was still waiting in the wings. But at the beginning of the twenty-first century, inclusive language and the concept of political correctness are well-established facts of life. It has therefore been with some trepidation that the editing of this unique and much-loved text has been undertaken in producing The New Daily Study Bible. Inevitably, the demands of the new language have resulted in the loss of some of Barclay’s most sonorous phrases, perhaps best remembered in the often-repeated words ‘many a man’. Nonetheless, this revision is made in the conviction that William Barclay, the great communicator, would have welcomed it. In the discussion of Matthew 9:16–17 (‘The Problem of the New Idea’), he affirmed the value of language that has stood the test of time and in which people have ‘found comfort and put their trust’, but he also spoke of ‘living in a changing and expanding world’ and questioned the wisdom of reading God’s word to twentieth-century men and women in Elizabethan English. It is the intention of this new edition to heed that warning and to bring William Barclay’s message of God’s word to readers of the twenty-first century in the language of their own time.
In the editorial process, certain decisions have been made in order to keep a balance between that new language and the familiar Barclay style. Quotations from the Bible are now taken from the New Revised Standard Version, but William Barclay’s own translation of individual passages has been retained throughout. Where the new version differs from the text on which Barclay originally commented, because of the existence of an alternative reading, the variant text is indicated by square brackets. I have made no attempt to guess what Barclay would have said about the NRSV text; his commentary still refers to the Authorized (King James) and Revised Standard Versions of the Bible, but I believe that the inclusive language of the NRSV considerably assists the flow of the discussion.
For similar reasons, the dating conventions of BC and AD – rather than the more recent and increasingly used BCE (before the common era) and CE (common era) – have been retained. William Barclay took great care to explain the meanings of words and phrases and scholarly points, but it has not seemed appropriate to select new terms and make such explanations on his behalf.
One of the most difficult problems to solve has concerned monetary values. Barclay had his own system for translating the coinage of New Testament times into British currency. Over the years, these equivalent values have become increasingly out of date, and often the force of the point being made has been lost or diminished. There is no easy way to bring these equivalents up to date in a way that will continue to make sense, particularly when readers come from both sides of the Atlantic. I have therefore followed the only known yardstick that gives any feel for the values concerned, namely that a denarius was a day’s wage for a working man, and I have made alterations to the text accordingly.
One of the striking features of The Daily Study Bible is the range of quotations from literature and hymnody that are used by way of illustration. Many of these passages appeared without identification or attribution, and for the new edition I have attempted wherever possible to provide sources and authors. In the same way, details have been included about scholars and other individuals cited, by way of context and explanation, and I am most grateful to Professor John Drane for his assistance in discovering information about some of the more obscure or unfamiliar characters. It is clear that readers use The Daily Study Bible in different ways. Some look up particular passages while others work through the daily readings in a more systematic way. The descriptions and explanations are therefore not offered every time an individual is mentioned (in order to avoid repetition that some may find tedious), but I trust that the information can be discovered without too much difficulty.
Finally, the ‘Further Reading’ lists at the end of each volume have been removed. Many new commentaries and individual studies have been added to those that were the basis of William Barclay’s work, and making a selection from that ever-increasing catalogue is an impossible task. It is nonetheless my hope that the exploration that begins with these volumes of The New Daily Study Bible will go on in the discovery of new writers and new books.
Throughout the editorial process, many conversations have taken place – conversations with the British and American publishers, and with those who love the books and find in them both information and inspiration. Ronnie Barclay’s contribution to this revision of his father’s work has been invaluable. But one conversation has dominated the work, and that has been a conversation with William Barclay himself through the text. There has been a real sense of listening to his voice in all the questioning and in the searching for new words to convey the meaning of that text. The aim of The New Daily Study Bible is to make clear his message, so that the distinctive voice, which has spoken to so many in past years, may continue to be heard for generations to come.
Linda Foster
London
2001
INTRODUCTION
(by John Drane)
William Barclay never prefaced his writings with extensive literary analysis of the Bible books. He believed that the main focus of his attention should be the text itself, and he always aimed to allow the original writers to speak for themselves. Had he been writing today, he might have felt it necessary to say a little more about the fact that Luke’s gospel is just one section of the two-volume work of Luke–Acts, and to have paid more attention to the various ways in which Luke’s story of the life of Jesus is similar to, yet different from, the other New Testament gospels. Certainly, that has been a major preoccupation of scholarship over the last twenty years. Of course, Barclay was not unaware of such questions; and, though he never uses words like ‘redaction criticism’, he was obviously happy with the concept (that each of the evangelists placed their own distinctive spin on the stories which they record).
One of the major characteristics of Luke’s gospel is its stories. It contains some of the most striking of Jesus’ parables, not found in other gospels – stories like the Good Samaritan and the prodigal son (or, as Barclay preferred, ‘the good father’). One of Barclay’s own skills was the ability to think in pictures, and his comments on Luke are full of graphic descriptions of human life, both in the first century ad and in the world he himself knew. Throughout, he writes with ease about the social and historical background of the life of Jesus, but always combining his considerable intellectual knowledge with corresponding insights into human nature which are as true today as they were when he first wrote. On Luke 5:36–9, he comments: ‘We should never be afraid of adventurous thought . . . of new methods . . . Any business which had lost as many customers as the Church has would have tried new ways long ago – but the Church tends to resent all that is new.’ And on 14:25–33, ‘It is possible to be a follower of Jesus without being a disciple’. Comments like that (and not only on that topic) ensure the continuing relevance of Barclay’s work. Like the writer of Luke – and indeed of Jesus – he has the knack of cutting through irrelevance to address the most fundamental questions of all: how can we be good, live closer to God and be more spiritual people?
John Drane
University of Aberdeen
2001
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
A Lovely Book and its Author
The Gospel according to St Luke has been called the loveliest book in the world. When once an American asked him if he could recommend a good life of Christ, the theologian James Denney answered, ‘Have you tried the one that Luke wrote?’ There is a legend that Luke was a skilled painter; there is even a painting of Mary in a Spanish cathedral to this day which purports to be by him. Certainly he had an eye for vivid things. It would not be far wrong to say that the third gospel is the best life of Christ ever written. Tradition has always believed that Luke was the author and we need have no qualms in accepting that tradition. In the ancient world it was the regular thing to attach books to famous names; no one thought it wrong. But Luke was never one of the famous figures of the early Church. If he had not written the gospel no one would have attached it to his name.
Luke was a Gentile;