Sunday, November 26, 2006

To Boldly Proclaim the Gospel to New Worlds and New Civilizations


And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." Mark 16:15 (ESV).

I'm not sure this is what Jesus intended when he issued the Great Commission. However, someone has developed the Klingon Language Version (KLV) of the Bible. Just type in the verse and the KLV translator will give you the Klingon translation. I wonder if the folks at Wycliffe Bible Translators know about this?

Friday, November 24, 2006

The Geneva Bible


Every preschool child knows the story. The Pilgrims set sail from Plymouth, England on the Mayflower September 6, 1620 and arrived in Cape Cod on November 11, 1620. They endured a perilous Winter that cut their number in half. Nevertheless, the following Fall they prepared a feast and gathered together to thank God for their blessings. What you might not know is that they carried with them the Geneva Bible.

The Geneva Bible has a significant history. It was translated by exiled protestants in Geneva during the reign of Queen Mary I a.k.a. "Bloody Mary." The Bible was not only unique because it was the first to employ a number system for each verse but it also had an extensive commentary written in the margins. Shakespeare oftentimes quoted from it in his plays. You may read an interesting article about this edition by Bruce M. Metzger here.

Reflecting on its history in the Plymouth Colony, I have wondered, how many frigid Sunday mornings the preached word was proclaimed from the Geneva edition? How many Pilgrims read it late at night seeking comfort after the death of a loved one or facing the uncertainty of surviving another day themselves? How many times were the Psalms read out of it in praise?

If you have an extra $60,000.00 lying around, you can pick-up an original 1st edition at www.Greatsite.com. Greatsite has facsimile copies that are much more moderately priced between $250.00 and $750.00. Finally, if your budget is very limited you can view one online at the Digital Christian Library in PDF format. I bought a facsimile copy a few years ago to serve as our "family Bible" and I hope that it will be passed down for generations to come. It is also of special significance to me since it appears my Dutch Reformed ancestors, who settled New Amsterdam (modern day Manhattan), likely read from the Geneva Bible.

This Thanksgiving weekend I am thankful for the Gospel which we would not have but for the faithfulness of God preserving it through his saints down through the ages. While I gather with family and friends, I look forward to the day when we will all gather around Christ's table for that penultimate feast that he will provide for us by his own hand.

Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. Another interesting note about the Geneva edition is that it contains the Apocrypha. I was surprised to learn that many of the original protestant versions apparently contained the Apocrypha as well. However, the translators did not consider the Apocrypha to be part of the canon as reflected in the Geneva Bible's preface to these books. It that states they were included for the furtherance of knowledge of history.

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Thursday, November 09, 2006

Moby-Dick and Calvinism


Bradford Mercer has a great post over on the First Presbyterian Jackson MS blog entiled Moby-Dick and Calvinism.

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Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Prone to Wander


"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." Luke 15:4-7 (ESV)

Before we left town Friday evening, my wife and I spent forty-five (45) minutes looking for her cell phone. After turning our house and cars inside out, and calling the phone about a dozen times, it was nowhere to be found. Finally, we just gave up. While traveling back last Sunday we had the opportunity to worship at New Life Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Tifton, Georgia. While the pastor read the passage above, I was convicted of getting so angry and frustrated over not being able to find the cell phone. However, unlike myself, I was reminded that God does not give up on his sheep.
". . .Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above."
See Come, Thou Fount of Every blessing by Robert Robinson. Although my wicked heart is prone to wander, I am thankful of a good shepherd who does not give up on me. A good shepherd that laid his life down for me to make sure I get home.

P.S. We found the phone in my wife's suitcase. :)