In my opinion- which is by no means a universal opinion- studying the Bible only begins with the Bible. It goes far beyond the actual words of the Bible. Without understanding the literary styles used at the time the Bible was written, the lifestyle and daily habits of those living in those times, and the political and sociological circumstances (among many other things), one can easily misunderstand, misinterpret, or misapply the Bible. Another part of Bible study- again, in my opinion- is listening to the opinions of others. It doesn't matter if one agrees or not. One must just listen. So, today, I invite you to visit the CNN Belief Blog & read the article "My Take: The 3 biggest biblical misconceptions" by John Shelby Spong. Link is: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/29/my-take-the-3-biggest-biblical-misconceptions/. The three misconceptions he expands upon are listed below: 1) The Bible accurately reflects history. 2) The Bible is the literal "word of God." 3) The Bible is static and unchanging. As always, I love my reader's opinions! Do you believe the above statements are true? Or misconceptions? (And, of course, I would love to hear WHY you think so.)
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1 When men began to multiply on earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of heaven saw how beautiful the daughters of man were, and so they took for their wives as many of them as they chose. 3 Then the Lord said: "My spirit shall not remain in man forever, since he is but flesh. His days shall comprise of one hundred and twenty years." 4 At that time the Nephilim appeared on earth (as well as later), after the sons of heaven had intercourse with the daughters of man, who bore them sons. They were the heroes of old, the men of renown. 5 When the Lord saw how great was man's wickedness on earth, and how no desire that his heart conceived was ever anything but evil, 6 he regretted that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was grieved. 7 So the Lord said: "I will wipe out from the earth the men whom I have created, and not only the men, but also the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air, for I am sorry that I made them." 8 But Noah found favor with the Lord. 9 These are the descendants of Noah. Noah, a good man and blameless in that age, 10 for he walked with God, begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 In the eyes of God the earth was corrupt and full of lawlessness. 12 When God saw how corrupt the earth had become, since all mortals led depraved lives on earth, 13 he said to Noah: "I have decided to put an end to all mortals on earth; the earth is full of lawlessness because of them. So I will destroy them and all life on earth. 14 "Make yourself an ark of gopherwood, put various compartments in it, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you shall build it: the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 Make an opening for daylight in the ark, and finish the ark a cubit above it. Put an entrance in the side of the ark, which you shall make with bottom, second, and third decks. 17 I, on my part, am about to bring the flood [waters] on the earth, to destroy everywhere all creatures in which there is the breath of life; everything on earth shall perish. 18 But with you I will establish my covenant; you and your sons, your wife and your sons' wives, shall go into the ark. 19 Of all other living creatures you shall bring two into the ark, one male and one female, that you may keep them alive with you. 20 Of all kinds of birds, of all kinds of breasts, and of all kinds of creeping things, two of each shall come into the ark with you, to stay alive. 21 Moreover, you are to provide yourself with all the food that is to be eaten, and store it away, that it may serve as provisions for you and for them." 22 This Noah did; he carried out all the commands that God gave him. _ Once one starts serious Bible study, it isn’t long before they run across the terms “Masoretic Text” and “Septuagint.” So, what are these documents? The Masoretic Text is the standard version of the Hebrew Old Testament as it exists today. Until the sixth century A.D. only the consonants of the Hebrew OT were written down; the language contained no vowels. The tradition of correct pronunciation of ancient Hebrew words was passed down orally. Between A.D. 500 and 1000, a group of Jewish scholars known as the Masoretes (from maser- to hand down, transmit) developed a system of adding vowels, accents, and notes that guaranteed more accurate reading and copying of the ancient text. No other text from the ancient world was as carefully safeguarded as the Masoretic Text. Its tradition came to be regarded as authoritative and can still be considered highly trustworthy. The Masoretes themselves date from the early Christian period until the Middle Ages In existence today: The earliest complete Masoretic manuscript, the Leningrad Codex (A.D. 1009) is used for the standard edition of the Hebrew Bible. Another source states that the