Showing posts with label interpretation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interpretation. Show all posts

Friday 17 January 2014

Out of Context: How to Avoid Misinterpreting the Bible

Richard Schultz's recent book "Out of Context: How to Avoid Misinterpreting the Bible" as one would infer from the title collates exegetical crimes, and gives help on how to avoid them. One section which caught my eye was on the abuse of typology:

"We already mentioned a fifth approach, finding Jesus under every textual leaf...This approach is experiencing growing support today and is based on the twin convictions that (1) Jesus is the central theme of the Bible and (2) all of Scripture points to him. The former is true to a degree, although Old Testament scholar Gerhard Hasel is probably more accurate in declaring that “God is the center of the OT as its central subject.” The second conviction is based on an overinterpretation of Luke 24: 27—“ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” This led a pastor to declare in a sermon I heard recently, “If you don’t find Jesus on the page of Scripture you are reading, keep reading it until you find him there.”

"This goes well beyond finding Jesus in predictive prophecy; it turns all Old Testament texts into predictions of or, more precisely, pictures foreshadowing the coming of Jesus. Accordingly, in Numbers 11: 8 (“ The people went around gathering it [the manna], and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil”), the manna represents Jesus. After all, John 6: 33– 35, 48 teaches that he is the Bread of Life. Moreover, the grinding, crushing, and cooking in Numbers 11: 8 represent Jesus’s sufferings on our behalf. But what does the olive oil taste represent in the case of Jesus? And how did the people gather him up? The book of Hebrews and other New Testament texts give a warrant for some degree of christological (that is, Christ-centered) interpretation of Old Testament texts. This is usually called typology (see chapter 5 for further explanation). But there appear to be no limits on the creative and speculative interpretation to which this can lead.

"What exactly does Luke 24: 27 claim? A similar verse later in the same chapter may help to clarify the point Jesus was making: “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24: 44). Jesus points here to the scope of the Old Testament’s anticipation of the Messiah’s coming: all three major subdivisions of the Hebrew canon look forward to him. In Jesus’s postresurrection Bible study, he was not asserting that every biblical text is “about” or “pointing to” him. Instead, he was explaining to his disciples those passages throughout the Scriptures that spoke of him in order to clarify the world-altering nature of the prior week’s events. [1]

No one is of course arguing that typology has no legitimacy. As Shultz notes however, it is easily abused. If typology is the only exegetical tool one has, then the temptation is to see types everywhere, and without any controls on this approach, eisegesis results.

1. Schultz, Richard (2012-11-01). Out of Context: How to Avoid Misinterpreting the Bible (pp. 33-34). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
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Sunday 2 December 2012

No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation


“now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;” (Romans 4:23 Webster)

 “20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 for prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of god spoke [as they were] moved by the holy spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21 Webster)

 “and thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law, very plainly.” (Deuteronomy 27:8 Webster)

 “for whatever things were written formerly, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Romans 15:4 Webster)

 “write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;” (Revelation 1:19 Webster)

 “the spirit of the LORD spoke by me, and his word [was] on my tongue.” (2 Samuel 23:2 Webster)

 “but those things which god before had shown by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.” (Acts 3:18 Webster)

 “and by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.” (Hosea 12:13 Webster)

 “24 he that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but that of the father who sent me. 25  these things have I spoken to you, being [yet] present with you. 26 but the comforter, [who is] the holy spirit, whom the father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you. 27 peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you: not as the world giveth, give I to you. let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28  ye have heard that I said to you, I go away, and come [again] to you. if ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go to the father: for my father is greater than I. 29 and now I have told you before it cometh to pass, that when it hath come to pass, ye may believe. 30 hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. 31 but that the world may know that I love the father; and as the father gave me commandment, even so I do. arise, let us go hence.” (John 14:24-31 Webster)

 “and when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after Paul had spoken one word, well spoke the holy spirit by Isaiah the prophet to our fathers,” (Acts 28:25 Webster)

