Relevant Study Bibles - Harriet Hill

Extracted text from BT-61-4-2010-Hill.pdf:

BT Vol. 61, No. 4: 191-207

Relevant Study Bibles Harriet Hill

harrietswanniehill@gmail.com The author is transitioning from the role of International Scripture Use Coordinator with SIL to the role of Director of Scripture Engagement Content with the American Bible Society.

Introduction Study Bibles in English abound, but is the information they provide relevant? Following a 2004 house fire, I used insurance money to replace my ruined books. Convinced of the importance of background information for understanding Scripture, I purchased a number of study Bibles, expecting that between them I would have a wealth of information. I was not so much looking for general information about geography, flora and fauna, or history, but for specific contextual information that the author would have assumed the audience knew and could use to help them understand the passage. In this paper, I briefly explain the role of contextual information in communication and the conceptual tools Relevance Theory provides. These tools allow us to distinguish between information that contributes to the understanding of a passage and that which does not. After a brief analysis of Luke 10.1314, Ievaluate the helps provided in eight study Bibles and suggest a footnote for the Adioukrou of Ivory Coast, where I served on the Bible translation team. Finally, I propose a process and principles for developing relevant helps. These can be used in a variety of ways: to develop extra-textual helps for Bibles, to identify background information to include in Bible story sets, or to develop helps for Bible studies. Communication basics People dont say what they mean. This statement may be shocking, because the words and sentences people say do mean something. However, the meaning of an utterance falls short of the speakers meaning. For example, if I say, Its four oclock, the utterance meaning is clearthe time is four oclock, but you would not be satisfied that you had understood what I meant until you knew why I said it. The speakers meaning is highly context-dependent. For example, in one context, Its four oclock might mean its time for tea. Elsewhere it might mean were late for a flight, or its time to start a meeting. Depending on context, the same words could mean opposite things: Lets take a break or Lets start

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working. It is the speakers meaning that is most interesting to us. The utterance meaning serves to guide us to it. But how? Hearers supply context. Context is the information that comes to an audiences mind when they hear an utterance and that they use to infer the speakers meaning. Consider this example: 1. Mother: Do you like your new teacher? 2. Daughter: He comes to school on a big motorcycle. Despite the lack of a direct answer, the mother understands that the daughter likes the new teacher. How does this happen? Speakers guess what their hearers know, and say just enough to stimulate certain things they think their audience knows, so that between what is said and what they know, hearers understand the speakers meaning. As we search for the speakers meaning, our minds simultaneously adjust our hypotheses about the text meaning, the context, and the interpretation until we find a combination that makes sense to us. When we are satisfied we have understood the speakers meaning, we stop processing.

Relevance Theory refers to this feeling of making sense as experiencing cognitive effects. Cognitive effects are changes in what we know. They can add new implications, strengthen thoughts we already have, or erase thoughts. The more cognitive effects, the more relevant. In the example above, the mother didnt know whether her daughter liked the new teacher. The cognitive effect the mother experienced was the new implication that she liked him. Premise1: The new teacher rides to school on a big motorcycle (stated explicitly). Premise2: The daughter likes people who ride big motorcycles (contextual assumption supplied). Conclusion: The daughter likes the new teacher (cognitive effect: new implication). If the mother already had an assumption about her daughters view of the teacher, this new implication would either strengthen or erase it.

