The Bible is one of the most popular books of all time. Just take a look around. You can buy bibles online. You can buy bibles at the bookstore. You can buy bibles at stores like K-mart and Walmart. I’ve even seen them at the grocery store. You can buy bibles just about anywhere. The bible is the best selling book of all time.
As we read the Bible, we should do so with a few guides in mind, which will help us to understand and appreciate it, and to interpret it honestly and fairly.
We should try to check the accuracy of translation. This is not easy to do since most of us are not familiar with the original languages of Hebrew and Greek. We can study a great number of translations and scholarly commentaries and thereby arrive at the opinion of men of learning. Our only other check is our own practical wisdom and the inspiration we may seek and receive from the Lord.
We should read each book within the Bible as a separate work, seeking to learn what we can about the language, author, people, and circumstances of the day. This we can do by referring to a good Bible commentary and by studying the best historical works on the subject. Often the latter are less prejudiced and fair than books published by churches. The little book of Amos, for example, becomes much richer in meaning if we now that Amos lived in the Eighth Century B.B. in Judea and went north to the Kingdom of Israel at the a time when Israel was enjoying a post-war prosperity and the people were both self-righteous, shallow, and hypocritical in their “religious life.”
We should keep in mind the Spirit and emphasis of Jesus Christ. Christians, who look to Jesus Christ as the great teacher, revelator of the Father, the Son of God, and their Savior and Redeemer, do well to make his life and teaching normative for their own interpretations of scripture and religion. He fulfilled and thereby did away with many things in the Old Testament. Other teachings he strongly affirmed and strengthened.
We should have his concept of God and man in mind as we read all scripture. When we find ideas which seem to contradict his Spirit and teachings in the scriptures, then we cannot accept them for ourselves and live by them. Either our interpretation is wrong or there is an error of translation, or there is a teaching adapted to people of different needs, circumstances, or understanding, or there is some other human limitation in the picture. Great fundamentals of religion are found in the Bible, including the Gospel of Christ. The Gospel, although contained in the Bible, is greater than the Book. So we use the Gospel to interpret all passages in the Bible.
We should remember the poetic character and the rich imagery of Biblical writers. Jesus himself chose strong figures of speech to drive a great religious truth home. He said, for example, “Ye are the salt of the earth…Ye are the light of the world…Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers…O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets…” The religious teaching implicit in these sayings is to be taken literally, but not always the figure of speech which makes the teaching remembered.
We should read the scripture with humility, prayerfully seeking inspiration from Deity as we read. If they were written by men of God under his inspiration, surely the same kind of attitude is needed by the reader and by the student if he is to gain what went into their writing. When we read poetry, we do so in a poetic mood, with feeling s well as thought, searching for the mood of the poem. Much scripture is also poetic and cannot be appreciated except with feeling, with aspiration, and with a desire to worship. The Bible is not a treatise in philosophy, nor a scientific textbook, nor a scholarly, thoroughgoing historical chronicle, nor even a text in theology. It is a deeply religious and moral work, trying to teach Israel and all men how to worship and serve God and how to deal fairly and considerately with fellow men.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Two Things to Remember When Studying the Bible
Did you know you can buy bibles online? That’s right. Probably the best place to look if you want to buy bibles is online. The reason is that you can find almost any version out there and as you consider reading and studying the bible, you want to make sure you get the version that is right for you.
As we read and study the Bible, we should do so with a few things in mind, which will help us to understand and appreciate it, and to interpret it honestly and fairly. Both of them deal with taking things out of context. First we should interpret single passages in their context. Second we should interpret single ideas in the Bible in the context of religion as a whole.
We should interpret single passages in their context. Single verses are written as part of passages; single passages are part of larger themes. It is unfair to the meaning of scripture to interpret a single verse without being sure that the interpretation is in harmony with that which goes before or after.
In practically every religion some writers are guilty of this practice of singling out verses favorable to a position taken on some point of doctrine. This we should guard against doing in fairness to the book and to truth. One can prove almost anything from the Bible if one selects his own verses out of context.
