The Original Languages? - 28
Give Me the English Version please.
A word about the original languages. I have questioned whether I should give time and effort to learn Hebrew or Greek or both. It is one aspect of a seminary education that I’ve not imbibed. Everything I read has been in my vernacular, the English language. I find comfort that most pastor/elders do not rely heavily on the Greek and Hebrew texts.
I am not discarding the importance of highly informed translation work of the Scripture text. However, I will likely remain unlearned and indebted to the committees who wrestled over the ancient texts and its grammar to produce our modern translations. I’m sure I would have nothing to add to their work. This indebtedness becomes ever more evident as I read commentaries, written by men I highly respect, who disagree over points of grammar and exegesis in the original texts.
My advice to men and women who want to read and study the Word of God is to spend more time learning your own written language: its vocabulary and grammar. This time spent will assist you when Calvin or Luther or Vitringa are explaining the grammatical reasons why they would translate the original in such and such a way.
Godliness, alongside of proper knowledge of God, His Word, and the world around us, is not dependent upon knowing Greek and Hebrew. There is no magical dust sprinkled over the seminarian during his Greek I, II, III and IV classes. You mustn’t allow such a thing to intimidate you.
After all, too many pastors have been trained in the originals (and by some crafty professor) who now preach in support of egalitarianism, homosexuality, universalism, and the like. And they usually support their position by pointing to some nuance of the original languages as their proof. Again, godliness and proper knowledge do not depend on knowing Greek and Hebrew. Do not be intimidated.