Geoffrey's Notebook

Week 13—1st John Bible Nerd-Study *Missed last week? Click here for 1st John Bible Nerd-Study - Week 12 The link below is a compared version of the Revised Version and the American Standard Version. These two translations are sister translations. Originally, all of these translators worked together. But the Americans felt the British were being too liberal in certain ways so they wanted to do their own version that was more exact and conservative. They agreed to wait (20 years about) before releasing it. In this attachment, you can see what the differences were between the two with 1st John. In this case, not too many but a few pretty essential ones. And remember, it is completely okay that these translations are almost exactly the same since the very same translators all worked together on both of them. It's possible that the ASV is the very best translation we have in the English language for balancing exactness to the original along with proper use of the English langua...

Week 12—1st John Bible Nerd-Study *Missed last week? Click here for 1st John Bible Nerd-Study - Week 12 Paraphrase! 1:1-4 + read 1 John in your normal translation. So we enjoyed our reading of the Phillips translation and I believe it is a great example of what a paraphrase ought to be. It's not perfect and unsearchable like the real Scriptures. Think of it like you are explaining a verse to someone who doesn't get it. "in other words" = paraphrase We have been meditating and memorizing the first 4 verses. Now we want to go a step further and paraphrase it. Remember that we are all limited. No paraphrase can be perfect according to the Scripture because by default it is going to be watered down or limited in focus. But let's explain these 4 verses in a paraphrase. Consider who it is for. One may do it for their peer and another may do it for a child. If you have a unique audience in mind (uneducated, ESL, child, scholar, yourself 20 years ago, etc.) ple...

Week 11—1st John Bible Nerd-Study *Missed last week? Click here for 1st John Bible Nerd-Study - Week 10 Memorize 1 John 1:1-4 Read from the Phillips paraphrase version. This week we're going to memorize the first 4 verses (1 John 1:1-4). We already contemplated them as daily manna. Now we want to purpose to memorize them. For memory use your good study translation (no paraphrases or slight paraphrases). For reading, we'll use the Phillips paraphrase. It's one of the better ones. Remember that it's a paraphrase and not a word-for-word translation. So this brother is trying to express the thought. Because of that, he cannot put it into verses exactly but uses clusters of verses. You'll see that in the references. Some parts of this paraphrase will not match the full light that we have in the verses so you may be bothered. That's the problem with any paraphrase, it is limited to the person's understanding as well as what they are currently emphasizi...

Week 10—1st John Bible Nerd-Study *Missed last week? Click here for 1st John Bible Nerd-Study - Week 9 Normal translation + 4 flashcards The new feature this week is that we are going to focus on a verse each day. For Wed through Saturday, take one verse for each day starting in 1 John 1:1. We are going to "chew" on one verse all day like the Israelites ate the manna in the wilderness all day. You could prepare some of the verses today, or you could write it out tomorrow morning. Read the verse in the morning prayerfully. Pause at least once during the day and read the verse prayerfully. And before going to bed, have a last pause to read or chew on the verse. One reason for having the verse on a flashcard is so you can carry it with you all day. You could keep it with your phone and then remember the verse each time you grab it. Or set it out at the kitchen window while doing dishes. I usually set mine out at my desk while working at the computer. Another reaso...

Week 9—1st John Bible Nerd-Study *Missed last week? Click here for 1st John Bible Nerd-Study - Week 8 Darby (See link below) + prepare for Manna and memory. This week we'll read in the Darby translation. Either read in a physical Darby or with the attachment. We want to notice his paragraph breaks. They are based on hints from the Greek text so this time they're more useful than other times based on logic or someone's outline. Since this translation is a fresh translation (not based on KJV) we'll read it once without comparing it with any others. This translation was meant for study and was not built for reading out loud. It is too exact. Darby himself recommended people still read with KJV since it reads so well. But for Bible study his translation is amazing. The RV translation that we just read consulted with Darby's text throughout their own translation. It is commonly marked with the final date of 1890 but his first release was in 1867. A...

Week 8—1st John Bible Nerd-Study *Missed last week? Click here for 1st John Bible Nerd-Study - Week 7 Read 1st John in the Revised Version (RV) and compare it with the King James Version (KJV). (See link below) On the attached document of 1st John you'll notice that KJV differences are crossed out in red and RV differences are in blue. This way you can quickly see what was "revised." The Revised Version is really the first recognized attempt to update KJV. It came out around 1885 in different sections. Some of the famous translators were Westcott and Hort (which some would recognize as the names on the famous Greek Text of the NT - WH. This RV version (or the American update to it ASV) was used by many of the famous students of the Bible up until recent times. Please continue to ask the Lord for something to share as you're reading. Also, remember that each time we're reading we are open for the Lord to adjust our understanding of the outline and re...

Week 7—1st John Bible Nerd-Study *Missed last week? Click here for 1st John Bible Nerd-Study - Week 6 Read 1 John in the KJV translation (attached). If you read online or in a KJV Bible you own, be sure to ignore the chapter breaks and any subheadings there may be. I know we can all find KJV online or on our shelves but the version in the link below has the text to where you barely notice the chapter breaks. We want to have that mindset when outlining because the chapter breaks are sometimes misleading. See if anything stands out to you differently this time. If you haven't been using KJV you may notice some additional text from what you've been reading. Please continue to ask the Lord for something to share as you're reading. It has been very helpful for all of us. 1 John (KJV) Text Done with this week's assignment? Click here for the next assignment.