So What Are You Reading This Advent?

Although my wife and I wrote ACTA's Advent devotional Expectantly Waiting in Wonder, it would be a little weird for me to use that as a daily devotional during this upcoming season.  (I don't know, maybe it wouldn't.)  I decided, however, to go with a recently released Advent devotional by NT Wright entitled Advent for Everyone.  It has been a few years since I read Wright, so I thought this might be a nice companion during this upcoming (and very short) Advent. 

What are you reading?

N.T. Wright: "Paul and the Powerful Word"

Below is the paper given by N.T. Wright on November 18th as part of America's The Living Word initiative in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the publication of Dei Verbum:

What is the word of God, and how do we hear it? That question comes round again and again in many Christian circles. Five years ago I was privileged to be the Anglican observer at the Synod of Bishops in Rome, where the subject was “The Word of God.” It quickly became clear that some people were using the phrase “the word of God” to refer to the Bible, while others used it to mean “the Bible and the tradition,” and still others wanted it to mean “the Bible, the tradition, and the magisterium.” Clearly we all have some work still to do in clarifying the question, never mind answering it. But my task tonight is to go back to our earliest Christian writer, St. Paul, who uses the idea of God’s powerful word in various ways in his writings. This investigation ought to help us both in understanding how this key element works within his theology, and also perhaps to give us a fresh angle on our contemporary questions..........continue here.

NT Wright: The Case for the Psalms

Below is an excerpt of N.T. Wright's The Case for the Psalms which is set for release this week.  In many ways, this book is intended for those non-liturgical protestant communities that don't utilize a lectionary or breviary for daily prayer, like the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion do.  This excerpt comes from HarperOne's News and Pews:

"This book is a personal plea. The Psalms, which make up the great hymnbook at the heart of the Bible, have been the daily lifeblood of Christians, and of course the Jewish people, from the earliest times. Yet in many Christian circles today, the Psalms are simply not used. And in many places where they are still used, whether said or sung, they are often reduced to a few verses to be recited as “filler” between other parts of the liturgy or worship services. In the latter case, people often don’t seem to realize what they’re singing. In the former case, they don’t seem to realize what they’re missing. This book is an attempt to reverse those trends. I see this as an urgent task.

Suppose the Psalms had been lost and had never been printed in any Bibles or prayer books. Suppose they then turned up in a faded but still legible scroll, discovered by archaeologists in the sands of Jordan or Egypt. What would happen? When deciphered and translated, they would be on the front page of every newspaper in the world. Many scholars from many disciplines would marvel at the beauty and content of these ancient worship songs and poems.

The Psalms are among the oldest poems in the world, and they still rank with any poetry in any culture, ancient or modern, from anywhere in the world. They are full of power and passion, horrendous misery and unrestrained jubilation, tender sensitivity and powerful hope. Anyone at all whose heart is open to new dimensions of human experience, anyone who loves good writing, anyone who wants a window into the bright lights and dark corners of the human soul—anyone open to the beautiful expression of a larger vision of reality should react to these poems like someone who hasn’t had a good meal for a week or two. It’s all here.

And astonishingly, it doesn’t get lost in translation. Most poetry suffers when translated into other languages because it relies for its effect on the sound and rhythm of the original words. It’s true that the Hebrew of these poems is beautiful in itself for those who can experience it. But the Psalms rely for their effect on the way they set out the main themes. They say something from one angle and then repeat it from a slightly different one:

By the word of YHWH the heavens were
                     made,
               and all their host by the breath of his
                     mouth. (33.6)

I will open my mouth in a parable;
       I will utter dark sayings from of old.
(78.2)

You search out my path and my lying down,
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
(139.3)

Even when this doesn’t happen line by line, it often happens between different sections of a psalm or in the balance of the collection, or a part of it, as a whole.

The important point here is that some of the most important things we want to say remain just a little beyond even our best words. The first sentence is a signpost to the deep reality; the second, a signpost from a slightly different place. The reader is invited to follow both and to see the larger, unspoken truth looming up behind. This means that not only can the effect be maintained in translation, but the effect is itself one of the deepest things the Psalms are doing, making it clear that the best human words point beyond themselves to realities that transcend even high poetic description. (Something similar is achieved elsewhere in the Bible—for instance, in the provision in Genesis of two creation stories, offering two picture-language images for a reality that lies beyond either.)

All this, as I said, should capture the attention and generate the excitement of anyone sensitive to powerful writing on the great themes of human life. But for those who, in whatever way, stand in the spiritual traditions of Judaism and Christianity, there is all that and much, much more. That makes it all the more frustrating that the Psalms are so often neglected today or used at best in a perfunctory and shallow way.

