#1 How many interpretations of the Bible have been made?
I believe what you are really asking is “how many translations of the Bible” have been made. An interpretation is defining what a verse means. A translation is taking the verses from one language to another.
The answer to your question is that it has happened several times. Around 250 B.C. scholars translated the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek which was the common language of the Mediterranean world. It was called the Septuagint. In the early 5th century Jerome translated the Greek/Aramaic Scriptures into Latin called the Vulgate. In 1611 we see the King James translation. 1901 the American Standard. The Revised Standard in 1954. The New American Standard in 1963. And the NIV in 1972@. This is not an exhaustive list but it covers many you may be familiar with. I can assure you there have not been five million.
What you must understand is that people who make the criticism you heard Sunday are implying that the Bible has been taken from one language to another so often that it has lost its original meaning. Nothing could be further from the truth. All the translations I have mentioned and most I have not were taken from the original Hebrew and Aramaic of the Old Testament and the Greek and Aramaic language of the New Testament and put in the language of the translator. The most common being English. A good rule of thumb when seeking a translation is to use a committee translation instead of a single person translation. The committee produces a better translation because the team must reach agreement before choosing the best word. This usually makes for a better translation. From my perspective, after studying Greek and spending a fair amount of time comparing translations the New American Standard is probably the best word for word translation you can find. However, the other committee translations I mentioned above are all very solid and reliable.
Ray Fuller
#2 What is the correlation between post modernism, secular progressives, and the “Church of Today” in America that teaches that Israel is not God’s chosen people, but we (America) are His new chosen people.
To best correlate some definitions are probably in order. Post modernism is the logical progression of modernism which had its roots in the Garden of Eden but sprang to life culturally in the Renaissance. Modernism simply put is man attempting to define truth by himself without any revelation from God. Unfortunately as man tried for centuries to reach a consensus on man defined truth he found out that without a final authority there was no basis for deciding whose opinion was right. But rather than return to the truth of God defined in Scripture man simply decided that since he could not define it to everyone’s satisfaction there must not be an absolute truth and man could simply define his own. In other words truth became relative. Your truth, my truth, their truth. That is the essence of post modernism. Everyone’s opinion should just be given equal weight.
Secular progressives, (secular – not religious, not connected to a church) (progressive – favoring reform. Think change for change sake). This is a group of people who shun the things of God and believe that we are on an evolutionary quest. If things aren’t changing they are not satisfied. In point of fact post modernism is responsible for much of this philosophy.
Those who believe that the church in America has replaced Israel are a different mater. This is a variation on replacement theology which had its roots in the Catholic Church. This heresy teaches that God is through with the Jews and that the Church is the new chosen people. People who hold this view tend to be anti-Semitic and ignore the teaching in Daniel concerning the 70 weeks. They ignore the teaching in Romans concerning the Jews being grafted back into the olive tree (Romans 11.) They ignore the teaching in the Old Testament concerning the Promised Land being Israel’s forever. In short this teaching is nothing more than a rehash of an old error. God is not finished with Israel and the Church has not replaced her. We are simply blessed to be a part of God’s plan of redemption called the Church. When the Church is raptured God will finish His plan for the Jews. It is called the seventieth week of Daniel or the tribulation followed by the millennial reign of Christ on earth.
In essence then post-modernism and secular progressivism do have a link in that they both see man as the definer of truth. The “Church of today” is simply a take off of replacement theology and as such has little correlation.
Ray Fuller
#3 When we talk about “the word” does this refer to Jesus Christ or the Holy Scriptures and how do we know we read “the word” in the Bible if they are referring to Christ or the Bible?
The key to knowing the difference is capitalization of “Word”. When it is capitalized, it refers to Jesus Christ. This is found in John 1. In Hebrews 4:12 (from Sunday’s message) it is lower case and is speaking of the Bible.
Pastor John Fenlason
#4 Can the Bible be translated wrong? What is the most correct translation of the Bible in print today?
The Bible can be translated incorrectly. One of the arguments of those who oppose the Bible (mentioned in the video viewed on Sunday) is that there are so many translations and they are adjusted to the views of the translator. There are several arguments in response to that line of thinking. First, there are thousands of manuscripts that have been discovered and they have very few discrepancies (usually spelling errors in copy). Second, any credible translation of Scripture has gone through a very thorough translation process. Third, the major translations are in complete harmony in all major areas of doctrine. We can be confident that we have the word of God. (The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell has some good information on the origin, uniqueness, and accuracy of the Bible.)
There is debate on what would be considered the “most correct” translation of the Bible. Some would argue that the New American Standard Version is the closest in word for word translation. However, there are many good translations that we can trust.
Pastor John Fenlason
#5 Can I hear Sunday’s message on the computer if we miss a Sunday so we can stay on track?
By Wednesday (usually Tuesday) Sunday’s message is available for download on the Hannaford website. If you are unable to hear via the web, CD’s of the message are available through the church office (449-2273).
Pastor John Fenlason
#6 Jesus said to the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” But then in John, Christ tells Mary, “I have not yet ascended to My Father.” This seems contradictory to me. Can you please explain?
These are difficult passages. There are very wise people who have differing ideas concerning each of these passages. Paradise was a place of waiting (sometimes called Abraham’s Bosom) for the righteous until Christ fulfilled the sacrifice for our sins. Today, Christians who die will go to Heaven. The thief on the cross would be in Paradise when he died. He was promised that he would spend eternity with Christ. The bodily resurrection for saints will actually occur at the rapture. Jesus would be with the thief in spirit in Paradise. When Jesus was speaking to Mary (Jn. 20:17) He had not yet ascended bodily into heaven. His ascension is recorded in Acts 1. One explanation of Jesus’ response to Mary was that she could not cling to Him and keep Him here on earth. They would have eternal fellowship in Heaven, but His time on earth would be short as He prepared for His ascension. I believe that there are questions here that can’t be answered fully until we see Jesus, but we can take hope in the fact that we have the opportunity to spend eternity with Him.
What small groups are available that provide childcare?
There are a couple of groups that provide childcare. A list of all the Hannaford @ Home small groups is available at the church website.
Who will be speaking during this series? Pastor Crosby (twice), Pastor John, and Ray Fuller will be speaking during February when we are looking at the Bible.
Pastor John Fenlason
#7 What do we say to someone who uses the degeneration through translation argument?
Usually when someone uses the “degeneration by translation” argument they imply that the Bible passes through a series of translations. In fact, all reputable translations are a one-step process going from the Greek or Hebrew (in a few instances Aramaic) to the language in which it is being translated. The translations also have a very precise method in order to be accurate. We also see that new discoveries (such as the Dead Sea Scrolls) actually prove the consistency of Scripture and the accuracy of translations. Those who have attempted to discredit Scripture have failed in their attempts and the Bible continues to stand strong in its accuracy and life-changing power.
Pastor John Fenlason
#8 What are you looking forward to the most in this series?
Since the Bible is the source for all we believe and stand for, it is vital that we can be confident in its origin, completeness, and accuracy. This series should give us confidence in God’s Word and encourage each of us to allow it to provide life change. We are also excited about the other pillars of the faith that we will examine.
We are also excited about the paradigm shift being implemented. We believe that the intentionality of the process will help each of us in our spiritual growth. This will affect not only the series entitled “Pillars of the Faith”, but also other series to come.
Pastor John Fenlason
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