Archeological Crisis
When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, then he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. Numbers 21:1 NASB
King of Arad – Something unexpected is happening. As I investigate the background for a book about Solomon, I am unearthing (pun intended) archeological evidence that a great number of the stories about Israel’s history before the captivity are unsupported by physical corroboration. Less than ten years ago, Finkelstein wrote, “It is thus now accepted by all that archeology in fact contradicts the biblical account of the Israelite Conquest as a discreet historical event led by one leader.”[1] After reviewing the popular theories used to support the biblical story, he writes:
Since the 1960’s, however, it has become obvious that this was not the historical reality. Archeological investigations have shown that many of the sites mentioned in these conquest stories turned out to be uninhabited during the assumed time of the Conquest, ca. 1200 B.C.E. This is the case with Arad, Heshbon, ‘Ai and Yarmuth.[2]
Arad is but one example. “Many years of archeological research at Arad and in its vicinity have not revealed any evidence for a canaanite settlement of the Late Bronze Age.”[3] Typical biblical historicists’ arguments that we have just not looked hard enough or deep enough are uncomfortably insufficient. The biblical text is detailed and when nothing is found to verify the text, it’s hard to maintain that the text is accurate, especially when there are other factors that explain why the text doesn’t match the physical evidence. All of this suggests that some of the biblical accounts are purposeful history rather than event history. Since this flied in the face of what we think “history” should be, it questions our entire paradigm regarding what is “true.”
There are dissenting opinions by other archeologists, of course. Amihai Mazar disagrees with Finkelstein’s assessment of the data, claiming that the evidence at Arad supports an earlier, tenth century BCE settlement. But debates over the dating of the physical evidence are not enough for even Mazar to claim that the descriptions of Solomon’s kingdom in the biblical accounts are factually correct.[4]
This is producing a crisis—at least for me. I have always more or less believed that the Bible is accurate, perhaps within its own cultural parameters, but at least accurate in the general pattern of historical events. In other words, I always thought that if the Bible says Joshua led the people in the conquest of the Land, then that was true, i.e., it actually happened that way. Now it appears that the biblical “history” is more like a national saga than it is event sequence accuracy. In other words, it’s like the stories about George Washington during the revolutionary war. There really was a George Washington and he really did lead his men through a brutal winter encampment in the war against the British, but there are also accumulated legends, embellishment and retro-fitted “events” that make his campaign American saga. George Washington is not just a man. He is an icon. He represents the American ethos, and as such, his stories are more cultural and political than they are chronological records. This is understandable and acceptable for George Washington, but what do we do about Joshua, or Moses, or David?
What I am struggling to reconcile is not the possibility that the stories of Joshua and David aren’t crafted to serve a purpose for the original audience. I can wrap my head around that. After all, things like that happen in every culture, even in our culture today (as America rewrites the history of the civil war to fit certain racial themes). The problem is that these stories are in the Bible and I have been taught that the Bible isn’t like all other ancient literature. It comes from God, so it has to be true! In other words, my idea of biblical inspiration actually interferes with my ability to recognize what is actually happening in the text. And this scares me. I feel like I am losing footing. I being to question other “stories,” realizing that I might not have the same appreciation of the accounts that the original audience had at all! I might be imposing my view on authors who were really doing something very different. And if that’s a possibility, then where does it leave me with regard to trusting God’s word?
Should I just pretend there isn’t any conflict and throw out anything that challenges the biblical record? Should I retreat to the “we haven’t looked hard enough” caveat? Should I claim that I will only understand it all when the “Spirit” reveals it to me? Or should I consider the option of holding on loosely?
What do you think?
Topical Index: Numbers 21:1, Arad, archeology, story, history
[1] Israel Finkelstein and Amihai Mazar, The Quest for the Historical Israel, p. 62.
[2] Ibid., p. 61.
[3] Ibid., p. 63.
[4] Cf. Amihai Mazar, “The Search for David and Solomon: An Archeological Perspective,” in The Quest for the Historical Israel: Debating Archeology and the History of Early Israel (Society of Biblical Leterature, 2007), pp. 117-139.
