A glimpse of God through the texts

The Bible moves with the times

Marjo has had a long career, but her drive to translate the age-old Bible anew remains undiminished. 'What you often see is that Biblical texts get fixed into rigid interpretations: this is what it says, so this is how it is. But science and the world move forward.' The Bible itself, she explains, is far more dynamic than many readers realise.

'For instance, at the beginning of the Bible—before the Babylonian exile—it is said that you and your children will be punished for your transgressions. But after the exile, it’s written that this will no longer be said, and children won’t suffer for their parents’ sins. You see the dynamics in the Bible itself: it evolves and is meant to evolve with the times.'

Many facets of God

The Bible did not come from nowhere; it was shaped in the context of the ancient Near Eastern world. By comparing the Bible to other texts from that world, its distinctiveness becomes clear, Marjo explains. 'In Canaanite myths [the subject of her doctoral dissertation], each god had their own specialism. In the Bible, you see aspects of these many gods from the ancient Near East coming together in one God. This gives God many facets, like a diamond. That’s often forgotten.

You can’t simply take one metaphor, such as God is King, and claim it’s the central message of the Old Testament. What makes monotheism unique and special is precisely this richness of imagery—the multitude of characteristics contained within the one and only God.'

Biblical or folk belief?

While she is too pastoral to stir controversy unnecessarily, Marjo does point out that theology and everyday use of the Bible often include 'all sorts of firm statements.' 'Take the creation story, for example, where it says: be fruitful and multiply. I think: haven’t we already done that with 8 billion people? I tell students who insist on holding onto that: God also created humans with intelligence. If He didn’t want us to think, He would have done something quite different.'

Similarly, she views the figure of the devil more as folk belief than as something rooted in the Old Testament—the Hebrew Bible. 'Long before the Bible was written, you already see devil-like figures in non-Israelite cultures. But in the Hebrew Bible, that figure recedes almost entirely into the background. The Canaanites had a story about an evil deity disguised as a serpent who tempts "their" Adam and Eve. The Old Testament, however, strongly emphasises personal responsibility: Don’t say someone else tempted you—you did it yourself. I think the Bible expects a great deal from people, and unfortunately, most evil comes from humans. In the Biblical authors’ view, God gave humans considerable freedom and hopes and expects them to act. I, for one, would be glad to do away with the devil entirely.'

The value of folk belief

At the same time, Marjo recognises the value of certain “unbiblical” beliefs—she calls them “superstitions”—and doesn’t exclude herself from having them. 'Take, for example, people who create a little shrine at home when someone has passed away, with a photo and a candle. You could say, "That’s not in the Bible," but does that mean we shouldn’t do it?

Or consider the appropriation of loose Bible verses, like I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. People connect that to baptism. There are even churches with baptism boards featuring that text. This is a kind of folk exegesis based on a snippet of Isaiah (49:16a). At some point, it became so cherished that you have to acknowledge its significance. As an exegete, of course, you need to go back to the original text and explain that while it’s a beautiful interpretation, it’s not what the text actually says. Still, it’s a lovely new Biblical interpretation from ordinary readers.' She chuckles. 'I can’t be too critical of it, because I want to promote the Bible’s dynamics.'

Biblical illiteracy

Marjo has one major dream for the coming years: “We’ve started planning a Utrecht Study Centre for the Bible, Context, and Culture—a physical place where the Bible can be read and shared widely. Ideally, we’d work with other partners committed to promoting the reading and understanding of the Bible.”

The centre would provide access to books and other media, offer drop-in opportunities for information, and host courses such as Bibliodrama. There might also be interdisciplinary collaborations to address Biblical illiteracy, particularly among young people, in a positive way.

“For example, research into young people’s ideas about faith. I have heard many people asking in today’s world: Where is God’s omnipotence? Why doesn’t He intervene? How do young people think about this? What do believers and non-believers imagine? And does it align with what the Bible actually says? The word ‘omnipotence’ appears in the Bible only as a Greek translation of terms like LORD of Hosts, which primarily means that God is the leader of a group. Or as a translation of the well-known [Hebrew] Shaddai, which certainly doesn’t mean ‘almighty.’

We often forget that God must be greater and other than the human, ancient Near Eastern imagery the Bible provides. The challenge is that Biblical authors, and we ourselves, can only use human language, which is by definition inadequate. After all, God is not human. The beauty of the Bible’s dynamic character is that it invites us to seek new words and images for God. I’d love to continue contributing to this Biblical dynamic. By shared Biblical research, I hope we can at unexpected moments catch a glimpse of who and what God might be in today’s world—through these inspiring and inspired texts written by humans.”