Bible Gateway interviewed Bible reference editor Martin Manser (@mhmanser and @word_come_alive) about the many books and projects he’s worked on, including the free Bible Gateway reference work, Dictionary of Bible Themes.
Tell a little about yourself.
Martin Manser: I’m a UK-based editor and have compiled or edited over 200 reference books, which have included editing some study Bibles and revising the 8-millon-word Matthew Henry Commentary. I also lead training courses. It’s been my job as a professional editor for 36 years. So I’ve edited three kinds of books: English-language dictionaries (such as thesauruses), editions of the Bible and reference books on the Bible, and books on business skills.
How did the Dictionary of Bible Themes, one of the books for which you are well known, originate?
Martin Manser: Behind every book there’s a story. The Dictionary of Bible Themes was a spin-off of the NIV Thematic Study Bible (Hodder & Stoughton, 1996) published in the US as NIV Thematic Reference Bible (Zondervan, 1999). It was a privilege to work with such scholars as J. I. Packer and Alister McGrath on that project.
Provide an example.
Martin Manser: Imagine you’re leading a Bible study on “assurance.” You look up the word in a concordance, but that’s only of limited value, since it will only give you verses that contain that word. The Dictionary of Bible Themes gives you not only a concise, crisp, and theologically accurate definition, but also headings with verse references under them. For example, at the theme “Assurance, basis of”: “The assurance of believers is based upon the certain knowledge of God revealed in creation and his mighty acts in history, upon the certainty of his promises, the vindication and resurrection of Christ and the inward testimony and outward demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit.” And then under the heading “The Holy Spirit assures believers by giving inward conviction” come, for example, Romans 8:16 and 1 John 4:13. The Dictionary of Bible Themes has helped many people. In fact, Baker Books is publishing a hard copy of the Thematic section in April 2017.
Do you see yourself as a wordsmith?
Martin Manser: Yes, I love words. As a boy I wanted to write dictionaries from the age of six. We were going on holiday to Norway and I bought a little notebook. I drew a pencil line down the middle of the page and put English words on one side and Norwegian down the other side. It was my first dictionary! For me, a dictionary captures systematically what a language is.
What other Bible reference books have you worked on?
Martin Manser: There’s Who’s Who of the Bible (Lion Hudson, 2012). This includes every personal name in the Bible. I worked with Debra Reid, a tutor at Spurgeon’s College, London. One of the interesting people we came across was in the lists of people who helped repair the wall of Jerusalem. Hidden away there (Nehemiah 3:16) is another man named Nehemiah (son of Azbuk). That was an unexpected discovery!
You’ve also worked on books of Christian teaching.
Martin Manser: Yes, there’s Christianity for Blockheads: A User-Friendly Look at What Christians Believe (Zondervan, 2009) which I wrote with Doug Connelly, a pastor in the US who’s written many other books, especially in the LifeGuide Bible study series.
In the final chapter of this book on Christian teaching, we come to some response, so we discussed 2 Corinthians 5:20: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf; be reconciled to God.” It’s important that we don’t simply read God’s word; we also need to respond to him through Jesus Christ.
Then there’s I Never Knew That Was in the Bible. That was really interesting. It’s a dictionary of the words and phrases from the KJV that are no longer current. I gave their equivalents in contemporary versions such as the NIV and NLT. For example, “Abraham’s bosom,” is an archaic phrase that refers to the sleeping place of the blessed (Luke 16:22 (KJV)). The NASB and NKJV retain the phrase “Abraham’s bosom”; contemporary versions have that Lazarus was carried by the angels “to be with Abraham” (NLT, NRSV) “to Abraham’s side” (NIV); “to the place of honor next to Abraham” (CEV) and “to the arms of Abraham” (ERV).
What are you working on at the moment?
Martin Manser: I’ve been working with Mike Beaumont on the first study Bible to be published in Burmese. That’s for Christian Literature Crusade (CLC) in Myanmar (Burma) and is due to be published in 2017.
I have about 20 study Bibles on my shelves! And about that number of versions of the Bible as well. But imagine your only Bible is in 200-year old language with NO helps whatsoever. Nothing. Suddenly understanding God’s Word would be much harder.