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Because speakers usually want to be understood, they try to make it as easy as possible for hearers to understand their intended meaning. This allows hearers to take the first interpretation that makes sense as the one the speaker intended. A surprising amount of the time, this process succeeds in getting the speakers meaning across. Some of the contextual information we use in our search for meaning is information that is not represented in the text at all, as in the example above. We also use contextual information to fill out the text so that it is fully specified that is, details of specific times, places, people, and concepts are spelled out. For example, the mother has to determine the referent of he, which school is being referred to, and how big big is (as big as an elephant, a Harley-Davidson, or a large grapefruit). We also have to fill ellipses and decide the intended senses of any ambiguous words. This comprehension procedure our minds use can be summarized as follows: 1. Take the path of least effort. 2. Search for meaning until we get enough cognitive effects to satisfy our expectations. 3. Assume weve arrived at the intended meaning and stop processing. Communication has to be relevant enough for us to continue the effort of processing. This depends on at least two things: 1. The cognitive effects we experience must be worth the effort it takes to process the communication. Speakers do not ask their audiences to process information unnecessarily. Hearers look for an interpretation that accounts for the effort they have been asked to make. For example, if someone says, Be here at 2:00 exactly, we expect more meaning than if they had said, Be here at 2:00. 2. The cognitive effects we experience must satisfy our expectation of relevance. This varies for different communication events. We may have a very low expectation of relevance for a greeting, but a very high expectation for a lecture. We feel we have understood a speaker when we experience enough cognitive effects to satisfy our expectations. Then we stop processing. In primary communication, which is addressed to us directly, our subconscious minds work all this out instantly. In secondary communication, where a message designed for one audience is given to another, more conscious analysis may be necessary to understand the speakers meaning, especially when the original communication is as ancient as the Bible. The text is the evidence we have, but the context and the intended interpretation go beyond what was written. We can do our best to work out the authors intended meaning by considering what they would have guessed their original hearers context to be. This is a cyclical process of hypothesis testing, very similar to the process our minds use in primary communication situations. However, in secondary communication we are not entitled to take the first interpretation that makes sense as the intended one.

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Our intuitions may not serve us well. We need to be more cautious and identify the context the author thought would come to mind for the first audience. We can test whether the interpretation we have identified is the intended one by asking these questions: 1. Would the contextual information our interpretation relies on have been shared by the original author and audience? 2. Does the contextual information lead to cognitive effects? If not, it would have been rejected by the audience. 3. Would the contextual information have come to mind quickly for the audience? Was it used recently or frequently? If it was difficult to access, it probably was not the intended context. 4. Is the interpretation something the author could and would communicate? Is it compatible with his abilities and preferences (Sperber and Wilson 1995, 270)? Interpretations that clash with what we know about the author are disqualified. For example, Jesus cannot intend us to understand the instruction to tear out ones eye (Matt 5.29) literally, as this calls for self-mutilation, which is incompatible with Jesus preferences shown elsewhere. 5. Does the interpretation account for the effort the author asked his readers to make? If an unusual construction or term is used that requires extra processing, does our interpretation show the added meaning this has communicated? While there is much we dont know about the original communication situation, biblical scholars are uncovering more and more evidence that can guide our understanding of Scripture. We are at least better able to explain why certain interpretations are more likely than others. To evaluate the information supplied in study Bibles for a specific passage, we first need to understand the intended implications of the passage. For this we now turn to Luke 10.1314. Luke 10.1314: What audiences need to know Luke 10 tells the story of Jesus sending seventy disciples on a mission. He explains how they should act when they are well-received and when they are rejected. He then speaks to the disciples as if he were speaking to the people of Bethsaida and Chorazinperhaps remembering when he preached in those towns. He laments the judgment they will face, and then speaks similarly of Capernaum. He ends by saying, Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sentme. Why is Jesus saying this to his disciples? The point stressed here is that to reject the messenger is to reject the One who sent him (cf. John 20.21), and in turn to reject God who sent Jesus (Green 1997). Jesus is authorizing them to act in his name as agents of the Kingdom of God. Why is Luke writing this to his audience? Would they also need to know that they were agents of the Kingdom of God, and that some would accept their message and others would reject it, to their great peril?

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I will limit my evaluation of the study Bible helps to vv. 1314: 13

How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible for you too, Bethsaida! If the miracles which were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have long ago sat down, put on sackcloth, and sprinkled ashes on themselves, to show that they had turned from their sins! 14God will show more mercy on the Judgment Day to Tyre and Sidon than to you. (GNB)

