Imagine a letter coming straight from heaven. What would God say? Would we be able to fully understand His message, or would some of it puzzle us? The Apostle Paul writes this compilation of letters to the 1st Century churches he established. He wanted them to know the heart of God and hear His message of truth and love. Some of the most beautiful truths of the Bible are found in the letters from Paul. Ephesians lays an exciting foundation for our lives; Philippians fills our hearts with joy; Colossians brings the colossal revelation of Christ in us and the hope of Glory. Pauls letters to his spiritual son Timothy stirs our hearts with greater passion to serve God and love Him supremely. Reading through these letters is like having Paul sit in the living room sharing his experiences and messages of life. Be ready to sense the stirring of the Holy Spirit as you read Letters from Heaven by the Apostle Paul!
The sheer beauty of this translation is always an attraction. Apart from feeding the heart, however, there's also the feeding of the mind. On each page there are copious footnotes as to why the translator made the choice he did. Using both Aramaic and Greek sources, he has weighed up the selection - but noted down other possibilities for our edification. You may not agree with his choice but at least there's a huge degree of transparency in it.
As I happen to be particularly interested in the translation of the Greek word, hupotasso - see God's Panoply: The Armour of God and the Kiss of Heaven - I was extremely interested in seeing how Simmons translated Ephesians 5:22, often rendered, 'Wives, submit to your husbands.' He plumps for the Aramaic 'tenderly devoted', instead of 'submit'. He does the same in Colossians 3:18, but there he has an extended footnote I'd have liked to have seen back with Ephesians 5:22. This footnote points out that, besides 'submit', hupotasso also means 'attach' and 'support'.
I also love his comment on 2 Timothy 2:10 that the Greek word for 'chosen' has logos embedded within it.
This is a translation to relish; I find it so easy to meditate on Scripture using it - partly because of the footnotes and partly because the ease of comparison with more familiar versions causes me to think afresh about the intended meaning - and to examine the wider context.
Focuses on the love and passion and grace and God's heart for us!
The copious, optional to read, footnotes explain how they got that translation or add additional knowledge. It puts things I've read a hundred times into a different light.
Loving His people oozes from this Greek translation. It’s an accurate translation of the Greek. The best translation from the Greek word to English I’ve read.
This translation has a clarity and depth that I have not seen in other translations! It stays true to the original content and helps by translating the implied text. *see footnotes in book