Red-Letter Bibles
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Peter Head (Tyndale House, University of Cambridge) has an interesting post wondering if red-letter Bibles are so bad after all.
Also of interest may be this post by Allan Fisher on the origin of red-letter Bibles.
Update: Link fixed; sorry.
Also of interest may be this post by Allan Fisher on the origin of red-letter Bibles.
Update: Link fixed; sorry.
posted by JT at Thursday, May 15, 2008
9 Comments:
Justin,
I just went to check out Peter Head's link about red-letter Bibles and I got a "The blog you were looking for was not found" message. Perhaps you mistyped the url? Thank you for all your work. I really appreciate your blog and your Owen books.
Jason Dalton
Justin
Your link is bad, I think this is the link http://is.gd/gZ9
Michael
Thanks for the link, Justin (the link didn't work, but if you go to that blog it's currently the most recent post).
I like the red letters for a simple, practical reason: they help me find things I'm looking for. Whether I'm looking for something I know one of the evangelists said, or looking for something I know Jesus said, having the red text helps me find it.
Jim
The only error in the link is that it should be .html rather than .htm
Just fix that and it should take you right there.
Or just go to http://evangelicaltextualcriticism.blogspot.com and you are good to go :)
I don't like red letter bibles because of the implication that the rest of Scripture is not the words of Christ or that it is second-rate. But they are also self-defeating. Read text on a white background dramatically reduces readability compared to black text. Far from highlighting the words of Christ, it makes it harder to read them!
Sure, the reasoning sounds admirable. But drawing nearer to the great Founder of the Faith is every bit as much a black letter affair as red. Search [implies ALL!] the Scriptures for it is they that speak of HIM (and from Him, if the Bible is also to be believed about itself).
I think putting a page divider that says "New testament" after Malachi is a bad thing
:)
The way which "red letter Bibles" are being misused by Tony Campolo et. al. makes me think it was probably a bad idea from the start. J. Gresham Machen's "The Origin of Paul's Religion" is a reminder that people have been trying (wrongly and tragically) to divide the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles for a long time.
Dan Erickson
Bah, nothing's wrong with red color denoting Christ's words spoken on earth. All the other (black) words (OT & NT alike) all point to Him, anyway. ;)
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