A: For those who want to independently pursue the differences between Paul's theology and Mark's theology, where would you recommend they start?
J: I recommend they get a small number of well researched books to begin with. Preferably something they can write notes in. If they can only afford one book, I suggest The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha, edited by Michael D. Coogan. It comes with some good essays in the back, along with good maps. The NRSV (New Revised Standard Version) translation is sometimes not as accurate as the RSV (Revised Standard Version) translation, but on the other hand, it strives to incorporate inclusive language, which, in my view, is a positive thing.
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| Some of the research books I use in my research |
A: Do you recommend recent paraphrases of the Bible such as The Message?
J: No. Definitely not. The point of this exercise is to be as objective as possible about the actual content of the original writings of Paul and Mark, the actual cultural and religious context, and the actual intentions or motivations of Paul and Mark. Any translation of the Bible that smooths over all the bumps and scars of the original Greek documents will hide the very information we're looking for. Since the goal of books such as The Message is to emphasize the spiritual message while getting rid of the awkward, confusing bits, these interpretations of the Bible can't be used for this kind of research exercise.
A: What about the King James Version of the Bible?
J: The King James Version is just a translation like any other translation. It has no special claim to being "the" correct version of the Bible in English. It wasn't even the first English translation, which a lot of fans don't know. Apart from the fact that it's hard to read because it's written in 400 year old English, there's also the reality that the editors of this Bible didn't -- of course -- have access to recent research findings. The editors did the best they could with what they had at the time. But using a 400 year old translation of the Bible is on a par with using a 400 year old medical textbook to cure all your ills. There were some pretty strange medical remedies 400 years ago. And there were some pretty strange translations of Greek words in the KJV.
A: If readers have a chance to pick up some other books, which books would you suggest?
J: It's helpful, if possible, to have a good Concordance. A Concordance helps you track the usage of specific Greek words in the New Testament and specific Hebrew words in the Hebrew Scriptures. It's a useful research tool.
A: What else?
J: A synopsis chart that shows the parallels among the four gospels is very handy. It saves you from reinventing the wheel when it comes to comparisons among the stories included in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
A: For anyone who's interested, the Synopsis (Greek for "seen together") that I use is Synopsis of the Four Gospels, English Edition, edited by Kurt Aland (New York: American Bible Society, 1982).
J: I also recommend a general introduction to the study of the New Testament for those who are getting their feet wet for the first time. You don't have to believe every single word the modern author writes, but you'll get a feel for some of the vocabulary, some of the major questions in biblical research, some of the major "names" in biblical research. I recommend books written by non-evangelical Christians because evangelical Christians rarely approach biblical scholarship with academic objectivity. Choose an introductory book carefully. If you're a person who needs a lot of visual information in order to make sense of a new topic, then pick a book with good illustrations and maps. If you're a person who learns in mathematical ways, then pick a book with lots of charts and tables. Each person needs to find the introductory book that works best for his or her own learning style.
A: Based on my own experience, I'd also say "Don't go for the thickest book with the most pages and the longest bibliography!" It's too much at first. It's too confusing. Pick a shorter book written for a lay audience or for an introductory undergraduate course. That way you'll actually be able to learn something!
J: I like what your Dad said, too.
A: Oh, yeah. That's right. Good point. My 87 year old father, undaunted by all the technical jargon in my Master's paper, used Wikipedia every time he came across a theological term he didn't understand. He read my paper twice, then start arguing with me about it! He said he found Wikipedia quite useful for explaining theological ideas he'd never heard of before. Scientific American is usually more his style. And Maclean's. He enjoys reading Maclean's.
J: Maclean's doesn't mind tackling theological topics from time to time.
A: Especially right before Easter, when hot Christian topics sell best, as my New Testament professor loved to point out. It was the Maclean's March 31, 2008 cover story on "The Jesus Problem" (by Brian Bethune) that tipped me off to Barrie Wilson's book How Jesus Became Christian (Toronto: Random House Canada, 2008). I was so relieved to finally have a respectable professor I could quote in my papers, a professor who thought, as I already did, that Paul and Jesus weren't teaching the same thing at all. Wilson gives lots of good historical background in his book, and bravely goes out on a limb to say that the author of Luke + Acts wrote his two books to try to stitch together Paul's Christ Movement and Jesus' own movement. His book is definitely worth reading -- though for the record I don't agree with Wilson's focus on the Gospel of Matthew.
J: Which we'll get to.
A: Eventually, yes, if we can ever stop talking about other stuff!
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