What’s Unique about THEMESSAGE
From the heart of a pastor came The Message Bible.
"If there is anything distinctive about The Message, perhaps it is because the text is shaped by the hand of a working pastor. For most of my adult life I have been given a primary responsibility for getting the message of the Bible into the lives of the men and women with whom I worked. I did it from the pulpit and lectern, in home Bible studies and at mountain retreats, through conversations in hospitals and nursing homes, over coffee in kitchens, and while strolling on an ocean beach. The Message grew from the soil of forty years of pastoral work."
EUGENE PETERSON
THE PASTOR
1932-2018
Eugene H. Peterson was a pastor, scholar, writer, and poet. After teaching at a seminary and then giving nearly thirty years to church ministry in the Baltimore area, he created The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language—a vibrant Bible translation that connects with today’s readers like no other. It took Eugene a full ten years to complete. He worked from the Greek and Hebrew texts to ensure authenticity. At the same time, his ear was always tuned to the cadence and energy of contemporary English.
Eugene wrote more than thirty books, including As Kingfishers Catch Fire, Run with the Horses, and A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. For his work on The Message, he received the prestigious ECPA Gold Medallion Book Award.
Eugene served as Professor of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, BC, retiring in 2006. He spent his final years in Montana with his beloved wife, Jan.
TRANSLATION CONSULTANTS
Peterson's work has been thoroughly reviewed by a team of recognized Old and New Testament scholars to ensure that it is accurate and faithful to the original languages.
OLD TESTAMENT TEAM
- Robert L. Hubbard, Jr., North Park Theological Seminary (chair)
- Richard E. Averbeck, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
- Bryan E. Beyer, Columbia International University
- Lamar E. Cooper, Sr., Criswell College
- Peter E. Enns, Eastern University
- Duane A. Garrett, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
- Donald R. Glenn, Dallas Theological Seminary
- Paul R. House, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University
- V. Philips Long, Regent College
- Tremper Longman III, Westmont College
- John N. Oswalt, Asbury Theological Seminary
- Richard L. Pratt, Jr., Reformed Theological Seminary
- John H. Walton, Wheaton College
- Prescott H. Williams, Jr., Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
- Marvin R. Wilson, Gordon College
NEW TESTAMENT TEAM
- William W. Klein, Denver Seminary (chair)
- Darrell L. Bock, Dallas Theological Seminary
- Donald A. Hagner, Fuller Theological Seminary
- Moises Silva, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
- Rodney A. Whitacre, Trinity School of Ministry