Why I Modernize Classics
One of the spiritual disciplines I practice is modernizing classical text. Why do I do it?
- It forces me to slow read classical texts that are rich in content but difficult in their language.
- It provides an means to generate language to restate the thoughts which then ingrains their ideas in my brain and heart.
- While the modernizations will never replace the original in richness, they do offer a reader who would, at first sight, not engage the difficulty of the original. Perhaps they can catch its concepts or, better, be compelled to wrestle with the original.
- I don’t want some of the classic writings, particularly the lesser known puritans, to disappear from the modern believer’s view.
In all my modernizations, I leave the original in the left column and in the right column offer my modernized interpretation. If others desire to read the modernizations then can easily look at the original to check my meaning. In certain works, I modernize phrase by phrase. In others, sentence by sentence. Each writer’s style dictates my method.
If you desire to pass on any modernization, you have my permission to do that. Please provide full credit, including the reference to this site, and insure that no edits are made. Theses are primarily for my own spiritual growth and I pass them on to be used for the sake of the Kingdom.
