How We Got the Bible (Part 1 of 2) by Rick Duggin
(Reprinted from Biblical Insights, http://www.biblical-insights.org/)
Mr. Jones, an oceanographer, has studied a deep cavity in the Atlantic for forty years. He knows more about this hole than any other scientist, but he doesn't have a clue about what's happening on the surface. Mr. Smith, another oceanographer, has spent forty years studying the surface of the seven seas, but he knows almost nothing about the deep holes.
Though the names are fictitious and the illustration a gross oversimplification, Mr. Jones and Mr. Smith represent a universal truth: Every important subject has both depth and breadth, and the successful student learns to strike a balance between the two.
Some scholars possess an astounding depth of knowledge in biblical languages, but unfortunately they don't have a clue about the plan of salvation. Conversely, the only connection some men have with Greek is when they fly on Delta, but they know the Bible and its Author, and can guide the wayfaring man in the way of righteousness.
These introductory remarks lead to this observation: No one knows everything about any subject. If Mr. Jones were to spend forty years studying one biblical manuscript, he would not know it all. And if Mr. Smith were to spend forty years studying the general information on how we got the Bible, he would have to master every word and every verse of the Bible, including the original languages, every translation of every word and every verse, every manuscript, their preservation, their inclusion in the canon, etc. before he could learn it all. No one lives this long. Obviously, all we can hope to present in this article is a short summary of our subject.
Revelation
The Bible, God's written revelation, is the disclosure of his
will to man. He revealed his word at different times and in a
variety of ways (Heb 1:1), providing us with information that
is vital to our salvation. We could not have deduced this information
by our senses, our reason, or our instincts.
Inspiration
The men who wrote the Old Testament did not originate their message,
but received it from the Holy Spirit (2 Pet 1:20-21). Jesus promised
the same guidance to his apostles: "But when they deliver
you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it
will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it
is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks
in you" (Matt10:19-20).
Ancient Books
God once engraved his commandments in stone (Exod 31:18). On one
occasion, he instructed Ezekiel to engrave the siege of Jerusalem
on a brick (Ezek 4:1). Book lovers must have had a difficult time
traveling with stones, however, and readers did not relish the
idea of curling up with a good brick. Leather, therefore, became
the prominent material of books (2 Tim 4:13). God's providence
has preserved some excellent leather manuscripts of the Bible.
But the cost of leather prompted some creative souls to manufacture
paper from the papyrus plant: the paper of 2 John12. Its texture
resembles a brown paper bag. At one time, the scroll was the most
common form of the ancient book, but its awkwardness finally led
most to abandon it in favor of the codex (book).
The most ancient manuscripts of the Greek New Testament lack punctuation, spaces between words, and chapter divisions. A few sixth century manuscripts begin to show some of these modern tendencies, and eventually manuscripts contain punctuation marks, chapter divisions, chapter titles, introductions to books, and superscriptions and subscriptions. By A. D. 339, Eusebius of Caesarea had devised a table that lists parallel passages in the Greek text of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Modern editions of the Greek New Testament still include his ancient, but valuable, harmony of the gospels.
Languages
Most of the Old Testament is written in Hebrew and is arranged
from Genesis to 2 Chronicles (see Luke 11:47-51). Most of the
New Testament is written in Greek. Interestingly, Pilate displayed
the charges against the Lord in three languages: Hebrew, Greek,
and Latin (John 19:19-20).
There were many different dialects of the Greek language. Many
refer to the language of the New Testament as koine, from an adjective
that means "common." The Septuagint (the Greek translation
of the Old Testament) and the New Testament are forms of koine
dialect, the language of the common people, as opposed to classical
Greek, which includes the 8th century B.C. works of Homer down
to the 4th century writings of Plato. Alexander the Great spoke
a dialect known as Attic Greek; his soldiers spoke a variety of
dialects. Since they had to communicate with each other, they
simplified their grammar and sentence structure to form a common
dialect that eventually spread throughout the world and became
what we call Koine. This common language served the needs of preachers
as they took the gospel to the world.