I have listed some of the information an audience would need to know to understand the speakers meaning. A fuller analysis can be found in Gutt 2006. Even with a dynamic equivalence translation like GNB, todays audiences still lack a lot of the information they need to understand the authors meaning. Some parts of the text the audience has to fill out: Chorazin, Bethsaida, Tyre, and Sidon are towns. Judgment day is at the end of the world when God judges everyone. Sackcloth is a kind of cloth worn to show mourning. Ashes also were a sign of mourning. (Repentance is made explicit in GNB.) Contextual assumptions not in the text, that the audience needs to supply: 1. Chorazin and Bethsaida were inhabited by Jews. 2. Tyre and Sidon were Gentile towns singled out repeatedly by Old Testament prophets for severe divine judgment because of their great sinfulness. 3. The miracles were done by Jesus as part of his ministry in Chorazin and Bethsaida. 4. Jesus had also called the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida to repentance. 5. Mighty works were seen as divine authentications of spiritual ministry. 6. The miracles Jesus did in Chorazin and Bethsaida authenticated his divine authority. 7. In spite of this, the Jews living in these towns had not followed Jesus call to repentance. 8. The people of Chorazin and Bethsaida thought they were more godly than the people of Tyre and Sidon. 9. The people of Chorazin and Bethsaida thought Jews were more godly than Gentiles. 10. The people of Chorazin and Bethsaida thought they would be approved by God on Judgment Day. 11. The people of Chorazin and Bethsaida thought the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon would be punished severely on Judgment Day. 12. The people of Chorazin and Bethsaida thought God would punish all Gentiles more harshly than Jews on Judgment Day. 13. The people of Chorazin and Bethsaida thought that being approved by God depended on being Jewish.

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Contextual implication: Since Jesus miracles would have moved the notoriously sinful Gentiles of Tyre and Sidon to repentance, the Jews in Chorazin and Bethsaida are much worse off than those Gentiles and need to repent of their sins. The relevance of this passage is due to the fact that Jesus eliminates or contradicts several of the assumptions of his audience, specifically, assumptions 813 above. Evaluating eight study Bibles My main criterion for evaluating the helps provided in study Bibles is: Does the information help the reader understand the passage? If the audience is able to access the intended context, they should be able to infer the intended implications. The context an audience needs depends on the kind of reader the study Bible has in view. However, the intended readership of study Bibles is usually stated as generally as possible, so as not to put off possible readers. The introductions to study Bibles sometimes list other goals, and I also evaluate how they did according to those goals. The kind of study Bible helps I am looking for: provide contextual assumptions that the audience does not already know; provide information that contributes to the intended interpretation; provide information that is true, according to the best biblical scholarship; bridge the new information to the audiences existing knowledge so they have a context in which to process the new information. In this limited study I have not evaluated the introductions, glossary items associated with the passages, other helps, or the possibility of application questions, but have restricted my attention to the helps supplied for this passage. CEV Learning Bible: The unbelieving towns The CEV Learning Bibles goal is stated in its introduction: Whether you began reading the Bible as a child or whether you are taking on this challenge now for the first time, the Learning Bible will help you get the most out of the time you set aside for this important educational and spiritual experience (7). It is designed for people with limited Bible knowledge. Text: 13You people of Chorazin are in for trouble! You people of Bethsaida are also in for trouble! If the miracles that took place in your towns had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have turned to God long ago. They would have dressed in sackcloth and put ashes on their heads. 14On the day of judgment the people of Tyre and Sidon will get off easier than you will. (CEV) Note #1 on v. 13: Chorazin . . . Bethsaida . . . Tyre and Sidon: Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum were Jewish towns on the northern end of Lake Galilee. Tyre and Sidon were important non-Jewish port cities on the Mediterranean Sea Coast. See the map on p. 2375. While the people in these Jewish towns did not respond to Jesus message and miracles, Jesus says that the people in cities like Tyre and Sidon would be more willing to turn to God.