As an illustration, consider the verse in I John 4:8, which reads: “He that loveth not knowth not God; for God is love.” The last part of this verse has been quoted sincerely as proof that God is love, nothing more. Taken by itself it says just that. However, if one reads the entire little book of I John, one notes that God is more than love. The author stresses this one attribute of Deity because a major purpose of his writing the book was to inspire men to love one another.
We should interpret single ideas in scripture in the context of religion as a whole. In a lecture, an architect said that there are three things an architect keeps in minds as he plans a house: soundness, utility, and delight or beauty. These are wonderful guides to home planning. Everything one does, whether in planning the garage or the kitchen, must be sound, functional, and delightful to be completely satisfying.
This same method of referring single ideas back to a few big fundamental guides applies equally well in the study, interpretation, and living of religion. One should not base his faith on single passages or ideas in the Bible taken separately one at a time. He should search for the big fundamentals in scripture which are taught or implied over and over again. These should become his guides, giving structure and consistency to his religious views.
For example, read the entire Bible to see what the big, oft-repeated concepts about God are. With these in mind, one brings to an interpretation of a single passage the larger Biblical views of the nature and character of God. When we proceed in this way, we know that God is more than love, for the scripture teaches again and again that he is Creator of the universe, Revelator to the prophets, a Person of Justice as well as a Person of mercy and love. What do the scriptures teach about man when we study them thoroughly?
Is the freedom and responsibility of man reiterated again and again and implied in practically all scriptural teaching? If so, it should become a guide to our interpretation of each passage of scripture. A single verse which appears to deny man’s agency cannot be taken at face value as a final source of the doctrine of man, as some theologians have taken isolated verses from Paul.
The great fundamentals of religion pertaining to God and man should guide us in interpreting all passages and lesser ideas. We cannot accept as truth interpretations of scripture which deny the Fatherhood, justice, impartiality, and love of God, or the freedom, worth, and brotherhood of man. In any field of life we do well to live by fundamental principles; this applies to religion no less than to business or the practice of medicine.
As we read and study the Bible, we should do so with a few things in mind, which will help us to understand and appreciate it, and to interpret it honestly and fairly. Both of them deal with taking things out of context. First we should interpret single passages in their context. Second we should interpret single ideas in the Bible in the context of religion as a whole.
We should interpret single passages in their context. Single verses are written as part of passages; single passages are part of larger themes. It is unfair to the meaning of scripture to interpret a single verse without being sure that the interpretation is in harmony with that which goes before or after.
In practically every religion some writers are guilty of this practice of singling out verses favorable to a position taken on some point of doctrine. This we should guard against doing in fairness to the book and to truth. One can prove almost anything from the Bible if one selects his own verses out of context.
As an illustration, consider the verse in I John 4:8, which reads: “He that loveth not knowth not God; for God is love.” The last part of this verse has been quoted sincerely as proof that God is love, nothing more. Taken by itself it says just that. However, if one reads the entire little book of I John, one notes that God is more than love. The author stresses this one attribute of Deity because a major purpose of his writing the book was to inspire men to love one another.
We should interpret single ideas in scripture in the context of religion as a whole. In a lecture, an architect said that there are three things an architect keeps in minds as he plans a house: soundness, utility, and delight or beauty. These are wonderful guides to home planning. Everything one does, whether in planning the garage or the kitchen, must be sound, functional, and delightful to be completely satisfying.
This same method of referring single ideas back to a few big fundamental guides applies equally well in the study, interpretation, and living of religion. One should not base his faith on single passages or ideas in the Bible taken separately one at a time. He should search for the big fundamentals in scripture which are taught or implied over and over again. These should become his guides, giving structure and consistency to his religious views.
