There are way too many English Bible translations and way too many people claiming - as in this case - to have the very best guide to its interpretation. These are the stars that I sail by when I evaluate a Bible version or guide. Fortunately, one new publication, The Pure Word – New Testament... Continue Reading →
Bill Mounce asks: What makes a Bible translation accurate?
Bill Mounce is one of the evangelical experts in koine Greek, the dialect of the New Testament. He is also one of the translators of the New International Version. The other day he published this short article, which I found particularly useful. He shows that the work of translation is far more complex than translating... Continue Reading →
New Documentary: “Fragments of Truth”
UPDATE! This was a one night special showing, but I am told it will be out as a video. You can sign up here to get the announcement when it is due out. I am extraordinarily excited about a new documentary on the manuscripts of the New Testament. This is a topic I teach on,... Continue Reading →
The Solitude of the Dusky Cave
When I first saw the title of the epic novel Cien Años de Soledad by Gabriel García Márquez, and got that it meant “one hundred years of solitude,” my heart leapt in anticipation. But 500 pages later, I finally grasped that the protagonists of the story didn’t get their promised seclusion; the title seems to... Continue Reading →
Me, a hater of the King James Bible? Who in the world told you that?!
There are Christians who are King James people because they prefer the wonderful language and cadence of the KJV, or who believe (with little evidence, but no matter for now) that it best represents the original Hebrew or Greek texts. Overall, with these brothers and sisters, I have no serious quarrel. But when someone condemns... Continue Reading →
Is the Nestle-Aland Bible against the deity of Christ? No!
It is the narrative in a few remote corners of Christendom that only the Textus receptus reflects the original text of the New Testament. Some would add a second chapter, that newer critical editions – which, in fact, are based on almost 6000 manuscripts, let alone ancient versions and church fathers – are part of... Continue Reading →
Ancient copy of Leviticus deciphered
Experts announced on 9/21/16 that they had deciphered a very old copy of a book of Moses, perhaps from the year AD 100. As technology advances, so does the ability to read an unopened scroll, just as an MRI can read layer after layer of your brain. By scanning the unopened roll, it was discovered... 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 →
Strong’s Concordance – a Good Tool Gone Bad
To download the entire article, click here Shogren_Strongs Concordance For Bible students who don’t use Hebrew and Greek, the Strong Concordance is a popular tool, available online. [1] But it has a serious limitation – namely: the “dictionary” in the back of Strong’s is not really a dictionary at all, and should not be used... Continue Reading →
Thou Shalt Not Bully Those who use a Different Bible Translation!
There are now hundreds of versions of the Bible in English, and more come out every year. And there is great benefit from comparing version with version. Still, if I were king, I would impose a moratorium on new Bible versions for at least a decade. If I were king. But, let’s see what hand life... Continue Reading →