The Study Bible may yet be booming

The roots of the Study Bible are at In de Ruimte in Soest. In de Ruimte was known in the Netherlands for its children's camps, the children's magazine De Goede Herder and the Bible School, among other things. In the 1970s, Herman ter Welle, the man behind In de Ruimte, came across a Swedish Study Bible on the New Testament.

"Ter Welle, visionary and pioneer, saw in the translation of this five-volume Study Bible an opportunity to meet the growing desire among many Dutch evangelical Christians to study the Bible independently," said Hans Bette. Ter Welle's goal was for the Study Bible to be present in every Christian household, so that people could read the foundational language of the New Testament without the need for academic training.

In what way was the Study Bible to fill a gap in the Netherlands?
"The strength of the Study Bible is that we show what it says. A literal translation is given of the ground text. In addition, we have not written a commentary from a church denomination, but explained the text in a linguistically competent way," Bette said. "The few series of Dutch Bible commentaries from the 1970s were primarily written for pastors. The Study Bible had a much broader scope in mind," he adds.

What was your role in this project?
"Herman ter Welle asked me in the very beginning of the work on the Study Bible, now some forty years ago, to bring together a group of Christians who were going to translate the Swedish Study Bible into Dutch. That was quite a quest, but it worked out. Once a month we met with these translators and I read the results. It turned out that the text was not suitable for the Dutch context. The content was much more church-like than we had envisioned. With the author, Pastor Thoralf Gilbrand, you could clearly see that there was a denomination behind it. In addition, he constantly let the church fathers speak, and that too was not what Ter Welle was looking for. He wanted the New Testament text to speak as much as possible," Bette said. "Then I advised the board of In de Ruimte not to continue this way and to come up with another formula. It would amount to writing our own explanations by linguistically oriented theologians. The Study Bible Project entered a new phase and thus began as an offshoot of the multifaceted work of In de Ruimte, about which Els ter Welle much later wrote a wonderful book, "God Remains Faithful.

This was an initial bump to take in the beginning?
"The whole setup and writing of new commentary was definitely a decision moment that I still have fond memories of. At the time, my wife Tineke and I were living and working in the community of In de Ruimte and I was one of the coordinators of the multifaceted work. After I contributed my findings, the team members confirmed that we should choose a different route. Herman and I thought about how we would go about it. The result was that he wanted to approach a number of pastors to ask if they would write for us independently. Through a young theologian with whom Herman was in contact, we came on the trail of Gijs van den Brink. He had just graduated as a theologian in Utrecht and was 'evangelical'. He totally fit the bill. In consultation with Gijs we decided to start with the Bible book of Matthew. While writing the commentary on Matthew, the whole wheel had to be invented. All writing methods, correcting the text, the final editing, but also technical matters such as the technique of typesetting, the printing phase, you name it. Everything was thought about because it all had to be done within In Space. Until the release of Mattëus, that initial process took a total of five years. During this time, many people became involved. Henk Courtz, for example, was a student at the In Space Bible School and had a good command of the Greek language. He, like several more early contributors, later received a doctorate; others have since been promoted to deliciousness. Gijs, Henk, Herman and I worked on the structure and content of the first volume. In addition to the theology and technology, of course, the new editions had to be publicized. A "pre-subscription sales plan" was set up and worked out. As the project progressed, I became manager and editor-in-chief," says Bette.

The first Study Bible volumes were published entirely under the umbrella of In Space. Can you remember how that was received in the Netherlands?

"With incredible gratitude to God I look back on that, of course. Let me put that first and foremost. It felt to us that this project was a commission from the LORD, even from the earliest moment. We experienced that we had entered into a movement, something far beyond ourselves! It was a seed we planted, but didn't know how it would sprout and grow. That sense of reverent dependence on working on something great has been strong for me from the beginning. As we continue to grow through a Spanish translation in South America, that feeling only increases," says Bette.