For example, read the entire Bible to see what the big, oft-repeated concepts about God are. With these in mind, one brings to an interpretation of a single passage the larger Biblical views of the nature and character of God. When we proceed in this way, we know that God is more than love, for the scripture teaches again and again that he is Creator of the universe, Revelator to the prophets, a Person of Justice as well as a Person of mercy and love. What do the scriptures teach about man when we study them thoroughly?
Is the freedom and responsibility of man reiterated again and again and implied in practically all scriptural teaching? If so, it should become a guide to our interpretation of each passage of scripture. A single verse which appears to deny man’s agency cannot be taken at face value as a final source of the doctrine of man, as some theologians have taken isolated verses from Paul.
The great fundamentals of religion pertaining to God and man should guide us in interpreting all passages and lesser ideas. We cannot accept as truth interpretations of scripture which deny the Fatherhood, justice, impartiality, and love of God, or the freedom, worth, and brotherhood of man. In any field of life we do well to live by fundamental principles; this applies to religion no less than to business or the practice of medicine.
Attitudes Toward the Bible
The Bible is the best selling book ever. You can buy bibles almost anywhere. You can buy bibles online, you can buy bibles at your local bookstore, I’ve even seen them at the dollar store. If you’re thinking about buying a bible, where to get one really isn’t an issue. Knowing a little bit about the bible and which version is right for you is much more important.
Jews and Christians entertain various views of the Bible. On the one extreme some Christians believe in the verbal authority of scripture, holding that every word and every sentence is the word of God to be accepted authoritatively. On the other extreme, there are liberal Christians who believe the Bible to be an interesting book but having no more authority than the message itself dictates to the mind and heart of the reader. This view holds that parts of the Bible are inspiring and commend themselves to conscience and much of it is purely human and not the best of morality and religion at that. In between these two extremes is the view that the Bible is the Word of God, delivered through inspired men, but that because of human error through years and years of translating and copying, some errors may have been introduced.
When it was first written, both the Old Testament in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek, there was no printing press. For many centuries scribes copied the text laboriously and no doubt earnestly from one parchment sheet or papyrus roll to another. In the process of copying, errors were bound to have been made and then transmitted to new copies. Not only that, but conscientious scholars could hardly resist the temptation to clarify the meaning of a passage to inspire or safeguard the faith of the alter generation. Interpolations and deletions occurred in this manner.
The Bible has undergone many translations from ancient to modern languages. In any translation there is some leeway, some differences of opinion, some loss or change of the original meaning. The story of the translation of the Bible alone would seem to nullify the possibility of believing in its verbal authority.
A study of the Bible itself indicates that it is not all on the same religious and moral plane. This is particularly true of the Old Testament. Parts of this great work were written by unknown authors who make no claim to be speaking for God. Their work was retained and adopted into the Canon because of its literary merit, wisdom, or historical interest to the people of Israel. Other portions of the book come to us through the prophets who are speaking with authority and conviction for God. For example, the Song of Solomon is a great love poem appreciated for its literary beauty, but of little religious value. Ecclesiastes is a masterful literary work of much practical wisdom, but quite foreign to the tenor of most of the Old Testament and almost opposite in its teaching about life after death to the teaching on this same subject in the New Testament. Much of the historical material in the Old Testament cannot compare in inspiration and value to us today with parts of the Law of Moses and the writings of the more important of the literary prophets. Even the Apostle Paul acknowledged on occasion that he was giving his own opinion and not speaking by way of commandment, “But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment (I Corinthians 7:6,7)
One does not have to seek far to find the reasons for differences in revelation within the Holy Bible. The Bible is not one book, but a collection of sixty-six separate books, some of which are themselves collections of many writings, such as Proverbs and Psalms. We believe that God not only speaks to man, but does so in a way that man can understand him. As we read the Bible, therefore, we must not only keep God in mind, but also the prophet or the writer, and the people to whom he was speaking.
It is unfair to the Bible to interpret it as though it were equally inspired of God in all books and passages. Some writers were more inspired than others; Christ, himself, reached new heights of inspiration and revelation because he was the Son of God and because of his own wonderful intellectual and moral life.
