So many books, so little time...

Because "the early bird gets the worm," added to the pagan adage that "might makes right," I'm going to chase Michael's rabbit.

Outside of assigned texts for class, probably the best extra-biblical work that I'm enjoying now is Leland Ryken's The Word of God in English. It's a fabulous critique of modern translation theory, and Ryken's pen is particularly poignant when he writes of the necessity for modern translations to reflect the literary beauty of the Greek manuscripts in English syntax. This is sounding like a book review, isn't it? Well, if you get four nerds on the same plot of cyberspace then they're going to see who has the fanciest sliderule and the shiniest pocket protector, right? Here's a quick slice from Ryken, identifying the societal conditions that facilitated and fueled the shift to dynamic equivalency (NIV, NLT, TNIV, etc.) in the late 1960's:

1. A lack of alternatives to the King James Bible at a time when it was badly showing its age.
2. An antiestablishment and antitraditional spirit that welcomed translations that seemed novel and modern.
3. A loss of appreciation for, or even ability to recognize, literary excellence.
4. A new preference for colloquialism over formality in written discourse.
5. A general laziness that has increasingly resulted in an obsession with making virtually all pursuits, including Bible reading, easy (Ryken, 15).

That's the best extra-biblical read I've seen lately. I highly recommend this work!