How to Apply the Bible?
- Align with text
- Vulnerable to criticism
- Errancy
Problems
Need to…
- Understand what the Bible is
- Understand the process the content is produced
- Honor God’s choices and providence
Flawed Ideas & Approaches
Traditional: Dictation / Divine Download
- Trance state
- Automatic writing
- Human mind overtaken
- Evasive: God “gives” every word w/o dictation
Vulnerabilities
- Science intent
- Uniqueness is assumed
- No room for editing / collecting
- No room for author’s agenda / method / literary techniques
Illustrations
Cosmology (cf. reading)
Editorial
- Ezek 1:1-3
- Zech 1:1-6 vs Zech 1:7-9
Techniques
- Solecisms
- Acrostics
- Chiasm
- Miracle (Healing the lepers), 8:1-4
- Miracle (Healing the centurion’s slave), 8:5-13; “faith” (v. 10), “believed” (v. 13)
- Miracle (Healing the mother-in-law of Peter and mass healings), 8:14-17
- Question (On following Jesus), 8:18-20
- Question (Let the dead bury the dead), 8:21-22
- Miracle (Calming the storm on the sea), 8:23-27
- Miracle (Casting out of the demons), 8:28-34; “Son of God” (v. 29)
- Miracle (Healing the lame), 9:1-8
- Question (Interaction with sinners), 9:9-13
- Question (Fasting by the disciples), 9:14-17
- Miracle (Raising of the daughter of Jairus, healing the woman with an issue of blood), 9:18-26
- Miracle (Healing to blind people), 9:27-31; “believe” (v. 28), “faith” (v. 9)
- Miracle (Healing the dumb and possessed man), 9:32-34.
Divergences in the synoptic context
- Torah regulations:
- Ex 12 vs Deu 16
Authorial Agendas
- 2Sam 11 vs 1Chr 20
- David & Bathsheba sanitized
- Chronicles is the last book, creating a history for people coming out of exiles with clean slates. Glorification of the monarchy – what it would have been like
“Fulfillment” of Prophecy
- Mat 2:13-15 (cp. source Hosea 11:1)
- “Fulfill” Hosea – referring something in the past
- Typology: Passover Lamb
- Analogy: Israel corporate son (let my son go) parallel to Messiah the Son (fulfilled)
Literary strategy for polemic
| Baal Cycle | Daniel 7 |
|---|---|
| El, the aged high God, is the ultimate sovereign in the council | The Ancient of Days is the ultimate sovereign in the council, and thus plays the El role in the scene. However, he is also seated on the fiery, wheeled throne-chariot, a Baal motif |
| Baal defeats Yamm | The Ancient of Days also fulfills a Baal role here, since he, along with the council, decide that the fourth beast from the sea (yamma) must be killed. He also plays an El role, by withdrawing kingship from the other three beasts |
| El bestows kingship upon the god Baal, the Cloud-Rider | The Ancient of Days, bestows kingship upon the human one who comes upon the clouds, the co-regent figure. |
| Baal is king of gods and El’s vice-regent. His rule is everlasting | The human one who comes upon the clouds is given everlasting dominion as a deity-level co-regent. He is king of all the nations and so also over their gods. |
- Daniel wants to make the point Ancient of Days to give kingship to a man (Jesus)
- Jesus quoted this passage to Caiaphas
Better Approach
2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that (ina) the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
- Not refer to the process
- Refers to divine origin
2 Peter 1:20-21
Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
- Guidance (being assisted or impelled), not dictation
- Personal intent framed by Providence
Proposition
- Why must we say God choose or gave those words?
- Why can we not say God was satisfied by the word decisions made by the people he chose?
Strategy
- Let the Bible be what it is.
- Let God’s choices of people be what they were.
- Let providence rule the day.
Our understanding of inspiration must be consistent with what the Bible is, by God’s choice, else we make it vulnerable to attack.
God’s Role
Providence guides…
- Author’s life, preparation
- Author’s education, ability
- Author’s culture, worldview
- Specific occasion, setting
Human Author’s Role
The Writer…
- Writing, arranging, editing
- According to ability, occasion, cognitive environment
Concept
God is satisfied that the truths he wanted communicated (“truth propositions”) were well conveyed by the writers using the tools and preparation at their disposal (“the means of expressing the truth propositions”).
Discussion
Enns (p.28)
What does it mean for other cultures to have an influence on the Bible that we believe is revealed by God? Cna we say that the Bible is unique or special?
Is it an all-or-nothing proposition?
Enns (p.29)
How can we say logically that the biblical stories are true and the Akkadian stories are false when they both look so very much alike?
- Achilles’ heel is “how much are they alike?”
- Can it be that the Akkadian stories are false and the biblical stories are true?
- Can both be true?
Enns (p.29)
Defines myth as:
An ancient, premodern, prescientific way of addressing questions of ultimate origins and meaning in a form of stories.
He then asks (paraphrasing), “Can the biblical writers use and ‘do’ myth?”
- More succinctly (Dr. Heiser): Are myth and historicity mutually exclusive or incompatible?
- Retelling the story that is faithful to the elements of the story?
-
You’re asked to erect a wall between myths and historicity
- Why he’s using the words?
- What I’m asked to believe?
- Can I change some words?
- Don’t concede language / propositions. Examine them.
- Want you to run or fight
- Don’t need to assault just probe (ask questions)