At this moment I am searching for information for you in English about Jennifer Guetta-Peersman, a Dutch archeologist who worked with Finkelstein in Megiddo for many, many years and contributed to his book disproving the Bible. Recently she came to the faith and now is very sorry she did that in the past, and in Dutch holding many lectures to prove Finkelstein is wrong. But she lived in the States and worken in Israel, so English is no problem for her. So I’m trying to find material in English for you. Her story is horrific: demons took hold of here house and caused despare in here life. She never even believed there was anything more than the fysical. Until these demons arrived. She tried everything to get rid of them, until someone said: You should pray in the name of Jesus. When she and here Jewish husband did that, just to see if it worked, the demons disappeared. That was in 2013. Now she is lecturing all around the country about the truth of the Bible. If I can find her story in English, I will post it here. The story is not so much about archeology, but if you can get in touch with here she will probably be able to answer your questions.
Here it is:
jenniferguetta dot com (LINK has been edited) Kees, please don’t post URL’s. Thank you!
To get in contact: look under the contact button.
B.t.w. I think YOU, Skip, MUST have found the answers for yourself. It’s impossible to be a philosopher (scientist) and a believer at the same time without having the answers…. 🙂
Skip (and all),
There is an excellent documentary that has been out for about 3 years: Patterns of Evidence.
Go to patternsofevidence dot com
He does an excellent job of showing how the archaeologists are missing key evidence just because it doesn’t fit within the current paradigm. But the key fact is, the evidence is there! Sound familiar?
Trust me, it’s worth the time and money to get this documentary.
Concur Rick….was thinking the same thing.
The knowledge of men is folly!
Patterns of evidence is a must see. Don’t wait!
As I recall, the problems are mostly resolved if the timeline is ‘slid’ by several centuries…but I cannot remember the details. See the movie!
Was going to add the same documentary. Excellent work. The scientists were/all convinced there is/was no evidence for the Exodus. They all made an assumption about when it took place based on one man’s early work. That assumption was wrong. Use a date more likely to be true and ALL the evidence is there. Many “scientists” have strong bias not wanting the Bible to be true. Their confirmation bias is at work in a very strong way when they accept and reject evidence.
I’m in the hold on loosely paradigm. For thousands of years our spiritual forefathers have believed the Word as truth without “scientific” evidence. Is it irony that during my daily reading routine today an article titled “Scientific studies no longer trustworthy” preceded your post? Watching my own child search vigorously for answers through his own natural scientific process pleases me. I can only imagine how God must feel when He watches us do the same.
My wife has taught me a lot about pursuing truth. She sometimes temporarily abandons her knowledge to pursue something so she can explore it without distortion. She then relies on Scripture and the counsel of believers to wrestle through it. I see you dong the same.
Continue searching, Skip. Continue trusting the Word and watching God smile as you pursue hidden treasure. Keep consulting your community … and hold on loosely!
Is it the Greek in us that needs ‘proof’ according to the world’s standards?
Many years ago I realized that we are to walk by faith. A God that ‘proved’ Himself by the standards of the world would not be One that gave me room to freely choose to trust Him.
The Anvil of God’s Word
“Last eve I paused beside the blacksmith’s door,
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
Then looking in, I saw upon the floor,
Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.
“‘How many anvils have you had,’ said I,
‘To wear and batter all these hammers so?’
‘Just one,’ said he, and then with twinkling eye,
‘The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.’
“And so, I thought, the Anvil of God’s Word
For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The Anvil is unharmed, the hammers gone.”
—Attributed to John Clifford
If we are given the free choice to bet on the hammers or the anvil, I am betting on the anvil.
Laurita, I’ve been a long time reader (5 years or so at this community), but first time poster. Just wanted to say thank you for your authenticity and passion regarding all your thoughts, prayers, and posts. They have been encouraging in times when I can’t seem to express the chaos and hardship in my life. Thank you.
Hi, Caleb. It’s so nice to know you are there. My life is better knowing you are there! Thank you! Now I can pray for you, too.
We all need you, too, you know.
P.S. I like your name. I have a son named Caleb.
