March 2011

Note from the Editor
This e-pub will now move to a bi-monthly publication schedule. We welcome your feedback on future topics or resources you would like featured in TB, as well as any questions you may have. Send your comments to: TB@sbl-site.org. Please forward this link to other interested readers.

Teaching the Bible is a free publication provided by the Society of Biblical Literature--just click on the subscribe button to be added to the mailing list. Thanks for reading!

About the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL)
The SBL was founded in 1880 and is an international academic membership organization for people who teach, study, or are interested in academic study of the Bible and its related contexts and literatures. The Society’s mission is to foster biblical scholarship and does not hold any denominational or confessional stance, though many of our members are religious leaders.

Feature Essay

If Only Paul Had Used The Chicago Manual of Style
By Roger L. Omanson

What a difference a comma, a period, or quotation mark can make! In this fascinating essay, Bible translator and scholar Roger Omanson shows how punctuation decisions can subtly change the meaning of biblical texts.

Versions and Translations

Teachers often ask: What is the best translation to use in class? While we don’t make any specific recommendations here, we do provide an overview of some of the most familiar translations. In public school settings, teachers can ideally expose students to several translations or choose a more ecumenical one.

Web Links

KJV 400th anniversary links
This year (2011) marks the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible (it was completed in 1611). The King James Bible trust in England has an extensive website. http://www.kingjamesbibletrust.org/

Several years ago, the SBL published some scholar essays on the impact and import of the KJV.

“The KJV and American Culture: 'A far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory'”
by Steven Sheeley


Bernard Levinson and Joshua Berman authored an essay on the KJV and its role in early American History.


Bible in Secondary Schools in the News
Arkansas lawmakers advance bill to set curriculum for course on Bible in some public schools

Teaching of Bible can be tricky task