Although somewhat late, Daniel and Tonya over at Hebrew and Greek Reader have responded to a question that John Hobbins posed a while back regarding a snafu that Rob Bell made in a video. Everyone else has already done enough to point out that Bell is wrong, and why people really should learn the Biblical languages. I want to pick up on two things that D&T state, and add some of my own thoughts.
1. If people don’t know the Biblical languages, they can’t teach the Bible – I, generally speaking, agree. However, I do want to present a caveat. Sometimes even people who don’t know the languages can have insight into a particular aspect of living life, or whatnot. Can people who don’t know Hebrew and Greek teach the Bible academically? No. Is it possible for them to dig as deeply into the text as someone who does know the languages? No. Is it possible for them to have insight into a particular passage from a faith perspective? Yes. Sometimes us younger people, even those of us who know a lot, just need to listen to those who have studied the Bible for longer, even if that study has only been in English, at least when we are talking about “applying the text” to one’s life.
2. On M.Div. degrees being theology degrees not Bible degrees – Again, I agree with D&T’s assessment here. Most people who get an M.Div. want to do theology. Those who want their theology based on the Bible still do too much theologizing for my liking. Of course, I think all theologians need to know Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic well–plus, of course, Latin (Earl, I’m looking at you). But, that is my own little dream world. What I find interesting is even at a seminary which teaches a ton of languages (Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, Syriac, Akkadian, Ugaritic, and possibly one or two others), the M.Div. students still very much want to get into a text in order to learn how to preach it. Thus one of the reasons I am officially an M.A. student, no longer an M.Div. student. I’m not saying that people in a faith community shouldn’t preach from the Bible, quite the opposite. I would, however, like to see a bit more effort to understand the text on its own terms, apart from Christian theology.
Of course, ideally pastor’s would remember their Hebrew and Greek, and teach it to their congregations. When this is lacking, then others in the church ought to be willing, able, and allowed to step in and teach those languages in a church setting. It would, I believe, revolutionize the faith of those who took advantage of such an opportunity.