Believers’ Church Commentary Series Editorial Council Celebrates 20th Volume in 20 Years
by Paul M. Zehr, Chairman, BCBC Editorial Council
On Friday evening, November 17, 2006 more than two dozen writers and editors working with the Believers Church Bible Commentary (BCBC) met for dinner to celebrate the publication of 20 volumes in 20 years. The dinner was held in Washington, DC at the conclusion of a workshop for BCBC writers on Friday afternoon and prior to the Society of Biblical Literature meeting which began the next day.
In 1986 the first volume, Jeremiah, was published. With the publication of the Psalms volume in 2006 the project has averaged one new volume per year for the past 20 years. In its meeting prior to the workshop and the dinner the Editorial Council stated its desire to complete the New Testament volumes within 10 years and the Old Testament volumes within 14 years.
The celebrative mood at the dinner found expression as writers and editors gathered around three tables and chatted freely. After a delicious dinner several persons spoke of the twenty-year experience. David W. Baker of the Brethren Church on the Editorial Council, spoke about the significance of the Jeremiah volume as the first in the series and about Elmer A. Martens and his cntribution to the project as Old Testament editor. Elmer responded with words of thanksgiving for God’s leading and blessing on the project. He recalled some of the important events along the way and comments heard from people about the commentaries.
Willard M. Swartley, who served for several years as New Testament editor, commented on the combination of suffering and glory as writers and editors go about their work. In a serious tone he mentioned the hard work put into each volume, the pain of individual writing as well as writing within a hermeneutical community, and finally the glory of the published volume.
Levi Miller of Herald Press concluded the evening by visibly showing the smallest booklet Herald Press published more than 50 years ago, The Anabaptist Vision, which is still selling. He compared that small booklet with the recently published 831 page volume on the Psalms. Both of these books, said Levi, serve the church well.
In private conversation one writer talked about a couple who use one of the commentaries for family devotions. Another writer talked about an older couple using one of these commentaries with the man reading from the commentary to his wife while she lays on her death bed. Such inspiring stories and the reality of volume after volume coming off the press gave the writers and editors renewed energy as they left the dinner to put forth the needed effort to complete the series, hopefully in less than 20 more years.