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The CEV Learning Bible identifies Bethsaida and Chorazin as Jewish towns, and Tyre and Sidon as non-Jewish cities, but it does not supply the contextual assumption that Tyre and Sidon were renowned for their wickedness, nor the information that Jews thought they would enter the Kingdom of God based on their ethnicity. The details on geographical location reduce relevance by increasing processing costs without contributing to the intended implications. They assume more geographical knowledge than some uninitiated readers possess. The considerable effort needed to process the information leads to no gain in cognitive effects. Restating what is clear in the text is not relevant, as it requires processing with no increase in cognitive effects. For this reason, the last statement of this note (While the people . . . to God) is not relevant. Note #2 on v. 13: Sackcloth and . . . ashes: Sackcloth is dark cloth (see Rev 6:12) made of camels hair or goats hair. The Greek word for ashes in this verse refers to a kind of smoky soot. People wore sackcloth or put ashes on their head in times of deep sadness or when they wanted to show that they were sorry for their sins (see Esth 4:1; Job 2:8). Knowing the color or origin of the cloth does not result in more cognitive effects and so decreases the relevance of this passage. Most translations probably already communicate that this is a special kind of cloth. For example, Adioukrou uses the word fandi, the burlap sacks used to store grain. In the same vein, knowing the exact kind of ashes is not necessary to infer the intended meaning. The important thing is not the quality of the ashes but the reason people put them on their heads, as explained in the last sentence of the note. Note #3 on v. 14: day of judgment: This day was expected to be a time when God would judge the people of the world. Those who put their trust in Christ will be saved, but those who did not will experience Gods anger and punishment (see Matt 13:4750; 25:3146; John 12:4450). See also the mini-article called day of the Lord, p. 1622. The first sentence of this note is relevant. But the note does not explain the Jewish view of what would happen to Jews and Gentiles on Judgment Day. Instead, it provides good evangelistic teaching which, while true, is not directly related to this passage. While the information on Judgment Day is partly provided in the mini-article mentioned, the effort required to access it is probably beyond the level most readers are willing to invest. The CEV Learning Bible notes on these verses send the reader to six other passages and two maps and a mini-article. While this information is relevant for other goals such as general knowledge of Bible times, it is not relevant to the understanding of these passages. Often, rather than being highly relevant, the reader struggles to find any logical link whatsoever. Having studied the text and the notes of the CEV Learning Bible, readers would still be missing some key contextual assumptions: 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. Without these, they would miss many of the intended implications

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and other cognitive effects, and so would miss much of the relevance of the text for the first audience. African Study Bible: Woe to unrepentant cities The African Study Bible responds to Pope John Paul IIs appeal that: In order that the Word of God may be known, loved, pondered and preserved in the hearts of the faithful (cf. Lk 2:19, 51), greater efforts must be made to provide access to the Sacred Scriptures, especially through full or partial translations of the Bible, prepared as far as possible in cooperation with other Churches and Ecclesial Communities and accompanied by study-guides for use in prayer and for study in the family and community. The introduction goes on to explain, To answer the needs of the African people and the invitation of John Paul II echoing the voice of the African Bishops, the Daughters of St. Paul courageously undertook the project of publishing a Bible for the people of Africa (9). How well does this study Bible help Africans understand the authors meaning? Text: 13Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you. (NAB) Note #1: The principle applies: to whom much is given, of them much is expected. The African Study Bible gives (what they believe to be) the intended implication rather than providing the audience with the contextual assumptions they would need to infer the intended implication themselves. In addition, while the contents of the note are true, the note is not adequate. The text requires much more processing than necessary for this implication. Jesus is not just saying that these towns should have repented because of the miracles they saw. He is contrasting these self-righteous Jews with very wicked Gentiles and attacking their belief of their religious superiority based on ethnicity. The Holy Gospel: The unbelieving towns The Holy Gospel was published by the United Bible Societies of the Asia Pacific Region, and is intended for those interested in learning about the life and teaching of Jesus the Messiah (Isa Al Masih) and his followers. The editors go on to spell out their goal: Since the various parts of the New Testament were written almost two thousand years ago, several types of information have been provided to help the reader understand the situation and culture of that time. (vii) Although not stated, it is apparent from the formatting and reference to Isa Al Masih that the intended audience is people from a Muslim background.

