Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Cvengr
Who wrote and edited the Bible?

God.

John 1:1

:) OK, I should've known it would come down to this. As usual we're dealing with a matter of interpretation.

Why is it then, that in church we always talk about reading a passage from the "Gospel according to Mark," for instance? Shouldn't it just be the "Gospel according to God"? Why bother naming numerous sections in the Bible after their various human authors, if they didn't actually write them? There were something like 40 (human) authors and 66 books written over a period of ~1500 years.

"God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,"

Hebrews 1:1

"for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,"

2 Timothy 3:16

All Scripture was inspired by God, yes. But that inspiration was recorded through men, and, like all men, they were imperfect - Even if they were prophets, and even if they were inspired. God did not sit down at his desk one day and write the Bible.

In addition, we have lost the original texts (in archaic Greek and Hebrew). We rely on the work of numerous men before us in properly translating and recording the texts and assembling what we have now. Anyone who's ever tried to translate anything knows that it's hard to do a good translation, and again we rely on fallible men to have done so and done so correctly.

Finally, there are numerous different versions of the Bible out there. How is this possible, if the Bible is the Word of God, by definition perfect and therefore in need of no changing? Is there one version that's better than all of the others?

DFS

328 posted on 02/03/2003 1:40:04 PM PST by DFSchmidt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 324 | View Replies ]


To: DFSchmidt
Throw your argument out the window. Place your faith in Him, not in 'fallible men'. If you seek an original text, go back to the Hebrew, try an Interlinear if necessary, but for all practical purposes most modern translations of KJV, NASB, NIV are fine.

Even from these translations it's obvious that upon indwelling and filling of the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures were indeed written by God, not by 'fallible man'.

There's more to man's life than materialism or mysticism,...and it may be eternal through Him.

If you have doubt, place your faith in Him and allow Him to guide you.

Most books on apologetics give a fairly good comparison of extant manuscript documentation for the accuracy of Scripture. Even Campus Crusade for Christ provides a fairly rigorous compilations of such apologetics. More rigorous studies are available from the Bible Archeology Review, Bruce, etc.

PS I wouldn't mention to a Jew that the Torah had been corrupted over the ages by fallible rabbis constantly making mistakes such that there is no way anybody can know what God means.
331 posted on 02/03/2003 5:38:57 PM PST by Cvengr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 328 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson