400 years After the Fact

[handmaiden]

Somewhere I read that most of what is regarded as canon Bible (NT) writings is translated from documents written 400 years after the time of Christ. The point was made that these are the earliest extant written reports of NT events and that a 400 year gap could contribute to lack of clarity and possible distortion of facts.

Being a woman it is not my place to debate Bible wisdom but to obey. I will use my sinful liberal education to point out that the word "extant" means something still in existence and is sort of considered the opposite to the word "extinct". And we all know who loves to throw around the word, "extinct", don't we?

Verbally Yours,

Handmaiden

[Ezekiel Bathfire]

Re: 400 years After the Fact

I don't think you need bother your pretty head too much about the ancient scribblings of the Bible writers; it is likely that they were just jotting down notes and musing on what might have happened as they were waiting for the reply to come from Corinth or somewhere.

Of course the remarkable thing is that they had it almost 100% but then, you see, God, In His Wisdom, gave us the final and inerrant version in KJV1611.

"The Holy Bible, KJV1611, was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture therein is totally true and trustworthy.”

[Pastor Ezekiel]

Re: 400 years After the Fact

Listening to the demonic ravings of the radical atheist cult is never a good idea. They are apt to convince a weak-minded female such as yourself that up is down and dirty is clean. You'd be better off perfecting your pie crusts.

If you have any questions about the Holy Bible, I would refer you to a couple of old sermons of mine HERE and HERE. I'm sure any and all of your questions will be answered.

[Rev. Jim Osborne]

Re: 400 years After the Fact

Somewhere I read that most of what is regarded as canon Bible (NT) writings is translated from documents written 400 years after the time of Christ. The point was made that these are the earliest extant written reports of NT events and that a 400 year gap could contribute to lack of clarity and possible distortion of facts.

"Could" is the operative word here. Notice it is "could" and not "would". Those without faith assume that just because there was a long time between the events of the New Testament and said events being written down, that somehow the message got distorted along the way.

But, we know the message wasn't altered or changed in any way because the Bible is inspired by God. God does not make mistakes. And as Brother Bathfire pointed out, God's True Word did not come into existence until nearly 1600 years after the death of Jesus Christ when He bestowed upon us the only true Bible -- the King James Bible.

So it is really pointless to doubt that the long time frame has affected the Bible in any way, since we know it was God's plan and He is perfect.

[handmaiden]

Re: 400 years After the Fact

"Could" is the operative word here. Notice it is "could" and not "would". Those without faith assume that just because there was a long time between the events of the New Testament and said events being written down, that somehow the message got distorted along the way.

But, we know the message wasn't altered or changed in any way because the Bible is inspired by God. God does not make mistakes. And as Brother Bathfire pointed out, God's True Word did not come into existence until nearly 1600 years after the death of Jesus Christ when He bestowed upon us the only true Bible -- the King James Bible.

So it is really pointless to doubt that the long time frame has affected the Bible in any way, since we know it was God's plan and He is perfect.

So, that four century gap where everybody who was there in person died and people got displaced and dispursed and languages sort of changed and things got passed down verbally or were written down and might have been miscopied due to poor penmanship has no bearing on the absolute accuracy of the Bible?

Thank you!

Gratefully yours,

Handmaiden

[Jedediah]

Re: 400 years After the Fact

Inspiration is when God takes a blank piece of paper (papyrus, vellum, etc.) and uses men to write His words. Preservation is when God takes those wordsalready written and uses men to preserve them to today.

Bothof these actions are DIVINE and are assured by God as recorded in Psalm 12:6-7.

The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Thou shalt keep them, 0 LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

In Psalm 12:6 God assures us that His originals are perfect. Even though penned by fallible men with the heinous sins of murder (Moses and David), adultery (David), idolatry (Solomon), and denial of the LORD (Peter), God's words are untainted by the sins of the penmen. That the originals were inspired perfect in their entirety is an undisputed belief among True Christians™ today.

It is obvious that God now needed to get both His Old Testament and His New Testament welded together in a language that was common to the world. Only English can be considered such a language.

