09-01-2004, 09:59 PM
Shlama Akhi Ooze,
I think what some on this forum need to think about are the Bible doctrines of inspiration , infallibilty and preservation of scripture.
You say that the original was perfect. I ask you to tell me how many Christians had access to that perfect original. How long did that original last ? Was the church so careless as to allow that original to become corrupted and lost forever ? Is this what our Lord taught about what happens to his words ?
If we are not sure all scripture is preserved, how can we know any of it is
accurate ? Is it not all based on guesswork & probability ?
If we are weak on the doctrine of scriptural infallibility and preservation,
we will begin to question other basic doctrine as well, even the doctrines of Christ and salvation., as these come from scripture and nowhere else.
Do we in America have the original words of our Constitution ? Yes we do. Would we be so careless as to allow even one word of the original perish ? No, we would not. We are vowed to defend it with our lives. We have made sufficient copies to prevent that from happening.
You apparently are ignorant of the scribal traditions of determining the original readings from a handful of imperfect manuscripts. Scribes even today of the hebrew tradition know well how this is done. We don't need perfect mss. to produce a perfect manuscript.
It seems some, perhaps many, have very low expectations of their Creator and of his promise to reveal his truth to every generation without favor or respect of persons.
We must also remember that the Greek text is a translation of the perfect original you speak of.
Ps 100:5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Ps 102:12 But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations.
Ps 119:90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.
Ps 135:13 Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations.
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall never pass away."
What's the matter , brother; don't you believe in the perpetual miracles of God and His word?
If He can't keep His word from destruction, what can He keep?
Tibotha w'Shlama,
Dave Bauscher
Quote:You know I think I gave up on the idea of a perfect text. As a matter of faith I beleive that the Gospels in their original form were perfect. But I don't think we have an absolute perfect text out there. the reasoning behind this is basically concerning the infallibility of humans. The reason is simply this, if being a Protestant you might cough at that the thought of Papal Infallibiity, then likewise you should also have a problem with scribal infallibility when it comes to copying and translating as well. As a former student, researcher I know even trying to be as accurate and professional as you can be, you still make mistakes.
I think what some on this forum need to think about are the Bible doctrines of inspiration , infallibilty and preservation of scripture.
You say that the original was perfect. I ask you to tell me how many Christians had access to that perfect original. How long did that original last ? Was the church so careless as to allow that original to become corrupted and lost forever ? Is this what our Lord taught about what happens to his words ?
If we are not sure all scripture is preserved, how can we know any of it is
accurate ? Is it not all based on guesswork & probability ?
If we are weak on the doctrine of scriptural infallibility and preservation,
we will begin to question other basic doctrine as well, even the doctrines of Christ and salvation., as these come from scripture and nowhere else.
Do we in America have the original words of our Constitution ? Yes we do. Would we be so careless as to allow even one word of the original perish ? No, we would not. We are vowed to defend it with our lives. We have made sufficient copies to prevent that from happening.
You apparently are ignorant of the scribal traditions of determining the original readings from a handful of imperfect manuscripts. Scribes even today of the hebrew tradition know well how this is done. We don't need perfect mss. to produce a perfect manuscript.
It seems some, perhaps many, have very low expectations of their Creator and of his promise to reveal his truth to every generation without favor or respect of persons.
We must also remember that the Greek text is a translation of the perfect original you speak of.
Ps 100:5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Ps 102:12 But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations.
Ps 119:90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.
Ps 135:13 Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations.
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall never pass away."
What's the matter , brother; don't you believe in the perpetual miracles of God and His word?
If He can't keep His word from destruction, what can He keep?
Tibotha w'Shlama,
Dave Bauscher