Jews and Christians entertain various views of the Bible. On the one extreme some Christians believe in the verbal authority of scripture, holding that every word and every sentence is the word of God to be accepted authoritatively. On the other extreme, there are liberal Christians who believe the Bible to be an interesting book but having no more authority than the message itself dictates to the mind and heart of the reader. This view holds that parts of the Bible are inspiring and commend themselves to conscience and much of it is purely human and not the best of morality and religion at that. In between these two extremes is the view that the Bible is the Word of God, delivered through inspired men, but that because of human error through years and years of translating and copying, some errors may have been introduced.
When it was first written, both the Old Testament in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek, there was no printing press. For many centuries scribes copied the text laboriously and no doubt earnestly from one parchment sheet or papyrus roll to another. In the process of copying, errors were bound to have been made and then transmitted to new copies. Not only that, but conscientious scholars could hardly resist the temptation to clarify the meaning of a passage to inspire or safeguard the faith of the alter generation. Interpolations and deletions occurred in this manner.
The Bible has undergone many translations from ancient to modern languages. In any translation there is some leeway, some differences of opinion, some loss or change of the original meaning. The story of the translation of the Bible alone would seem to nullify the possibility of believing in its verbal authority.
A study of the Bible itself indicates that it is not all on the same religious and moral plane. This is particularly true of the Old Testament. Parts of this great work were written by unknown authors who make no claim to be speaking for God. Their work was retained and adopted into the Canon because of its literary merit, wisdom, or historical interest to the people of Israel. Other portions of the book come to us through the prophets who are speaking with authority and conviction for God. For example, the Song of Solomon is a great love poem appreciated for its literary beauty, but of little religious value. Ecclesiastes is a masterful literary work of much practical wisdom, but quite foreign to the tenor of most of the Old Testament and almost opposite in its teaching about life after death to the teaching on this same subject in the New Testament. Much of the historical material in the Old Testament cannot compare in inspiration and value to us today with parts of the Law of Moses and the writings of the more important of the literary prophets. Even the Apostle Paul acknowledged on occasion that he was giving his own opinion and not speaking by way of commandment, “But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment (I Corinthians 7:6,7)
One does not have to seek far to find the reasons for differences in revelation within the Holy Bible. The Bible is not one book, but a collection of sixty-six separate books, some of which are themselves collections of many writings, such as Proverbs and Psalms. We believe that God not only speaks to man, but does so in a way that man can understand him. As we read the Bible, therefore, we must not only keep God in mind, but also the prophet or the writer, and the people to whom he was speaking.
It is unfair to the Bible to interpret it as though it were equally inspired of God in all books and passages. Some writers were more inspired than others; Christ, himself, reached new heights of inspiration and revelation because he was the Son of God and because of his own wonderful intellectual and moral life.
The New Testament
The English word Bible comes from a Greek word “Biblia,” meaning books. This is a very fitting name because the Bible is not just one book, but a collection of 66 books. These books have been collected through the ages and have been put together in what we now call the Bible. The Bible is divided into two main parts called the Old Testament and the New Testament. The word “Testament” is also translated as covenant. The Old Testament contains the covenants God made with man before the coming of Christ, and the New Testament contains the covenants that God made with man after the coming of Christ. As you study the Bible it is important to remember that it is a collection of books from different settings and different time periods. It is well then to read and study the Bible not as though it were one book, but as a collection of sacred writings, all dealing with the covenants that God has made with man.
The New Testament is an outgrowth of the establishment of the Pristine or Primitive Church of Jesus Christ. Jesus, Peter, and Paul in establishing the Christian faith, spoke as moved upon by the spirit quoting at times to their Jewish listeners from the Old Testament. Their sayings and writing were cherished so much by the Christian communities that they were preserved, copied, exchanged, and finally collected and canonized into our present New Testament. Let us take a look at the books within the New Testament.
