Manuscript Bible Study (MBS) —just what is it?
In 1969 I learned from my mentor, Paul Byer, to use a “manuscript format”, a double-spaced text of a book of the Bible, without chapters, verses or anything which has been added to the Biblical text. (The chapter/verse system was added about the time of the invention of the printing press and those added breaks often impede reading with understanding.) The emphasis in MBS is on discovering what is actually being communicated. Other than the Biblical text, all that is really needed is a group of people with open minds and willingness to explore, ask questions and justify their findings. The only outside sources of information we use are maps, concordances and resources providing limited historical context and other minimal information which we can tell, from the text, that the author assumed the original readers to have known. Participants usually use colored pens/pencils to highlight clues to meaning, themes, even questions as they arise from the text itself.
How is it different from what is called “Inductive Bible Study”?
It is just a bit more inductive, that’s all. The emphasis in MBS is on discovering what is actually being communicated. And during a longer period of time, participants learn more than just the theory of Bible study—a list of steps or principles. They actually find that they master the skills as well—as they progressively discover the intended meaning of the text. (Remember “wax on, wax off” in the original The Karate Kid film? Practice makes perfect! . . I hear that in the 2010 remake, “take it off . . . put it on” replaces “wax on, wax off.”)
BereanSafari Institute is more a retreat or seminar than a “training event”. Yes, you can expect to acquire a new set of skills. But most alumni will tell you that they have never had so much fun interacting and discovering . . . and . . . being refreshed and transformed in the process!
I hope you will join us.
Eric Miller
Dean
BereanSafari Institute