In some parts of contemporary Christianity, the Psalms are no longer used in daily and weekly worship. This is so especially at points where there has been remarkable growth in numbers and energy, not least through the charismatic movements in various denominations. The enormously popular “worship songs,” some of which use phrases from the Psalms here and there but most of which do not, have largely displaced, for thousands of regular and enthusiastic worshipers, the steady rhythm and deep soul-searching of the Psalms themselves. This, I believe is a great impoverishment.

By all means write new songs. Each generation must do that. But to neglect the church’s original hymnbook is, to put it bluntly, crazy. There are many ways of singing and praying the Psalms; there are styles to suit all tastes. That, indeed, is part of their enduring charm. I hope that one of the effects of this little book will be to stimulate and encourage those who lead worship in many different settings to think and pray about how to reintegrate the church’s ancient prayer book into the regular and ordinary life of their fellowships. The Psalms represent the Bible’s own spiritual root system for the great tree we call Christianity. You don’t have to be a horticultural genius to know what will happen to the fruit on the tree if the roots are not in good condition.

But I’m not writing simply to say, “These are important songs that we should use and try to understand.” That is true, but it puts the emphasis the wrong way around—as though the Psalms are the problem, and we should try to fit them into our world. Actually, again and again it is we, muddled and puzzled and half-believing, who are the problem; and the question is more how we can find our way into their world, into the faith and hope that shine out in one psalm after another.

As with all thoughtful Christian worship, there is a humility about this approach. Good liturgy, whether formal or informal, ought never to be simply a corporate emoting session, however “Christian,” but a fresh and awed attempt to inhabit the great unceasing liturgy that is going on all the time in the heavenly realms. (That’s what those great chapters, Revelation 4 and 5, are all about.) The Psalms offer us a way of joining in a chorus of praise and prayer that has been going on for millennia and across all cultures. Not to try to inhabit them, while continuing to invent nonpsalmic “worship” based on our own feelings of the moment, risks being like a spoiled child who, taken to the summit of Table Mountain with the city and the ocean spread out before him, refuses to gaze at the view because he is playing with his Game Boy.

In particular, I propose in this book that the regular praying and singing of the Psalms is transformative. It changes the way we understand some of the deepest elements of who we are, or rather, who, where, when, and what we are: we are creatures of space, time, and matter, and though we take our normal understandings of these for granted, it is my suggestion that the Psalms will gently but firmly transform our understandings of all of them. They do this in order that we may be changed, transformed, so that we look at the world, one another, and ourselves in a radically different way, which we believe to be God’s way. I hope my exposition of these themes will help to explain and communicate my own enthusiasm for the Psalms, but I hope even more that they will encourage those churches that have lost touch with the Psalms to go back to them as soon as possible, and those that use them but with little grasp of what they’re about to get inside them in a new way."

Upcoming N.T. Wright Books

The second half of this year will see the release of two important books by New Testament scholar N.T. Wright. The first, more popular, book will be The Case for Psalms: Why They Are Essential, which will be published by HarperOne in September.  You can read an excerpt from this book on the Euangelion blog here.  In this excerpt, Wright says, "In particular, I propose in this book that the regular praying and singing of the Psalms is transformative."

Secondly, and likely more significantly, Wright will release the next volume in his Christian Origins and the Question of God series in November. The two book Paul and the Faithfulness of God is the fourth volume in this series and will surely be a cause for some great discussion from Biblical scholars, pastors, and bloggers.  Here is a short description:

"This highly anticipated two-book fourth volume in N. T. Wright's magisterial series, Christian Origins and the Question of God, is destined to become the standard reference point on the subject for all serious students of the Bible and theology. The mature summation of a lifetime's study, this landmark book pays a rich tribute to the breadth and depth of the apostle's vision, and offers an unparalleled wealth of detailed insights into his life, times, and enduring impact. Wright carefully explores the whole context of Paul's thought and activity— Jewish, Greek and Roman, cultural, philosophical, religious, and imperial— and shows how the apostle's worldview and theology enabled him to engage with the many-sided complexities of first-century life that his churches were facing. Wright also provides close and illuminating readings of the letters and other primary sources, along with critical insights into the major twists and turns of exegetical and theological debate in the vast secondary literature. The result is a rounded and profoundly compelling account of the man who became the world's first, and greatest, Christian theologian."

