Earlier this week, Mark Ward examined some criticisms of the King James Version via the preface to the Revised Standard Version. He mentioned dead words and “false friends” as examples of how the English language has changed over 600 years. In this excerpt from his book, Authorized, Ward examines the case of a specific false friend: a word whose meaning has changed too subtly to notice.
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False Friends and Dead Words
The God of Covenantal Relationship
The God of Scripture is always forming “covenants” with his creation. And he is faithful to his covenants—even when his creatures are not.
In this week’s video, we will research the idea of covenant and observe places in the Bible where God acts in relationship to his covenant. Then we’ll analyze places where he responds to those who break his covenant.
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The RSV Takes on the KJV
The translators of the Revised Standard Version (1952; 2nd. ed. 1971) didn’t mince words when comparing their work to the King James Version. The KJV “has grave defects,” they said. Its underlying Greek texts were “marred by mistakes, containing the accumulated errors of fourteen centuries.”
The RSV translators, on the other hand, possessed “more ancient manuscripts of the New Testament.” They were “far better equipped to recover the original wording of the Greek text.” [Read more…]
Reflecting on the Word
Logos Mobile Education is always developing new and helpful ways to use technology to equip the church to grow in the light of the Bible. With over two hundred courses available, education is our major strength. We love seeing people grow and succeed in expanding their understanding of God and his Word. As a part of that process, it’s important for those studying theology and related subjects to pause for times of devotion and reflection, but not everyone has a way to attend a chapel service at a seminary.
With this in view, wouldn’t it be great to sit down and reflect on the Word with Darrell Bock, Millard Erickson, or Bruce Waltke? We think so, and we designed a series of over forty reflections on biblical passages from top scholars for you to access when you need to be fed spiritually. It’s called Reflecting on the Word: Video Devotionals.
The collection is organized around the life of Christ, with readings from the Old and New Testaments. If you want to focus in on Christ’s resurrection to begin thinking about Easter, there’s a section called “The Resurrection of Christ” that looks at the resurrection accounts in the Gospels, and also the continued, unfolding significance of this event elsewhere in Scripture.
If you want to hear about expectation, mourning, suffering, and the struggle of the Christian life, there’s a section called “The Suffering of Christ” with passages focusing on those themes. This might be especially helpful for those who observe Lent in preparation for Easter.
The first set of reflections was published in 2016, with contributions from Tremper Longman, Ben Witherington, Michael Allen, and others. This year’s contributors include Kevin Vanhoozer, Michael Bird, and George Guthrie, among other top scholars. Both collections include an introduction to the church year by Peter Leithart, giving you a framework for moving through the sets in order. But even if you simply want to hear what a professor has to say about a passage you’re currently studying, this collection offers valuable insight.
Each reflection begins with a reading of the passage, and then the exposition follows. A link to the passage in Logos is included, along with the full transcript of the reflection. To give you a better sense of this resource, here’s a video reflection on Romans 4:13–25 from Douglas J. Moo.
Each reflection concludes with a response section, with one or two questions to think through and a space for capturing your own insights in response. For Dr. Moo’s reflection above, the questions are:
- What specific obstacles stand in the way of your hope and faith in God’s promises?
- What specific things strengthen your hope and faith in God’s promises?
We hope you can benefit from this collection. Right now you can get it at 40% off for $29.99 through March 31. Also, check out Dr. Moo’s course on Galatians here.
How to Find Specific Events on a Logos Timeline
Seeing a biblical or world event in its historical context can certainly aid our understanding of the event. Toward the end of discovering historical context, Logos Bible Software provides the tool appropriately called Timeline.
Today’s blog post is devoted to a small feature within the Timeline which assists us in viewing relevant events in the current Timeline:
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New Year, New Books
There’s so much to look forward to in 2018. Lexham Press has some exciting new books scheduled to release this year, including a brand new book by Dr. Michael Heiser. We just finalized our Spring 2018 Catalog where you’ll find all of our exciting forthcoming titles. Here are three highlights that are coming soon—and all three are available for pre-order right now.
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Now on Pre-Pub: This Will Help You Ask Better Questions
We’ve all experienced the easy group discussion questions and awkward silences. How do you get your small group to really dig into the conversation?
It’s all about having a better set of questions.
Each of the 51 volumes in the Good Questions Have Groups Talking series provides ready-to-use lessons built on 20 (or so) thought-provoking queries. They’ll help get your people talking as they encounter biblical truth, and save you hours of prep time.
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Search for Things, Not Words
The following piece is a preview of my regular column in Bible Study Magazine. The tips here will come out in the next issue. If you’re not yet a subscriber to BSM, click here.
Here’s a new Logos skill you may not yet have, a tool you’ll want to stick in your Bible study tool belt as I have done: searching for things rather than for words.
The point of Logos is not gaining some kind of proficiency certificate in the software (we don’t offer those); it’s studying the Bible. When I have a study project or a sermon prep or an article due—or just a personal question—I just want to get to answers quickly. That’s why, as often as I can, I make use of the tagging Logos has done in the Bible to search for things rather than words.
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Verily, God Did Not Say “Thou Shalt Not Steal”
The title thou hast lately read art not a clickbait and switch. Verily, I believe it to be one of truth and importance.
Let me put you at ease right away by telling you what I mean by it.
God did not say, “Thou shalt not steal.” He said “You shall not steal.”
He did not say, “I AM THAT I AM.” He said, “I AM WHO I AM.”
Jesus did not say, “Whosoever believeth in him should not perish.” He said, “Whoever believes in him should not perish.”
As linguist Steve Runge has often observed, “Choice implies meaning.” And the choice to use Elizabethan English today adds another message on top of whatever the Bible is saying—a message the KJV translators never intended. It says, “Behold! Thou art reading solemn, elevated, religious verbiage!”
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“Fostering More and Better Bible Reading”
We all have a particular Bible translation we always turn to. It might be the Bible we grew up reading or it might be a translation we chose after hours of diligent research and thoughtful consideration. But what about all the other translations available to us? Should they be tossed aside?
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