Part One Objection 1: A common objection to viewing Scripture as propositional revelation is that it ends up treating the Bible as a sort of theological concordance, irrespective of the original context of the passage. Now I agree with that, but that’s not what we’re talking about. Propositional revelation does not necessarily involve treating the Bible as a theological concordance. Objection 2: The propriety of associating the ineffable God with human linguistic forms. Some scholars balk at the idea that …
Category: Articles
This was written as an Excursus for a chapter in the book ‘The Words of the Covenant’ I am well aware of the view held by many respected scholars who believe that “the Kingdom of God” is the main theme of the Bible.[1] But it must be admitted that it has not been an overarching theme of Genesis, and therefore of the first several thousand years of history. Though it may be rightly intimated from the image of God of …
The Bible depicts man as specially equipped by God for the express purposes of knowing God’s rational verbal revelation, of communicating with God in praise and prayer, and of discoursing with fellow men about God and his will. – Carl F. H. Henry, God, Revelation, and Authority, Volume 3, 389 Because of the theistic view of language described above we ought not to be surprised when we turn to Scripture and look upon it as information that has been given to …
Part Four The Function of Apocalyptic Brent Sandy says that understanding the function of apocalyptic literature is probably the most important thing about it.[1] He says that the main thing is to bring hope in adversity. As he puts it, “The lofty heights of the [rollercoaster] ride – so unlike anything known on this earth – help the persecuted put their misfortunes in perspective.”[2] Sandy describes the six effects of apocalyptic upon the hearers[3]: It creates worshipful awe of the …
Part Three Some Major Characteristics of Apocalyptic (with Responses) Take up any book on the subject and you will be told that the many features of apocalyptic literature can scarcely if ever be found in one single work. Indeed, a piece of apocalyptic can be absent many of the list of characteristics. Still, it is worth trying to get at the criteria. Brent Sandy has provided a list of eleven characteristics (twelve if one includes pseudonymity) of the genre[1]: I …
This piece is based on transcripts of a lecture I gave on the subject. This lecture on the so-called phenomena of Scripture is necessary because in the modern and postmodern eras it has become more and more common not only to refer to the inspiration of Scripture, which is clearly a biblical doctrine, but to bolster this claim with the assertion of biblical inerrancy; it is perfectly justifiable to think and speak in these terms. Inspiration includes inerrancy and authority requires …
Part Two Going Far Beyond the Bible All of the major advocates of apocalyptic gather data, albeit not exclusively, from outside of the Bible. Brent Sandy demonstrates his procedure of going beyond Scripture when he says, “In order to understand the language of apocalyptic, we must review the period of world history relevant to Daniel 8 and then examine Daniel’s language.”[1] He is not alone. Notice what is entailed in this statement about the genre: Apocalypse was a literary genre …
Part One The ‘Apocalypse’ of John and Picking Sides The first composition to call itself an “apocalypse” was the Book of Revelation, written by the Apostle John circa 95 A.D.[1] “And even there” says Collins, “it is not clear whether the word denotes a special class of literature or is used more generally for revelation.”[2] But right here at the start I believe we are misdirected. John expressly tells us that his book is a “prophecy” (Rev. 1:3; 22:7, …
This is a draft chapter from the forthcoming book ‘The Words of the Covenant’ The purpose of this article is to cast a little doubt upon the generally received view of the reading of biblical apocalyptic literature. As the unique Word of God, the Bible itself is its own interpreter, and much of the edifice of genre criticism and particularly apocalyptic genre is not based on biblical premises, nor should the “apocalyptic” sections of the Bible be read as if …
The Inspiration of Scripture – Part Three N.B. This is a companion piece to the articles on Inspiration “Scripture” usually translates the Greek term graphe. Sometimes, as in 2 Timothy 3:15 one finds hieros grammata, but it is clear that in the context grammata is referring to the Scriptures of verse 16. In other words it is just a synonym. Also, Paul is referring to the Old Testament as a unit – as a whole, and not to the different books of the …
