Nature and Scope of Scripture - JourneyOn...

Nature and Scope of Scripture Matt Purdom Kairos Discipleship Minister

Introduction

Matt Purdom- Kairos Discipleship Minister

Email: [email protected]

Cell: (931) 472-8638

Office: (615) 324-6246

mailto:[email protected]

Core Competency

To know the major issues involved in the formation of the canon, the doctrines of inerrancy and inspiration, the textual transmission of the NT, and Translations of the Bible.

Section Objectives

The New Testament Canon: Why these 27 Books?

The Transmission and Translation of the New Testament: Is the Bible Today What was Originally Written

Inspiration and Inerrancy: What is the Nature of the Canon?

What Does the Word Bible Mean?

The most common English term used to refer to Scripture is the word Bible. It derives from the Latin translation of the Greek word biblion or βιβλίον (“book”).

1. brief written message, document or 2. long written composition (BDAG)

It is derived of the word byblos or βίβλος 1. a specific composition or class of composition, book (BDAG)

What are Testaments?

The A,B,C’s of the Biblical Languages

The New Testament Canon: Why These 27 Book?

What is “canon”? What is the Origin?

The word canon comes from the Greek word KanŌn or κανών, which means 1. a means to determine the quality of someth., rule, standard (BDAG)

Theological Meaning-”Rule, Standard, or Norm”-The normative writings.

The Greek was derived from the Hebrew word Kaneh or Which means a reed or a stalk. Which was used to-ָקֶנהmeasure (HALOT)

Ezekiel 40:5 And behold, there was a wall all around the outside of the temple area, and the length of the measuring reed (ֵ֣ה in (ְקנ the man’s hand was six long cubits, each being a cubit and a handbreadth* in length. So he measured the thickness of the wall, one reed; and the height, one reed (ֵ֣ה .(ְקנ

The New Testament Canon: Why These 27 Book?

Most of the discussion in theological circles is not whether the NT Canon is closed (ie. Fixed and therefore unchangeable), but rather the discussion centers on the questions of how and when the closing of the canon took place.

The Witness of the New Testament

The New Testament canon can be viewed from both a human and a divine perspective. The traditional evangelical view affirms God’s activity in the formation of the canon.

Traditionally, the second century has been viewed as the pivotal period for the canonization process of the NT writings.

Disputed Books: James, 2Peter, 2-3 John, Jude, and Revelation.

The Witness of the New Testament

In two important NT passages, the term “Scripture” (graphē) or γραφή, literally “Writing”, used about 50 times in the NT to refer to the OT, may refer to the emerging NT

1Tim. 5:18 “18 For the Scripture (γραφή) says, b“You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” Taken from Deut. 25:4 and Luke 10:7

2Peter 3:15-16 “…as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures” (γραφάς)

What was the Big Deal?

James

2 Peter

2 and 3 John

Jude

Revelation

The Witness of the Early Church Fathers

1 Clement (c. 96)

Polycarp (c. 69– c. 155)

Papias (c.60-130)

The Witness of the “Muratorian Canon”

Late 2nd century, unknown writer composed a defense of most of NT books were recognized as Scripture.

Muratorian Canon, which was named for the eighteenth-century Italian historian and theologian who discovered it, lists at least 22 of the 27 books in the NT canon.

Stimuli for Canonization

1. The prophetic nature of the NT books. The NT books themselves were prophetic, intrinsically valuable, and worthy of preservation.

2. The church's need for authoritative Scriptures. The demand for books that conformed to apostolic teaching to be read in the churches (see 1 Thess 5: 27; 1 Tim 4 :13) required a selection process.


3. Heretical challenges. Around 140, the heretic Marcion in Rome declared an edited Gospel of Luke and only 10 letters of Paul as useful while rejecting all the other apostolic works, which necessitated a response by those in the apostolic mainstream of Christianity.