The Gospels
The first set of books that we run into in the New Testament are referred to as “The Gospels.” They include Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and document Christ’s life and teachings from 4 different perspectives.
The Acts
Next we have the Acts. The Book of Acts was written by Luke. It is a continuation of his gospel, telling of the establishment of the Church under Peter and Paul.
Epistles of Paul
Next we have the Epistles of Paul. There are thirteen of these. They are letters written to the saints in various places were the Christian church had been established. They are Romans, I and II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I and II Thessalonians, I and II Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.
Hebrews
The book of Hebrews is also found in the New Testament and is traditionally ascribed to Paul. It was written to all Christians to encourage them in the persecutions they were suffering.
The General or Universal Epistles
Next we have the General or Universal Epistles. They were written to the Church at large and include I Peter, James, Jude, II Peter, and I, II, and III John.
Revelation
Finally we have Revelation, written by John while on the Island of Patmos. The book of Revelation is a highly dramatic and symbolic writing, difficult to understand, declaring the downfall of Rome and the triumph of Christ.
The New Testament, it is believed, was originally written in everyday Greek, the cultural language of the Graeco-Roman world of the First Century A.D. The New Testament is a collection of writings of various types and character. The life and mission of Jesus Christ is the central and unifying theme of these twenty-seven remarkable books.
The New Testament is an outgrowth of the establishment of the Pristine or Primitive Church of Jesus Christ. Jesus, Peter, and Paul in establishing the Christian faith, spoke as moved upon by the spirit quoting at times to their Jewish listeners from the Old Testament. Their sayings and writing were cherished so much by the Christian communities that they were preserved, copied, exchanged, and finally collected and canonized into our present New Testament. Let us take a look at the books within the New Testament.
The Gospels
The first set of books that we run into in the New Testament are referred to as “The Gospels.” They include Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and document Christ’s life and teachings from 4 different perspectives.
The Acts
Next we have the Acts. The Book of Acts was written by Luke. It is a continuation of his gospel, telling of the establishment of the Church under Peter and Paul.
Epistles of Paul
Next we have the Epistles of Paul. There are thirteen of these. They are letters written to the saints in various places were the Christian church had been established. They are Romans, I and II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I and II Thessalonians, I and II Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.
Hebrews
The book of Hebrews is also found in the New Testament and is traditionally ascribed to Paul. It was written to all Christians to encourage them in the persecutions they were suffering.
The General or Universal Epistles
Next we have the General or Universal Epistles. They were written to the Church at large and include I Peter, James, Jude, II Peter, and I, II, and III John.
Revelation
Finally we have Revelation, written by John while on the Island of Patmos. The book of Revelation is a highly dramatic and symbolic writing, difficult to understand, declaring the downfall of Rome and the triumph of Christ.
The New Testament, it is believed, was originally written in everyday Greek, the cultural language of the Graeco-Roman world of the First Century A.D. The New Testament is a collection of writings of various types and character. The life and mission of Jesus Christ is the central and unifying theme of these twenty-seven remarkable books.
The Old Testament
The English word Bible comes from a Greek word “Biblia,” meaning books. The name is well chosen because the Bible is not one book but a collection of sixty-six books. These sixty-six are divided into two main divisions: The Old Testament (Old Covenant), and the New Testament (New Covenant). It is well then to read and study the Bible not as though it were one book, but as two collections of sacred writings.
The Old Testament was written by Jews in the Hebrew language. It is much larger and more varied in content than the New Testament. It is a religious record of the life of the Hebrew people, telling of the creation of the world, the life of the Patriarchs from Adam to Abraham, and then relating in much greater detail the establishment and history of the people of Israel. It is interesting to look at the books of the Old Testament as they were compiled and classified by the Jewish people.
The Law (Also called Pentateuch or Torah) includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
The Prophets includes two types, historical and literary. The historical books include Joshua, Judges, Samuel I, II, and Kings I, II. The literary books include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
The Writings include historical and narrative books like Ruth, Esther, and Chronicles I, II; prophetic books like Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah; Poetic books like Psalms, Song of Solomon, and Lamentations; and philosophical books like Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes.