So, if you are a fan of N.T. Wright's work, 2013 will certainly not be a disappointment.

NT Wright on the Gospel

Oh My: NT Wright Sings Genesis

 HT: Fr. Stephen

More Wright

Yeah, lots of Wright on this blog recently, but I have found much to consider in these videos that I have posted here. Also, I just starting reading his most recent book How God Became King.
(HT: Jesus Creed)

Genesis 1 and Science

What are your thoughts on this presentation?
(HT: Jesus Creed)

Three Cheers for the South Galatian Theory

NT Wright on Reading Mark for Lent

He also has a devotional entitled Lent for Everyone, Mark, Year B: A Daily Devotional which was published in January by Westminster John Knox Press that may serve as a good companion during this Lent.

The Kingdom New Testament by NT Wright

You can now view the introduction and some selections from NT Wright's translation of the New Testament here. Those of you who have purchased his For Everybody commentary series are familiar with the translation, but this is the first time it has been gathered into one volume. This hardbound edition comes in a single-column page layout, along with quite a few maps. Not sure at this point if I will be purchasing this volume. How about you?

NT Wright's New Testament?

According to HarperCollins, a new "contemporary" translation of the New Testament, done by Anglican scripture scholar NT Wright, will be released on September 27th. It will be called The King's Version. My guess, although I haven't looked into it yet, is that it will simply be the New Testament translation he did for the For Everybody series of commentaries published by Westminster John Knox Press.

Audio from Biblical Theology Conference

Earlier this past month, Wheaton College, which is a Christian college outside of Chicago, held their 19th Annual Wheaton Theology Conference. The focus of the conference was on the writings of well-known New Testament scholar and Anglican Bishop N.T. Wright, who will soon be retiring from his bishopric. The conference speakers, most notably Richard Hays, delivered papers focusing on N.T. Wright's writings dealing with Jesus and Paul. Wright was on hand, as well, and deliver his own talks, as well as to respond to criticisms and critiques from the other scholars. Thanks to the people at Wheaton College, you can listen to (and view) all of the conference speakers on their website.

Advent Contest

Well, it has been a few months since I had a contest on this blog, so I think now is as good a time as ever to have another one. Consider it a "Catholic Bibles Advent Contest".

Prizes:
1) New paperback edition of the Saint Benedict Press Douay-Rheims Bible. Enjoy the Christmas season with this old classic!

2) A copy of NT Wright's book Contemporary Quest for Jesus by Fortress Press. You can take this handy little volume anywhere you go. Unfortunately, it is too small to beat over the heads of your Jesus Seminar friends. ;)


Contest:
The winner must be the first one to answer the following questions correctly. You have one chance to answer, since I will not accept multiple entries by the same person. The entry deadline is Friday, December 11, at Noon EST. Make sure to have your name at the end of your entry. I will announce the winner in the comment box on Friday or Saturday. Sorry, but I will only ship to locations in North America.


Contest Questions:

1) Who is the person credited with dating the birth of Christ, thus establishing the use of B.C. and A.D. ? What year did he do this?

2) According to tradition (lower case "t"), what are the names of the Three Kings and what kingdoms did they rule?

3) Which of the four major basilicas did I not visit during my recent trip to Rome? (Take a guess)

Update: Winner announced in Comment Box!

NT Wright + NIV = Not Friends

Over the weekend, I began to read NT Wright's newest book Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision. So far, like many of Wright's books, I have enjoyed what I have read. Wright, at least to me, reads like he speaks. Maybe that isn't always a good thing, but for books like Justification, which aren't too terribly long or technical, I somewhat enjoy it. While the topic of "justification in Paul" is an extremely important topic for all Christians, it is also nice to view this debate, between the two Protestant's Wright and Piper, merely as an outsider. I hope to blog more on Wright's main points in the near future.

Until then, one section of the book that immediately struck me, particularly since I am always interested in Bible translations, is located in the section on "Rules of Engagement". Here, on pages 51-53, Wright takes issue with how the NIV translates Paul. (For all you fellow Catholics who may not be aware of the NIV, it is the best selling, most widely read English translation of the Bible in the world. It is a mediating translation, that is neither too literal nor dynamic. In many ways it mirrors the NAB, but is far more smooth and consistent.) He begins by stating that he had recommended use of the NIV early in the 1980's, believing that it injected "no extra paraphrasing or interpretative glosses (51)." However, over a two year period, while lecturing with the NIV and the Greek text, he discovered that "the translators had had another principle, considerably higher than the stated one: to make sure that Paul should say what broadly Protestant and evangelical tradition said he said (52)." He follows that up by saying: "I do know that if a church only, or mainly, relies on the NIV it will, quite simply, never understand what Paul was talking about (52)." Ouch! He sites the NIV translation of Romans 3:21-26 & 29 as a major problem, particularly in its use of dikaiosu.

