What "scripture is inspired of God?"

by Mad Sweeney 67 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Mad Sweeney

  This has been discussed before in other threads and probably in threads of its own, but it is probably time to re-hash the topic.

  When Paul told Timothy that "All scripture is inspired of God..." what "scripture" was he talking about? Did he have the ego to include his own personal letters to the congregations? Did he also mean to include the books and letters not written at the time that the Catholic church would choose for its canon a couple hundred years later? If you believe so, what is your evidence for that believing that? If it is a matter of faith, upon what "accurate knowledge" is that faith based?
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  PSacramento

  The writer of the letter to Timothy was referring to the OT as we know it, maybe not ALL Of the OT, but there wasn't a NT at the time, though there were some letters and such, perhaps even an original Gospel circulating around, we don't know that for sure.

  Of course what "inspired by God" meant to Paul or anyone else in the 1st century after Jesus's "death", probably isn't the samething it meant 200 years later or 1000 or 2000 years later.
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  megaflower

  I have come to the conclusion that the bible is just a book. It has its merit but I no longer believe in it being the word of god. I have come to this after much research.
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  leavingwt

  2 Timothy is thought by most scholars (and computer analysis) to be a pseudopigraphy.

  Let that sink in. The very book containing this affirmation of Scripture is a forgery, it wasn't written by Paul.

  Carry on.

  http://www.fact-archive.com/encyclopedia/Pauline_Epistles
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  agonus

  ALL OF IT.

  What does "Scripture" actually MEAN?

  "That which is written".

  Ergo, everything that has ever been inscribed, anywhere, EVER... is inspired of God. One way or another.

  The trick is to reconcile these writings. From the Diamond Sutra to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, it's all "inspired of God", otherwise God wouldn't allow it... right?
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  PSacramento

  Let that sink in. The very book containing this affirmation of Scripture is a forgery, it wasn't written by Paul.

  Forgery is a big word dude, and I don't think you will find any scholar that says it was forged.

  Not written BY Paul, yes.

  Written FOR Paul by dictation by a secondary person, perhaps and most likely.

  That the letter MAY have things in it that Paul didn't dictate? Almost for sure.

  That the letter may have been more than one put together as one, perhaps.

  There are many theories but we don't know for sure other than the style is not Paul's, the textual critique is almost unamimous in that, and that soem of the views are NOT typical of Paul and even seem contridictory.
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  PSacramento

  GOL and ACTS is a fien example.

  Luke was inspired to write by God, that is a given, but he openly admits that what he wrote was based on what he knew from different sources AND his own knowledge.
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  Leolaia

  Notice how the preceding verse reminds "Timothy" that he read the holy scriptures when he was a youth. This would not apply to the books that make up the NT. Also, what OT canon does the author have in mind? Since the Jews had different ideas of canon, why should it be identical to the rabbinical Tanakh? So, for instance, why does the author make reference to Jannes and Jambres, personages not found in the OT, but found in parabiblical literature at Qumran and in Greek (such as the Book of Jannes and Jambres). Why does the author of Jude consider 1 Enoch to be inspired, inasmuch as he quotes it as genuine (inspired) prophecy?
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  agonus

  Oh yes, let's talk about E(u)noch! Nummy nummy nummy...
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  bohm

  ...so either Paul hired a really crappy scribe which didnt really write what he said and then stuck with him through 3 letters which also are somewhat seperate from the other books in their content, even though he knew what he was writing would later be "all inspired scripture" and it must kinda have felt important to get the letters right OR some boozo mixed some writing into the NT like there is plenty other evidence for...

  so both options are possible... but i dont think they are equally likely.

  ps.

  will someone check if that women in the back row is wearing her napkin? all that crazy-talk sound very un-napkinned.