Speaking of Bibles....

[jenk]

Been meaning to blog this for a while. I thought it was a good example of the different ways that the Bible is presented. These are from introductions to Revelations in two different children's Bibles, discussed in episcopal. The first is from the NIrV Children's Bible, aimed at younger kids:

John wrote the book of Revelation. The Roman rulers wanted to punish John. They made him live all by himself. They put him on an island. His family lived in the city. Jesus gave John a dream. It was about the future. John wrote about the dream in the book of Revelation.

It was hard to be a Christian. John wanted Christians to trust God. He said God takes care of everything on earth. John's dream showed that Jesus is our judge. Jesus will punish all evil. Jesus will take all Christians to heaven. Jesus has more power than men.

The super-short sentences and limited vocabulary I can deal with in a book aimed at kids, but I think there could be a lot more context laid about Revelation. For example, part of what the NRSV Children's Bible says:

The book of Revelation is a type of writing called an apocalypse. Apocalypse means "to uncover" or "to reveal." This type of writing usually describes a battle between good and evil by using strange images, codes, and symbols. "Revelation" is another word for "apocalypse." It contains many visions and symbols similar to those found in parts of Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Symbolic books such as Revelation have sometimes been used to try to predict future events, including the end of the world. But Jesus warned against trying to do so. Speaking about the end of the world, he said, "but of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (Mark 13:32).

John wrote to encourage the Christians of the Roman Empire to be faithful to Christ even while suffering. He wanted them to know that the worst possible persecution could not defeat God's plan for Jesus Christ and his followers. He did not criticize Rome by name because anyone found with the book would have been in great danger. Instead, he used code words. He referred to Rome as "Babylon," the ancient enemy of the people of Israel and Judah. The Romans would not have understood, but Christians, who were familiar with Old Testament writings, would have. We have trouble understanding some parts of this book because we do not know what all of the symbolic words and images mean. But there is no doubt about the main message: God will finally triumph over every evil here on earth and in the world to come.

This is one of the key differences between various types of Christians: those who believe the Bible is mostly or all literal fact, and those who believe the Bible teaches God's truth.