Another rabbit hole I have been exploring is the New Testament book of Hebrews. I've read it several times before, but this time I have been engulfed in it. I have only just started Chapter 3 after a few weeks' musing.
Why am I telling you this?
Well, while travelling down this deep rabbit hole I found another smaller one off to the side that I have spent a few hours exploring.
Hebrews 2 : 9 is one of the many verses in Scripture that explicitly informs us of God's plan to save the whole world.
But we do see Jesus, who was made lower that the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. [NIV]
The way that various English versions of the Bible translate passages that state this plan, or infer it, often depends on the doctrinal position of the translation team or its financial backers.
It's quite amazing what a comparison between a literal translation and a popular version sometimes reveals when checking these "reconciliation of all" verses. Truly, some of our popular English versions do their best not to contradict their infernalist* beliefs.
Because the church for centuries has taught this infernalist* view (that it is not God's plan to save the world), and the majority of church-goers therefore believe what they have been taught, I was keen to see how the various versions of the New Testament handle this "risky" verse.
And boy was I surprised.
I have checked all the print versions I own and have researched all the digital versions available online and I have not found a single one that has fiddled with this text.
I just couldn't resist the temptation to again break my commitment to a season of "study only" and write a brief post to celebrate this amazing discovery with you.
So ... there is a chance that no matter which English version is used, whether translation or paraphrase, when Hebrews is read thoughtfully God's fantastic plan for His creation might actually be discovered.
Blessings, Barry
* infernalist is a word used by David Bentley Hart (a literal New Testament translator) to describe defenders of the idea of a real hell of eternal torment.