How was the first volume of the Study Bible presented?
"The first presentation took place at In de Ruimte. It was a foundation with a large network in the Netherlands. Many Christians read the publications of In de Ruimte, such as 'De Goede Herder,' for example. Later a kind of newspaper was added. This latter publication featured large advertisements, even with the layout of the Study Bible. When we started, we already had 700 subscribers who transferred funds. One of Herman ter Welle's strengths was that he used the existing network. He got this work started from within his own living community. If I remember correctly, the presentation of the first volume coincided with the presentation of diplomas to the students of the Bible school. There was a church packed with people at the time, and there was always an opportunity at In the Room activities to subscribe to the Study Bible. Ter Welle was not only an inspired pastor, but also a businessman," says Bette.

How did this work continue after that?
"In the early years, we always sought technical improvement and steady progress. We put together a basic author's manual that guided subsequent editions. The idea was not to reinvent the wheel with each book. We then got a team of theologians together to start commenting on other volumes. A sales organization was formed and supported the existing In the Room bookstore. The Study Bible fit right in there.

How did theological professionals respond to the Study Bible?
"So many heads, so many sentences. The reaction was of two kinds. There were circles in which the Study Bible was deliberately set at the college level, while there were others who found it to be of academic level. The latter has certainly been reinforced with the editions of the Study Bible on the Old Testament. We naturally heard the skeptics who questioned whether we could deliver anything of level. In one case there was belittlement but later a journal like Theologia Reformata far the Study Bible on the Old Testament always gave fair book reviews and showed great respect for the tremendous work. After several Gospel books and Word Studies appeared, the results became more visible. A large group of pastors, ministers and theologians wrote recommendations. The number of subscribers increased substantially by Dutch standards. As a result, the Study Bible of first a reasonable later received a very good reception. Perhaps this was also because we were working on a network of theologians. For example, because of the rendering of the Greek text and manuscripts, we had contact with the well-known Prof. J. van Bruggen. This created a friendly relationship, as much later with the New Testament scholar, Prof. H. Ridderbos. Many believers and certainly students of Bible schools were very happy with the Study Bible, which incidentally also ended up in many church libraries. Today the Study Bible is on the bookshelf or on the cell phone of believers from the Reformed Churches to those with a Pentecostal background," said Bette.

Were there times when things got tense and you didn't see how to proceed?
"The whole project has been a years-long series of many kinds of bumps in a row. It took a lot of money to pay for it all. In the beginning, we needed people who gave donations to In Space. Later, the subscription system was a godsend that allowed us to produce the books because of subscriptions. Of course there were content and theological challenges. The many meetings we had as editors with authors were extremely fascinating and often lasted an incredibly long time. Much prayer, study, deliberation, reasoning and unimaginable decisions were made for this extensive work. As a result, my good friend Gijs van den Brink and I have developed a long-standing friendship and brotherly bond. Each part of the Study Bible had a coordinator who directed people. It was a huge network of people who were always working on the Study Bible in many areas. Our own very loyal office workers, people who knew about typesetting, sales techniques, IT developers, dispatchers, it all had to be managed and I found that to be a huge job. In total, over 100 people have worked on the project in those past 40 years. Gijs and I have had moments when we didn't know how to proceed.

But most of all, we saw God uniting and blessing us with the whole team of staff. A deep connection developed through working with God's Word. The permanent staff grew closer together over those 40 years. One must also remember that we experienced the bankruptcy of In de Ruimte. That enormous uncertainty lasted more than a year. After consulting with several publishers, we then resumed the Study Bible Project ourselves and the Center for Bible Research Foundation was established by us. During that period, Gijs and I had a tough time. It was a plodding period. We saw perspective, but did not always know how to proceed. A small number of brothers and sisters with financial ability, loyal patrons, ensured that we could continue as the Center for Bible Research. They did what they said and said what they did," says Bette. "And they still do. Annually we submit our plans to them as well and discuss progress."

