The Cotton Patch Version of Hebrews and the General Epistles: A colloquial translation with a Southern accent

The letter to the Hebrews is actually a sermon to Jewish converts to Christianity. Its purpose is to help them understand their newly found faith in Christ and his Movement, so that they might be intelligent, faithful and zealous members of the fellowship.

The "general epistles" come from some of the earliest partners in the faith of Jesus Christ and sparkle with keen insight and spiritual perception. They abound in compassion, love, encouragement and hope. With fiery zeal they warn us of the perils of indifference and lukewarmness, and of the tribulations which invariably befall the faithful. And we have the feeling that these partners were speaking out of their own experiences of love, joy and suffering.

Jordan determined to translate the events of Scripture, not the words. Quoting him: "Translations have left us stranded in some faraway land in the long-distant past. We need to have it come in our tongue and our time.

Clarence did not claim that his "cotton patch" version always represented a literal rendition of the Greek text. He did not call his work a translation but a "version."