goodfielder wrote:The Bible is a revealed text - I read that somewhere. I also read that interpretation of the Bible - and some other sacred revealed texts - is carried out by a process called hermeneutics.
Here is one link
hermeneutics
I can't tell you if it's useful or accurate or whatever and the only reason I know the word is that I had to read Habermas in my graduate studies. Note - I don't claim to understand hermeneutics or Habermas.
Anyway for what it's worth.
You are correct, and it is a discipline based on many factors, not the least of which involves a compilation of contributions from people with expertise in ancient languages, geoology, archeology, anthropology, and ancient history who have contributed to the ever-growing body of knowledge related to the Bible and the culture and history surrounding it. And most of those experts who have participated in the research become increasingly convinced of the reliability of the Biblical scriptures provided they are considered within their intent.
The experts have mostly concluded that the Bible is a compilation of myriad manuscripts, edited together with more attention to content than to chronological order. In most cases it must be read through the prism of intent with all the considerations of the perceptions of the people of that time and with attention to what is metaphor, symbolism, poetry, allegory, prophecy, instruction, and history. Attempt to correlate the significance of the words and imagery then with what the same words and imagery would mean now, and you'll get it wrong much more than you'll get it right.
There is a continuous theme throughout the Old Testament, however, that Christians believe culminates in the events of the New Testament. The theme is Creation, Sin, Judgment, Redemption, Reconciliation with God. Once the Bible scholar learns to put the Old Testament into its chronological order--no small task that--the theme can be seen occurring again and again.
In the editing process, duplicate manuscripts were incorporated into the edited text creating 'parallel passages'. Sometimes these occur almost side by side and sometimes they are widely separated in the final collection of writings. And as you always have with eye witness accounts, there will be differences in recollections of the actual events. These result in what skeptics and anti-religion types like to call 'contradictions', but when put into perspective, they reflect only differences in perceptions. This phenomenon occurred both in the Old and New Testaments.
When I teach this, I use the example of Kennedy's assassination. Those old enough to clearly remember that event all remember it vividly--where they were, who they were with, and the imagery of the television pictures are still in our heads. Each one of us could sit down and write a fairly decent mini history of that terrible week. And each of us would remember different things, or would remember the same things somewhat differently or in a different order. So if somebody gathered up all our collective manuscripts and knit them together into one, there would be some parallel accounts that would be portrayed as different events; there would be differences in chronology. Some would remember one thing that another would have left out. There would be some contradictions. Would this discredit the whole work? Not at all so long as the reader is aware that the contributions came from many, each including his/her own experience into the whole.
In the Old Testament you read of a God that the people understood to be an often angry, vindictive, militant, and demanding God. And despite their fear and often attempted rebellions, they understood that this God was the source of life and all of Creation and that it was their sin, not God, that prevented Creation from remaining perfect and thwarted the perfect existence God intended for all. In the New Testament, in the person of Jesus, the people learned that God was not the angry, vindictive, militant God they once presumed, and while they still may have poorly understood him, the emphasis changed to obedience out of love rather than fear.
Despite the efforts of the anti-religious to discredit it in order to justify their own disbelief, it remains a fact that the Bible has been comfort and inspiration to untold millions who know the words are just words, until God speaks through them; thus, the inspired Word of God.
