오늘 주일(6월 7일) 이른 아침에 전화벨 소리가 들렸다. 미국에서 온 전화였다. 조금 전에 나의 영원한 선생님이신 존 스택 교수님(Prof. John H. Stek, 1925-2009)이 향년 84세를 일기로 세상을 떠났다는 소식이었다. 

슬픔.....

교회에 다녀와서 마음을 추스리고 다시 쓰기로 하다.

Rev. John Stek, who worked on NIV version of Bible, dies at age 84

by Charles Honey | The Grand Rapids Press

Monday June 08, 2009, 6:25 PM

The Rev. John Stek considered Bible translation a never-ending work, once noting, "Even the most durable words take on different nuances as culture changes."

The Rev. Stek attended diligently to those nuances, serving for nearly 45 years on the translation committee for the New International Version -- the most popular modern English-language Bible.

The Rev. Stek died Saturday following a lengthy illness. He was 84.

His work on the NIV and a related study Bible was widely respected, said the Rev. James De Jong, retired president of Calvin Theological Seminary.

"John was an acknowledged leader among evangelical Bible translators," De Jong said. "He stood head and shoulders above just about everyone else in that crowd."

The Rev. Stek also was an "unusually careful and precise theologian" as a professor of Old Testament at Calvin Seminary, where he taught for 30 years, said De Jong, a former student.

Whether teaching or translating, the Rev. Stek always was focused on worship, said his daughter, Ruth Paauwe.

"Everything that he did was ultimately dedicated to the furtherance of God's church and God's people," Paauwe said.

Married for 61 years to his wife, Nadine, and a father of four, the Rev. Stek took joy in his family and in seeing "God's creation unfolding daily" in his garden, his daughter said.

An Iowa native, the Rev. Stek pastored a Minnesota church before teaching at Calvin. In 1965 he was appointed to a translation committee charged with producing a contemporary language Bible. The NIV New Testament was published in 1973 and the complete Bible in 1978.

The Rev. Stek later chaired the committee which in 2002 produced Today's New International Version -- criticized by some conservatives for gender-inclusive language -- and edited a best-selling study version of the NIV.

"He just knew things inside and out, and was able to translate those into real solid learning for the man on the street," said Mike Vander Klipp, associate publisher on the Bible team for Zondervan, the NIV's publisher. "It changed people's lives."

Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Zaagman Memorial Chapel. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Fuller Avenue Christian Reformed Church, with a memorial planned at a later date at Calvin Seminary Chapel.