Wednesday, September 02, 2009
More on Biblical Revisions
Yesterday's story has nagged at me all day. I recall from my core curriculum at Loyola University of Chicago my first required theology class.
I had to take three theology classes. Looking at the list of choices, I spotted "Old Testament" and leaped at it. I was the only Jew in the class. My professor had a PhD. in scripture and could speak several ancient languages. He had written his thesis about ancient scriptures, and had done his research by reading the actual scrolls in their original languages. The man was truly fascinating.
It was in his class that I was informed that the Old Testament was written over a thousand year period, from roughly 1500 B.C. to 500 B.C., and had most likely been written in three different locations and compiled. He was able to determine this by the use of words for the Deity. At different points, he informed me, the Deity was referred to as The Lord, at others God and at still others as Lord God. He also told me (and I have no reason to doubt him) that the Old Testament was handed down through memorization from father to son for hundreds of years before it was written down, the advent of written language being long after the origination of most of the text. In the beginning, much of the Old Testament was composed in the days of hieroglyphics.
He also informed our class that the early versions of the New Testament were translated by people who did not necessarily have full command of the language that they were translating the text into.
I bring this up because the Bible has been translated several times. The Old Testament was passed down by word of mouth for hundreds of years, the New Testament translated and re-translated several times. Now we see that Evangelicals have been tinkering with the text for whatever reason, more than once. This time they say it's to make the text more gender-neutral.
Since the Word of God has been thoroughly messed with by imperfect humans several times, I am left with the feeling that nobody in today's world has the first clue as to what the original text is. I have also been told too many times to calculate that humans are not capable of understanding the true Word of God or God's plan.
In this light, I must state in print what I have stated in person to whomever would listen. Anyone who states that they know or understand the Word of God is either a charlatan or needs to seek professional mental help. This is why I am basically an agnostic. No priest, reverend, rabbi or mullah has any business of telling anyone what is on God's mind. And yet they do. Someone without a divinity degree from a respected institution that does the same is usually put in an insane asylum for the good of society.
And so I must go back to the fact that the elders of the Evangelical movement feel they are capable of writing revisions in the Bible, and that they have done this more than once. I should add that the elders are far from united in this effort, and that there is a group that are against doing any tinkering. Why not? The New Testament has been tinkered with for at least 1700 years and the Old Testament that has been in existence since it has been written down is very likely inaccurate.
Finally, the first part of the headline of the news story stated "Best Selling." The Bible is the best selling book in human history. Someone with a jaded eye may surmise that this is the bottom line. A best seller that has had revisions will likely be just as big a seller as the original version, the true believers would be wanting to make comparisons and evaluate the differences.
With that in mind, I must ask the Evangelicals involved in this effort- how many of God's trees are you going to kill for this?
I had to take three theology classes. Looking at the list of choices, I spotted "Old Testament" and leaped at it. I was the only Jew in the class. My professor had a PhD. in scripture and could speak several ancient languages. He had written his thesis about ancient scriptures, and had done his research by reading the actual scrolls in their original languages. The man was truly fascinating.
It was in his class that I was informed that the Old Testament was written over a thousand year period, from roughly 1500 B.C. to 500 B.C., and had most likely been written in three different locations and compiled. He was able to determine this by the use of words for the Deity. At different points, he informed me, the Deity was referred to as The Lord, at others God and at still others as Lord God. He also told me (and I have no reason to doubt him) that the Old Testament was handed down through memorization from father to son for hundreds of years before it was written down, the advent of written language being long after the origination of most of the text. In the beginning, much of the Old Testament was composed in the days of hieroglyphics.
He also informed our class that the early versions of the New Testament were translated by people who did not necessarily have full command of the language that they were translating the text into.
I bring this up because the Bible has been translated several times. The Old Testament was passed down by word of mouth for hundreds of years, the New Testament translated and re-translated several times. Now we see that Evangelicals have been tinkering with the text for whatever reason, more than once. This time they say it's to make the text more gender-neutral.
Since the Word of God has been thoroughly messed with by imperfect humans several times, I am left with the feeling that nobody in today's world has the first clue as to what the original text is. I have also been told too many times to calculate that humans are not capable of understanding the true Word of God or God's plan.
In this light, I must state in print what I have stated in person to whomever would listen. Anyone who states that they know or understand the Word of God is either a charlatan or needs to seek professional mental help. This is why I am basically an agnostic. No priest, reverend, rabbi or mullah has any business of telling anyone what is on God's mind. And yet they do. Someone without a divinity degree from a respected institution that does the same is usually put in an insane asylum for the good of society.
And so I must go back to the fact that the elders of the Evangelical movement feel they are capable of writing revisions in the Bible, and that they have done this more than once. I should add that the elders are far from united in this effort, and that there is a group that are against doing any tinkering. Why not? The New Testament has been tinkered with for at least 1700 years and the Old Testament that has been in existence since it has been written down is very likely inaccurate.
Finally, the first part of the headline of the news story stated "Best Selling." The Bible is the best selling book in human history. Someone with a jaded eye may surmise that this is the bottom line. A best seller that has had revisions will likely be just as big a seller as the original version, the true believers would be wanting to make comparisons and evaluate the differences.
With that in mind, I must ask the Evangelicals involved in this effort- how many of God's trees are you going to kill for this?