That’s the scenario facing Christians in Myanmar (Burma) today. And that’s where CLC Myanmar has stepped in. It’s commissioned an updated version of Judson’s translation, together with ‘helps’ written by experienced British authors Mike Beaumont and myself. We’ve produced brand new introductions to each Bible book, aimed at new Christians or those with little or no Christian background. These introductions provide the setting and background to each book and will help readers know what to look for. They’ve also written content, to be dropped in throughout the Bible, on basic theological and practical issues; all simply explained. For us in the West, this is nothing new. But for Christians in Myanmar, this will be the first time they’ve had something like this.
But there’s a problem! CLC Myanmar doesn’t have all the funds it needs. Mike and I have given our time free, but specialist Burmese translators need to be paid and the Bibles need printing and shipping from Singapore. So CLC is around $70,000 US short. Such funds are beyond the reach of churches in Myanmar, which is still one of the world’s poorest nations.
Take a look again at the number of Bibles on your shelf. Think how grateful you are for the help you’ve received from various Bible translations and editions over the years. And then think about this nation that has no helps in their outdated-language Bible at all. And then please consider making an online contribution. Even a small gift from our many friends and their friends could help make such a difference and help move this incredible project towards its goal of publishing ‘The Burmese Study Bible’ early in 2017.
You’re also working on a paraphrase of the New Testament. Why do you believe another Bible paraphrase is necessary?
Martin Manser: Yes, it’s called “Word Come Alive” (wordcomealive.net). My paraphrase is different for two reasons: Firstly, I’ve included linking phrases and background information in italics within the text to help make its message more immediately understandable. Secondly, I aim to express the sense of the original in contemporary, natural English to have a powerful effect on readers.
Give us some examples.
Martin Manser: At the beginning of John 1, I added a paragraph to set the scene:
What I’m about to tell you is the most exciting story, the most dramatic event, in the whole of human history. We begin before time itself began, in eternity. I know it’s difficult to think of a time before the world was created, but we need to try to move beyond our own limited thinking back to a time before time itself began. We are not the centre of life; God is and he has revealed himself fully in Jesus Christ. We need to look beyond the physical dimension of what we can see to the deeper reality of God himself.
In John 1:3 I have: Everything – just stop and think, every single thing – was made by Christ, the Word of God. He is the One who acts for, and with, the Father. He himself was not created; he existed from eternity. Nothing that has been made was made without him. See how central he is to everything. He is the reason behind all we can see and all we cannot see. Christ is the explanation of all things, the key to life itself.
John 3:26 records the disciples switching loyalty from John the Baptist to Jesus. Most versions have them “going to” Jesus; I added “over”: “going over to” him, because the verb for “change your allegiance to someone else” is contemporary, natural English is “go over to.”
I’ve supplied expansions and explanations in much the same way as a preacher (or a commentary)
does.
John 8:6: A tense silence came over the whole group. What would Jesus do? How would he respond? Would he side with the chief priests and Pharisees and stone her, so not forgiving her? Or would he agree with the ordinary people and release her, so setting aside the law? Jesus then did something strange that captured the attention of everyone present. Rather than answer his accusers directly, he bent down and began to use his finger to write in the dust.
John 8:12: Jesus spoke once more to the people, ‘The whole world is in darkness, but I give light to everyone. I am the light of the world. If you walk with me through life, trusting me and following my example, you won’t stumble along in the gloom. No, I lift the darkness. My light will shine on you to guide you. I will light up your path and show you the right way to live. You will then be able to see the way ahead clearly and know where you’re going.’
Where are you up to in this project?
Martin Manser: John’s Gospel is now available; 1, 2 and 3 John are in the final review stage and I’m currently working on Paul’s letters.
What are your thoughts about Bible Gateway?
Martin Manser: I want to thank you and the rest of the team for this great website. I consult it often to check on the wording of a particular Bible version.
Bio: Martin Manser is a professional reference-book editor. Since 1980 he has compiled or edited nearly 200 reference books. He has also compiled and edited many titles that encourage Bible reading.
He is a Language Trainer and Consultant with national companies and organizations, specializing in leading courses on English grammar and clear writing. In addition, he offers a Coaching Service to individuals and a Copy writing and Editing Service to companies and organizations.
Martin also has a good working knowledge of German, having studied at the University of Regensburg and he visits Germany regularly. He is a tutor at Albert-Ludwigs University Freiburg, Center for Key Qualifications (Zentrum für Schlüsselqualifikationen), Germany.
Martin is also a part-time tutor at the London College of Communication, University of the Arts London and part-time visiting lecturer at Buckinghamshire New University.
Martin’s wife, Yusandra, complements him in the creative team. Her sculptures have a highly individual and intuitive style.
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