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

If you are interested in pursuing some of the ideas of Biblical Inspiration: The Origins and Authority of the Bible , you might want to give these books a try: Bacote, Vincent, Laura C. Miguelez, and Dennis L. Okholm. Evangelicals & Scripture: Tradition, Authority and Hermeneutics . Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004. Modern biblical criticism seeks to trace the origins of the Scriptures from the original events spoken of in the Bible to the actual reports of those happenings recorded in the canonical books of Scripture. The major subsections of modern biblical criticism includes form criticism (tracing oral tradition), source criticism (finding initial written sources), linguistic criticism (language, words, and grammar), textual criticism (copies of texts), literary criticism (rules of literature), canonical criticism (how books were selected), redaction criticism (the purposes of the authors), historical criticism (history and culture), as well as translation studies. Regardless of the claims made by many scholars today, we may be confident that the Scriptures are in truth the Word of God which lives and abides forever. Barton, John. People of the Book: The Authority of the Bible in Christianity . Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1989. Bruce, F. F. The Canon of Scripture . Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988. ------. The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2003. The Scriptures are “God-breathed” through the power and working of the Holy Spirit. The question of human authorship and divine inspiration has been explained through five major theories of inspiration, including the Mechanical or Dictation Theory, the Intuition or Natural Theory, the Illumination Theory, the Degrees of Inspiration Theory, and the Verbal/Plenary Theory. The Verbal/Plenary Theory argues that the entire text of the Scriptures, including the selection of words the author chose, are the product of God’s leading and choice.

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Resources and Bibliographies

The doctrine of the origins and inspiration of the Scriptures does have immediate application to our ministry to others. The inability to have confidence in the power of the Word of God will in every way affect how you preach, to whom you preach, and what you expect from your ministry of the Word. Take time now to explore

Ministry Connections