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This edition is based on the GNB text (as printed above, p. 195) and provides the following notes: Note #1: To reject the good news proclaimed by Jesus is to bring judgment on oneself. The Holy Gospel is much like the African Study Bible in that it gives an implication that is true but not adequate. It misses the point that Jesus is challenging the Jews notion of ethnic and religious superiority and is calling them to repent. Note #2: Miracles Literally, powerful acts (Greek dunameis), referring to the acts of healing, raising the dead, casting out evil spirits, etc., done by Jesus as signs of Gods power. For many audiences, the concept miracles would already bring the things listed in this note to mind, and reprocessing this information would not bring any additional cognitive effects. Giving the Greek word used for miracles is not likely to be relevant, as the intended audience is not likely to know Greek and so would not have a context in which to process this information. The final part of the note hints at the most important information about miracles: that they serve as divine authentication of the message of the miracle worker, though this could be made more explicit. Note #3: Put on sackcloth and sprinkled ashes a custom showing sorrow and repentance. The note on sackcloth and ashes is relevant for audiences who are not aware of this Jewish custom. It gives the information the audience needs to know about the custom without including unnecessary details. Muslim audiences reading the Holy Gospel would still be missing much of the contextual information necessary to infer the intended implications, including 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. Catholic Study Bible: Reproaches to unrepentant towns The Catholic Study Bible was designed to engage the reader to read Scriptures with new understanding and depth. The primary audience of the Study Bible is Roman Catholic. ... However, the editors do not wish to exclude other Christian readers. (RG1) The text is that of NAB (as above, p. 198) and the single note is as follows: Note: The call to repentance that is a part of the proclamation of the kingdom brings with it a severe judgment for those who hear it and rejectit. The note of the Catholic Study Bible supplies an implication, but the reader may not be able to see how this follows from the text. In addition, while the implication given is true, it is not sufficient. If repentance was the only intended implication, the comparison with Tyre and Sidon would be unnecessary. The note

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does not guide the audience to understand that Jesus is challenging the Jews notion of ethnic superiority and salvation based on their ethnicity. Despite the 577 pages of biblical background at the front of the Catholic Study Bible, readers would still be missing most of the intended contextual information for this passage. HarperCollins Study Bible: Woe to unrepentant cities The introduction to the HarperCollins Study Bible comments that the Bible comprises collections of books, formed and written in cultures distant from our own not only in time and space but also in character. Indeed, what is required of us as readers is rather to enter, through these texts, into another world of meaning. Only when we have sensed the peculiarity and integrity of that other world can we build a bridge of understanding between it and our own. The introductions and notes accompanying the text in the HarperCollins Study Bible are designed to provide readers with information that will make it easier to use this excellent translation [NRSV] for the deeper kind of translation readers must make for themselves: the actual encounter with the multiple worlds of meaning that these texts can reveal. (xviii) Although not stated explicitly, it seems this study Bible is addressed to Christians who are seeking to encounter Scripture on a deeper level. Does it deliver? Text: 13Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14But at the judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. (NRSV) Note #1 on v. 13: The exact location of Chorazin is unknown. Bethsaida. See note on 9.10. Tyre and Sidon, Phoenician (gentile) seacoast towns which Jesus did not visit. On the need to repent, see 3.3, 8; 11.32; 13.3,5; 15.7, 10; 16.30. Note #2 on 9.10: Bethsaida had been recently built by Herod Philip on the Sea of Galilee. The notes of the HarperCollins Study Bible ask the reader to process a lot of information, but the only part that is relevant is that Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities, and this is only given in parentheses. Irrelevant information includes: the exact location of Chorazin, the fact Bethsaida had been recently built by Herod Philip, that it was on the Sea of Galilee, that Tyre and Sidon were Phoenician cities, that they are on the seacoast, and that Jesus did not visit them. One senses an archaeologist lurking behind the notes. That Jesus did not do miracles in Tyre and Sidon is clear in the text itself and noting that he did not visit them is irrelevant. While repentance is a good thing, the cross-references given on repentance do not help the reader understand this passage better.

