Bibles ever published.

Judging from the ESV Study Bible website, the study material in this Bible is written from a conservative, evangelical perspective.  How much of that perspective firmly and passionately reflects Calvinistic theology I will not be able to judge until I sell a kidney and buy a copy in October, but the fact that most of the contributors personally come from a Calvinistic perspective must influence the notes to some degree.  I am very curious to see if some of the study notes grind an axe against Arminianism, chart a course between the issues that divide Arminianism and Calvinism, or simply avoid the issues altogether.  But with, as I said, most of the contributors being Calvinists themselves, with the exception of Grant Osborne and John N. Oswalt and maybe a few others I do not realize are Arminians, it would be surprising to conclude that great effort had been made to treat the Arminian perspective as a welcome part of the evangelical camp, especially since many in the Reformed camp simply do not consider Arminians to be worthy of the term evangelical.

All that being said, I am confident from perusing the website that the ESV Study Bible will appeal to a broader readership The Reformation Study Bible and The Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible which were prepared specifically for folks in the Reformed tradition.  And hey - the cool and plentiful maps and charts alone will make the purchase worth it. 

After I recover from having a kidney removed and buy a copy in October, I will post a book review. 

Lost in Translation

I regularly encounter something disturbing in the college classes I teach and in the church at large.  What I encounter is a terrible misunderstanding of Bible translations and how to properly evaluate and use them.

The problem in part is due to the fact that there are so many English translations of the Bible.  We are blessed to have scholars and publishers in the English-speaking world that seriously study the original languages of the Bible and stive to produce quality translations.  The resulting variety of translations leaves readers without the problem of being stuck with a poor translation and no other options. 

But the plethora of translations has a negative effect as well, which can be seen in how Bible translations are marketed.  Some are touted as being great for children or new believers, some are promoted for devotional reading, some for precise study, others for not sounding "traditional," which, apparently, is a bad thing.  This all leads many folks to the idea that all translations are equally valid, trustworthy and dependable, and that ultimately the customer knows best, regardless of whether or not the customer knows anything at all about the principles of translation and the issues involved in it.  So the question for most church folks becomes not, "what translation will give me an accurate understanding of the Bible," but rather, "which one do you like the best?"  The first question has to do with accuracy the second with preference in style.  Embedded within the last question is often a desire to avoid the hard work required of Bible reading by choosing a translation that is "easy" to read.  This is desired because if studying the Bible requires serious mental effort than it is no fun and therefore a waste of time.  In other words, the thought is, "I'll listen as long as it is easy to.  Difficult things that require mental discipline are just not worth my time, even if it is God speaking."  Yet in other words, "God's Word better come to me on my terms or I'll ignore it."  Such thinking is spiritual suicide and the height of arrogance.

My students play out the implications of thinking all translations are equally valid in their papers all the time.  They may consult the Bible for some point, and keep sifting through translations until they find one that conveys the meaning they want it to convey with no question as to whether the translation is misleading.  Like little Derridas and Foucaults, the meaning is in the reader, not the text, unless one finds a text that says what you want it to say.  "I like how this one says it...," writes one student.  But what if "this one" is not true to the original language? 

Into this mess comes the English Standard Version, the latest attempt to create a new "standard" Bible translations for English readers.  The publication and promotion of the ESV has taken head-on the notion that all translations are equally valid and in particular that the dynamic equivalancy theory of translation is a good thing. The ESV is an essentially literal translation of the Bible, meaning is strives for word-for-word accuracy to the original Hebrew and Greek.   This translation philosophy opposes the dynamic equivalency theory, which translates "thought-for-thought" instead of word-for-word.  The New International Version and The New Living Translation are both examples of dynamic equivalency. [Leland Ryken argues for an essentially literal tranlslation of the Bible in his booklet listed in my ESV box on this blog]

What must pastors and educators do?  First, we must challenge the notion that every translation is of equal value and is trustworthy.  Second, pastors especially must learn about and consider the implications for the differing translation theories commonly used and steer congregants away for the worst examples of Bible translation.  Third, we must review our understanding of biblical inspiration and consider what translation theory best meshes with it. 

God must be heard.  Let's do our best to help people hear him.