Journey Outside the Camp

NLTInterlinear.com

Tyndale Publishing House just released the NLT Interlinear online. Essentially, it's an online interlinear Bible and concordance that allows users to see the Greek New Testament lined up against the text of the NLT Bible.

One of the best features is being able to look at the Greek words in the Greek-English Concordance of the New Testament and see all the English nuances of the original Greek. I think it will help me expand my understanding of Scripture when I see how various English expressions actually have the same Greek root word.

While my main Bible is the ESV, I do refer to the NLT from time to time. But since this interlinear Bible is available online (for free!), I'll definitely be using it. Thank God for blessings such as these.

Read more about the NLT Interlinear on the NLT Study Bible blog.

Faith comes by hearing

In my busy day, one way I connect with God is by listening to his Word while commuting. I have an old iPod which I stuff with sermons and an sections of an audio Bible. Trouble is, ripping my old CD audio Bible into MP3 format takes a lot of time. I thought of buying an MP3 edition but then I stumbled onto Faith Comes by Hearing's free audio Bible.

The mission of Faith Comes by Hearing is to reach the nations with the Word of God in audio format. They offer the Bible to people who are illiterate. These people may not be able to read God's Word, but they can definitely hear God's Word. So they offer the Bible in a variety of editions and languages. And it's free.

I downloaded their AudioBible Ambassador, selected the edition and language I wanted, and it went to work, downloading the entire New Testament to my hard drive. Their software can play the Bible or in my case, I stuffed the MP3 files into my iPod. Now I can soak myself in God's Word as I do something terribly mundane: riding the train home from work. Thank God for this.

If you do download their audio Bibles, consider donating to them so they can continue their work.

Codex Sinaiticus is now online

One of the most important texts for the Bible is now available online! Codexsinaiticus.org lets you view the actual codex online. The codex was written some time between AD 325 and AD 360 and originally, it contained the complete text of both the Old and New Testaments in Greek, as well as several other writings. Written on vellum parchment, the codex was discovered in 1844 in the Greek Monastery at Mount Sinai, hence the name.

Codex Sinaiticus: The start of Romans 1

This codex is significant because it is one of the earliest manuscripts of that helped us understand the what the early church considered part of the canon and also who to arrange the sequence of the books of the Bible.

To quote from the site:

The ability to place these 'canonical books' in a single codex itself influenced the way Christians thought about their books, and this is directly dependent upon the technological advances seen in Codex Sinaiticus. The quality of its parchment and the advanced binding structure that would have been needed to support over 730 large-format leaves, which make Codex Sinaiticus such an outstanding example of book manufacture, also made possible the concept of a 'Bible'. The careful planning, skilful writing and editorial control needed for such an ambitious project gives us an invaluable insight into early Christian book production.

Well, looking at the actual text of codex, I have to say, it's all Greek to me! But seriously, it's exciting to be this close to the actual Greek text of the New Testament. (The OT portion, of course, is the Greek [Septuagint] version of the Hebrew text.) Like I like to tell my classes, "The English Bible you have in front of you is not actually the Bible! It's a translation." To see the actual text is awe-inspriting.

Websites that have taught me much

It's amazing how much the Web has changed the world. More amazing how it has helped me in my walk with God. I never imagined a time when I would actually spend more time reading the Bible online then my physical copy of it. And who could have imagined that so much of my learning came from websites about God.

Here are several of the sites that have helped me tremendously:

1. Desiring God. Lots of solid teaching from Pastor John Piper.
2. ESV website and the ESV blog. I spend so much time reading the ESV version online and discovering so many wonderful sites and blogs from the ESV blog.
3. Theopedia. This indeed is a Godsend. It's the quickest way to get information on all things about Christianity. I first discovered it while trying to understand the Calvinism and Arminianism.
4. Biblical Training. I was led to this site from Theopedia. It's like going to seminary school online.
5. Crosswalk. Been using it for years and still find it a source of refreshment.

I thank God for such amazing online resources.