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For this passage, the HarperCollins Study Bible did not achieve its goal. Many of the intended contextual assumptions are missing (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13) and most of those that are provided are not relevant. NIV Study Bible: Part of the section Jesus sends out the seventy-two The purpose of the NIV Study Bible is to communicate the word of God to the hearts of people (xv). Starting from the assumption that Scripture alone, with the Holy Spirits guidance, is sufficient for believers, the introduction defends the need for a study Bible: However, the Spirit also uses people to explain Gods word to others. It was the Spirit who led Philip to the Ethiopian eunuchs chariot. . . . This interrelationship of the Scripturesso essential to understanding the complete Biblical messageis a major theme of the Study Bible notes.(xv) Given this view, the authors of the NIV Study Bible do their best to explain one Scripture passage with other Scripture passages rather than providing cultural information not found in the Bible itself. Text: 13Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.(NIV) Note #1 on v. 13: Korazin . . . Bethsaida. See note on Mt 11:21. Sackcloth and ashes. See Mt 11:21; Rev 11:3 and notes. Note #2 on Matt 11.21: Korazin. Mentioned in the Bible only twice (here and in Lk 10:13), it was near the Sea of Galilee, probably about two miles north of Capernaum. Bethsaida. On the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee. Philip the tetrarch rebuilt Bethsaida and named it Julias, after Julia, daughter of Caesar Augustus. Tyre and Sidon. Cities on the Phoenician coast north of the Holy Land (see note on Mk 7:31). Sackcloth. Here a sign of repentance (see note on Ge 37:34). Cf. Rev 6:12. Ashes. Also a sign of repentance. Note #3 on Gen 37.34: tore his clothes, put on sackcloth. Tearing ones clothes (see v. 29) and wearing coarse and uncomfortable sackcloth instead of ordinary clothes were both signs of mourning (see note on Rev 11:3). Note #4 on Rev 11.3: two witnesses: Modeled after Moses and Elijah (see notes on vv. 56). They may symbolize testifying believers in the final period before Christ returns. Or they may be two actual individuals who will be martyred for the proclamation of the truth. 1,260 days. See note on v. 2. These are months of 30 days (42 months x 30 days = 1,260 days). sackcloth: A coarse, dark cloth woven from the hair of goats or camels. It was worn as a sign of mourning and penitence (Joel 1:13; Jnh 3:56; Mt 11:21)

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With the goal of understanding Scripture with Scripture, readers enter a never-ending maze of cross-referenced notes that cause even the highly biblical literate to forget what it was they were searching for. With each additional place the reader is directed to, processing costs increase without a commensurate increase in understanding of the passage in question. For example, the information in Gen 37.34 shows that the practice of mourning in sackcloth and ashes existed in Jewish culture from the beginning. While this information might show the interrelatedness of Scripture, it does not contribute to the implications of this passage. Sending readers to Rev 11.3 is irrelevant on the same grounds, but it also requires the reader to sort through six lines of completely unrelated information before getting to the information on sackcloth. Once there, the entry gives some details that are not relevant for the comprehension of this passage, as well as some helpful information, but that information has already been given in the note on Matt 11.21. Note #5 on 10.14: Tyre and Sidon. Gentile cities in Phoenicia (see note on 6:17), north of Galilee, which had not had opportunity to witness Jesus miracles and hear his preaching as the people had in most of Galilee (see note on v. 12). Note #6 on v. 12: more bearable . . . for Sodom. Although Sodom was so sinful that God destroyed it (see Ge 18:20 and note; 19:2428; Jude 7 and note), the people who heard the message of Jesus and his disciples were even more accountable, because they had the gospel of the kingdom preached to them. that day: Judgment day. Note 5 gives more geography. The counterfactual nature of if the miracles . . . had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have . . . is clear in the text and so it is not relevant to repeat it. The reference to the note on v.12 resembles the African Study Bible and the Catholic Study Bible, leading the reader to conclude that the main inference is to whom much is given much is expected, which is not the case. For that day, v. 14 uses Judgment day, so the reader will only be confused by reading this information on that day. After reading all the notes associated with this passage in the NIV Study Bible, a person would still not know the following contextual assumptions necessary to understand it: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. NET Bible The NET Bible boasts 60,932 translators notes, and claims that it offers a vast and growing library of trustworthy content all integrated into an easy-to-use online environment. This puts high quality Bible study tools and resources within reach of the whole world without charge - a price all pastors, missionaries, Bible teachers and individuals can afford. ... ... the most comprehensive set of free resources available online, including commentaries, articles, word studies, original biblical languages and cross references all integrated into a system that empowers you to carefully study