Rothe, a German scholar, observing the difference between the
Greek of the New Testament and the classical Greek of secular
authors, concluded that the difference in dialects was due to
the influence of the Holy Spirit, calling it "a language
of the Holy Ghost" (Moulton-Milligan, The Vocabulary of
the Greek Testament, xi). Thanks to the work of Adolf Deissmann,
James Hope Moulton, George Milligan, and other students of the
papyri, we know better. The koine style more closely resembles
the language and literature of the common people, while the classical
style represents the more complex works of orators and writers.
Thayer's popular translation of Grimm's Lexicon lists 767 words
that were found only in the New Testament (693ff.). [To be fair,
Thayer's list reflects the opinions that were commonly held in
his day; his own estimation would have reduced the number to about
549 or fewer.] Ironically, Thayer published his final edition
in 1889, the very year that Professor Flinders Petrie began extracting
an abundance of papyri from Egypt (ibid. ix). A few years later,
other researchers found additional papyri consisting of letters,
receipts, etc. of ordinary people who had no idea that scholars
would one day scrutinize every mark they made. A careful examination
of these writings prompted Adolf Deissmann to "estimate that
in the whole New Testament vocabulary of nearly 5,000 words not
many more than 50-fewer than that, more likely-will prove to be
'Christian' or 'Biblical' Greek words" (Light From The Ancient
East, 78).
A Shining Light by Roger Shouse (rogshouse@aol.com)
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-16).
Jesus wants us to shine our light for God. Jesus describes his disciples as "a city set upon a hill." A city on a hill is noticed. What you do, as His disciple, gets noticed. Everything you do gets noticed by somebody. The words you speak are heard. Your attitude is seen in your every act. Where you go is noticed. It all has influence for good or bad.
Recently one of the younger boys in our congregation asked his mother to get him some ties to wear to church services. He had seen the older boys wearing ties, and he wanted to dress up and be like them. This young boy NOTICED. You are noticed!
Who Notices You?
1. People Who Know You Notice. Nearly every day you see the same people at work, or at school. There is a circle of friends that you hang out with. They notice you. They see whether you pause to thank the Lord before you eat. They see how you drive your car. They see what you wear. They see what you doing during services. They see how you handle difficult situations. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Don't forget your own family. They notice. More than anyone else, they know if your faith is real or not. They know if you are serious about the Lord or not. What do the people who know you see?
2. People Who Don't Know You Notice. Nearly every day there are people we meet that we really don't know. Those that work at gas station, post offices, UPS drivers, those in doctor's offices. They see how we handle inconveniences. They see how patient we are. They see how honest we are. Our attitude is seen in how we respond to various situations. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Christians are positively distinctive from the world (1 Pet 3:15).
3. God Notices. God sees all. "The eyes of the
LORD are in every place, watching the evil and the good"
(Prov 15:3).God "looks upon the heart" (1 Sam 16:7).
He cannot be mocked or fooled (Gal 6:7-9). Nobody can play games
with God and win! A city set upon a hill cannot be hidden. You
are noticed! The closer we get to Jesus, the light of the world,
the brighter our light will shine! The Christian has the most
important influence in the world, for he or she has the power
of the gospel in their own life, which can change the lives of
people around them lost in darkness.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Our weekly services are held at 1318 Griffin Road, Leesburg, Florida
34748.
Phone: (352) 365-9946 for times of services.
Web site: http://www.careydillinger.com/cocbs/cocbshp.htm
GOSPEL MEETING - Jere E. Frost will be preaching for us this week, all services on Sunday and at 7:30 PM each weekday evening. Come and jlin us if you are in the area.
MONTHLY BIBLE READING: 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
BIBLE INSIGHT is published
for the members of, and visitors to, the Church of Christ at Beverly
Shores, Leesburg, Florida, USA.
Carey Dillinger is the editor. He can be reached at the church
address or via e-mail: dillinc@yahoo.com