The English language had been developing for many centuries until the late sixteenth century. About that time it finally reached a state of excellence that no language on earth has ever attained. It would seem that God did the rest. He chose this perfect language for the consummation of his perfect Book.

[brhoades]

Re: 400 years After the Fact

It is obvious that God now needed to get both His Old Testament and His New Testament welded together in a language that was common to the world. Only English can be considered such a language.

The English language had been developing for many centuries until the late sixteenth century. About that time it finally reached a state of excellence that no language on earth has ever attained. It would seem that God did the rest. He chose this perfect language for the consummation of his perfect Book.

This is good stuff. Thank you.

[handmaiden]

Re: 400 years After the Fact

Thank you for noticing, I mean correcting, my signature. I was beginning to think that the Lord did not care enough to smite me. I know that He was never mislead or too preoccupied to overlook my use of euphemism. I was just waiting upon His instruction, which I have now received in the form of godly exhortation from His chosen spokesmales, the Leaders of LBC.



Repentantly Yours,


Handmaiden

[mminczes]

Re: 400 years After the Fact

Inspiration is when God takes a blank piece of paper (papyrus, vellum, etc.) and uses men to write His words. Preservation is when God takes those wordsalready written and uses men to preserve them to today.

Bothof these actions are DIVINE and are assured by God as recorded in Psalm 12:6-7.

The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Thou shalt keep them, 0 LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

In Psalm 12:6 God assures us that His originals are perfect. Even though penned by fallible men with the heinous sins of murder (Moses and David), adultery (David), idolatry (Solomon), and denial of the LORD (Peter), God's words are untainted by the sins of the penmen. That the originals were inspired perfect in their entirety is an undisputed belief among True Christians™ today.

It is obvious that God now needed to get both His Old Testament and His New Testament welded together in a language that was common to the world. Only English can be considered such a language.

The English language had been developing for many centuries until the late sixteenth century. About that time it finally reached a state of excellence that no language on earth has ever attained. It would seem that God did the rest. He chose this perfect language for the consummation of his perfect Book.

Not so. The New Testament was written largely in Greek, which at the time was as common as English is today. The Psalm 12:6 reference, is talking about God's speech, not the text of scripture itself, if you read it in context - the psalm is about the deceptive lips of the enemy. Of course the text is inspired, but to say that the bible was meant to be in english is a contrivance.

[Rev. M. Rodimer]

Re: 400 years After the Fact

Not so. The New Testament was written largely in Greek, which at the time was as common as English is today. The Psalm 12:6 reference, is talking about God's speech, not the text of scripture itself, if you read it in context - the psalm is about the deceptive lips of the enemy. Of course the text is inspired, but to say that the bible was meant to be in english is a contrivance.

Brother Jedediah is referring to the KJV1611 as being the One True Bible, and God assembling it in English after English developed and moved toward becoming the world's dominant language . . . which it is, today.

Could you provide a reference which documents that as many people spoke Greek at one time as speak English now? Or, for that matter, a reference documenting that Greek was more popular in the first and second centuries, during the height of the Roman Empire, than Latin?

[Rev. Jim Osborne]

Re: 400 years After the Fact

Not so. The New Testament was written largely in Greek, which at the time was as common as English is today.

Not so. English is spoken worldwide, whereas Greek was only spoken regionally. Unless you want to claim that people in the chink countries could speak Greek? No, English is the first, only, and last worldwide language that unites people from around the globe.

Besides, if Greek was as important, why didn't God inspire men to create the King James Bible in Greek?

The Psalm 12:6 reference, is talking about God's speech, not the text of scripture itself, if you read it in context - the psalm is about the deceptive lips of the enemy. Of course the text is inspired, but to say that the bible was meant to be in english is a contrivance.

Now you are just splitting hairs. God's speech is the scripture itself!

2 Peter 1:21
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Habakkuk 2:2
And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

When God inspired the writers of the Bible, He was speaking to them. His speech was faithfully and purely recorded in text. The Bible itself tells us that.

Psalm 119:160
Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

Isaiah 40:8
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

It is a common theme throughout the Bible and it appears in multiple books, both in the Old and New Testaments. The Word of God is pure and will never be destroyed.