Monday, February 23, 2009
N.B. This has been a difficult post to write, which is why I have delayed in writing it. Thank you for your patience. -SAH
What did I learn about the Bible from serving as the general editor of the NLT Study Bible? That's the second question that Mark Taylor asked me to address in my “retrospective” talk to our scholarly contributors at the SBL (Society for Biblical Literature) annual meeting.
When I began working on the NLT Study Bible, one of the questions that interested me was, How does the Bible fit with the rest of what we know historically? Do academic biblical scholars still find it to be largely reliable in light of all of the evidence that can be adduced?
What I found is that, without minimizing some of the difficulties that exist, the text of the Bible holds up extremely well under historical scrutiny. Historical scholarship that is not biased by outdated or antagonistic assumptions generally finds the Bible text to be historically reliable and accurate. There are remarkable correspondences and harmonies between the biblical record and what we know from other sources, such as the Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. The common perception that the Bible is unhistorical is definitely unjustified.
As regards theology, it is perennially difficult to systematize Scripture while taking every part of it seriously from a historical and linguistic perspective. At the same time, the Bible has a deep coherence that belies that description. In the process of editing the NLT Study Bible, I grew a lot in my appreciation for that coherence.
At the same time, I grew in my skepticism toward those who claim that they have the One True And Right Way of understanding the theology of the Bible. The mind of God, the author of Scripture, is infinite, whereas the minds of human beings are very finite. What this means in practical terms is that we have something to learn from people in every Christian tradition. That's why I have sought to minimize the impact of any single tradition in the NLT Study Bible, and to include authors who represent a variety of perspectives.
I learned, much more than I had understood before, that the Bible does not submit itself to our minds. We must come to it and submit to it, heart and soul and mind and strength. It does not allow us depend on our own understanding, or to be confident in ourselves in any way. Instead, it provokes us to the deepest confidence in it and in the God who authored it, and a humble thankfulness for what he has given. The Bible brings us the words of eternal life.
Finally, I learned that my knowledge of the Bible and theology is too limited. I need to read the Greek NT more often, and the Septuagint, and learn Hebrew so I can read the Hebrew OT. I need to study theology more deeply and broadly, and spend more hours wrestling with the meanings of individual passages. That's going to take a long time -- the rest of the days allotted to me, and may God make them productive for his kingdom.
What did I learn about the Bible from serving as the general editor of the NLT Study Bible? That's the second question that Mark Taylor asked me to address in my “retrospective” talk to our scholarly contributors at the SBL (Society for Biblical Literature) annual meeting.
When I began working on the NLT Study Bible, one of the questions that interested me was, How does the Bible fit with the rest of what we know historically? Do academic biblical scholars still find it to be largely reliable in light of all of the evidence that can be adduced?
What I found is that, without minimizing some of the difficulties that exist, the text of the Bible holds up extremely well under historical scrutiny. Historical scholarship that is not biased by outdated or antagonistic assumptions generally finds the Bible text to be historically reliable and accurate. There are remarkable correspondences and harmonies between the biblical record and what we know from other sources, such as the Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. The common perception that the Bible is unhistorical is definitely unjustified.
As regards theology, it is perennially difficult to systematize Scripture while taking every part of it seriously from a historical and linguistic perspective. At the same time, the Bible has a deep coherence that belies that description. In the process of editing the NLT Study Bible, I grew a lot in my appreciation for that coherence.
At the same time, I grew in my skepticism toward those who claim that they have the One True And Right Way of understanding the theology of the Bible. The mind of God, the author of Scripture, is infinite, whereas the minds of human beings are very finite. What this means in practical terms is that we have something to learn from people in every Christian tradition. That's why I have sought to minimize the impact of any single tradition in the NLT Study Bible, and to include authors who represent a variety of perspectives.
I learned, much more than I had understood before, that the Bible does not submit itself to our minds. We must come to it and submit to it, heart and soul and mind and strength. It does not allow us depend on our own understanding, or to be confident in ourselves in any way. Instead, it provokes us to the deepest confidence in it and in the God who authored it, and a humble thankfulness for what he has given. The Bible brings us the words of eternal life.
Finally, I learned that my knowledge of the Bible and theology is too limited. I need to read the Greek NT more often, and the Septuagint, and learn Hebrew so I can read the Hebrew OT. I need to study theology more deeply and broadly, and spend more hours wrestling with the meanings of individual passages. That's going to take a long time -- the rest of the days allotted to me, and may God make them productive for his kingdom.
posted by Sean Harrison at 7:00 AM
"That's why I have sought to minimize the impact of any single tradition in the NLT Study Bible, and to include authors who represent a variety of perspectives."
Sean, I believe this is one of the NLTSB's greatest strengths and why I appreciate it so much. Thank you for all your hard work.
Thank you for this post. I really do appreciate your thoughts here. These are some of the same things that I'm thinking through in my own life and theology.
Hi, Kevin. I'm interested in hearing more of what you're thinking.
I have found that the more clear a bible is, that harder it can be to understand.
This is what I mean, sometimes a literal bible like the NASB can tell you what a passages says clean enough, but not what it means. I think this is where a lot of confusion has some from down threw the years with different translation.
Thats why I like the NLT, it can clear up something veyr quickly.
I recently purchased this Bible after reading perfect reviews on Amazon.com.... and Im pretty confident that the spirit knows the spirit. After reading your reflection Im positive this is exactly the study bible I was looking for... Im just getting started but i want to thank you for your devotion and effort in making it easier for everyday people like me to stay focused and committed to the Word.
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