"In the Original Text It Says"

Beware when you hear the words "in the original text it says" or "in the original text this means." Those words often provide the introduction to misleading information.

But how can the hearer discern just what is correct and what is misleading? How can pastors avoid giving their congregations misleading information? "In the Original Text It Says" takes a look at word-study fallacies and how you can avoid them. Author Ben Baxter gives an introduction to word meaning and how word meaning differs between languages. He then examines a series of fallacies, errors that people make in assigning meaning to words in the original languages of the Bible. But he doesn't leave it with that theoretical examination.

After providing the basis for how to understand Biblical words, he examines the discussion of specific words and phrases from passages in both the Old Testament and the New. He takes these examples from commentaries commonly used by pastors and teachers in sermon and lesson preparation. With each example, he shows how one might misunderstand the linguistic evidence provided, and also how one can properly apply this information.

This book is designed for readers who have had some contact with Greek or Hebrew, but will also be useful to those who have more language skill, but may not have studied linguistics or looked carefully at how to apply their knowledge in teaching.

Benjamin J. Baxter has his MA in Christian Studies from McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, where he wrote his thesis examining and critiquing 32 commentaries from a modern linguistic perspective using one Old Testament and one New Testament passage. He has previously published two articles dealing with Biblical words and word studies for the McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry. “In the Original Text It Says” is his first book. He lives with his wife Kaitlin in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.