Showing posts with label bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bible. Show all posts
06 July 2012
597 Years Ago Today...
This story is worth repeating. Go read this blurb on the Logos website about Jan Hus, who was martyred on this date in 1415.
13 January 2011
The Bible in One Sentence
Over on Dane Ortlund's blog, Strawberry-Rhubarb Theology, he asked a number of pastors, writers, and similar folks to sum up the Bible in one sentence.
Here's the post...very much worth the read just to see the variety of responses.
I have my own response, and I can tie for the shortest sentence in the list. Not only that, mine is a play on words (see if you can figure it out). My one-sentence summary of the Bible is,
"The Bible is His story."
We try so hard to write God into our stories, our lives, our meta-narratives. But that's the backward approach, and it results in some very bad theology (like health/wealth nonsense, for starters...throw in some moralist therapeutic deism as frosting on that cupcake).
The correct approach, and the one that makes sense in light of the revelation of Scripture is, we are to write ourselves into His story. We are part of His story. And all of history is His story.
Here's the post...very much worth the read just to see the variety of responses.
I have my own response, and I can tie for the shortest sentence in the list. Not only that, mine is a play on words (see if you can figure it out). My one-sentence summary of the Bible is,
"The Bible is His story."
We try so hard to write God into our stories, our lives, our meta-narratives. But that's the backward approach, and it results in some very bad theology (like health/wealth nonsense, for starters...throw in some moralist therapeutic deism as frosting on that cupcake).
The correct approach, and the one that makes sense in light of the revelation of Scripture is, we are to write ourselves into His story. We are part of His story. And all of history is His story.
21 October 2010
What's a Good Study Bible These Days?
Since I teach a Sunday School class, I've been asked a few times which study bible one ought to buy; which one is the most accurate translation, has the best notes, etc. Those are tough questions to answer in generalities.
TRANSLATIONS
First, there are a number of good translations, starting with the good old King James Version (KJV). Most of the modern version are good as well. But before you can pick a version, you need to ask yourself what kind of philosophical foundation you want in the text. Bible translations are done on one of about three (give or take) foundations- (a) literal, word-for-word; (b) dynamic equivalent (so-called thought-for-thought); or (c) paraphrase. I have condensed these a bit, and there are many ways to make distinctions such that there are more ways to translate the bible than these three, but I've done this for the sake of brevity.
Some paraphrase versions- New Living Testament (NLT), New English Bible (NEB), Today's English Version (TEV), Phillips', Living Bible, The Message. If you want to read scripture like a story, with writing at the 9th-grade level or below, these are your target. You will gain readability, but lose accuracy and detail in translation. In addition, several are the work of single individuals, so you get their biases in the text.
Some thought-for-thought translations- New International Version (NIV), Today's NIV (TNIV), Revised Standard Version (RSV), New RSV (NRSV), Amplified Bible, updated New American Standard Bible. These try to strike the middle ground between literal, word-for-word translations and the paraphrases. On the whole, they are mostly good and useful for most people. If you want precision to the original text, they aren't as good as the next category, but they are certainly better than the first category.
Some literal word-for-word translations- KJV, New KJV (NKJV), original NASB, English Standard Version (ESV). The KJV is the historical standard, in spite of a few translation issues. However, it is written on a 16th-grade reading level, and many people find the language inaccessible. The NKJV is an excellent translation, and I recommend it. The original and updated NASB versions are good as well, though the flow of the language can be stilted in some places. The ESV is one of the newest version, and in my opinion, the best. It is as readable as the NIV, but retains much more accuracy to the original languages, and retains the genders in the original languages.
STUDY BIBLES
There seem to be almost as many study bibles available now as there are versions. This is really a bit silly, though in our consumerist culture, I can see why this is so. If your primary interest is understanding the text and the meaning of the original authors, I can narrow the list down to just a few. Here are my recommendations, in order-
(1) MacArthur Study Bible, ESV or NKJV
(2) Reformation Study Bible, ESV
(3) ESV Study Bible, ESV (obviously)
In terms of conservative, gospel focused commentary, I don't think you can do better than the MacArthur Study Bible. Since it is now available in the ESV (as of Summer 2010), it's a no-brainer. Dr. MacArthur provides more meaningful and helpful notes on the text, stays true to the original intent (as defined by historic, post-reformation orthodox Christianity), and is a bona fide biblical conservative, than any other translation out there.
The Reformation Study Bible, edited by R. C. Sproul, is also excellent. It has notes of no less value, but there are fewer of them. It has the advantage of having been compiled by a committee of men rather than a single individual (like MacArthur), which can be important (though not in the case of Dr. MacArthur's work, in my opinion).
The ESV Study Bible is the biggest in terms of the volume of helps and notes. As a result, it is BIG. I keep one of these on my desk for reference, but don't carry it to church. It has a tendency to move a bit further to the left in terms of the notes, compared the the two bibles above, but it is still a very conservative, evangelical (in the traditional sense) study bible. It has the best (most, and high-quality) maps and charts. And if you buy one, you get free access to the online version of the study bible, which I find very helpful.
These are just my recommendations...you may find another that you like better, and that's fine. But if you ask me, these are the three suggestions you'll hear.
