My son-in-law and one of my grandsons are currently in London on a mission trip. Seems my grandson loves to read, so I told him if he ever got the chance, he needs to visit the used bookstores in Piccadilly Circus. I don't know about you, but I've always been able to find a rare book I've been looking for at one of the shops there.
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| Hatchards. One of my faves! |
I suppose all of us who love to read have our favorite authors. If you really love a particularly author, chances are good that you have bought most if not all of his or her writings. When you really love an author, you get to love their style. You learn to trust that writer to communicate in a way you can understand and identify with.
When it comes to the authors of the New Testament, I sort of love them all. But if I had to choose my favorite author, it would have to be the author of the epistle to the Hebrews. Hebrews features some of the most polished and sophisticated Greek in the New Testament. Unlike any other New Testament writing, it uniquely bridges the gap between a written treatise and a spoken sermon. I love that combination! Some have even called Hebrews a literary masterpiece. The Greek reminds the reader of Classical Greek more than Koine Greek. At the same time, the letter is steeped in the Old Testament. It interprets Jewish history as a "shadow" pointing directly to Jesus, who is shown to be our Great High Priest and the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice for our sins.
I have had the great joy of teaching the Greek exegesis of Hebrews about a dozen times in my career, taking about one chapter per week. That's a lot, I know. But students slug through it. I so wish we taught Classical Greek as well as Koine Greek in our seminaries. We did this at Biola back in the day, and oh the difference that made when our students encountered a higher register of Greek in such New Testament books as Luke-Acts, 2 Peter, Jude, and Hebrews. Of course, all these differences are masked in our English versions. That too is unfortunate. If only we worked harder at conveying the stylistic differences between the various writers of the New Testament books!
Who is your favorite modern author? New Testament author? Old Testament author?