“The Bible is just a regurgitation, incorporation, twisting of ancient religion into a new religion created by a later period peoples”
Scenario; Teacher tells student in first desk seat short story and directs him to pass it on to the student behind him with the further direction that each student should continue the task until the last student has heard. He takes the student in the exact middle of the class and recounts the original story accurately and the student believes him even though it is different from what the student heard because he is the teacher and author of the story. It is the creation account of the world. Except for the first student and the middle student; all other students live history distorted.
Cabrillo ventured into a coastline and upon landing his vessel named the new found place San Miguel. San Miguel had a great bay for protection from the elements and a large point of land that guided a sailor to its security.
Scenario; Today San Miguel is a great city with swaying palm trees, beautiful vistas and beaches and is a bucket list visitation desire of millions of people around the world. But if you go looking for San Miguel you won’t find it…it’s not on any map that fits the description of the above; that place is known as San Diego California.
Until recently our earliest documents of the Tanakh were only a thousand years old. today with the finding in Qumran we now have the Tanakh as it was 2000 years ago (and it is pretty accurate to the later one we have). Do we have original copies of those documents? NO. But one day we will if we keep seeking. And we might not recognize where the ‘La Jolla people’ or the ‘Kumeyaay people’ are talking about, even though I’ll be surfing there in a little while. And that ‘teacher’ might step back in and reveal the accurate story to us in the middle if we keep digging.
Put your trust in God people…not man.
The idea of understanding and the change the follows is a grieving process. To be vulnerable to a revelation takes courage. This is my experience every day in trying to see the Hebrew view while leaving my Christian taught world behind. We are all in this together loosely hanging on at times.
Totally agree!
Always remember this, science is nothing more than the latest guess.
Morning Skip. I appreciate your honesty about the struggle. What you have taught me in the last couple years reading your work is that all things that man can influence must be tested. I offer no specific leads or extra-biblical resources for this particular conundrum, but I encourage you to press in hard. Whether you find answers to the questions you have now, I believe that others will come and what you will report to us will be rich. Can’t Wait!
Skip, as I read the responses to your Today’s Word, I sense everyone is trying to rescue you. I have never experienced you as one who needs or desires to be rescued. If you did, I think you would have asked for it. I’m for one, enjoy the mind expanding presentation and will live with it for now.
What are the immutable truths of God?
There are as many opinions as to the answer to that question as there are people inhabiting the planet now, as have ever lived, and will ever live. All based upon an individuals perspective and shaped by experiences within the individuals life. Even within a community of like-minded individuals/believers, this is subjective. How then do we hope to find ‘the truth’? And how can you claim to lay hold of the ‘the truth’ if there is not one right answer? And how on earth could we even presume how to present truth to anyone else? How can anyone presume to tell anyone else who God is or how to get to God? There are even arguments and many opinions on the written words of God. So to say that the Bible is the final authority is ambiguous at best.
God’s words are interpreted individually based upon the individuals experiences in life. If this is true, how then can we say that God is impersonal or uninvolved with each and every individuals personal daily living? If this is true, doesn’t that mean God is intimately involved with everyone? ‘God is intimately concerned with His creation’
To me, this means even truth is subject to the sovereignty of God. This means I must rely on Him for EVERYTHING, including what I think I know about Him.
Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled – Michael Crichton
“…these stories are in the Bible and I have been taught that the Bible isn’t like all other ancient literature.”
Isn’t that the source of our conflict–the singularity, the divine exclusivity of Christianity? Whenever there are conflicts in the text, it can’t be because men see things differently and are responsible for the text. And there must not be a cultural influence! Christianity is not a religion of man!
It’s painful to be a heretic.
Seriously?
My ex-husband re-writes history every time he opens his mouth.
Why?
To justify his version that is in place to insure he and his current life are justified. Who is Finkelstein, what is HIS background what does HE believe and why is destroying Scriptural significance important to him.
Start there and then decide if what you think you have discovered is credible.
Also. Should look up the site Kees Brakshoofden has posted and relax.
In the end, people decide what and whom to believe anyway, regardless of the ‘evidence’.
>sigh<foiled again by the footing nymph
HAHAHAHAH should read FONTING nymph, and i don’t know how to edit. so, i’m good.
And, Skip, when/if you track down Ms. Guetta and her testimony it will totally challenge all your spirit world realities beliefs, right.
