Slang - Pondering the historical context of the scriptures

by sabastious 2 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  sabastious

  All cultures have slang.

  Sometimes it is used to get a point across without having to describe it in detail.

  For instance take this linguistic exchange:

  Jeff: Hey Alex, I wanted to talk to you about the party tonight-

  Alex: Don't even go there, Jeff!

  Jeff: Ok ok! I won't go there. Is it because Sally is going to be there?

  Does this exchange tell us that Jeff is not going to the party? The answer is not enough information is given. When the term "Don't even go there" is used Alex is refering to the conversation about to take place NOT the actual party.

  Fast foward 2000 years.

  If someone took a look at this conversation in written format two thousand years ago they MIGHT think that Jeff DIDN'T go to the party because the slang would have been lost by then and they would take the exchange at linguistic face value.

  My point is that Jehovah's Witnesses take the Bible out of historical context ALL THE TIME.

  They will say in regards to disfellowshipped ones "do not even say a greeting to them." And they point at it and say "See! It's right there plain and simple!"

  What a grave mistake taking the Bible out of historical context can become!

  -Sab
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  Ding

  Sab,

  Brotherdan will love this thread.

  He's always talking about hermeneutics, which includes the very point you are making.
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  NeonMadman

  My point is that Jehovah's Witnesses take the Bible out of historical context ALL THE TIME.

  They will say in regards to disfellowshipped ones "do not even say a greeting to them." And they point at it and say "See! It's right there plain and simple!"

  The catch, there, of course is that there's nothing in that text (2 John 9-11) about "disfellowshipped ones." In context, John is writing about heretical itinerant teachers, most likely of a Docetist persuasion, who denied the bodily incarnation of Christ. The part about not receiving them into your home was very likely a reference to home churches - not that they had to be totally shunned, but that they should not be welcomed as teachers or offered support and encouragement. The Greek chairo, translated "greeting" in the NWT, means more than a simple "hello"; it implies support and encouragement.