The Cotton Patch Version of Paul's Epistle

by Clarence Jordan

1975, trade paperback edition, Association Press, NY. 158 pages. "In this modern-day translation of Paul's message, his letters are taken out of the study and stained glass sanctuary and placed under God's sky, where people toil, laugh, cry and wonder."

Genres: Religion, Christian

Paperback

First published June 1, 1968

Reviews

[Matt Dillard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a colloquial translation of Paul's NT letters, set in the South in the 1960's. It was interesting. Parts of it I really liked. It was fun to come across passages I know well and see how it was phrased.

The Jew/Gentile dynamic was reframed as White/Black - this was sometimes helpful, sometimes distracting, and sometimes off-putting. It sounds like the author was a pretty progressive individual. To today's ears, though, some of his translation comes across as pandering or even belittling. At its best, though, the Jew/Gentile dynamic came along as more relatable since there lingers significant feelings of "otherness" and conflict between White and Black.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This paraphrase was clunkier than Jordan's take on the Gospels. But it can be very tricky to translate Paul's writings into a southern vernacular, let alone a more straightforward American one. But there are some gems, and I still enjoyed seeing how Jordan chose to convey certain theological ideas.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loooove this paraphrase, and I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the Cotton Patch New Testament. It's insightful and delightful.

[Shawn Aebi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever translation. The most important element of calling out white people for promoting a segregationist society still has the right volume. Some sensitive race language selection which is mostly just dated.

[Mark Woodland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely piece of work by the same writer who penned "Cotton Patch Gospel", which was turned into one of my favorite plays of all (by the same name). All the songs for that play were written by Harry Chapin. This is in the same vein: the letters of Paul are retold as if all had taken place in rural Georgia. Imaginative, with a great emphasis on developing the people named in the letters as characters who are interesting to read about. Its beauty is in its simplicity.