18 April 2008
This is the first of a four-part series I’m teaching at Farmville Baptist Church.
The Bible was originally written in three languages: Hebrew (most of the Old Testament), Aramaic (parts of Daniel and Ezra), and Greek (all of the New Testament, and parts of the Old Testament accepted in the Catholic and Orthodox churches). To translate the Bible into English, we need the original text. But we don’t possess the original documents, the autographs. They’re probably lost forever. For the New Testament, the focal point of this series, we possess approximately 5,500 hand-written copies in Greek, and approximately 10,000 hand-written translations into Latin. We also have ancient manuscripts in other languages such as Syriac and Coptic, and quotations of the New Testament written by early Christian scholars. All of these sources provide an opportunity to recover the original text of the New Testament.
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Bible | Tagged: Greek New Testament, New Testament manuscripts, textual criticism |
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Posted by Rodney Dunning
17 April 2008
This is the introduction of a four-part series, based on an Adult Bible-study series that I’m teaching at my church.
This series is about the Bible in English. The Bible holds a central place in our worship and our daily lives. We use it for doctrine and ethics. Baptists have always believed that each individual has the right and responsibility to read and understand the Bible to best of his or her ability. It’s my goal that this series will encourage you to read the Bible more often, and more intelligently. Read the rest of this entry »
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Bible, Church | Tagged: Bible, Greek New Testament, textual criticism |
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Posted by Rodney Dunning
20 January 2008
Ben Myers’ Faith and Theology is a treasure trove of modern theological analysis. His latest post criticizes Millard Erickson’s model of systematic theology:
1. Exegesis: analysis of the biblical texts in their historical and literary contexts.
2. Biblical Theology: situating exegesis in the wider context of each body of literature (e.g. theology of the Pentateuch or Pauline corpus, and then OT or NT theologies respectively).
3. Systematic Theology: the act of synthesising key motifs and ideas as they relate to the mosaic of Christian belief.
Follow this link for Erickson’s article. Follow this link for Myers’ response.
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Bible, Theology | Tagged: Biblical theology, systematic theology |
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Posted by Rodney Dunning
21 December 2007
This Sunday at Farmville Baptist Church, I’m pinch-hitting in Sunday School. Appropriately enough, the lesson text is Luke 2:1-14. It’s interesting to compare the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke. They have important elements in common, but many differences, especially in tone. Matthew’s account is cloak-and-dagger. He gives us the star, the Magi*, the Massacre of the Innocents, and a clandestine flight to Egypt. Luke’s account inspires O Holy Night, with angelic hymns, shepherds, and the manger.
*A Christmas trivia question: Magi is plural. What is the singular? (The answer is at the end of the article.) Read the rest of this entry »
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Bible | Tagged: Christmas, infancy narratives, Jesus Christ, Luke, Matthew |
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Posted by Rodney Dunning