minister noddy wrote ---
Oh no, no, no, no --- they've gone over the top this time, it's an absolute disgrace! --- the Holy Scriptures are sacred and must NEVER be changed or altered!
Oh no, no, no, no --- they've gone over the top this time, it's an absolute disgrace! --- the Holy Scriptures are sacred and must NEVER be changed or altered!
Brother Temperance wrote ---
This coming from an Anglican!
This coming from an Anglican!
This may come as a surprise to you, but it's true. Let me explain if I may ...
We follow the Bible word for word and verse for verse ---
--- However! --- in theology there are five possible (and accepted) ways (perspectives) of interpreting Biblical prophesy depending on one's assumptions about the transfer of chronological time.
For instance, we can assume that what was future from Jeremiah's perspective is also future from our own. In that case we must interpret the prophesy futuristically, the (1) futuristic perspective; so Jeremiah was telling us about events to which we can also look forward ---
--- Or was he? On the other hand we can assume that what was future from Jeremiah's perspective must certainly be the past from our own; so Jeremiah's immediate future is for us the distant past; hense we must interpret the prophesy historically, that is the (2) historical perspective.
A third possibility is to assume that the transfer in chronological time cannot really be made. The link between a prophesy and its own time frame is indissoluble; so according to an (3) exhortative prespective a biblical prophesy is primarily an attempt to affect attitudes and actions, and so the validity of the prophesy is its ability to induce righteousness.
But to continue --- According to an (4) idealistic perspective, a prophesy is only a specific application of a general principle, and today we should concentrate on that underlying principle; what is therefore important are the underlying moral and theological ideals that the prophesy presupposed and undergirded.
And finally we have the (5) preterite perspective. We can assume that a prophesy is a past statement that must simply be accepted as such, and should not be updated. A prophesy like any historical fact has to be understood in terms of the circumstances that produced it. Subsequent events or the general applicability of underlying principles are irrelevant and misleading; the meaning of the prophesy is what it meant at the time it was first uttered.
This is not really as complicated as it sounds --- but to keep it in perspective (if you will pardon the pun), I can assure you that no matter which of these five approaches are applied in understanding the scripture, we Anglicans never change a single word of the Bible.
Peace be with you, Brother T
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