#justsayin
I assume you are a bit further down this road than your post suggests, but I’ll throw in a couple thoughts:
Book Suggestion:
Sir Isaac Newton – “Newton’s Revised History of Ancient Kingdoms”. Even if Newton didn’t figure it all out, he exposes many of the problematic biases that have been inherited by modern historical chronologists.
Philosophy of Science Issue:
Verification vs. Falsification – As the ‘history’ of the Vienna Circle suggested, it is very difficult to use the ‘Verification Principle” as a foundation of knowledge. Based on what you wrote, it fits into the maxim “Lack of evidence is not evidence to the contrary.”
“Lack of evidence is not evidence to the contrary.”
Yes!
Many years ago, one of America’s revered evangelists was a client.
Many times he was asked a Biblical question and many times he would
answer: “I don’t know.”
His humility and honesty always resonated with me. As steeped in the Scriptures
as he was, he just didn’t know. “We have all of eternity to find out”, he would
often say.
And so with shrugged shoulders, I wait patiently. Happily, my faith and
relationship with the Author of my faith, are currently far more than enough!
Skip, I am with Roy and think that you do not need to be rescued. I do read a lot of archeology literature for enjoyment and learning about cultures and civilizations long past. As best I can tell childish jealousy pervades the field of archeology. It seems that some very learned and intelligent men and women will go to great lengths to discredit the work of others, and will withhold research that would support work of others of whom they are jealous. A prime example is the with holding of the dead sea scrolls for a great many years by an individual who refused to share. These scrolls were finally smuggled out to other researchers for the world to examine. What I tend to see is that if the research is intensive enough, the Bible generally proves to be true. Oral history which is what we had of events from 8-10 thousand years age seems to be very accurate, but many people spend their entire pitiful life trying to discount oral history from all parts of the world not just Biblical history. These people are not particularly zeroed in on the Bible. I guess we do have to remember that the survivors or winners as the case may be were the ones who passed on their version of what happened in antiquity, so the history may be shaded somewhat.
Skip, First time responding, long time reader. I read the Biblical Archeology Society magazine on line and there are LOTS of articles that debate time lines on Exodus and other findings. YOU have helped ALL who have posted find more depth in their faith by YOU sharing with YOUR faith. IT’s NOT about where are when….it’s about YHVH and about how WE are to love and honor Him, and love and honor each other. Time and places as He reveals enrich our understanding. Be at peace with your calling, with your love of YHVH and for us. I look forward everyday to your insight.
Shalom
I was remembering that there seemed to be no ‘evidence’ of King David existing at the right time or place. But recently I have read articles including those like a place I will try to include here and many others telling of recent finds of coins and other artifacts. “The Tel Dan Inscription: The First Historical Evidence of King David from the Bible – Biblical Archaeology Society Staff” • 11/08/2016″ Are such ‘finds’ not convincing enough to the academic world? And isn’t there a kind of’ jealous rivalry’ among archaeologists….each seeking to discredit the other’s work but validating their own….???
Archaeology could be a prime example of Skip’s best subject: paradigm tunnel vision.
The Bible is also literature and literature treats truth differently than history. We forget that these writers were also story tellers. The parables don’t trouble us and they are in a Jewish tradition.Samson is obviously a bit of a send-up and George Washington and the cherry tree makes a point about honesty. We tell stories to our children and we are God’s children. I am sure the ‘history’ happened but maybe not as we would perceive it. After all, David’s great ‘Kingdom’ never was much more that 100 by 150 miles. People take what they can and see what they can from literature. Example: I wrote the following poem in a chronological series of poems and placed it in the interval between the Old and New Testaments. for a masters thesis. The examiners assumed it was about Abraham.
Firstlings of the Flock
the father enfolds the son
knowing what is to come
the time is soon
the calling to sacrifice will be met
the father’s to share
knowing the struggle
helpless to intervene
exquisite agony by his own choice
as the beloved begotten
becomes the lamb
I find what you wrote encouraging. If I love God, I would want to go to Him and spend time with Him, learning all about Him. I would want Him to set beside me and listen to me; helping me with my struggles. I would experience joy over His delight in me. He would be my source of truth and I would want to do things to that He ask me to do. Do I need another source other than Him for love? Without anything, no church, no bible, no people; couldn’t I walk toward Him, knowing I’m going in the right direction?
