A final book a day entry November 30
Made it! OK, so you're sick of seeing all the books in my library and I'm kind of out of ideas, so its pretty much a good thing that NaBloPoMo is over!
The best is saved for last
It's a bit of a cheat saying the Bible really - not so much a book as a library. Also having this as my book of the day might make me look a bit of a holier-than- thou type - but please let me assure you that I am holier than nobody!
The amazing thing about the Bible, well one of the amazing things about the Bible, is that there's no end to it. By that I mean you could read it again and again and see new stuff all the time. I do believe God speaks through the Bible, sometimes as much through the stuff that is all mixed up in culture and misunderstanding (I'm pretty sure there's a fair amount of that in there) as the stuff which is clearer and more obvious. It's a lifetiime study, and the meaning only really comes out when we do the reading in partnership with God. But that's been the subject of a whole load of my sermons so you can read back through the last few years of this blog and find some of that!
In putting my little link thingy above this I did choose one particular translation quite deliberately. The New Revised Standard Version is probably one of the best translations available of the original Greek and Hebrew texts of the Bible, along with a wealth of scholarly input as to what various words now obscure might mean. For word for word accuracy the forerunner of this translation, the Revised Standard Version, might well be the winner, but for accessibility and accuracy combined with an inclusivity to the choice of words in English, this one is top notch. Perhaps sometime I will get around to talking about different translations in a bit more depth, but for now this is the recommendation du jour... And for me its the high point of the month.
Now I've got to start thinking of stuff to say that might be interesting.
Don't hold your breath, folks.
Comments
Sometimes you're informative.
Occasionally you're profound.
Boring you are NOT.
-Q
It does amuse me when fundamentalists (be they Christian or atheist), use the English translation of scripture as the basis of their argument. I've never studied Greek or Hebrew, but I know there are key verses where the Hebrew and Greek give extra flexibility or a different slant on things.
I've never really got on with the GNB... nothing personal against it I just find the wording a little too light for me to be able to absorb.
Similarly the older styled translations I find I have a similar problem for exacttly the opposite reason.
Thats why I principly go by the NIV... it seems like a decent cross in terms of language.
Where would you say the NRSV and the RSV come in, in terms of linguistic style?
Recently, I was introduce to a book called "Wild at Heart", it's a fantastic read and the author's writing style and referencing of pop cultures that I'm interested in... make it fit me like a glove.
Really recommend it.