Nothing Written

The record of the genealogy of Jesus the ]Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:  Matthew 1:1 NASB Record – By now you certainly know that Matthew purposely altered the genealogy of Yeshua to fit the Gematria numerical arrangement of the word “David.”  The fact that he did this isn’t too surprising.  What is more…

Variety Is the Spice of Life

As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.  Romans 4:17 NIV As it is written – When Paul used the phrase, kathōs…

Copying the Bible

All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness;  2 Timothy 3:16 NASB By God – Text and transmission.  It seems as if the crucial issue about the authority of the Bible comes down to these two words.  Who wrote it and how did it come to us? …

Galatina

Galatina is a small town in Puglia, Italy.  With a population under 28,000, you wouldn’t expect to see much.  But you’d be surprised.  In the basilica, absolutely unremarkable on the outside, you will find incredible frescos similar to those of Giotto.  They portray various biblical stories and themes.  Here are a few.  See if you…

Being Berean

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.  Acts 17:11 NIV Examined the Scriptures – There’s a funny contradiction buried in this verse.  The Bereans were orthodox.  Jewish orthodox.  They…

We Just Can’t Get Away

All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness;  2 Timothy 3:16  NASB All Scripture – How many times have we investigated the nuances and implications of this single verse?  A dozen?  Two dozen?  It seems that Paul’s statement in a letter to a pupil just…

Practical Application

All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness;  2 Timothy 3:16  NASB Teaching/ rebuke/ correction/ training – Paul tells us the purpose of “inspired Scripture.”  He’s quite deliberate about it, but did you notice what is strikingly absent?  Let’s see. Scripture is useful for “teaching.”  Didaskalía, that…

Text and Transmission

All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness;  2 Timothy 3:16  NASB Inspired – Paul’s choice of the Greek word for “inspired” leaves us hanging.  Why?  Because the word isn’t used anywhere else in the apostolic writings.  Theópneustos literally means “God breathed,” but that leaves a lot…

Paul’s Paradigm

All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness;  2 Timothy 3:16  NASB Scripture – What does Paul mean when he uses the Greek term graphḗ?  Before we can answer that, we need to know something about the wider meaning of the term in the first century.  graphḗ…