by Doug Mason 29 Replies latest watchtower bible
Hi,
My Study responds to the articles “Inspiration” and “Canon” in the book, Insight on the Scriptures. There can be few topics of more significance, regardless of one’s attitude to the Bible.
http://www.jwstudies.com/God-breathed_Scriptures.pdf
Doug
marking
Keeping for another time. That's a lot of work Doug and it looks interesting, thanks.
Thanks again Doug for your hours of work and research. I will read it all later, it is safely filed in my ever increasing Library of reference works that expose the falsehoods of the W.T.
Thank you Doug. A lot of research has gone into the article, and I'm half-way into it. Well done, and thank you.
Eden
I love the part about Paul making up a word that did not previously exist (Theo*pneustos)= as in 'All scripture is '________' of God and beneficial for . . .
theopneustos: God-breathed, i.e. inspired by God
Original Word: θεόπνευστος, ον
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: theopneustos
Phonetic Spelling: (theh-op'-nyoo-stos)
Short Definition: God-breathed, inspired by God
Definition: God-breathed, inspired by God, due to the inspiration of God.
There was no word in Greek to correspond to Paul's new word.
It is the same flight of fancy sloppy thinkers demonstrated when they talk about "energy" and "auras" and "chakras" and "spirit" as though
they can be anything mystical which the speaker/writer wants them to be to fit a wacky idea.
Fascinating!.. thank you for this Doug. Also part of my library now.
Thanks Doug. I am printing this out and saving it electronically, too (I read real paper better than virtual paper). I appreciate all the work that you put into this kind of thing!
Doug, one question.
The term that Paul used, 'theopneustos', you say its a neologism. You make a good point that Paul never used that word before or after, and in Christian writings isn't used before this time. I was wondering if its the same for the entire greek language. Are there any other instances of this term in other greek works that aren't related with Christianity, BEFORE Paul used t?
Eden
I have been wondering for the longest time what to do about my faith in the Bible. The fundamentalist cast the WTS has given to it was a great source of comfort and certainty during all my years as a Witness and even after I had renounced the cult, that belief still was very important to me. I don't doubt that Doug Mason's study will be a major watershed in my spiritual life.
The saddest part about the WTS brand of fundamentalism is the great harm it has wrought not only in my life but in the lives of countless others. While professing a 'deep love and reverence' for the Creator, its theology has transformed the Bible from a competent guide to a caricature and parody of what is sacred. I can only suppose that more developments await me and I can only hope I can muster the necessary courage to face them. I want to thank Doug for his efforts and I am sure I will benefit from this latest one.
Quendi
