Eugene H. Peterson's The Message is a refreshing and challenging way to read the Bible. The sub-title of Peterson's interpretive translation is "The Bible in Contemporary Language."
It is that alright!
In addition to the interpretation of the original languages, Peterson provides a background introduction to each of the sixty-six books of the biblical text.
Not long ago, someone pointed me to his introductory comments on the words of the Hebrew prophet, Amos. They are worth sharing, at least for the strong of heart!
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More people are exploited and abused in the cause of religion than in any other way. Sex, money, and power all take a back seat to religion as a source of evil. Religion is the most dangerous energy source known to humankind. The moment a person (or government or religion or organization) is convinced that God is either ordering or sanctioning a cause or project, anything goes. The history, worldwide, of religion-fueled hate, killing, and oppression is staggering. The biblical prophets are in the front line of those doing something about it.
The biblical prophets continue to be the most powerful and effective voices ever heard on this earth for keeping religion honest, humble, and compassionate. Prophets sniff out injustice, especially injustice that is dressed up in religious garb. They sniff it out a mile away. Prophets see through hypocrisy, especially hypocrisy that assumes a religious pose. Prophets are not impressed by position or power or authority. They aren't taken in by numbers, size, or appearances of success.
They pay little attention to what men and women say about God or do for God. They listen to God and rigorously test all human language and action against what they hear. Among these prophets, Amos towers as defender of the downtrodden poor and accuser of the powerful rich who use God's name to legitimize their sin.
None of us can be trusted in this business. If we pray and worship God and associate with others who likewise pray and worship God, we absolutely must keep company with these biblical prophets. We are required to submit all our words and acts to their passionate scrutiny to prevent the perversion of our religion into something self-serving. A spiritual life that doesn't give a large place to the prophet-articulated justice will end up making us worse instead of better, separating us from God's ways instead of drawing us into them.
6 comments:
A dictionary definition of a prophet is “a person gifted with profound moral insight and exceptional powers of expression.” Sounds like someone I know.
Amos was called “to preach harsh words in a smooth season…for grave injustice in social dealings…and shallow, meaningless piety” (1973, The New Oxford Annotated Bible, RSV, p. 1107).
Larry, on your Jan. 24, 07 blog entry, you discussed the growing discrepancy between the wealthy and the poor in this country. You pointed out a company that specializes in handmade mattresses and wrote, “The least expensive mattress in the store sells for something over $4,000. The top of the line mattress that is their best-seller--are you ready for this?--goes for a bit over $49,000.”
Amos condemned narcissistic living too.
“Lying on ivory beds and sprawling on their couches, they dine on lambs from the flock and stall-fattened veal” (Amos, 6:4)
What is it about sleeping and wealth? Must be a princess and the pea kind of thing. If you have to have that level of comfort to sleep can you imagine what a crimp on world travel, adventure, meeting new people and cultural experience that would be? If I were suddenly thrown into a survival situation, I’d rather be with people who were accustomed to making do with little rather than people accustomed to comfort.
Before you run out and buy your Message Bible, you should know that not everyone considers it refreshing and challenging. It is full of political correctness, distortions, deletions and additions. It is a radical pharaphrase and not a translation. Indeed, Eugene Peterson does not have the academic credentials to translate anything. His degree is honorary.
Dr. Laurence Vance calls it a message from hell. For further discussion google The Message Bible and scroll down.
I have to say that I think Chris' comment undergirds the words of Anderson's intro to Amos. If one does not see the refreshing beauty of this version, and istead wants to give more credence to chasing paper than chasing God, that's their decision. I for one, appreciate Larry and Eugene, for challenging my learned interpretations of the bible...and I think in both men's case their challenging and radical approaches come from real life, not academia.
Right on to pointing out the abuses perpetrated in the name of religion. Credentials aside, those of us of religious persuasion who pretend this is not the case are ignoring history.
Thanks for passing along Peterson's comments on Amos. That's classic stuff.
For me, sometimes Peterson's wording gets a little too far from the original. But every translation is an interpretation, and I appreicate it when someone tries to write what the biblical writers would have written in the here and now. When someone succeeds at that, like Peterson often does, that's the essence of good preaching, not "a message from hell." Come on!
For what it's worth, there's a fine article in a recent issue of "Restoration Quartely" on Amos' strategy of entrapment, getting people to rail against something they themselves do, or put up with. Amos wasn't the only one to use this technique. Think of Nathan confronting King David.
Sometimes the only way to get people to hate their own sin is to reveal it in someone else first. The reason this technique isn't often used today, I'm afraid, is because it requires a good bit of creativity and especially courage.
Thanks for all the posts.
Chris, I must take a moment to respond to your note.
First, what I posted here is an introduction, a commentary on the meaning of Amos written by Eugene Peterson. It is not a translation. It is his summary of the message of the prophet. For the record, he could have arrived at this by simply reading the English text/translation from any version. I would also add that every reputible OT scholar would agree with his assessment of the prophet's meaning.
Second, Peterson reads the Hebrew and Greek testaments like you and I read our morning newspapers. Peterson also makes no claim that his work is a translation. It is a reader's commentary based on his translation of the text.
You may not like the message of Amos, and you may say that the prophet or the translators of the prophet are trying to be "PC" (a favorite mantra of yours, I've noticed), but you cannot deny the clear message of Amos--he was challenging the wealthy and the powerful for their systemic and individual oppression of the poor.
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