Bible Interpretation, Student Workbook, SW05

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B I B L E I N T E R P R E T A T I O N

How Then Do We Prove Anything from Scripture?

(Based on a true story). While in a graduate school situation, a budding pastor encountered an idea that challenged and somewhat confused him. During a class on the methods of the scientific study of religion, he was told by the professor that simply using the Bible to prove the points of the Bible is “tautological,” or arguing in a circle, proving nothing. The professor went on: “If you want to prove that something in the Bible is true, you cannot use the Bible to prove it. In the scientific method you prove things on the basis of independent verification , not on the basis of those who have something to gain from the outcome of the study.” The professor went on to suggest that because the prophets and the apostles were believers in Christ, they had too much at stake to say anything about Jesus except what they wanted other people to believe. As a result, he held, we cannot take their word as true regarding Jesus of Nazareth and his claims. Confused and bewildered, the pastor in the class felt handicapped. How can he prove the teaching of the Scriptures without using the Scriptures themselves as proof? What do you think about the professor’s comments, and what would you advise the pastor to do in order to complete his study in that course? (Based on a true story). While turning in an exegetical project for credit during a class on Romans, a student was advised by his professor (who had skimmed his first attempt at the study) that he had broke fundamental rules in using tools of language. The professor explained: “You simply cannot go to a theological dictionary or lexicon and assume that all the usages written down of a word are the meanings in this particular place. You wouldn’t use an English or Spanish dictionary that way; you would look up the word, find the definition that fit, and then apply that single meaning to the text. You applied all the meanings of the term to your study, and therefore made a fundamental error in your study.” The professor went on to say that only when you know how an individual author used a word (e.g., Peter’s, Paul’s, or John’s use of a word in all of his writings) could you then be sure that you were using your language sources right. Since the Bible was written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, and since many of us do not know these languages, how then are we to know that we are reading the text right? How are we to use language tools if we don’t know an author’s entire use of a word or phrase? Your Native Tongue Bible Isn’t Enough

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