 “whom the heaven must receive, until the times of restitution of all things, which god hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets, since the world began.” (Acts 3:21 Webster)

 “thus saith the lord GOD, it shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.” (Isaiah 7:7 Webster)

 “16 all scripture [is] given by inspiration of god, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 that the man of god may be perfect, thoroughly furnished to all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 Webster)

 “believest thou not that I am in the father, and the father in me? the words that I speak to you, I speak not from myself: but the father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” (John 14:10 Webster)

 “and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of god:” (Ephesians 6:17 Webster)

“1  now therefore hearken, O Israel, to the statutes and to the judgments, which I teach you, to do [them], that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD god of your fathers giveth you. 2 ye shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish [aught] from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your god which I command you.” (Deuteronomy 4:1-2 Webster)

 “and it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his god, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:” (Deuteronomy 17:19 Webster)

 “thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalms 119:11 Webster)

 “LAMED. for ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” (Psalms 119:89 Webster)

 “NUN. thy word [is] a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” (Psalms 119:105 Webster)

 “119 thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth [like] dross: therefore I love thy testimonies. 120 my flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments. 121  AIN. I have done judgment and justice; leave me not to my oppressors. 122 be surety for thy servant for good: let not the proud oppress me. 123  my eyes fail for thy salvation, and for the word of thy righteousness. 124  deal with thy servant according to thy mercy, and teach me thy statutes. 125 I [am] thy servant; give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies. 126  [it is] time for [thee], LORD, to work: [for] they have made void thy law. 127  therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yes, above fine gold. 128 therefore I esteem all [thy] precepts [concerning] all [things to be] right; [and] I hate every false way. 129  PE. thy testimonies [are] wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them. 130  the entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding to the simple.” (Psalms 119:119-130 Webster)

 “so shall my word be that proceedeth from my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11 Webster)

 “16 all scripture [is] given by inspiration of god, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 that the man of god may be perfect, thoroughly furnished to all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 Webster)

 “6 the words of the LORD [are] pure words: [as] silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” (Psalms 12:6-7 Webster)

 “5 every word of god [is] pure: he [is] a shield to them that put their trust in him. 6 add thou not to his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” (Proverbs 30:5-6 Webster)

 “18 for verily I say to you, till heaven and earth shall pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 whoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever shall do, and teach [them], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:18-19 Webster)

 “heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.” (Mark 13:31 Webster)

 “and it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than one tittle of the law to fail.” (Luke 16:17 Webster)

 “for whatever things were written formerly, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Romans 15:4 Webster)

 “but the word of the lord endureth for ever. and this is the word which by the gospel is preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:25 Webster)

 “18 for I testify to every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add to these things, god will add to him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, god will take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18-19 Webster)


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Wednesday 10 November 2010

To mean, to think, outing your opinion, conviction, belief - Menen, mening, overtuiging, opinie, geloof

Menen (to mean, to think); mening, opinie (opinion, view), overtuiging [vaststaande mening (conviction), geloofsovertuiging (belief), godsdienstige overtuiging (religious persuasion, beliefs, faith, creed)]
bef. 900;  ME menen,  OE mǣnan;  c. G meinen,  D meenen
O.E. mænan  "to mean, tell, say, complain," from W.Gmc. *mainijanan  (cf. O.Fris. mena , Du. menen,  Ger. meinen  to think, suppose, be of the opinion"), from PIE *meino-  "opinion, intent" (cf. O.C.S. meniti  "to think, have an opinion," O.Ir. mian  "wish, desire," Welsh mwyn  "enjoyment"), probably from base *men-  "think." (Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper)

L. sensus:  "perception, feeling, undertaking, meaning,"
Under the Tags "mening" and "overtuiging" you shall be able to find articles about the way of strong thinking of a person and his fixed or firm belief. It is about the state or appearance of being convinced of a certain faith or belief.  But it shall also consider the attitude of people and their actions by a fixed or firmly held belief, opinion, etc.. To mean = to have in mind as one's purpose or intention


The "mening" is the meaning or the general word denoting that which is intended to be or actually is expressed or indicated. Here we take the thought of a person in consideration, how he or she wants to keep to a certain idea. But also the recognition of something as incumbent or fitting, right, or accepting as a true value. sometimes also the sense or the meaning or gist of something, but mainly an opinion or judgement formed or held. To have an opinion there has to be a sense or an awareness or recognition of something; the stimulus may be subjective and the entire process may be mental or intellectual.
+ denotation, connotation, interpretation, foreordain, feeling, sentiment, discern, appreciate, recognize.


