For several years I lived in northern Cameroon. In this region, I knew people from various ethnic groups and of various religious backgrounds. However, these diverse peoples had in common the fact that they were all, to some degree or another, Bibleless. Most of my neighbors did not have Scriptures in their language. A few had heard that the New Testament …
Bible Translation
The Tower of Babel, Part 2
The tower of Babel is a well-known story but not necessarily a well understood event in redemptive history. In the first blogpost in this series, I argued that the tower of Babel is a reminder of something greater than human pride and divine judgment. It is a testimony to God’s mercy and common grace. God impeded our ability to communicate with each other …
Toward a Theology of Translation, Part 1
Bible translation is about far more than choosing a version. With so many Bible translations in English, it's not surprising that our first question is often about which translation is best. Yet so many ethnic groups don’t even have a first translation in their language. For many, the thought of Bible translation evokes images of missionaries in a remote …
When John Calvin Went Public
In 1534, John Calvin embraced the Reformation and experienced salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone. In response to rising persecution, Calvin fled France and sought refuge in Basel, Switzerland, arriving in January 1535. While in Basel, Calvin took on a pseudonym and sought out other French reformers. It is very likely that he met his cousin …
John Calvin on Bible Translation
In 1535, John Calvin wrote two prefaces for the newly translated French Bible, a work of his cousin Pierre Robert Olivetan. The first preface was in Latin and appeared at the front of the Bible; the second preface was in French and appeared at the beginning of the New Testament. In the second preface, Calvin introduces the reader to the New Testament and …