The bible as a whole makes no claim for divine authorship. Charles porterfield krauth, the bible a perfect book gettysburg. Aug, 2016 the bible is a book like no other, with both divine and human authorship. What conclusions can we make about the bibles divine. This humandivine authorship extends to every part of scripture. The bible doesnt say to err is human, to forgive is divine in those exact words. Because of its importance and its claim to be the very word of god, the bible has suffered more vicious attacks and attempts to destroy it than any other book in history. When i look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the. The bible appears in the form of an anthology, a compilation of texts of a variety of forms.
God, by his holy spirit, inspired these writings, which is the meaning of the term scripture. Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. Some christians are hesitant to say this, but its true. God inspired all the several different authors throughout the 1500 years it was written and over 3 different continents. Herodotus and the book of daniel the library of hebrew bibleold testament studies.
I agree that the bible is in fact a divine human book god. Near the time of the transition from the assyrian to the babylonian empires late 7 th century bc, the prophet habakkuk engaged in a profound dialogue with israels god. In divine scripture in human understanding, joseph gordon answers essential meta questions about the bible, convincingly locating scripture in the redemptive economy of the threeinone god. Edgar cayce on the book of revelation the afterlife. From appendix b of hank hanegraaffs the face that demonstrates the farce of evolution word publishing, 1998. Gordons divine scripture in human understanding addresses what is a neglected question for some students of scripture. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of god, and not of us. It has all the evidences of human authorship as clearly as any other book that was ever written. Habakkuk intro, new international version niv bible. Psalm 8 divine majesty and human dignity to the leader. Evidence indicates that the bible, in the form we have it, is a human document, but that does not mean it is not sacred. Is the bible the word of god, or does it contain the word of god. Apparently from his above statement, the one inspired to write, is no more trustworthy than the one who is to interpret. To deny the fact that this book is god inspired is quite ignorant because throughout all of the time and many different authors a completely cohesive book was written.
First, god himself points out the importance of the human authors. Jul 12, 2012 to defend the faith we must be equipped to demonstrate that the bible is divine rather than human in origin. In a chapter called, the human and the divine, bell points out that the bible was written by humans. He doesnt get pigeonholed on how he must think or not think about scripture. They are composed by humans to be read by humans in human languages. So we can say that the bible is a very human book, for we see in it both elegance and lack of polish, both finesse and struggle. As suggests distance between the bibles thoroughgoing. Manuscripts, archaeology, prophecy, and statistics not only chart a secure course through the turnpikes of skepticism but also demonstrate conclusively that the bible is indeed divine rather than human in origin. To help us better understand this concept, duvall puts it like this, the bible is the word of god through the words of human. In the same way that jesus ismust beboth god and human, the bible is also a divine and human book. In the bible itself, the two authors, human and divine, do not simply stand side by side. It is either a light that guides, or a lie that beguiles. The bible itself shows the way to a more satisfactory resolution of the difficulty. When we can successfully accomplish this, we can answer a host of other objections by appealing to scripture.
O lord, our sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth. Do you agree that the bible is a divine human book answers. Cayces dream interpretation of the book of revelation can be contained in a book all by itself. Sep 22, 2010 to defend the faith we must be equipped to demonstrate that the bible is divine rather than human in origin. Now what may we say about a particular book of the bible, such as. The bible is a human book, meaning there is nothing in the bible that does not fully participate in the human drama and cannot be explained on the basis of its humanity. The study of the bible involves getting behind the words of the bible to find the kernels of truth behind the myths e. One of the great truths about the bible is that it is a book that is both human and divine. God worked through various human authors, including their background, personality, cultural context, writing style, faith commitments, research, etc. Even if you believe that we are created in gods image, we. Is the bible a divine revelation or human bookor both. When habakkuks cries are answered, he closes with a hymn of confidence in gods expected victory. Warfield there is probably no problem more prominently before the minds of bible students of today than the one which concerns the relation between the divine and human elements in the bible. The whole bible is a compilation of divine spiritual wisdom, knowledge and understanding through faith, that the carnal human mind is incapable of knowing or becoming aware through the five.
In other words, there is nothing in the bible to which one can point and say, ah, here is something that is divine and not human. God made use of human beings to write down his word. For this is the will of my father for everyone who looks on the son and believes in him to have eternal life v. From early roman emperors like diocletian, through communist dictators. The bible can be a divine document, carrying gods intention and useful for gods purposes in our lives, while at the same time embracing the kaleidoscopic and very human story of how the bible came to us today. Although many passages are quoted in gods name, the five books of moses genesis through deuteronomy never assert that their entire content is divine. I agree that the bible is in fact a divinehuman book. This human divine authorship extends to every part of scripture. Human responsibility is emphasized in verses 29, 35, 40, and 47. Herodotus and the book of daniel the library of hebrew bibleold testament studies niskanen, paul v. What conclusions can we make about the bibles divine inspiration.