TRANSLATIONS
First, there are a number of good translations, starting with the good old King James Version (KJV). Most of the modern version are good as well. But before you can pick a version, you need to ask yourself what kind of philosophical foundation you want in the text. Bible translations are done on one of about three (give or take) foundations- (a) literal, word-for-word; (b) dynamic equivalent (so-called thought-for-thought); or (c) paraphrase. I have condensed these a bit, and there are many ways to make distinctions such that there are more ways to translate the bible than these three, but I've done this for the sake of brevity.
Some paraphrase versions- New Living Testament (NLT), New English Bible (NEB), Today's English Version (TEV), Phillips', Living Bible, The Message. If you want to read scripture like a story, with writing at the 9th-grade level or below, these are your target. You will gain readability, but lose accuracy and detail in translation. In addition, several are the work of single individuals, so you get their biases in the text.
Some thought-for-thought translations- New International Version (NIV), Today's NIV (TNIV), Revised Standard Version (RSV), New RSV (NRSV), Amplified Bible, updated New American Standard Bible. These try to strike the middle ground between literal, word-for-word translations and the paraphrases. On the whole, they are mostly good and useful for most people. If you want precision to the original text, they aren't as good as the next category, but they are certainly better than the first category.
Some literal word-for-word translations- KJV, New KJV (NKJV), original NASB, English Standard Version (ESV). The KJV is the historical standard, in spite of a few translation issues. However, it is written on a 16th-grade reading level, and many people find the language inaccessible. The NKJV is an excellent translation, and I recommend it. The original and updated NASB versions are good as well, though the flow of the language can be stilted in some places. The ESV is one of the newest version, and in my opinion, the best. It is as readable as the NIV, but retains much more accuracy to the original languages, and retains the genders in the original languages.
STUDY BIBLES
There seem to be almost as many study bibles available now as there are versions. This is really a bit silly, though in our consumerist culture, I can see why this is so. If your primary interest is understanding the text and the meaning of the original authors, I can narrow the list down to just a few. Here are my recommendations, in order-
(1) MacArthur Study Bible, ESV or NKJV
(2) Reformation Study Bible, ESV
(3) ESV Study Bible, ESV (obviously)
In terms of conservative, gospel focused commentary, I don't think you can do better than the MacArthur Study Bible. Since it is now available in the ESV (as of Summer 2010), it's a no-brainer. Dr. MacArthur provides more meaningful and helpful notes on the text, stays true to the original intent (as defined by historic, post-reformation orthodox Christianity), and is a bona fide biblical conservative, than any other translation out there.
The Reformation Study Bible, edited by R. C. Sproul, is also excellent. It has notes of no less value, but there are fewer of them. It has the advantage of having been compiled by a committee of men rather than a single individual (like MacArthur), which can be important (though not in the case of Dr. MacArthur's work, in my opinion).
The ESV Study Bible is the biggest in terms of the volume of helps and notes. As a result, it is BIG. I keep one of these on my desk for reference, but don't carry it to church. It has a tendency to move a bit further to the left in terms of the notes, compared the the two bibles above, but it is still a very conservative, evangelical (in the traditional sense) study bible. It has the best (most, and high-quality) maps and charts. And if you buy one, you get free access to the online version of the study bible, which I find very helpful.
These are just my recommendations...you may find another that you like better, and that's fine. But if you ask me, these are the three suggestions you'll hear.
01 September 2010
Why the ESV?
I've been using the NIV bible for about 25 years now. I started, like many, with a KJV, and when I found out I wasn't able to smoothly read King James-era English, looked for a more modern translation. The NASB was OK, but not great; the NEB and similar paraphrases weren't good enough; but the NIV was good enough and was certainly easier to read (the NIV is on a 6th grade reading level, compared to a 16th grade level for the KJV).
So why would I suddenly switch to the ESV after using the NIV for so long? Well, first, it wasn't all that sudden a switch. I've been aware of some issues with the NIV for several years. None of them are fatal issues, and assuming I stay away from the terrible tNIV, I really don't have a big problem with the NIV. But it isn't quite good enough any more.
Watch this short video clip from John Piper for an example of why.
It's pretty simple. Like John Piper, I want a version with all the words, but I still want one that is readable and has some flow to it, and in a modern version of the English language. The ESV excels at all these things.
I have two strong recommendations for anyone looking for a new study bible, and willing to try the ESV, or looking for a better version than the NIV, NASB, or other recent translation.
First, I'd recommend the Reformation Study Bible. It is edited by R. C. Sproul, and the study notes are fantastic and very much conservative and gospel-focused in their character. The bible is relatively compact, as the notes are not copious, but sufficient. There are other study aids included, and especially good are the half-page essays on biblical concepts important in the reformation and important to our understanding of the doctrines of grace today.
Second, I'd recommend the MacArthur ESV Study Bible. This one is brand new. I've used the MSB in the NKJV for a number of years. You won't find a more balanced but conservative approach to study bible notes than this one. Dr. MacArthur especially holds firm on the doctrine of creation in his notes. Now that the ESV is out, I'll be retiring my NKJV for a new copy in the new translation.