Some people also include the Apocrypha which is a group of “hidden” writings, written from 200 B.C. to 200 A. D., which have not been accepted on a par with the above groups and which do not appear in most versions of the Bible.
Through the centuries devout Jews have held the Law of Moses, the first five books, to be the most sacred part of the Old Testament Canon. This is due to several factors. They tell the heroic story of the great founders of Israel: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, and of the establishment of Israel as a nation under Moses, to them the greatest of the prophets. Here is a record of how God chose Israel, brought her out of bondage in Egypt, and established her as a nation in the Holy land of Cannan, and revealed to her great religious and moral truths.
The prophetic writings were the second group of books to be collected and accepted as scripture by the Jews. This portion of the Old Testament, particularly the fifteen literary prophetic books, has gained increasing respect among both Jews and Gentiles in recent centuries. The writing of Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Jonah contain religious poetry and concepts which are unexcelled in the entire Bible, and in some ways, by anything that has ever been written.
The third group of Old Testament books, the Writings, was the last to be accepted as part of the scriptures. They have been loved and appreciated by the Jews and Christians, but have not carried equal authority in matters of belief and doctrine as have the Law and the Prophets. Their value has been more of a meditative and devotional character with some historical interest.
The Old Testament as a whole is large in size, unexcelled in literature, rich in human interest and biography, and contains a great many wonderful and varied religious teachings – devotion, law, wisdom, moral and religious teaching. This book is also the most difficult to understand, presenting serious problems of interpretation to the careful and earnest student.
The Old Testament was written by Jews in the Hebrew language. It is much larger and more varied in content than the New Testament. It is a religious record of the life of the Hebrew people, telling of the creation of the world, the life of the Patriarchs from Adam to Abraham, and then relating in much greater detail the establishment and history of the people of Israel. It is interesting to look at the books of the Old Testament as they were compiled and classified by the Jewish people.
The Law (Also called Pentateuch or Torah) includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
The Prophets includes two types, historical and literary. The historical books include Joshua, Judges, Samuel I, II, and Kings I, II. The literary books include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
The Writings include historical and narrative books like Ruth, Esther, and Chronicles I, II; prophetic books like Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah; Poetic books like Psalms, Song of Solomon, and Lamentations; and philosophical books like Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes.
Some people also include the Apocrypha which is a group of “hidden” writings, written from 200 B.C. to 200 A. D., which have not been accepted on a par with the above groups and which do not appear in most versions of the Bible.
Through the centuries devout Jews have held the Law of Moses, the first five books, to be the most sacred part of the Old Testament Canon. This is due to several factors. They tell the heroic story of the great founders of Israel: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, and of the establishment of Israel as a nation under Moses, to them the greatest of the prophets. Here is a record of how God chose Israel, brought her out of bondage in Egypt, and established her as a nation in the Holy land of Cannan, and revealed to her great religious and moral truths.
The prophetic writings were the second group of books to be collected and accepted as scripture by the Jews. This portion of the Old Testament, particularly the fifteen literary prophetic books, has gained increasing respect among both Jews and Gentiles in recent centuries. The writing of Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Jonah contain religious poetry and concepts which are unexcelled in the entire Bible, and in some ways, by anything that has ever been written.
The third group of Old Testament books, the Writings, was the last to be accepted as part of the scriptures. They have been loved and appreciated by the Jews and Christians, but have not carried equal authority in matters of belief and doctrine as have the Law and the Prophets. Their value has been more of a meditative and devotional character with some historical interest.
The Old Testament as a whole is large in size, unexcelled in literature, rich in human interest and biography, and contains a great many wonderful and varied religious teachings – devotion, law, wisdom, moral and religious teaching. This book is also the most difficult to understand, presenting serious problems of interpretation to the careful and earnest student.
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