I grew up with the King James Version, regularly use it and the New King James among others, and often teach and preach from the Reina Valera Revisada, all of which are based on the so-called Textus receptus. And I love and use them all; see my, “Me, a Hater of the Kdeiting James Version?... Continue Reading →
A new English Bible translation? No, ENOUGH already!
A few words from the heart about Bible versions in English, mixed with lists, parables, and personal anecdotes! Offered as proof that we might want to CALL A MORATORIUM on new Bible translations in English. One, the Parable of the Banquet. You and your family gather for a huge feast, perhaps American Thanksgiving. They wheel... Continue Reading →
Thoughts on Hebrew and Greek from a Scholar: Will Varner
Thanks to Dr. Will Varner for this article, to which I here post a link. It's a topic that interests me, but once in a while I come across an article and have to conclude, "This person expresses it so much better than I could, so I'll just link to their article!" DO WE NEED TO... Continue Reading →
The Eclectic Text of the New Testament – a conspiracy against the Word?
God’s beloved Word – you'd better believe I study it daily. Yes, as a Bible teacher, since my ministry is teaching the New Testament in Spanish and English, and also from the Greek. But more fundamentally I read the Bible simply as a Christian, because it is through the reading, meditation, and obedience of God’s Word... Continue Reading →
2 Thessalonians, Shogren translation for ZECNT
Here is my own translation of 2 Thessalonians from the original Greek, which I produced over a long period of time as part of my Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on 1-2 Thessalonians. The book may be purchased from Amazon and Logos. It is also available in Spanish from Andamio, Amazon, and eventually from Logos. Zondervan had... Continue Reading →
1 Thessalonians, my own translation for Zondervan
I invite you to read my own “expanded” translation of 1 Thessalonians from the original Greek, part of my Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on 1-2 Thessalonians. It may be purchased from Zondervan, Amazon and Logos. They all also offer the Spanish edition. While the commentary is based on the Greek text, we also place a great... Continue Reading →
Text criticism in the not too distant future!
I have used Logos for 20 years now. And speaking of futuristic software, I'm a fan of science fiction and occasionally write stories for my own amusement. For those with lots of imagination, enjoy a short story about the future of Bible study! This should be considered "hard" science fiction, since all the texts and technology... Continue Reading →
Logos and Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon (updated)
How strange it is, that I, a student and professor of the Greek New Testament, would object to the electronic publication of a classic Greek-English dictionary! Yet object I must.
Baur and LSJ are top-of-the-line lexicons. They draw from discoveries that have been made of hitherto lost books from antiquity, and especially of the papyri and inscriptions. Besides which, digital databases such as Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (or TLG; ancient books) and the Packard Humanities Index (PHI; papyri and inscriptions) now put within the reach of all interested students the ability to search through almost all known ancient material within minutes. We might reason – if two lexicons are good, then wouldn't three be better? The answer is a firm no. For example, Thayer states that the word agapē was invented by the inspired translators of the Septuagint in the 3rd. cent. BC, and that pagan Greeks had not previously known of the word. Using advanced software I was able within an hour to disprove Thayer in great detail, demonstrating that agapē was known and used in pagan Greek – although not frequently – long before the translation of the Septuagint and after its publication, yet in works that show now Jewish or Christian influence.
Was Thayer mistaken? No he was not...given the data that were available when he wrote. But new data have come to light since then, invalidating their statements.
Some people have the idea that Thayer, being a classic, will provide a fresh and perhaps more spiritual perspective. This is not the case. The person who reads Thayer cannot simply weigh his opinion against Baur’s and decide which he or she prefers. LSJ and Baur, whose conclusions are not fallible and are sometimes debated, will always have a decisive edge over an older lexicon simply by having publication dates of 1997 and 2000 respectively.
We must use the very best tools that are available, and we must be prepared to pay the appropriate cost in order to make use of recent research, even the $150 for Baur. Or, we must commit ourselves to seek out the best tools where we can find them – in a library, or using Liddell, Scott and Jones gratis from the Perseus website! (www.perseus.tufts.edu). I’m sorry to conclude that, by publishing Thayer, Logos – of which I am a devoted fan – is part of the problem.
See also my post: “What books have I used to write a commentary on 1-2 Thessalonians?”