Biblical Wisdom & Authority: Christianity

Disciples

A pupil / student / apprentice of a teacher.

Who were mainly disciples of Jesus?

His 12 Apostles, but not all disciples were Apostles.

Important points when considering the authority of the Bible

- Many different types of writing in the Bible

- NT books = Handwritten texts produced after Jesus' death and are translations.

- NT texts agreed by the Church c.170CE, but many other gospels were omitted.

- Biblical teaching may depend for its authority of key figures.

Many different types of writing in the Bible

Leads to contradictions, e.g. accounts of creation between Genesis 1 and 2.

NT books = Handwritten texts produced after Jesus' death and are translations.

Produced long after Jesus' death and are written in Greek but Jesus was assumed to be Aramaic.

What is the problem with translation of the Bible ?

There could be errors in the translation.

NT texts agreed by the Church c.170CE, but many other gospels were omitted.

May not have made the right decisions regarding what to include/exclude.

Biblical teaching may depend for its authority of key figures.

Figures may not have had the authority claimed in texts.

Examples of key authoritative figures

- Jesus

-St. Paul

Differing views on the authority of the Bible

- God gave the writers the words to write.

- God inspired the writers to write.

- The Bible is a human interpretation of the way God expressed himself through Jesus' life.

God gave the writers the words to write

- Teachings from Jesus and original Gospels were perfect

- But what we see today is a record damaged by human intereference.

God inspired the writers to write

- Only the Catholic Church can correctly interpret the teaching.

- This is because the record is fallible and also contains different styles.

- This means the intention of the writer is not always clear.

The Bible is a human interpretation of the way God expressed himself through Jesus' life

- It is fallible as it is the work of humans

- However it can stimulate personal experience of God, which is authoritative for the believer.

What is the problem with Biblical authority ?

The existence of erotic poems / proverbs / myths.

The problem with Biblical authority: Song of Solomon

"My beloved is to me a bag of myrrh that lies between my breasts."

The problem with Biblical authority: Matthew

"You have heard it said, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you... if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also."

Evangelism

From Greek: "Good message/news" - spreading the good news about Jesus the Messiah.

Atonement

Part of St Paul's theology: After Adam's original sin, God and the world were "reconciled" by the sacrificial death of Jesus.

Evangelical Protestantism: Atonement

After original sin, the world became "reconciled" through the death of Jesus.

Evangelical Protestantism: Their commitment

Spreading the word about Jesus.

Evangelical Protestantism: Born Again

Those who are converted are saved from sin by receiving salvation ('Born Again').

Evangelical Protestantism: Divine Inspiration and Biblical Authority

- Inerrant

- Literally true

- Verbal plenary inspiration

Evangelical Protestantism: Inerrant

- God literally dictated the books of the Bible

- The authors were "dictating machines"

- Therefore the text is "inerrant" (without error)

Evangelical Protestantism: Literally true

- Accounts of creation in Genesis are historically and scientifically accurate in all details.

- Conflict between religion and science = religion as authoritative and dictates what science really is.

Evangelical Protestantism: Verbal plenary inspiration

- Plenary = "Full" / "complete"

- So God inspired all of scripture, and everything is a true recording of what happened.

- God inspired scripture, but authors were allowed to express their own personalities.

- E.g. Matthew = Jewish audience but Luke = Gentile (non-Jew) audience.

Evangelical Protestant view: Timothy

"All scripture is inspired by God and profitable.. for correction in righteousness"

Evangelical Protestant view: Peter

"No prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation... but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."

Denominations holding conservative views of Bible's authority and inspiration

- Evangelical Protestantism

- Catholicism

Catholicism: View of the Bible

It is "speech of God" put down in writing under the "breath of the Holy Spirit".

Catholicism: Apostolic Tradition

Jesus' command to his Apostles to preach his teachings to all men.

How does Apostolic Tradition work ?

- Given orally by Jesus

- Received by the Holy Spirit

- In writing by Apostles under inspiration of the Holy Spirit

Catholicism: Apostolic Succession

Tradition continued through appointment of successors to Jesus' Apostles, who were given teaching authority.

Catholicism: Catholic Tradition and Sacred Scripture

- Scripture = "Speech of God"

- Tradition = "Active Word" of God

- They therefore share the same authority.

- Scripture remains alive and dynamic through tradition.

Catholicism: Biblical authority - Article 3 of the Catechism

- Both OT and NT are without error and contain the saving truth

- Truth comes through all literary forms in the Bible

- Over the course of time, mistakes may have arisen, so scripture must be interpreted by the Catholic Church.

