b-greek digest: September 02, 1999

Jay Adkins JAdkins264 at aol.com
Sun Sep 5 06:54:55 EDT 1999


Dear Phil,

I would like to second the recommendation of Gordon Fee's book on 
hermeneutics, "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth," for a short but 
useful chapter or two on the subject.  Also I recently had the chance to 
teach a Sunday School class on 1 Thess. which had as one of its main goals, 
in addition to a verse by verse exegesis,  to give people a sense of 
confidence in their English translation regardless of which of the major 
translations they used.  I used my own translation along with 4 others.  
Too often laymen hear things like, "literally the original says" or "from 
the original language we get the idea that," ECT...  This gives some a 
false impression that no matter what translation we use, unless we learn 
the original languages we are missing out from not knowing these mystical 
languages.  It is a form of present day Gnosticism that I think needs 
addressed.  While I like to encourage people to read several translations 
when they study, I think they should have confidence in God's ability to 
speak to them through those translations they have available.  Not everyone 
has the opportunity to study Greek & Hebrew, nor is there a need.  While I 
would encourage anyone who has the chance to do so, it is not needed in 
order for God to speak clearly and authoritatively to His Church.  It is 
the Spirit that leads us to all truth, not Greek.

Sola Gratia,
	Jay
Always Under Grace!



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