Now, again, I read Wright's critique as an outsider. I do not use the NIV, although I own a copy of the TNIV, which from time to time I will refer to when doing ecumenical Bible studies. While I have never examined, verse-by-verse, the (T)NIV, seeking to find its merits and problems, I have always appreciated its readability.

One thing that caught my attention is that it took Wright two years to discover the problems with the NIV. I would think that he would have noticed them much quicker. Yet, this may serve as a good example, either way, of why it is better not to promote or condemn a particular translation based simply on other peoples opinion, but only after using the translation over a year or two period. I know that some of the Bible blogs that I frequent feel this way about the TNIV, which some have condemned from the beginning.

I know, personally, that I always stayed away from the NRSV because I read forum comments by people who hated its use of inclusive language. Because of that, I really never gave it a serious read. However, I decided over a year ago to pick up a copy, just to have, and since then I have come to use it more and more. While I still don't like some of its inclusive language choices, I do appreciate many of it's other good qualities, which for me, sets it apart from other translations which have Catholic editions.

I should also point out that Wright does mention that "the NIV has now been replaced with newer adaptations in which some at least of the worst features have, I think, been at least modified (52)?" Any thoughts on that?

NT Wright, Justification, and the New Perspective

Scot McKnight, who is a popular Protestant speaker and biblical scholar, has begun posting his thoughts on the new book by NT Wright which deals with the issue of St. Paul and justification. The book is in response to criticism Wright has faced from Christians of the Reformed tradition, most notably the very influential John Piper. Wright is in favor of the "New Perspective of Paul" school, which was built by such prominent biblical scholars as EP Sanders and James Dunn. If you would like to read a brief overview of the "New Perspective", you can go here and here.

Below is a description of Wright's new book:
The work of Anglican bishop N. T. Wright on the topic of justification and Paul has provoked a focused yet enthusiastic wave of controversy in certain theological circles. Reformed theologian and pastor John Piper has recently published a strong critique of his ideas. This book is Wright's gracious yet pointed response to Piper and others who would claim that his understanding of the doctrine of justification is potentially dangerous and even destructive to the integrity of Paul's message and ultimately to the meaning of the gospel. Here Wright not only responds to his critics but also provides his most lucid explanation yet on the so-called new perspective on Paul, clarifying misunderstandings and providing a full articulation of his views. This irenic response is an important contribution for those on both sides of the debate-and those still in between. Whether you're a fan of Wright's work or have read Piper's book and would like to know the other side of the story, here is a chance to interact with Wright's views on the issues at stake and form your own conclusions.

The introductory post, at Scot McKnight's Jesus Creed Blog can be read here, followed by the most recent here. While this is a "purely Protestant debate", as Scot points outs, I think it is essential that all Christians, including Catholics, keep up on these important debates within Christendom. I plan to pick up Wright's book sometime this week, since I now have plenty of time to do more reading with graduate course work being all completed! Yippie!

If anyone is interested, perhaps we could have a series of discussions on this blog about the issues focused on in Wright's new book. Yeah, that's right, a "Catholic Perspective on the New Perspective of Paul". If interested, please indicate in the comment box. Obviously, you will need to pick up the book in the next week or so.

NT Wright @ Synod of Bishops in Rome

Noted Biblical scholar, and Anglican bishop, N.T. Wright attended the October Synod of Bishops in Rome. It's theme was "the Word of God". While we may not see the fruits of this Synod for some time, Bp. Wright has some reflections on what he took from the Synod.

"Three months ago I had the privilege of being the Anglican Fraternal Delegate at the Synod of Bishops in Rome. The topic was "the word of God", and it quickly became clear that it carried enormous ecumenical implications.....continue.

By the way, recently I have been trying to re-read Wright's Paul: In Fresh Perspective but have been occupied by reading for Trinity/Christology class. Hopefully I can pick it up sometime this weekend, but that will depend on how fast I can get through St. Gregory of Nazianzus' Third and Fourth Theological Orations.

Update: I spotted a talk by NT Wright on the NT Wright Page sight. It was recorded this past January at the Catholic Cathedral Church of St. Mary in the UK. While the main talk is centered on Paul, Bp. Wright does speak briefly in the beginning about his experiences at the Synod of Bishops.