Bible 110 Old Testament
Old Testament
Background to OT Study: Inspiration and Critical Study
Is the Bible just another book? No.
What makes it different? God inspired it.
A. Inspiration – breathing into
How did God inspire it?
Theories: Divine/Human authorship
1. Dictation theory – God used the biblical writers or robot scribes
2. concursive inspiration – activity of Holy Spirit with the activity of human
writers
3. Illumination view – Holy Spirit worked within human authors to raise their
religious insights and enable them to express themselves with eloquent
language
4. Encounter view – biblical writings only secondarily or apparently present
descriptive statements about God and humankind.
5. Neo orthodox view – ongoing inspiration of Spirit through which Bible
becomes a means of revelation to individuals in communities
6. Feminist view – Bible written, translated, and canonized by males with the
male point of view
7. Liberation / process – deemphasize divine, elevate human point of view
8. Dynamic view – Spirit directed write to concepts he should have and then
allows great freedom for author to express their idea through personality in
a way consistent with and characteristic of his own spirituality and context
(??).
9. Plenary – all portions of scripture are inspired; words, ideas, concepts,
uniqueness of author
Fundamentalism begins with assumption that Bible is inerrant and infallible.
Plenary verbally inspired. It tends to ignore the fasts. Man’s liberal view tends to
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Bible 110 Old Testament
ignore the authority and God-centeredness of Bible. Choose the view which
seems best to you.
Scientific Method
It is sometimes called Critical Method. Does not mean negative or tearing
down. It has to do with understanding and discernment. Method arose after
1500 Renaissance. Before 1500 questions on science and religion were settled
by appeal to authority, not experimentation. With the advent of modern science,
method was changed from deduction (e.g. Aristotle, first principles) to inductive
(Galileo and Copernicus with denying Bible and Church authority).
Today still the Greek method (deductive, first principles) tries to undermine
science. The Hebrew-Christian heritage support scientific view. Science
confirmed faith of Galileo.
Historical Methodology
Greek view of history cyclical
Hebrew-Christian view is linear
19th -20th century linear view got caught up with scientific industrial
revolution. There was an increase of knowledge of man and capacity. As
scientific investigation was applied to work, so was critical study applied to
history and biblical witness.
1860-1890 critics threw out outmoded methodology and started over.
Plenary verbal is the old view of inspiration of Bible which tries to give it authority
outside of itself. It robs the Bible of dynamism and makes it a book of dogma
unrelated to history.
The Bible is divine/human book written by men in history and applicable to
every criticism available.
Miracle/paradox – sinful, erring humans can write the word of God.
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Bible 110 Old Testament
Bible is a book of what God has done, is doing, will do. The Bible is
involved in history where history/living is. Indifference to history is heresy. God
chose to involve Himself in/ limit himself to history. The Bible is a faithful
response.
OT is interested in the history of Israel, but the history is interpreted. At
every point interpretation is demanded. (CH Dodd – event in history do not exist
apart from their interpretation) We must try to see the OT from within; the eyes of
contemporary Hebrews.
OT interpretation involves poetical imagination. Biblical traditionalists
were not scientific historians. They chose events because of their meaning, exp.
God’s dealing with Israel (Heilsgeacheihte). Interpretation of events change from
time to time.
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