The Objective
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 2 Timothy 3:16 NASB
Training – The verse is quite familiar. In evangelical circles it is often the sine qua non of the doctrine of inspiration. Arguments about the proper exegesis of the verse typically center on the meaning of the terms graphḗ (translated Scripture) and theópneustos (literally, God-breathed, but translated “inspired”). But maybe we need to pay more attention to the objective of this statement rather than use it as a prooftext for theological construction. To this end, let’s look at the word paideia (paideian = training). Because we have a Western orientation to education, we might imagine that Paul is interested in what later becomes catechism, that is, learning the vocabulary of the Church leading to theological acumen. But this is hardly a Hebraic perspective. Hebrew education is not about getting the right answers or memorizing a list of facts. Hebrew education is about how you live, not essentially what you think (although they are obviously related). And since “training” must be found in the life consciousness of the faithful, it has to occur in the give-and-take of dialogue, with God and with others. Thus, aggadah is essential to training, and Paul, as a good Pharisee, would certainly have recognized and encouraged this. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling in the context of living in community. Talk it through. Debate, discuss, argue! If you want to know what the Scriptures really say, you can’t be satisfied with the black text. You must search for the white alphabet that surrounds the black text.
Heschel puts it like this:
“To find the true meaning of Aggadah, search deeply into each interpretation. You will find there struggles, worries, and yearnings, eternal problems and contemporary questions, the travails of community and individual that vexed both the Sages and the nation as a whole.”[1]
Ah, so let me ask you about how you read the inspired Scriptures. Do you hear struggle, worry, yearning in those words? Do you encounter eternal problems and contemporary questions? Are you in touch with the travails of the ancient community of believers as well as the current gathering of emotional individuals? Are you vexed by what the text says? If you find that your reading always leads to some great theological truth, or that you go away with a deep peace about living, maybe, just maybe, you haven’t read the text at all. Maybe what you have is nothing more than your own wish fulfillment projected into the lives of impossibly neutral fictional characters.
What would change if you embraced the fact that the objective of Scripture is not to give you answers but to draw you into the battle?
Topical Index: training, paideia, paideian, aggadah, 2 Timothy 3:16
[1] Abraham Heschel, Heavenly Torah as Refracted through the Generations, p. 7.
