Today at lunchtime I went to the hospital to visit a family
member of a parishioner. Since I have recently had some back issues, I was
blessed to find a “Clergy” parking spot close to the entrance of the building.
This set me to thinking about the origin of the word clergy. It is akin to the
words cleric and clerk because the original clerks were also religious
students. Until more modern times, and for most of human history, the majority
of the public was largely illiterate. Students training for religious service
were often the only people who could read. They also functioned as scribes and
accountants.
Before the time of Christ, certain Israelites were taught to
read so that they could copy the scriptures. Later, this privilege was passed
to Christian monks. One was considered highly educated if he could read, write,
and do basic arithmetic. Before the invention of Johannes Gutenberg’s movable
type, books were the exclusive property of the very rich. Often an entire
village would have only one Bible, if it were fortunate enough to have that.
The most illiterate among us are often more highly educated than those of
centuries past. Consider the fact that it is now possible to watch open-heart surgery via television
or the Internet.
As I contemplated this today, I thought of how blessed we are
to have access to the Bible. The poorest among us can afford a copy of the
scriptures. Imagine a society where the Holy Scriptures are sold in dollar
stores and gas stations. Yet for all this, our society is largely Biblically
illiterate.
The Protestant Reformation was largely about making the
scriptures available to the general public. William Tyndale, the 15th
century Bible translator had a goal: he wanted the ploughboy to read the Bible
in a language he could understand. This goal has been achieved. The bible is
readily available to us in a variety of readable translations.
This is both a blessing and a responsibility. We are blessed
to be able to read the Bible and develop a relationship with God through its
life giving words. At the same time, we will be judged for what we did with
this truth. This generation will stand alongside the generation of Tyndale and
Wycliffe in the judgment. I hope that we are up to the challenge. God, help us
never to take your word for granted. May we who have it so freely available
cherish it as much as those of past centuries to whom it was largely forbidden!
Blessings,
Spanish Pastor Jones
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