Convinced:  Latin convincere to refute, convict, prove, from com- + vincere to conquer
To have been overcome by argumen;  to bring (as by argument) to belief, consent, or a course of action. (Merriam Webster Dict.) per·suade Latin persuadēre, from per- thoroughly + suadēre to advise, urge: to move by argument, entreaty, or expostulation to a belief, position, or course of actio.
To bring by the use of argument or evidence to firm belief or a course of action. According to a traditional rule, one persuades someone to act but convinces someone of the truth of a statement or proposition. (The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.)
To move by argument or evidence to belief, agreement, consent, or a course of action L convincere  to prove (something) false or true, (somebody) right or wrong, equiv. to con- + vincere  to overcome (Dictionary.com Unabridged)

God wants that we
come till a fixed decision.  He wishes that we become strong in the faith and that we become convinced in which way to take.  Therefore we must cultivate us a good view and become convinced by Gods Word to take on the True Faith with a clean conscience.Onder de Etiketten, verwijzers of tags "mening" en "overtuiging" zal u artikelen kunnen vinden  over de wijze waarop een persoon sterk aan een idee kan houden of stevig aan een bepaald geloof vast houdt en hier zich ook durft over uitspreken. Hier nemen wij die gedachte in overweging waaraan iemand wil vasthouden.
Het gaat over de inhoud, de bedoeling bij hetgeen men zegt of schrijft. Het zijn zijn opvattingen die een belangrijk onderdeel vormen van zijn aangenomen houding. Deze gedachten kunnen gebasseerd zijn op het gevoelen maar ook heel rationeel of ook wetenschappelijk gefundeerd zijn. Het gaat over de staat of verschijning van overtuiging van een zeker geloof of gedachte. Maar het zal ook de houding van mensen en hun acties door een standvastig vastgehouden aan bepaalde gedachten,geloof, mening, enz. beschouwen. Menen = om in gedachte te hebben als een doel of intentie of het zeker weten, in ernst bedoelen.

De "mening" is de betekenis of het algemene woord dat aanduidt wat wordt gepland te zijn of wat er eigenlijk uitgedrukt of aangeduid wordt. Hier nemen wij de gedachte van een persoon in overweging, hoe hij of zij aan een zeker idee wil vasthouden. Maar ook de erkenning van iets dat zodanig in overweging genomen wordt als het juiste of dat als juiste of ware waarde wordt aangenomen. Soms ook in de zin of de betekenis van of kern van iets, maar hoofdzakelijk een mening of
gevormd oordeel waar men aan vasthoudt. Om een mening te hebben moet daar een zin of een bewustzijn of erkenning van iets zijn; de stimulus kan subjectief zijn en het volledige proces kan geestelijk of intellectueel zijn.


Overtuiging of volgens de persoon het niet te weerleggen, en het bewijs.
Het is de gedachte om (zo door argument) naar geloof, toestemming of een handelwijze te brengen. (Merriam Webster Dict). Het houdt ook de neiging in van mensen om anderen hun gedachten aan te raden. Er is dan de drang om door argument, smeekbede, of vermaning anderen naar een geloof, positie of cursus van actio
te bewegen. Om door het gebruik van argument of bewijs tot geloof te brengen  of een handelwijze te versterken.
De mening zal tot uiting komen de sterke houding in de aangehouden gedachte waarbij door argument men anderen tot dat geloof tracht te bewegen of te doen veranderen van gedachten,  of om tot te komene tot een overeenkomst, toestemming of een handelwijze.

