So much had changed since the copyist initiated his delicate and masterful work. If this scroll could tell the tale of its passing through time and history, what would it have to say?

As I held the 18th Century Torah, listening to Dr. C. J. Williams’ quiet intoning of Hebrew, I was transported to a synagogue somewhere in Eastern Europe. This very scroll had somehow, through the Lord’s perfect providence, found its way through desperate and evil times in our world’s history to a small and faithful seminary in Pittsburgh. The Lord saw fit to bring these first five books of the Bible through both world wars and likely through the Iron Curtain of the Soviet Union. These were dangerous places for Jews and Hebrew Scriptures. Where were you hidden, Scroll? How did you escape to Israel?

Remarkable Journey

The circumstances of a Torah coming to the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS) in Pittsburgh are remarkable. In fall 2015, Dr. Jerri Faris (Immanuel [West Lafayette, Indiana] RPC) was at a conference where Ken and Barbara Larson presented a similar Torah scroll. There, Dr. Faris learned that the Larsons, owners of Slumberland Furniture Stores in the upper Midwest, desired to see conservative, Bible-teaching seminaries possess these wonderful study tools. Dr. Faris’ comments about a suitable seminary in Pittsburgh struck home with the Larsons. Within a few weeks, the groundwork was laid for the presentation of the RPTS Torah at the seminary’s annual support dinner in March 2016.

There is much we know about the scroll and much more that we do not know. Dr. Scott Carroll, a good friend of the Larsons and their co-laborer, continues to research the scroll left with RPTS. Utilizing digital scans of the Torah, Dr. Carroll is comparing this scroll with similar ones documented in a like fashion. By comparing many documents, researchers hope to pinpoint more specific details, such as the exact location of the scroll’s origin and maybe even the identity of the copyist.

We know that the scroll comes from Eastern Europe and was copied in the mid-1700s. It would take a copyist about a year to complete the 62 individual panels (made of tanned calf skin), totaling 150 feet in length.

Though the scroll is in excellent shape, due to its age and condition it is considered pasul or non-kosher; thus it would not be usable in synagogue worship today. The Larsons’ desire is not for organizations to have museum pieces but rather working, ancient manuscripts for students to study. Since the copying of Torahs has been taking place for thousands of years, with great consistency from copy to copy, evangelists such as Josh McDowell use similar scrolls as evangelistic tools to show the reliability of the Bible. Fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls from Qumran match the one in possession of the seminary. The Leningrad Codex, the earliest complete Torah (about AD 1008) is remarkably similar to the one at RPTS.

When the Torah was on display at the Reformed Presbyterian International Conference in July, hundreds of people waited in line for an unhindered view of the almost computer-like printing of the scroll. Treated with a heavy, plaster-like backing, the Torah is quite sturdy and ready for the in-depth study of and handling by students.

Starting Point

Why is the study of languages so important to seminarians? “God chose to reveal and preserve His truth in the Hebrew and Greek languages, and you cannot separate the truth of God’s Word from the language of it,” reflects Dr. C. J. Williams, professor of Old Testament studies at RPTS. “The study of Scripture in its original languages is the essential starting point, if we seek to faithfully understand, communicate, and apply God’s revealed will.”

Student Hesitations

The study of Greek and Hebrew is one of the more intimidating tasks facing seminarians. The alphabets of both languages are significantly different from English. Greek has some common features with English, but Hebrew looks like a crazy game of hangman. The study of a language is different in many ways from other courses at seminary.

Pastor Sam McCracken, a recent RPTS graduate and church planter in Casper, Wyo., noted that while he did not feel particularly gifted in learning languages, hard and diligent study enabled him to learn. He treated his language studies as a non-negotiable exercise every morning. “It was painful and difficult,” lamented McCracken, “but I had to get at least 30 minutes of language every morning.” The benefit of comprehending the languages outweighs the efforts to attain their mastery. Sam suggests that young men interested in the pastorate should take their foreign language studies in high school seriously. Careful attention to English grammar in school is also very helpful.