Thirdly, I will recommend the ESV Study Bible, though not as strongly as the first two. It is much larger, has many more notes, and has outstanding graphics (maps, charts, etc.). The downside is, it is heavier and bulkier, so isn't as easy to carry around. And the notes are not quite as conservative as either Dr. Sproul's or Dr. MacArthur's notes. Nothing bad that I've found, but not quite as firm on some issues of importance to me. Don't get me wrong...I have a copy of the ESV Study Bible on my desk at work. But I don't carry it to church on a weekly basis like the RSB or MSB bibles.
If you are looking for a better study bible, get either the RSB or MSB...you won't regret either.
[FCC notice, as required by a stupid, big-brotherish, overbearing federal law: I have received nothing from any of the publishers of the above bibles for this review.]
So why would I suddenly switch to the ESV after using the NIV for so long? Well, first, it wasn't all that sudden a switch. I've been aware of some issues with the NIV for several years. None of them are fatal issues, and assuming I stay away from the terrible tNIV, I really don't have a big problem with the NIV. But it isn't quite good enough any more.
Watch this short video clip from John Piper for an example of why.
It's pretty simple. Like John Piper, I want a version with all the words, but I still want one that is readable and has some flow to it, and in a modern version of the English language. The ESV excels at all these things.
I have two strong recommendations for anyone looking for a new study bible, and willing to try the ESV, or looking for a better version than the NIV, NASB, or other recent translation.
First, I'd recommend the Reformation Study Bible. It is edited by R. C. Sproul, and the study notes are fantastic and very much conservative and gospel-focused in their character. The bible is relatively compact, as the notes are not copious, but sufficient. There are other study aids included, and especially good are the half-page essays on biblical concepts important in the reformation and important to our understanding of the doctrines of grace today.
Second, I'd recommend the MacArthur ESV Study Bible. This one is brand new. I've used the MSB in the NKJV for a number of years. You won't find a more balanced but conservative approach to study bible notes than this one. Dr. MacArthur especially holds firm on the doctrine of creation in his notes. Now that the ESV is out, I'll be retiring my NKJV for a new copy in the new translation.
Thirdly, I will recommend the ESV Study Bible, though not as strongly as the first two. It is much larger, has many more notes, and has outstanding graphics (maps, charts, etc.). The downside is, it is heavier and bulkier, so isn't as easy to carry around. And the notes are not quite as conservative as either Dr. Sproul's or Dr. MacArthur's notes. Nothing bad that I've found, but not quite as firm on some issues of importance to me. Don't get me wrong...I have a copy of the ESV Study Bible on my desk at work. But I don't carry it to church on a weekly basis like the RSB or MSB bibles.
If you are looking for a better study bible, get either the RSB or MSB...you won't regret either.
[FCC notice, as required by a stupid, big-brotherish, overbearing federal law: I have received nothing from any of the publishers of the above bibles for this review.]
16 July 2010
MacArthur Study Bible in ESV, Soon
One of my favorite study bibles for a number of years has been the MacArthur Study Bible. It has been traditionally available in the NASB and NKJV versions. I have a couple copies of the NKJV version (one I keep at work, one at home). MacArthur's notes are conservative, evangelical, reformed, and aimed at helping the reader understand the passage in a way that is meaningful to personal application rather than a dry, academic approach. Certainly, Dr. MacArthur has the academic credentials to write a set of notes aimed at academics, but he doesn't do that here, and the value of the study notes is exponentially higher to the non-seminary-educated reader.
I got my first ESV bible about 10 years ago, and immediately took a liking to it. Over time, I've come to appreciate the version even more...it is an essentially literal word-for-word translation (it has "all the words", as John Piper spins it). It is written in contemporary English without losing the high nature of certain parts of scripture. In the past couple years, many new versions have become available, such as the comprehensive ESV Study Bible (a great tool, especially if you like carrying around a BIG bible), and the Reformation Study Bible (edited by R. C. Sproul), which is my main carry-to-church-every-Sunday bible.
Now, they are putting the two (ESV and MacArthur) together. The bibles are due out at the end of August, but you can pre-order them from amazon.com, or christianbook.com, where I pre-ordered mine. (I got the brown with woodcut design cover). I'm very excited to get this tool, but it will be interesting trying to decide which one to carry to church (MacArthur or Sproul).
I got my first ESV bible about 10 years ago, and immediately took a liking to it. Over time, I've come to appreciate the version even more...it is an essentially literal word-for-word translation (it has "all the words", as John Piper spins it). It is written in contemporary English without losing the high nature of certain parts of scripture. In the past couple years, many new versions have become available, such as the comprehensive ESV Study Bible (a great tool, especially if you like carrying around a BIG bible), and the Reformation Study Bible (edited by R. C. Sproul), which is my main carry-to-church-every-Sunday bible.
Now, they are putting the two (ESV and MacArthur) together. The bibles are due out at the end of August, but you can pre-order them from amazon.com, or christianbook.com, where I pre-ordered mine. (I got the brown with woodcut design cover). I'm very excited to get this tool, but it will be interesting trying to decide which one to carry to church (MacArthur or Sproul).
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