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the Word of God and to prepare your teaching lessons quickly. (NET Bible website, http://net.bible.org/home.php, Nov. 1, 2009) While the NET Bible claims a wide audience, first on the list are pastors people with a high degree of motivation and Bible knowledge, including knowledge of biblical languages. The authors felt it would be useful for personal devotional reading, for study, and for lesson preparation. Does it accomplish its goals? Text: 13Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you! (NET) Note #1: Chorazin was a town of Galilee that was probably fairly small in contrast to Bethsaida and is otherwise unattested. Bethsaida was declared a polis by the tetrarch Herod Philip, sometime after A.D. 30. The NET Bible leads the reader to a geography and history lesson, neither of which contributes to the implications of the passage. Note #2: If: This introduces a second class (contrary to fact) condition in the Greek text. Note #3: Miracles: Or powerful deeds. Note #4: Tyre: map For location see Map 1A2; Map 2G2; Map 4A1; JP3F3; JP4F3. The attention given to the Greek grammar, alternate translation of miracles, and maps would only be relevant to quite motivated, educated readers. Note #5: Tyre and Sidon are two other notorious OT cities (Isa 23; Jer 25:22; 47:4). The remark is a severe rebuke, in effect: Even the sinners of the old era would have responded to the proclamation of the kingdom, unlike you! Sidon: map For location see Map 1A1; JP3F3; JP4F3. Note #5 communicates the fact that Tyre and Sidon are notorious cities, but readers would need to read the Isaiah and Jeremiah passages (a considerable processing cost) to learn what these cities were notorious for. The note hints that their notoriety lay in being sinners, but this is subtle and does not communicate the extreme wickedness of these people. The note still misses the Jewish view of their superiority and grounds of salvation. Without knowing these things, its not possible to understand the main point of the passage. After processing all of these notes, readers would still be missing the following contextual assumptions: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. NLT Life Application Bible (no section title) The introduction to the NLT Life Application Bible asks: Have you ever opened your Bible and asked the following: What does this passage really mean? How does it apply to my life?

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 Why does some of the Bible seem irrelevant? 	 What do these ancient cultures have to do with today? 	 I love God; why cant I understand what he is saying to me through his Word? 	 Whats going on in the lives of these Bible people? Many Christians do not read the Bible regularly. Why? Because in the pressures of daily living, they cannot find a connection between the timeless principles of Scripture and the ever-present problems of day-by-day living. ... This is why the Life Application Study Bible was developedto show how to put into practice what we have learned. (xix) Without identifying their intended audience explicitly, it appears the NLT Life Application Bible is designed to help Christians who have some exposure to the Bible but feel they do not engage with it adequately. Does it live up to its ideals in this passage? Text: 13What horrors await you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have sat in deep repentance long ago, clothed in sackcloth and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse. 14Yes, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on the judgment day than you. (NLT) Note #1: Korazin was a city near the Sea of Galilee, probably about two miles north of Capernaum. Tyre and Sidon were cities destroyed by God as punishment for their wickedness (Ezekiel 2628). The NLT Life Application Bible first provides a geography lesson, not strictly relevant to understanding the passage. While recognizing that Tyre and Sidon were wicked cities, this note does not include the key information that they were Gentile cities. And unfortunately, the information given about them is not true. Although there were prophecies of their destruction and Alexander conquered them in 332 B.C., he did not completely destroy them. Nor is there other evidence that they were ever completely destroyed. In fact, in Jesus day they were prosperous cities. Inaccurate information may result in cognitive effects, but not the intended ones. Notes need to be both relevant and true. After processing all of these notes, readers would still be missing contextual assumptions 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. The NLT Life Application Bible would not help readers find the connection between these verses and their daily life and put into practice what they have learned. In fact, the notes do not even guide readers to the intended implications. Summary We have observed that study Bibles notes betray the interests of their authors. Some authors were interested primarily in providing historical and geographical information. Others took every opportunity to present the Gospel message. Other tendencies that decreased relevance include restating what was already clear