standard for Hebrew Bibles printed today is the Masoretic Text from A.D. 1088, currently housed in the Saint Petersburg Public Library. Another ancient copy, although partially lost, is the Aleppo Codex (A.D. 925) The founding of the Dead Sea Scrolls has shown amazing consistency between the Masoretic Text and the original scrolls, even though they are separated by 1,100 years. This gives much credence to the idea that the Masoretic Text is a reliable copy that is faithful to the original meaning intended by the writers of the OT. The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Old Testament (both Hebrew and Aramaic), along with a number of noncanonical Greek works known by Protestant Christians as the Aprocrypha. The title “Septuagint” is Latin for “seventy.” Legend/tradition holds that 72 elders, working independently of one another, each produced an identical translation of the Hebrew Pentateuch into Greek around 285 B.C. Originally designed for Greek-speaking Jews in Egypt, the Septuagint was completed by various translators in or around Alexandria between the third and first centuries B.C. It came to have great authority among the non-Palestinian Jews, and allowed the Greeks to read the divine revelation in their own tongue. The Bible of the early church, it is frequently quoted in the NT and by early church fathers. It is still the official text of the Greek Church. The Septuagint is organized in the following order: the Pentateuch, followed by the historical, poetic, wisdom, and prophetic books. The order is loosely followed by our English translations. Due to the fact that various translators at various times with varying capabilities and styles. At times, when translated into English, the two versions are almost identical. Yet, in other places, they can be quite different. One example of this is in the book of Jeremiah. However, several partial Jeremiah manuscripts found in Hebrew among the Dead Sea Scrolls may help provide some answers to this complex issue. Two significant manuscripts agree with the Masoretic Text, but another text reflects the wording of the Septuagint. This evidence suggests not that one or the other of the MT or Sep. has errors, but rather that two distinct Hebrew editions of the book of Jeremiah were in circulation. This can also cause confusion for some reading the NT. Quotations from the OT appear, and when the reader goes back to the OT to read the actual text, they might discover that it is quite different. This is due to the fact that the OT was translated from the Masoretic text, whereas the NT is citing the same passage as it appears in the Septuagint. The Septuagint was used by Hellenistic Jews and by the early church. Sources: -Catholic Book Publishing, “St. Joseph Edition, New American Bible.” New York, NY: Catholic Book Publishing. -Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, “New International Version: Archaeological Study Bible.” Zondervan Corporation: Grand Rapids, MI, 2005. -Green, Kevin (compiler), “All-In-One Bible Reference Guide.” Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2008. |
Jennifer Becker Landsberger
Who am I? Freelance writer (magazines, websites, & copywriting), Catholic, military wife, and Mensan. Double Bachelor's in History & Psychology. Witnessing by charity and love are above all. Studying the Bible and beyond helps me on this quest. Feel free to join my walk into the Bible.
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If you found the information helpful, even a small donation would be wonderful! Thank you & God bless you. ~~~Prayer before Writing-
Oh creator of the universe, who has set the stars in the heavens and causes the sun to rise and set, shed the light of your wisdom into the darkness of my mind. Fill my thoughts with a loving knowledge of you, that I may bring you like to others. Just as you can make even babies speak your truth, instruct my tongue and guide my pen to convey the wonderful glory of the Gospel. Make my intellect sharp, my memory clear, and my words eloquent, so that I may faithfully interpret the mysteries what you have revealed. Categories
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To my readers & fellow writers,
I promise: 1. I will pray that God's grace helps illuminate all of our interactions- both those of simple reading and more active conversations. 2. I will communicate with you respectfully and civilly. These are (rightly) issues which we feel passionate about. But even in disagreements, I will respect you fellow "seekers of truth." 3. I will not fall into negative behavior or words, such as insinuations, exaggerations, blames, or personal attacks. I respectfully ask you to do the same. 4. I will pray we will all find the truth and strive to fulfill the two greatest commandments: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31) This site will occasionally feature paid posts! I always 100% verify everything I endorse. You will not see posts for products or sites I would not use myself.
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