4. Missionary outreach. Since the Bible began to be translated into Syriac and Latin as early as the first half of the second century, determining the NT canon was important for deciding which books should be translated.


5. Persecution. When the edict of Diocletian in 303 ordered all the sacred books of the Christians burned (a fact that may, at least in part, account for the relative scarcity of pre-AD 300 NT manuscripts), this required believers to choose which books were part of Scripture and thus most worthy of preservation.

Criteria of Canonicity

1. Apostolicity

2. Orthodoxy

3. Antiquity

4. Ecclesiastical Usage

The Evidence for an Early Canon of Core NT Books

The Fourfold Gospel

The Pauline Letter Collection and Revelation

The Current Order of the New Testament Books The order of the books of the NT in our present English Bibles reflects the Western order found in the Vulgate (translated by Jerome) but has precursors back to the Old Italian translation.

The New Testament as a Collection of New Covenant Documents

The Transmission and Translation of the New Testament

No original manuscripts or “autographa” exist of any biblical text; only copies are available.

Manuscript-to denote anything written by hand. Textual evidence -anything written on clay tablets, stone, bone, wood, various metals, potsherds (ostraca), but most notably papyrus and parchment (animal hides, also called vellum). Scrolls-Most ancient books were rolled into scrolls. Codex-An ancient manuscript made of papyrus (reed paper) or vellum (animal skins) that was compiled in book form as opposed to a scroll. The Early Church often used the codex when they collected and bound manuscripts of the NT.

Textual Transmission: Are the Available Manuscripts Accurate and Reliable?

The autographs are no longer available, but the original texts are preserved in thousands of copies.

P 52- John 18:31-33,37-38

Textual Criticism

Also called LOWER CRITICISM, refers to the science that seeks to restore or recover the original form of an ancient text. To do this, it collects, analyzes, and compares all manuscript copies of a given text. Then, using established criteria and principles of evaluation, it seeks to determine the exact wording of the original manuscript.

Variant-When two or more Greek or Hebrew manuscripts differ in wording from a critically prepared OT or NT text, the differing forms are called “variants.” Textual critics compare all known variants of a particular reading to determine which represents the original form of the text.

Textual Criticism

The New Testament textual critic uses three kinds of materials in determining the original text:

Greek Manuscripts- papyri, uncials, minuscules, and lectionaries

Ancient Versions- Old Latin, Latin Vulgate, Syriac Pashitta, Coptic, Armenian, Georgian, Ethiopic, Gothic, and Arabic Translations.

Citations by early church “fathers” (authoritative writers and teachers of the early centuries-Clement, Polycarp, Irenaeus, ect)

Textual Criticism

94 percent of its content is exactly the same in virtually all the existing manuscripts.

3 percent constitute nonsensical readings that are transparently not original but the result of various scribal errors. (Dittography, Haplography, ect…)

Thus only about 3 percent of the text are properly the subject of investigation. Variants between the available manuscripts should cause no doubt that the correct reading can be found. There is virtually no possibility that among the thousands of manuscripts that exist today an original reading was lost. The correct reading is extant; the task that remains is to identify which of the variant readings most likely reflects the original.

Papyrus Plant

Papyrus

Papyrus Scrolls

Papyri Examples

http://www.codexsinaiticus.org/en/

http://www.codexsinaiticus.org/en/

Parchment or Vellum

Scripture on Vellum

Extant Copies of Ancient Works

Refer to Table 1:1

Compare that to: Over 6,000 Greek Manuscripts

Over 10,000 Latin Vulgate Manuscripts

More than 9,300 early versions

Total: 25,000 witnesses to the text of the NT!

Translation: Are the Available Translations Faithful?


Types of Translation Theories: Formal equivalence-Word for Word Approach (KJV, NKJV, NASB, ESV, HCSB)

Dynamic or functional equivalence-Paraphrase (NRSV, NIV, CEV, NLT, TNIV).

Inspiration and Inerrancy: What is the Nature of the Canon?

