by David Melton
In just a few hours I will wander around the “Treasures” room of the British National Library here in London and show a new generation of Boston students the Sinaiticus and Alexandrinus — two of the three oldest New Testament texts anywhere in the world. Think of it — a fourth century, handwritten copy of the entire New Testament, written on pages of leather, that survives to this very day! On this Boston Study Trip 2014, our students, after weeks of study back in the classrooms on our campus, will see priceless historical and spiritual treasures with their own eyes — a first edition King James Version of the Scriptures, some of the oldest papyrus fragments of the New Testament ever found, and the P64 “Magdalen Papyrus” of Matthew’s Gospel.
This is no typical spring break! Our students are making great memories, but I would argue that these Boston students are making some amazing memories from the ancient copies of God’s Word. I know I’m not the only one who is impressed by these treasures. Dan and Grace were about as smitten as I was to see the recent copy of the Psalms “luckily” unearthed in a bog in Tipperary, Ireland! And I saw the look on Bobby’s face when I mentioned that Magdalen College had confirmed they would bring P64 out to show us. A couple of other guys did fist pumps.
If you want to understand not just how many students we have in Boston but how we educate them for 21st-century ministry, then you need to think about the “fun” we are having now. There is a lot of study, there is no way around that. Yet the experience of seeing the New Testament overshadow all other documents of history — emphasized by the means and the volume of its preservation through the ages — makes the hours of reading and listening and thinking a priceless investment.
Last week, at the Old Library at Trinity College, we were talking about the phenomenal “Book of Kells” — that incredibly ornate Latin copy of the Gospels that people travel from all over the world to see. I asked a freshman who is just getting her feet wet in Biblical studies to explain to me logically why any group of eighth-century scribes would work so hard to make a hand-scribed “book” look so ornate and beautiful. I saw the light go on in my student’s eyes and she shot back, “The only way you would work that hard was if you wanted every reader to know how really, really valuable that page is!” Right on! The Bible is God’s treasure for us in ink. Old copies — even tiny fragments — of our Holy Book make an astounding impression. We somehow connect with our brothers and sisters of faith from all down through the centuries and share with them the faith that is anchored deeper than any feelings or opinions or cultures or crises.
Now, that’s fun, “Spring Break” Boston style!