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in the text, or sending readers off to other references and notes which were not relevant enough to be worth the effort. Although the various study Bibles purported to have different audiences in mind (Africans, people from a Muslim background, Catholics, new believers, mature believers), the notes on this passage were not contextualized for those audiences. If people were to study all eight of these study Bibles, they would have learned certain relevant information: Chorazin and Bethsaida were Jewish cities. Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities notorious for their wickedness. Sackcloth and ashes were signs of repentance. Judgment day is when God judges the world. Even sinners of old would have responded to the proclamation of the kingdom, unlike Chorazin and Bethsaida. However, much of the original context would still be unknown. In particular they would probably not be aware of items 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 on our list of contextual information. What would a relevant note look like? Turning again to the translation project Im most familiar with, many Adioukrou already have both an interest in and basic knowledge of the Bible, since the community converted en masse to Christianity in 1915. They would already be aware of the fact that miracles were signs of divine authentication, and that Bethsaida and Chorazin were towns. The translation already makes clear that sackcloth and ashes were signs of repentance. So a relevant note might say: The people of Chorazin and Bethsaida thought that on Judgment Day, God would accept them because they were Jews, and that God would condemn all non-Jews. Jesus challenges these ideas by comparing them with the people of Tyre and Sidon, two non-Jewish cities who were renowned for their wickedness. God does not accept people because of their ethnicity, but because they repent of their sins. Conclusions Relevant notes need to guide the reader to the intended implications of the passage by supplying contextual assumptions they are not already aware of. The following process can be used to identify and adjust contextual mismatches: 1. Using biblical scholarship, do your best to identify the authors intended implications, how the text was to be filled out, and the context he expected the original audience to use. 2. Define your audience clearly. 3. Identify and correct mismatches between the context that comes to mind for your audience and that of the original audience.

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a. Do they know the contextual information? If not, provide it. If so, would it come to mind quickly? Sometimes processing a reminder of known information takes less effort than recalling it from memory. b. Are there unintended contexts your audience might use that would lead them to unintended implications? Prepare materials to correct these, using whatever means are appropriate. Perhaps not all of this may be done in a study Bible format. Multiple meanssuch as topical studies, films, picture books, and so forthare often helpful. 4. Test your materials with a representative sample of your audience to see if the materials are relevant. Look for what is widely-shared and long-lasting. a. Do the materials help your audience understand the text better? b. Does your audience already know information you are supplying, and if so, can they recall it easily? If so, delete it. c. Is the bridge between the new information youre providing and their present knowledge complete? If not, identify what is missing and supply it. To avoid unhelpful helps, remember these principles: 1. Processing helps must lead the audience to infer more effects from the text than they could without the helps. If not, helps decrease relevance. 2. Repeating what is already clear from the text does not result in additional cognitive effects. 3. Ensure that all the information you supply contributes to the implications of the passage. Be especially careful for your own bias, sorting what is relevant for understanding the passage from what is relevant for another purpose. 4. Match the amount of information you give to what your audience is willing to process. 5. If you send people to the note of another passage, ensure that that note is relevant enough to offset the added effort. Provide the page number of that reference to reduce processing costs. When checking notes in the Adioukrou translation of the New Testament, one respondent said, Oh Madame. This note is very helpful. Its just the contents that need to be changed. This evaluation leads me to say the same of the English study Bibles surveyed in this paper: The concept of a study Bible is very helpful, but the contents need to be changed. We now have conceptual tools to do better. Additional Readings Gutt, Ernst August. 2008. The So-what Factor and the Original Audience. Paper presented at Bible Translation Conference: The Bible Translator and Audience Considerations, Horsleys Green, U.K., Feb. 56. . 2008. The So-what Factor and the New Audience. Paper presented at Bible Translation Conference: The Bible Translator and Audience Considerations,

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Horsleys Green, U.K., Feb. 56. Available at http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ernstaugust.gutt/. Hill, Harriet. 2006. The Bible at Cultural Crossroads: From Translation to Communication. Manchester, England: St. Jerome. . 2009. From One Mind to Another. Pages 97111 in Translators and Their Readers. Edited by Rodica Dimitriu and Miriam Shlesinger. Brussels: ditions du Hazard. Hill, Harriet, Ernst-August Gutt, Margaret Hill, and Christoph Unger. In press. Bible Translation Basics: Communicating Scripture in a Relevant Way. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International.

Study Bibles The African Bible (NAB). 1999. Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa. The Catholic Study Bible (NAB). 1990. New York: Oxford Univ. Press. The HarperCollins Study Bible (NRSV). 1993. London: HarperCollins. The Holy Gospel, Study Edition (GNB). 2001. Brisbane, Australia: UBS Asia Pacific Region. The Learning Bible (CEV). 2000. New York: ABS. Life Application Bible (NLT). 1996. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House. The NET Bible. http://net.bible.org/home.php. The NIV Study Bible. 2002. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.