The Doctrine of Inspiration: A term referring to the fact that the words of Scripture are spoken by God. Because of the weak sense of this word in ordinary usage, this text prefers the term “God-breathed” to indicate that the words of Scripture are spoken by God. (Grudem)

The Doctrine of Inerrancy: The idea that Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact. (Grudem)

The Scripture’s Witness Regarding Itself: The Old Testament

Exodus 17:14 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of gJoshua, that kI will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” ESV

Josh. 1:8

Josh. 8:32

1 Kings 2:3, Proverbs 30:5-6

Jesus’ Use of and Approach to OT Scripture

Matt 5:17-18 “Matt. 5:17 p“Do not think that I have come to abolish qthe Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but rto fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, suntil heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. ESV

Luke 24:27 “ And nbeginning with oMoses and pall the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” ESV

The Early Church’s Use of and Approach to OT Scripture

Hebrews 1:1-2 “Long ago, at many times and ain many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but bin these last days che has spoken to us by dhis Son, whom he appointed ethe heir of all things, fthrough whom also he created gthe world.”

God spoke through the prophets.

God spoke through His Son.

Scripture as “Inspired”: God the Source of Scripture (2Tim. 3:16-17)

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that ethe man of God* may be complete, fequipped gfor every good work.”

Note the Emphasis on the Words.

Men “Moved by the Holy Spirit”: God as Superintending the Writing of Scripture

1Ptr. 1:19-21: “19 And gwe have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention has to a lamp shining in a dark place, until ithe day jdawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For kno prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God las they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Note the Emphasis on the Writers.

Inspiration Theories

The Intuition theory (Liberal)—inspiration is largely a high degree of insight. Inspiration is the functioning of a high gift, perhaps almost like an artistic ability but nonetheless a natural endowment. The Bible is great religious literature reflecting the Hebrew people’s spiritual experiences.

The Verbal-Plenary Theory (Evangelical)—the Holy Sprit’s influence extends beyond the direction of thoughts to the selection of words used to convey the message. Each word is the exact word God wants used at that point.

Verbal Plenary Inspiration

Verbal: each word is inspired.

Plenary: all the Bible is equally inspired.

Other Theory: The Dictation Theory (Calvin)—God actually dictated the Bible to the writers. Passages where the Spirit is depicted as tell the author precisely what to write is applied to the entire Bible. Those who hold to the verbal theory take pains to distinguish their position from this one.

Inerrancy/Infallibility/Heresy

The Doctrine of Inerrancy: The idea that Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact. (Grudem)

The Doctrine of Infallibility: The idea that Scripture is error-free in matters of theology and faith. (Plummer)

Heresy-is anything that contradicts sound doctrine. It is false belief that misinterprets Scripture or that ignores some of the teaching of Scripture, or that incorrectly puts together all the teaching of Scripture. (Allison)

The Chicago Statement of Biblical Inerrancy

God, who is himself truth and speaks truth only, has inspired Holy Scripture in order thereby to reveal himself to lost mankind through Jesus Christ as Creator and Lord, Redeemer and Judge. Holy Scripture is God’s witness to himself.

Holy Scripture, being God’s own Word, written by men prepared and superintended by his Spirit, is of infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches: it is to be believed, as God’s instruction, in all that it affirms; obeyed, as God’s command, in all that it requires; embraced, as God’s pledge, in all that it promises.

The Holy Spirit, Scripture’s divine author, both authenticates it to us by his inward witness and opens our minds to understand its meaning.

Being wholly and verbally God-given, Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching, no less in what it states about God’s acts in creation, about the events of world history, and about its own literary origins under God, than in its witness to God’s saving grace in individual lives.

The authority of Scripture is inescapably impaired if this total divine inerrancy is in any way limited or disregarded, or made relative to a view of truth contrary to the Bible’s own; and such lapses bring serious loss to both the individual and the church.

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