If we can successfully accomplish this, we can answer a host of other objections simply by appealing to scripture. What does god say through human authors framepoythress. This biblical phrase describes the concept of spiritual powers that god created to have authority alongside humans. A final external evidence that the bible is truly gods word is the indestructibility of the bible. Psalm 8 nrsv psalm 8 divine majesty and human bible gateway. The bible has both infallible truth and divine authority in everything that it teaches. Cayce revealed the book of revelation is the symbolic story of how humanity in general and a human being in particular attains this union with the divine. In this way, it is a trustworthy source of gods revelation and a guide for salvation.
Utilizing primarily the methodological resources of bernard lonergan and traditional christian doctrines of scripture. The form of his book is a short series of complaints, or laments, followed by the divine responses. You have established a bulwark against your foes, to silence enemy and avenger. And men regard and treat the written word of god in this world just as they do christ. The bible is a book unlike no other, with both divine and human authorship. To begin with, the bible has stronger manuscript support than any other work of classical history including. Habakkuk intro, new international version niv the bible app. Aug 12, 2016 the bible is a book unlike no other, with both divine and human authorship.
Perhaps it would help to have more expository teaching and preaching where the traditional fables are discarded and a fresh look is taken of the verses that have always been in the book. Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. To defend the faith we must be equipped to demonstrate that the bible is divine rather than human in origin. The bible from koine greek, ta biblia, the books is a collection of sacred texts or scriptures. Apr 29, 2015 the bible can be a divine document, carrying gods intention and useful for gods purposes in our lives, while at the same time embracing the kaleidoscopic and very human story of how the bible came to us today. It is the great divinehuman heart of the bible, which has made it so varied. Rather, each points to the other and affirms the presence and operation of the other. Psalm 8 divine majesty and human dignity for the leader. Divine scripture in human understanding addresses the confusing plurality of contemporary approaches to christian scriptureboth within and outside the academyby articulating a traditionally grounded, constructive systematic theology of christian scripture.
The lord your god will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. When i see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and. Erase the divine side of the equation, and you argue against the witness of the centuries that the bible is the word of god. It is gods revelation to humanity, written by human beings who were led by the spirit of god. The bible is a book like no other, with both divine and human authorship.
Psalm 8 nabre psalm 8 divine majesty and human bible. Jan 04, 2014 the bible is a human book, meaning there is nothing in the bible that does not fully participate in the human drama and cannot be explained on the basis of its humanity. He repeats this often throughout the book and even states in the introduction that the bible is a book about what it means to be human. I agree that the bible is in fact a divine human book. Jun 25, 2012 this way of thinking of christ is analogous to thinking about the bible. Careful research affirms the predictive accuracy of the bible. Jun 04, 2012 the bible itself shows the way to a more satisfactory resolution of the difficulty. The author of hebrews here attributes divine and personal qualities to the word. The divine human book, an article from the international bible studies section of the dawn magazine, lesson for april 20, 1969. It is the word of god in the words of human beings. Thus the biblical doctrine of salvation perfectly combines divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Divine scripture in human understanding addresses the confusing plurality of contemporary approaches to christian scripture. The divinehuman book, an article from the international bible studies section of the dawn magazine, lesson for april 20, 1969. Incidentally, whether the bible is the word of god or contains the word of god seems to me just so much theological shadow boxing.
In the bible, the human and divine authors do not simply stand side by. Testament examples concerns the books of luke and acts. Varying parts of the bible are considered to be a product of divine inspiration and a record of the relationship between god and humans by christians, jews, samaritans, and rastafari. God, by his holy spirit, inspired these writings, which is the meaning. God used human authors to reveal exactly what he wanted. Nov 18, 2012 first of all, m, the bible is not a book. Utilizing primarily the methodological resources of bernard lonergan and traditional christian doctrines of scripture recovered by.
Do you believe that the bible is a divinehuman book. The divinehuman book dawn bible students association. O lord, our lord, how awesome is your name through all the earth. For example, the book of daniel written before 530 b. The words of the bible reflect the testimony of the church to jesus and will invariably incorporate elements of human weakness and fallibility in reporting of jesus. God worked through various human authors, including their background, personality, cultural context, writing. Utilizing primarily the methodological resources of bernard lonergan and.
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