So it had to be completely rebuilt from the ground up?
"Gus and I thought a lot about this and sat around the table with many. We prayed and made plans. Then at some point you feel: it goes on! We experienced that as God's grace, in His presence and under His blessing. It was not the easiest period in the history of Study Bible. If you are talking about bumps in the road, that bankruptcy of In Space caused sorrow for everyone involved. The judge finally allowed us to continue. I experience that as a gift, wealth given by God's grace," Bette looks back.

There were also positive developments to discern?
"The setup of the Center for Bible Research Foundation was completely different from our work under the umbrella of In Space. We had our own board and no printing office. In addition to technical progress, we were mainly concerned with the production of the yet-to-be-published volumes relating to the New Testament. We ended up with 17. The board, in which Gijs and I participate, decided at a certain point to publish the Study Bible on the Old Testament from the Center for Bible Research as well. This was not only our wish, the now 5,000 subscribers also requested it. During the board meeting in which this decision was made, Dr. Jan Hoek used the famous words: "The Lord has spoken with two lips. Dr. Mart-Jan Paul has been recruited as final editor for the Old Testament. A long-standing involvement and friendship has also developed with this skilled Old Testament scholar. For the New Testament, Dr. Arie Zwiep became part of the editorial team at a later date. It brought the Study Bible on the Old and New Testament to a series of 29 fist-sized volumes in 34 years."

How was the response to that?
"At the presentation of a new book we were able to use a lecture hall of the Christelijke Hogeschool in Ede through then board member Dr. J. Hoek. Many people were invited and we made a whole event out of it. The Christian press was always there and they wrote positively about the Study Bible," said Bette.
The Study Bible also went digital. ,,Yes, that was very important and a logical next step. Society was moving toward digitalization and the Internet. Gijs van den Brink has been the most important pioneer for us. People first received the Study Bible on a CD-ROM. Via people with an IT background in our network, this was then widely distributed. Gijs and I saw opportunities there to broaden the reach of the Study Bible. The number of subscribers certainly grew as a result. That was followed by the Internet and app versions. These decisions were all made within the board of the Center for Bible Study. What a wonderful group of capable people that is! I see God's hand in these things. I, with Gijs amen, have seen that particularly much over the past forty years in regard to the Study Bible. We have been jeered and praised, but God has led and blessed us to make it this far. It is an experience of faith," Bette said.

Would you have handled things differently with today's knowledge?
"It would be strange for me to say no. Because in the course of things, after so many conversations and so much prayer, there has always been correction and direction at so many moments. Added to that, any unwise things did not get through the board. Gijs and I have constantly and for years talked to each other about the Study Bible, weighed and weighed and presented things to others. We are extremely grateful to the Lord for the Study Bible and I feel like a small person in this. I feel blessed to be used by Him as a servant in this," says Bette.

Where do you see a role for the Study Bible in the future?
"Every plan and development is always discussed at the board. As chairman of the board, I fully support the plans made there. Particularly also the translation and release through the app of our work on the New Testament in Spanish. When I have the opportunity and health to do so, I hope to continue to play a role in that mission. We are people of the times, but the Study Bible rises above all of us. I think the Study Bible may yet take off, especially through our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters, for example, in Latin America. The number of Study Bible users there is huge! God's Word is a lamp for our foot and a light on our path. Thanks and glory to the LORD!", says Bette.

By Haije Bergstra

You might also like to know a little more about the other staff and editors at the BoE. Each month we will introduce one of them to you. Last time:

• Jan Kranendonk - Financial manager
• Gijs van den Brink - Editor-in-chief and writer
• Hermien Henning - Content import employee 
• Marijke Diepeveen - Administration & support at the BoE
• Mart-Jan Paul - Editor-in-Chief
• Raymond R. Hausoul - Editor and writer
• Marianne Marchal- Administrative assistant/support workerr
• Richard van den Bos - General manager