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Exegesis is Loving God

Discussion in 'Bible Versions & Translations' started by DocTrinsoGrace, Jan 31, 2014.

  1. DocTrinsoGrace

    DocTrinsoGrace New Member

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    "Too many Bible readers assume that exegesis is what you do after you have learned Greek and Hebrew. That's simply not true. Exegesis is nothing more than a careful and loving reading of the text in our mother tongue. Greek and Hebrew are well worth learning, but if you haven't had the privilege, settle for English.

    "Once we learn to love this text and bring a disciplined intelligence to it, we won't be far behind the very best Greek and Hebrew scholars. Appreciate the learned Scripture scholars, but don't be intimidated by them.

    "Exegesis is the furthest thing from pedantry; exegesis is an act of love. It loves the one who speaks the words enough to want to get the words right. It respects the words enough to use every means we have to get the words right. Exegesis is loving God enough to stop and listen carefully to what He says.

    "It follows that we bring the leisure and attentiveness of lovers to this text, cherishing every comma and semicolon, relishing the oddness of the preposition, delighting in the surprising placement of this noun. Lovers don't take a quick look, get a 'message' or a 'meaning,' then run off and talk endlessly with their friends about how they feel." --Eugene Peterson, Eat this Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading
     
  2. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    Good point by him, as we can get so full of information from breaking down to last jot and tittle original languahes, know just abiout everything God had to say to us, yet knowledge itself must also have heart/relationship with God, and practical application to really mean anything!
     
  3. SolaSaint

    SolaSaint Well-Known Member

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    Nice statement however it comes from a man who wrote the Message Bible. I would like to know how he compares proper exegesis to the Message. Can we properly exegete the Message and come to the proper understanding of the autographs. I don't think so.
     
  4. DocTrinsoGrace

    DocTrinsoGrace New Member

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    I think we take what we can from others and leave behind what we must. Most of the time, there will be more of doing one than the other. When there is more of the former, we invest a bit more time gleaning from them. When there is more of the latter, we spend our time elsewhere.
     
  5. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    I tend to see the message as the original living bible, as a paraphrase useful to help those just saved, Englis second language, as a kids version, but NOT to be seen as a primary one to use!
     
  6. Rippon

    Rippon Well-Known Member
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    "Englis second language,as a kids version." You need an editor.

    The Message is certainly not appropriate for children. The reading level alone is too high.
     
  7. Rippon

    Rippon Well-Known Member
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    Dave Black,of unblog fame, has several goals before reaching age 70.
    "#6 Publish my own Eugene-Peterson-style translation of the New Testament."
    _____________________________________________________________
    He was the head of the New Testament team for the ISV.
     
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