I once received a copy of a modern translation of the Bible because by brother-in-law believed it was a phony Bible. The King James Version was the only true Bible in his eyes. I don’t know if he knew that the KSV was translated from Latin or that the Latin Bible had been translated from Greek and Hebrew. Anyway, I got a free Bible, and I did not argue its merits with him. Reading and interpreting the Bible as well as just selecting a version of the Bible can be a daunting task. Recently, the library purchased several books, which serious students of the Bible might find helpful, challenging or possibly irritating.

Several years ago, Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote the book, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People". In it, Kushner addressed the eternal question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Kushner’s book attempted to help people find comfort when tragedy threatened to take away their faith. In a new book Bart Ehrman, a religious scholar from the University of North Carolina, addresses a similar question. Why does God allow suffering? He says it is "God’s Problem", and in the subtitle Ehrman states his conclusion, that the "Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question—Why We Suffer"? (Don’t call me. This is Bart Ehrman’s opinion not mine. We must each decide these things for ourselves.) Ehrman is the former pastor of the Princeton Baptist Church. His anguish over what he believes are the scripture’s unsatisfactory answers to the question of suffering caused him to abandon his faith. This challenging book may leave many readers angry while others may identify with Ehrman’s doubt. Ehrman now considers himself an agnostic.

Karen Armstrong is a former nun and her new book "The Bible: A Biography" is one in the series of "Books That Changed the World". Armstrong is recognized as one of the finest current writers on the Bible and world religions. The Bible is the world’s most widely distributed book; however, it is also a complex work with a complicated and obscure history. In eight chapters Armstrong covers the history of the writing, canonizing and reading of the Bible. She examines 2,000 years of biblical interpretations by Christians and Jews and shows how these interpretations converged upon an understanding that charity and love are the essence of God.

"What the Gospels Meant" by Garry Wills is the third book in a trilogy. The other books in this series are "What Jesus Meant" and "What Paul Meant". Wills, who studied for the priesthood, analyzes the fours Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. He believes that they deliberately give four different takes on the mystery of Christ for specific purposes. Mark highlights Jesus’ role as sufferer to validate the persecution of early Christianity. Matthew presents Jesus’ teachings in a systematic manner to assist the early church spread Jesus’ word. Luke stresses Jesus as a healer and reconciler between Gentiles and Jews. Finally, John emphasizes the divinity of Christ for his readers. Wills explains that the Gospels should not be read for their historical accuracy. He sees them as the culmination of the oral preaching process and a "meditation on the meaning of Jesus in the light of Sacred History as recorded in the Sacred Writings."

"Choosing a Bible: For Worship, Teaching, Study, Preaching, and Prayer" by Donald Kraus addresses the question "Which Bible should I read"? Kraus is the executive editor for Bibles at Oxford University Press. This is a quick, accessible overview of 25 translations used today. No version of the Bible works well in all circumstances; however, Kraus allows readers to see how different types of Bible translations work for various audiences in specific situations. The back of the book contains a quick guide to Bible translations for those who do not want to read the whole book.

These four books are meant to challenge and inform. They are all available at the Scottsbluff Public Library.

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