Skip, I appreciate your honesty. I admire your vulnerability and transparency in your faith journey. There are so few in our church world like you. This post is long because I am processing your post in light of my quest several years ago. I’m not trying to resolve this for you but merely sharing my personal journey.
I stumbled across an online discussion several years ago, with a bunch of scholarly biblical people discussing/challenging the authenticity of some specific biblical sites, wars, events & people, supposedly due to lack of archeological evidence. Honestly, I was fearful that my faith might tumble over and fall out if biblical accounts were not historically accurate. If authors somehow made up (or exaggerated) biblical stories that I had always assumed were “truth,” then, like you, I had a whole stream of questions:. “If these things are not true, then how do I know what is the truth in the bible? Is ANY of it the truth? What sets the bible apart from other ancient myths, also passed down orally then recorded later in written form?”
I emailed excerpts of that discussion thread to some biblical powerhouses I knew, asking them to explain what they knew about the bible’s accuracy in regard to archeology. I got varied answers, pretty much covering the spectrum that you mentioned in your article. I just felt more confused.
Around the same time, I was also wrestling with Westernized church ideas (trinity, original sin, etc.), trying to figure out where those beliefs began and how they had infiltrated Christian churches for so long that most never even questioned or challenged the authenticity of these big doctrinal beliefs.
It all seemed too much for my head to handle. I had opened up the God-box and couldn’t just shut the lid. I had begun asking difficult questions to/about God and couldn’t turn back to naivety. I had no idea where my faith would land by time I got to the bottom of that box. But I kept digging and searching and asking.
And, strangely, it seemed that the more difficult the questions got, and the more I’d wrestle with God, my faith would not topple over. I cannot explain why not, really, but it just seems that some spiritual things are beyond our mind’s understanding. And I don’t mean archeological evidence things. I mean faith things in a world we cannot see nor touch now. Like faith growing even in the midst of total skepticism and doubt and fear. In all of it, God held onto me. He gave me peace at the end of everything I’d pull out of that box and examine, even stuff I couldn’t fully understand or justify or rationalize. He gave me peace, even in the un-knowing.
I found God more exciting to explore and know. The biblical text was more interesting to read, trying to understand from a lens of faith, not reason. I relished in deeper, more complex conversations with others about these great big God-questions. I have no idea how, right smack dab in the middle of the most challenging time in my faith walk, I got closer to God. I grew way more comfortable not having to figure out everything now and being okay with exploring God and the biblical text with a combination of childlike faith and adult wisdom.
That season passed, and I thought it was a past chapter of my life, but when I read your article, that fear of un-knowing crept back into my mind like a recurring nightmare of nights faded into history. I wanted to send your article to a set of scholarly friends and re-ignite conversations about biblical evidence. I wanted to start my quest again to knowing. To be sure. Certain.
And then God reminded me of things he taught me a few years back. When I rely on God’s spirit to teach me and not lean on my own understanding, I find a peace in my soul that surpasses human understanding. I now know that I can keep pulling more difficult things outta that box and that I’ll find peace at the end of that string of questioning. Not peace of knowing evidence, but peace in knowing God as my friend, my counselor, my guide, my comforter, my father & my first love.
I applaud your journey, Skip. You don’t walk timidly toward God. In it all, I am sure that God will hold onto you as well. May he bless you with shalom.
