Dead Sea Scrolls
Today, I had the pleasure of being able to go down, with a group of people from a house fellowship I attend, to the ROM to witness the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. Rev. Tony Costa was our guide and was great in providing us context to understand what we saw. I am not a huge fan of museums as I tend to need to engage in what I learn but the effect of the texts and the finds was a truly great experience. Looking at the parchment and papyri and realizing the meaning behind the dating of these documents (however inexact) and the message that they communicate about the accuracy of the Bible as we have it today is astounding. To see texts written from the collection of Dead Sea Scrolls covering 100 BC to 100 AD serves as a reminder of the weight of the evidence we have in favour of biblical writings.
I encourage you all to take the time to go down and visit the ROM between now and when the exhibit closes. The exhibit runs from June 27 2009 to January 3 2010.
In order to really get the most out of the exhibit, I would suggest that you read about the various scrolls beforehand to understand the context of it all. Although this is not a requirement as the ROM has done a nice job of organizing the information and communicating key facts and translations. To share a bit of background…
Bible Contradictions
Key verse(s)/quote(s):
- even prophets show interest in correct biblical understanding
“They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.” - Nehemiah 8:8
- Jesus corrects wrong scriptural understanding
“So they asked him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” - John 6:30-33
Key takeaway(s):
- It is important to understand the difference between: Exegesis (Good): Draw meaning out of text, Eisegesis (Bad): Read one’s ideas into the text.
- Context is necessary and without it something can easily become a pretext.
- A proper/complete view of biblical study is key to an accurate understanding of what the text says
- Developing a reflex to research and not to doubt is mandatory for any sound pursuit of Truth.
Overview:
This post serves as a practical extension to the topical discussion on the “Validity of the Bible”. Beyond understanding the tools,…
Validity of the Bible
Key verse(s)/quote(s):
“What we really need, after all, is not to defend the Bible but to understand it.” – Millar Burrows
“If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came — and the Scripture cannot be broken” – John 10:35
Key takeaway(s):
- Understanding the Bible in context and being able to gain and communicate its validity is paramount to the Christian faith.
- One can easily say they “believe” in the Bible or claim the opposite naming it “myth”, each is without veracity as one must understand “what” the Bible says completely and “why” we can have assurance it is actually the Word of God.
- Basis for trust is rooted in:
- Third-Party Verification
- Historical Reliability
- Fulfilled Prophecy
- Archaeological Evidence
- God can produce both a Person and a Book that are without error.
Overview:
This topic is one that sometimes seems bland and often ignored yet ironically in my view it is arguably the most or second most paramount aspect of the Christian dialogue. As Paul states that Christianity itself stands and falls on the resurrection of Christ, it is of utmost importance that prior to generating thoughts and basing our world views on the teaching of a book we must put to rest the discussion on the validity of such a book. More simply put, how can we live by the word of a book if it’s just a book and yet we think and say it is the word of God yet we…