Proficiency in the languages can be lost when not used regularly. Both Dr. Williams and Dr. Jack Kinneer, professor of New Testament studies, suggest several tactics to keep sharp. Instead of layering a new task into one’s routine, the use of these languages in everyday activities is helpful. For example, making Greek or Hebrew Bibles part of one’s devotions or while listening to a sermon will help students stay in touch with vocabulary and grammatical structures. Regular practice alone, or perhaps with a partner, can also keep skills honed and practical.

Pastor Venkatesh (Venky) Gopalakrishnan, a recent graduate and church planter in South Asia, notes, “Learning Hebrew at first looked daunting, but it became much easier as I kept working at it.” Hebrew is a simple and intuitive language, quite learnable with daily reading and study. Of the two languages, many students find Hebrew easier. Hebrew, with its relatively simple vocabulary, relies significantly on the context of the text for an accurate interpretation. Greek, with a much larger vocabulary, is more precise and requires a more rigid approach.

Practical Use

Venky, Lord willing, plans to use his knowledge of Hebrew to translate the Psalter into two Indian languages and also to prepare Bible studies. He notes that, because of his language studies at RPTS, he is able to understand and interpret biblical texts more accurately—an essential part of teaching and preaching. A deeper exploration of the languages brings a rich comprehension of God’s Word.

A Digital Paradigm

Recognizing the many challenges faced by Greek students, Dr. Kinneer has embarked on a journey to significantly change how Greek is taught at RPTS. Creating a digital universe of Greek tutorials, Dr. Kinneer has transported his students into a world of flexibility designed to give greater success in comprehension and application. Kinneer’s Greek program contains all of the resources of traditional printed textbooks layered with multimedia presentation, including the pronunciation of letters and words, printed vocabulary lists, electronic flash cards, and short, targeted videos to help students see and hear sentences and learn basic paradigms.

“Traditional teaching methods consisting of lectures are not always the best ways of learning languages,” says Dr. Kinneer. His Greek students view videos during the week, giving more class time for interactive practice and application, shoulder to shoulder with Dr. Kinneer.

How effective are teaching techniques such as these? Dr. Kinneer notes that usually students, by the third class session, are reading simple Greek sentences. In the third quarter elementary Greek course, students are translating 1 John from Greek to English. As the format of the class changed, Tom Anderson, former tutor at the seminary, noted that fewer students needed help with Greek—so comprehensive was their learning. Hebrew students are noting similar confidence in their studies, with memory work bearing the bulk of the educational load. Visitors to the seminary in the fall are serenaded with the Hebrew alphabet set to music reverberating around the wood-paneled walls of Rutherford Hall.

Translation of various Hebrew texts cements the memorized material, and the Hebrew reading lab is designed to hone these skills in a more concentrated manner. Students have benefited from a recent course that focuses on the memorization of Psalm 119, all in Hebrew.

Many people were deeply moved that March afternoon as the Torah scroll was unrolled by the tentative hands of 100 participants to its full length of 150 feet. It circled the interior perimeter of the seminary chapel and made one more pass up the center, massive and impressive in its length and age. Standing at the very end of the line, holding the section containing Deuteronomy 34 which detailed Moses’ view of the Promised Land from Moab, Dr. Byron Curtis, professor of Old Testament Studies and Hebrew at Geneva College, captured the atmosphere of the moment and the significance of the text that concludes the Torah, in an exquisite poem he had penned for the occasion.

The Scroll Unfurled: A Sonnet

We gazed in awe as the aged scroll unfurled,

each parchment page a sage’s ardent world,

each sculpted line inscribed by ancient rule,

each word a Word beyond what’s taught in school.

It takes a hundred hands to hold the scroll,

as it curls around the crowded lecture hall,

till every vellum’d pane unveils its face,

as if theophanies flame this modest place.

My hands uphold its closing column and verse,

where the tale of Moses’ death is last rehearsed.

My fingers clasp its final, rasping seam,

and thus I end the Torah—I, unclean.

Am I this chosen Torah’s end and eave,

when Christ is the Torah’s end to those who believe?

“Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4).