Blessings to you,
Gaynor
Skip, The Bible is historically accurate and is being academically proved to be so since around 1995 when David M. Rohl, Egyptologist, began questioning the chronology of Egypt upon which all the ancient chronology of the civilizations of the Mediteranean are based. The movie Patterns of Evidence brings the work of Rohl and the other academics who were finding the same thing at different locations together. In 1995 John J. Bimson, Jerico archeologist, wrote “Redating the Exodus and the Conquest” and basically showed that all the pottery sequence dating used to identify the historical periods in Israel were unsubstantiated circular reasoning. Rhol and Bimson got together and saw they were on the same track but Rhol had also been to the excavations of Manfred Bietak in the Egyptian delta and Bietak was also finding evidence for Semite communities and a period of mass burials that paralelled the Exodus story in strata that could support the Bible. Since that time Rhol has searched the historical records of the various ancient civilizations of the Middle East and Greece and Rome and found supporting evidence for his New Chronology of Egypt. The old guard of academia in every generation resists any new information that would make their career work look like it was flawed. Finkelstein did not have the information that is now available. If you want to really understand the issues that Rhol has brought forward you can start by going to watch Pharoahs and Kings a Biblical Quest. (3 part video) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChfcfOVPS0Q . Rhol has written three books packed with great photos and tons of technical details: Pharaohs and Kings a Biblical Quest, Legend the Genesis of Civilization, Lords of Avaris, uncovering the legendary origins of Western Civilization and From Eden to Exile, the 5000 Year History of the People of the Bible. As suggested by another respondent the movie Patterns of Evidence is a good start also. As an Egyptologist Rhol is surprised that the documents of the Old Testament are not given more respect by Israeli archelolgists since all other area documents and inscriptions are generally believed to be accurate until proven wrong. I like following Rhol’s work because he is not dogmatic and is interested in working with others to discover the correct chronology of the ancient civilizations. If you want more on Bietak’s excavations you can go to Wikipedia to get his credentials and to Biblical Archeology Review online to find some of his papers (although they are very technical).
I have been studying Biblical Chronology since the 1990’s and have studied every scheme that I have come across. The God if Israel is the God of Time as well as Space and so chronological accuracy for the Bible is a must for it to be true. That is why this issue is so critical. The New Chronology Rhol and the new generation of archeologists and historians have proposed makes sense of so many former archeological and chronological puzzles. Check out the materials listed and you will be greatly reassured in your confidence in the historical reliability of Scripture!
Thanks Sister….your accurate, articulate and complete as ever. I wish I read this before I replied…(PS Rhonda Esgro is actually my wife’s sister…)
Skip you will likely enjoy reading the works of David Rohl, particularly Pharaohs and Kings and From
Eden to Exile, or the Lords of Avaris. Rohl is an archaeologist mentioned in the documentary “patterns of evidence” who in studying Egyptology has concluded that the orthodox archaeological time line (Ie the Bronze age) is out of line by 200-300 years. When this adjustment is made the archaeological evidence lines it up as the documentary patters of evidence explains. There is also research and a lot of evidence showing where the red sea crossing actually occurred. A lot of fresh research has gone on in the last 20-30 years much of it by Biblical enthusiasts not archaeologists and is easily dismissed by the “Pros” who do not want their paradigms to shift.
We also know by now that the biggest culprits in this rewriting of history were the Egyptians (Sumerians, etc.) themselves (Biblical Hebrews being a GLARING exception). They simply left out, scratched out or rewrote anything that did not make them look good, but modern archaeology has to assume that their records of themselves were 100% historically accurate. The mess starts there.
Hello Skip and Others,
One thing you might want to consider, is there are two views afoot here: Biblical minimalism and Biblical maximalism. (See Biblical Archaeology Review, Current Issue). Please also consider, Archaeology is not a “perfect” science nor art. That doesn’t mean throw the baby out with the bath water. It means consider things in balance I think. Yeshua refers to the Exodus in depicting himself as the bread of life. So, he evidently believed the Exodus was a historic reality! I always thought science including archaeology was to invite further inquiry and not be the lid on the jar if you will. That’s what yours truly learned 50 years ago in eighth grade!
David Russell
Just came across this article in the Washington Examiner:
Poll: More say Bible is ‘book of fables’ than ‘Word of God’
www [dot] washingtonexaminer [dot] com [forward slash] poll-more-say-bible-is-book-of-fables-than-word-of-god [forward slash] article [forward slash] 2623210
Skip, I know how you feel. I have been skating around on this slippery slope for a few years. I know now to “make haste slowly” when confronting doubts, or new information because I know what YHWH has done for me. I have seen miracles, experienced them personally. Instant healing of a scratched cornea, things like that.
As long as I keep seeking, and talking to him, and doing my best to follow him using the information I have, I have faith it will all turn out okay. Every error will be forgiven the sons of men… I camp out on that verse.
I wanted to tell you, Skip, that your blogs have helped me sooooo much. Thank you. Especially the one about picking yourself up, and getting on with it.