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van mening zijn, van oordeel zijn, gevoelen, bevinden, denken, vinden, van gedachten zijn, geloven, met eigen ogen zien, zijn eigen licht volgen, zijn eigen kijk op iets hebben, goede kijk op iets hebben,
mijns achtens, mijn oordeel, naar mijn oordeel, naar mijn rekening, volgens mijn dunken, mijns dunkens, naar mijn wijze van zien, mijns erachtens, bij mijn weten, naar mijn schik, in iemands oog

in gemoede nemen, interpreteren,
interpretatie

bij zijn gedachten blijven,pré-opineren, ergens niet af willen,

Aanduiding, connotatie, raisonneren, raisonnatie, redeneren, opvatten, inzien,

oordelen, zijn stem over (voor, tegen) iets uitbrengen, bepalen, beslissen, decideren, determineren, zich decideren, resolveren, prononceren,besluiten, maatstaf aanleggen, een besluit opmaken,

opvatting, zienswijze, denkbeeld, inzicht, inzien, gezindheid, overtuiging, dunk, convictie, intuïtie,sententie, opinie, roep, stem, signatuur

besluit, beslissing, uitspraak, oordeelvelling, oordeel, decisie, verdict, besluitvaardigheid,



God wil dat wij tot een vast besluit komen. Hij wenst dat wij ervan overtuigd geraken welke weg in te slaan. Hiervoor moeten wij ons een goede zienswijze aankweken en door Gods Woord overtuigd geraken om met een zuiver geweten het Ware Geloof aan te nemen.

Friday 27 November 2009

Newton not believing in the Holy Trinity

At the time of Newton's life, denunciation of the Trinity was illegal. From the perspective of established Christianity Newton was a heretic who had to make difficutl choices. He did not want to loose his position.
When Newton was made a fellow of the College, along with an agreement to embrace the Anglican faith, the Trinity fellowship also required ordination within 8 years. During his studies Newton had come to believe that the central doctrine of the church, the Holy and Undivided Trinity was a pagan corruption imposed on Christianity in the fourth century by Athanasius.[9] Newton was faced with an enormous dilemma. He now felt that, in all consciousness, he could no longer take holy orders. However, to give the reason for this would have led to his immediate expulsion from Cambridge.

Newton's laws of motion contradicted the accepted biblical doctrine in the same way that Galileo's views had. But rather than contradicting the Bible, Newton believed that the Bible was accurate and that it was the interpretation of theologians that was wrong. He continued to study biblical prophecy until his death, being fascinated by its symbols and developing a lexicon of prophetic emblems. He was also intrigued by the architecture of the Jerusalem Temple, believing it to hold the secrets to many unanswered questions of the Bible.

> Isaac Newton and the Ocean of Truth, by Sue Toohey Skyscript on Newton

+ > Trinity And Pagan Influence
+ >
History of the Chrisitan Trinity
History of the Christian Trininy (Notes)
How Did the Trinity Doctrine Develop?

Wednesday 22 April 2009

Russell himself never claimed to be a prophet.

Charles Taze Russell (although he stated his views firmly as his beliefs) was never dogmatic about his beliefs on chronology and time prophecy, nor did he demand of the Bible Students associated with him or anyone else accept his beliefs.
 His statements were:
“Our own views are not prophecy, but interpretations of the holy prophets of old.” (Watch Tower, October 1890, page 8)
“Neither must you lean upon the DAWN and the TOWER as infallible teachers. If it was proper for the early Christians to prove what they received from the apostles, who were and who claimed to be inspired, how much more important it is that you fully satisfy yourself that these teachings keep closely within their outline instructions and those of our Lord; — since their author claims no inspiration, but merely the guidance of the Lord, as one used of him in feeding his flock.” (”The Watch Tower”, June, 1893)
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What one will not find anywhere in Russell’s writings is that he claimed that his writings were a direct revelation from God, or that his predictions were directly from God.

> Read full article >Did Russell Claim Direct Revelation From God?