Catholicism and Biblical Inspiration: Catechism Article 3

- Sacred scripture is not human word, it is the word of God.

- God chose human authors and inspired them but allowed them full use of their faculties to write what he wanted and no more.

Apostle

Greek for "one sent forth". Refers to the twelve chosen by Jesus during his public ministry as his disciples.

The Apostolic Tradition

The passing on of the Faith of the Apostles from generation to generation.

The Apostolic Succession

The uninterrupted passing on of apostolic preaching and authority from the Apostles directly to all bishops.

Catholic view: The Gift of Scripture

"Modern insights about the nature of language... give rise to new meanings and insight through reading in new contexts and times."

Catholic view: Article 3 of the Catechism

"For the Holy Mother Church... accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and New Testaments"

"On the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author, and have been handed on as such to the Church herself."

Liberalism

(An umbrella term) in this context to the views of Christians who reject any idea that the Bible is literally the inspired Word of God.

Neo-Orthodoxy

"New-Orthodoxy" - Refers to views of theologians such as Karl Barth, Reinhold Niebuhr and Paul Tillich.

Neo-Orthodoxy: Rejection of conservative approach to Bible

Due to historical and scientific errors.

Example of a believed historical/scientific error by Neo-Orthodox Christians

Book of Genesis as the rewrite of an old Babylonian myth.

Neo-Orthodoxy: Karl Barth's view of the Bible

Bible is not the literal Word of God but "contains" it.

Neo-Orthodoxy: Karl Barth's view of Christianity

Christianity = God's way of reaching humanity.

Neo-Orthodoxy: Authority of Bible

God reveals himself through Jesus, not the Bible.

Neo-Orthodoxy: Importance of the Bible for Christians

When reading the Bible, we become aware of the need for forgiveness as sinners and feel the presence of God.

Neo-Orthodoxy: Overall importance of Bible

So scripture = Important as a vehicle through which God can be experienced.

Liberalism: Social Gospel Movement

- Founded by Protestant intellectuals at the end of 19th Century and beginning of 20th Century.

- Applied Christian ethical principles to war, charity, etc.

Social Gospel Movement: View of the Bible's inspiration

Believed action was more important than worrying about which doctrines are true.

Social Gospel Movement: View of the Bible's authority

Their only definitive view of the Bible is its authority for recommending how we should live.

Liberalism: Process Theology

Founded by David Ray Griffin, claims that God & universe exist pantheistically and therefore he is immanent and not omnipotent.

Process Theology: View of Bible's authority

Accepts there are issues with claims made in Bible and their contradiction with scientific truths.

Process Theology: View of Bible's inspiration

Bible = Entirely human document, some individuals may find passages inspiring but that is all.

Different Liberalist views of the Bible

- Social Gospel Movement

- Process Theology

Catholicism: Bible as inspired by God but written by humans

- The Four Gospels

- Jeremiah

- 'The Gift of Scripture'

- Whole human response to God

Catholicism: The Four Gospels

Associated with four named human beings: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Catholicism: Jeremiah (Quote)

"Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land!"

Catholicism: Jeremiah (Meaning)

Shows the human concerns of the authors.

Catholicism: 'The Gift of Scripture'

Human contribution to scripture is important and must be studied.

Catholicism: Covers whole human response to God

Evidenced through Humour and eroticism within scripture, as it is the result of human authors using their own faculties and powers.

Catholicism: 'The Gift of Scripture"'s view of human authors

- "Our God comes willingly to be immersed in our humanity."

- "It follows that in order to understand the word of God in scripture we should seek to know the intention of the human author."

Falliable

Used by Karl Barth to mean "capable of being wrong/mistaken"

Neo-Orthodoxy: View on inspiration of scripture

Bible is both "fully divine and fully human."

Neo-Orthodoxy: Bible as fully divine and fully human (Joshua Hoffman)

- Bible contains scientific, historical and religious error, BUT its errors (fallibility) are essential to its intended function for believers.

- This is because it prevents humans from setting it up as a false absolute, and leaving revelation under the control of God.

Neo-Orthodoxy: Joshua Hoffman's view of human authors (Quote)

"For Barth revelation always comes to use in a fallible human vehicle... The Bible is veiled by fallible human words and can only be unveiled by a revelatory act of God."

Neo-Orthodoxy: Joshua Hoffman's view of human authors (Meaning)

Human revelation through flawed scripture encourages active faith, not just passive belief in God because we know he exists.