by . It’s not a reliable translation if that’s what you need. We’ve known for a long time that the Message Bible was a New Age work by Eugene Peterson. It is the translator’s duty to resist the temptation to overload the text with theological interpretation or to make vague what is concrete in the text. The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language was created by Eugene H. Peterson and published in segments from 1993 to 2002. The Original New Testament, translated by Jewish scholar Hugh Schonfield, has extreme examples of such tendencies. It is a non literal translation, tending towards paraphrase, of the original languages of the Bible. But, to repeat: It should never be used as your primary Bible, since it is not a translation of the Bible but rather a free paraphrase of the Bible. At least that’s how my friend has found it. In a promotional brochure for "The Message," the publisher claims: "`The Message' is a fresh, contemporary version of the New Testament that transfers the informal and earthy flavor of the Greek into the rhythms and idiom of everyday English." 25. It’s a rendering of the text, an attempt to make the Bible accessible in the common vernacular. Other critics declare The Message to be not a paraphrase of what the Bible says, but more of a rendering of what Eugene Peterson would like it to say. The basis of this study is the English paraphrased text of the New Testament written by Eugene Peterson called THE Message.Through the use of paraphrase, THE MESSAGE was 'crafted' to present the doctrines of mysticism to the Christian church in order to seduce believers into the occult and the New Age … The Pagan Bible: The Message Bible Exposed By churchwatcher on April 13, 2015 • ( 8). Criticism of “The Message” For my reference, here are a few links of people criticizing “The Message” Bible paraphrase by Eugene Peterson. There are many criticisms of The Message, some of them justified. But as a doorway into serious Bible reading, it has been a gift to the church. THE MYSTICAL BIBLE 'THE MESSAGE' Of MYSTICISM . Janet Moser . In an interview with Christianity Today , Peterson described the beginning of the creative process that produced The Message : “I just kind of let go and became playful. Eugene Peterson ought to study God's word, love God's word, continue in God's Word, and repent from the harm and confusion that his book "The Message" has caused in opposition to God's word. THE MESSAGE BIBLE. The Message Bible- Interpretive Patterns. I've even cited The Message in some of my academic, biblical commentary writing.