You have helped me to re-tool my perspectives in a way that will allow me to navigate the future with greater grace and humility.
Have a great week!
Andrew
Thank you. I hope I am worthy of your praise as I try to find the same path.
Not to ask a totally daft question but, what difference does it make? I mean does it have to be 100% accurate in order for you to believe in the Bible? This theory I have just never really understood. It’s an all or nothing type of mentality. It’s reading the Bible as a history book or true events. What really changes if it’s not, ‘true”? How would your faith change? For me, nothing changes.
Now we have gotten around to “define truth”. What is true? The literal words, or what they mean to us? What they ‘say’ or what they ‘do’?
Perhaps the reason some people (not my readers, of course – and I mean this, it is not sarcasm) have faith in the Bible, not in the person revealed in the Bible. In other words, they believe that if the Bible is not 100% accurate, then they cannot “trust” it at all. Therefore, they can’t be saved. I have heard this line of thought many times. It’s really about needed a certainty that even the text of Scripture doesn’t provide. For example, every critical scholar I’ve read will admit that many biblical texts are redacted. That doesn’t change the importance of the text. Matthew, as one case, cites 18 passages in the Tanakh, claiming “as it is written” but none of the passages are as the Tanakh is written. No, the LXX doesn’t solve the problem either (cf. Carson and Beale’s work). What it means is that Matthew’s view of inspiration is NOT the same as the view in most churches today. But does that mean Matthew can’t be trusted. NOT AT ALL! It means that Matthew didn’t write the way we do. It means we have to read Matthew two ways – first, AS HE WROTE IT for his audience, and second, as we understand it from OUR perspective. Anyway, it’s a big topic.
This is no doubt true. Just witness the KJV-onlyists. One particular church of the KJV-o persuasion translated the 1611 KJV to Spanish—not the Textus Receptus Greek text underlying it, but the antiquated 1611 KJV English to Spanish—anachronistically imposing modern meanings on some of these antiquated words and translating these into the Spanish translation. What a mess! If I’m not mistaken, the infamous Westboro Baptist church is KJV-o.
As I see it, they are all guilty of Bibliolatry—Bible as idol.
As I noted in a previous discussion on this, the Carson and Beale (Eds.) work has Craig Blomberg as author of the Matthew section. I like Blomberg, as he is not afraid to tell it as he sees it, and for this he is labeled a “liberal” by some. However, as I implied or outright stated at times in the previous discussion on this, the quotes in Matthew are sometimes allusions, not quotations of the Tanakh or LXX.
Is it really 18 times Matthew records the words “it is written”? I only count eight such occurrences—though I concede that I just quickly checked the English and perhaps there’s a paraphrase of this phrase I’m not considering. In any case, taking just the temptation in the wilderness where four of these instances occur, Jesus’ words are very close, if not an exact match to the LXX, which is very close to the Tanakh.
Whatever the specifics on Matthew’s quotations of the Tanakh or LXX, on this point I agree, or at least mostly agree.
Thanks for the response. I guess my disconnect is that you can’t trust anything if it’s not 100% accurate. Too many variables, starting with accurate to whom? You? What if the point that the author was making wasn’t your paradigm of accuracy? I’m picking up what you are dropping. To your point of this causing a crisis, I think it’s that you’ve just taken the, ‘red pill’ (reference to the matrix) and those that want the ‘blue pill’, cannot make sense of why someone would want to do that. This is where, “slippery slope” and things like that come up. It’s just questions, keep asking and I’ll keep pondering.
More questions the merrier. I thought we were doing that just fine. I guess the questions that are always going to be uncomfortable are the ones about paradigms. (Namely, the paradigms of archaeologists, for the purposes of this discussion.) Its not fair to question OUR paradigms with other ‘facts’ that, in turn, cannot stand a little grilling, too.
And, when are we going to discuss what is truth? I second the motion of your question “What if the point that the author was making wasn’t your paradigm of accuracy?” The only standard of truth that we have cannot itself be judged by another ‘truth’, for there is none, that’s my point, and may be the point of some of the others, here, too. To me, the slippery slope starts when we start thinking that there is.
I guess I’ll have to write about red pills, won’t I? Thanks for the insight.