These questions are here to stimulate dialogue about today’s topic – feel free to skip around or discuss items not listed here.
"But those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14
Week 1 of our Bible reading plan is done (you can still join here) – here are some quotes / snippets from some of the sharing:
"But those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14
The South Pacific Division has produced videos & discussion questions to help you through the study of “How to Interpret Scripture” – check them out here:
1. The Uniqueness of the Bible
2. The Origin and Nature of the Bible
3. Jesus and the Apostles View of the Bible
4. The Bible – The Authoritative Source of Our Theology
5. By Scripture Alone – Sola Scriptura
more to come!
"But those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14
Sometimes I can be a stickler for getting things right. When I have a disagreement with someone, usually about something incredibly unimportant, I have to find out who is right. Perhaps it’s ego or perhaps it’s… No, I guess it is ego.
Upon a recent viewing of a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie I was sure about the origin of a particular object while my viewing companion objected to my opinion (fact, by my judgement). I had to turn to Google to find out who had it right.
Several years ago I had a similar experience with the Bible. I had a study Bible that suggested very strange things in the notes between chapters. Mostly helpful hints on interpretation – but I felt it went too far when interpreting Jesus’ view on the Sabbath and actually stated something to the effect of ‘remember the weekday and keep it holy’!
This prompted my search to find the ‘right’ version of the Bible. During my search I started with the oldest versions I could find and looked into how they were translated. Now, I am only familiar with the English language, but I do recall reading about some Latin versions of the Bible.. in particular the Vulgate, a Latin translation of the Bible by Jerome who, in 382, sought to correct inaccuracies in the existing Latin version (or versions, I’m not sure).
Now, you may assume that this piece may be about the version of the Bible I settled on, but I recall this story because I recently came across Jerome again earlier this year while reading a book about Wit; sorry to subvert expectation. Now, I mean to cast no aspersions on Jerome, but I found a very interesting anecdote about his translation.
Most people agree that it is not known what specific fruit the ‘forbidden fruit’ in the Garden of Eden was. Many people just refer to it as an apple – because, I always assumed, it was a very common fruit and sprang first to one’s mind. James Geary, author of Wit’s End, reveals that the word for evil in the Vulgate as translated in the story of Adam and Eve’s fall is malum, which is actually also the word for apple (I guess it’s a Latin homophone/homonym). Geary suggests that this prompted Saint Jerome to pick that word to describe what Adam and Eve ate.
As the Vulgate became the translation of choice for the next thousand years or so it was long enough for the apple to receive its undeserved bad rap. Geary goes on to describe several examples of puns in the Bible, even in the original Hebrew, not necessarily translations.
This brought to mind a discussion I heard about whether God has a sense of humour. An interesting notion, I wonder if it’s possible to ascertain an answer through delving into the language of the Bible? And even then, would any humour in the original language transcend the differences in time and culture between ourselves and the original authors?
While I dig out my interlinear Hebrew Bible and Strong’s concordance, I’ll leave you with this parting thought: I have come to the realisation that there may not be one, definitively ‘correct’ version of the English Bible, and proper understanding of much of it takes careful study and prayerful consideration.
Daily Nuggets
Day 1:
“I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea…But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and owls, too, for giving them water in the desert. Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed. I have made Israel for myself, and they will someday honor me before the whole world.” Isaiah 43:16-21 NLT
"But those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14
Seeing with New Eyes: Revisiting Common Christian Beliefs
Part 1 – Truth
What are some reasons the Bible is considered a credible source? When exploring the Bible how does one arrive at truth? In this talk, we look at history and archaeology and a story in the Bible of a truth seeker to answer these important questions.
I hear a lot of people say, “Kids pick up languages so much faster than adults.” Now that I have a small child, I think one of the reasons why is because of their tendency toward repetition.
How fast would anyone learn a language if they were repeating the new words over and over and listening to the same thing a hundred times? Little kids can watch the same video 317 times and still want to watch it again. [FYI, this works really well for kids’ Youtube channels!] You can read them the same book every day for a month and they will still want you to read it again. I have to sing the same song over and over and over.
We’re starting a new series on “Reasons to Believe.” Part 1 will look at why we can believe that the Bible is the word of God.
So last Saturday I presented 5 reasons for the Reliability of the Bible (you can watch it again here starting 37:40) – here are some further resources that give us reasons to believe in the reliability of the Bible:
Archeological discoveries:
Other Resources: (you need a Right Now Media account to access these videos – just email jinhakim@adventist.org if you’d like a free account!)
Chart of Ancient Writings:
| Author | Book | Date Events Occurred | Date Written | Earliest Copies | Time Gap | # of Copies |
| Homer | Iliad | 1300-1100 BC | 800 BC | 400 BC | 400 years |
643 |
| Herodotus | History | 1400-400 BC | 480-425 BC | AD 900 | 1350 years |
8 |
| Thucydides | History | 431-404 BC | 460-400 BC | AD 900 | 1300 years |
8 |
| Plato | Dialogue | 427-347 BC | 427-347 BC | AD 900 | 1300 years |
7 |
| Caesar | Gallic Wars | 100-44 BC | 100-44 BC | AD 900 | 1000 years |
10 |
| Livy | History of Rome | 800 BC – 9 BC | 59 BC – AD 17 | AD 4th c. (partial) AD 10th c. | 400 years – 1000 years | 1 partial
19 copies |
| Tacitus | Annals | AD 14 – 68 | AD 100 | AD 1100 | 1000 years |
20 |
| Pliny Secundus | Natural History | AD 61-113 | AD 850 | 750 years |
7 |
|
| New Testament | 5 BC – AD 95 | AD 50-100 | AD 80 (fragment)
AD 125 books AD 325 (complete NT) |
25-50years
100 years 225 years |
24,000 mss
5366 |
"But those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14
