The Word in Focus with Dr Larry Taylor

SOME STUFF WITH WHICH TO WRESTLE 

Lawrence R. Taylor, M.Div., Ph.D.

Most Christians would say that our belief system is founded on the Bible. Jesus treated the Hebrew scriptures (the Old Testament) as God-breathed and implied that what we now call the New Testament would likewise be God-breathed.¹ Every Christian tradition has a high view of scripture.² But how do we properly interpret scripture?

Lutheran and Reformed (Presbyterian, Dutch Reformed, United Church of Christ, etc.) churches hold to sola scriptura (Latin for “by scripture alone”), the belief that the sixty-six books of the Protestant canon are the sole infallible source of authority for faith and practice.³ (But not necessarily infallible historically or scientifically.)⁴ As we read scripture, are we not using our God-given brains to reason, and are we not influenced by our own backgrounds, cultures, and biases?⁵

John Wesley believed that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed primarily in Scripture (prima scriptura), illumined by tradition, vivified in personal experience, and confirmed by reason. (This is called The Wesleyan Quadrilateral.)⁶ This view is generally held by various Methodist, Anglican, and Pentecostal churches.⁷ Does this view supplant the authority of scripture?

Anabaptist (Mennonite, Church of the Brethren, Bruderhof, Amish) faith communities maintain a sola scriptura position with a strong emphasis that scripture must be interpreted in the community of faith, not by individuals on their own.⁸ How do we define the community of faith? Does it mean the local group, a denomination, or what?

Baptist churches hold to four (very fragile) freedoms: Soul Freedom, which affirms individual responsibility in one’s relationship with God; Bible Freedom, emphasizing the centrality of the Bible in faith with the understanding that believers have the ability to interpret the Bible for themselves; Church Freedom, allowing local churches autonomy in governance; and Religious Freedom, ensuring freedom of and from religion (separation of church and state).⁹ Does this lead to extreme individualism in which each person is their own authority?

Catholic and Orthodox traditions maintain that authority lies in a combination of Scripture, the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, Church Councils, and accepted Dogma.¹⁰ Does this lead to superseding the teachings of Christ with post-Constantinian and neoplatonic philosophy?¹¹

Jude (Judas in Greek, Judah in Hebrew), brother of Jesus and James, quotes noncanonical literature in his epistle.¹² How might Jude’s use of extrabiblical sources have shaped Wesley’s view that Scripture, while primary, must be informed by orthodox tradition, Christian experience, and godly reason to be properly understood? Does it undermine sola scriptura?

In all Christian traditions, the New Testament is the same, but the Old Testament varies. Protestants accept the same OT books that are in the Jewish Bible. Roman Catholics and Orthodox traditions include intertestamental literature that was widely read and accepted from the first century on.¹³

Jude goes beyond that to quote from The Assumption of Moses, which is a 1st-century Jewish pseudepigraphal work that is not considered canonical in any Christian tradition.¹⁴ What does Jude’s use of extrabiblical sources tell us about the biblical canon?

In my case, I encountered Jesus before I had any opinions about the Bible. I accept the Bible because Jesus accepted the Bible rather than vice-versa. Mine was a radical numinous revelation.¹⁵ Now I am aware of strong external evidence to accept the gospel narratives as accurately reflecting the teachings, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus,¹⁶ so my religiophilosophical belief system is based on what Jesus said and did. I filter all the rest of scripture through the teachings of Christ. The Hebrew scriptures point to Jesus; the epistles and the Revelation explain Jesus. For me, it’s all about Jesus.

Because we all come to scripture with biases and cultural assumptions, I see the importance of interpreting scripture in community. By community I mean the broad scope of serious biblical scholarship across denominational lines, not simply a local assembly or one particular denomination.¹⁷

Because the Hebrew scriptures were canonized prior to the creation of the New Testament, I give precedence to the books of the Tanakh.¹⁸ Because intertestamental literature was valued by early Jewish and Christian communities and quoted by authors of the New Testament, I view those books as important but less than authoritative.¹⁹ And, because I see strong evidence that the New Testament books that the church later canonized are genuine and written by devout followers of Jesus who were close to the source,²⁰ I accept them as God-breathed scripture as well.

God-breathed, however, does not mean woodenly literal. The Bible is filled with metaphor, sacred myth, parables, poetry, and other literary devices in addition to history and theology.²¹ There’s nothing wrong with the Bible, but there is often something wrong with how we read the Bible.²² In my opinion, it must be read in historical, linguistic, cultural, and theological context. Then, and this is vital, it must be applied in our lives today. What do you think?

FOOTNOTES

1. 2 Timothy 3:16; cf. Matthew 5:17–18; John 14:26.
2. Jaroslav Pelikan, The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, vol. 1 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1971).
3. Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will, trans. J. I. Packer and O. R. Johnston (Grand Rapids: Revell, 1957).
4. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, trans. Ford Lewis Battles (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960), 1.7.
5. Anthony C. Thiselton, Hermeneutics: An Introduction (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009).
6. Albert C. Outler, “The Wesleyan Quadrilateral,” Wesleyan Theological Journal 20 (1985): 7–18.
7. Henry H. Knight III, The Presence of God in the Christian Life (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1992).
8. John Howard Yoder, The Politics of Jesus (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972).
9. E. Y. Mullins, The Axioms of Religion (Philadelphia: Judson Press, 1908).
10. Catechism of the Catholic Church (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1992); Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Church (London: Penguin, 1993).
11. Peter J. Leithart, Defending Constantine (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2010).
12. Jude 9, 14–15; cf. 1 Enoch 1:9.
13. Lee Martin McDonald, The Biblical Canon: Its Origin, Transmission, and Authority (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2007).
14. R. H. Charles, ed., The Assumption of Moses (London: A. & C. Black, 1897).
15. Rudolf Otto, The Idea of the Holy, trans. John W. Harvey (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1923).
16. N. T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003).
17. Nicholas Wolterstorff, Divine Discourse (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995).
18. Sid Z. Leiman, The Canonization of Hebrew Scripture (Hamden, CT: Archon Books, 1976).
19. James H. Charlesworth, ed., The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, 2 vols. (New York: Doubleday, 1983–1985).
20. F. F. Bruce, The Canon of Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1988).
21. C. S. Lewis, The Literary Impact of the Authorized Version (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1963).
22. Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Is There a Meaning in This Text? (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998).

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Bruce, F. F. The Canon of Scripture. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1988.
Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion. Translated by Ford Lewis Battles. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960.
Catechism of the Catholic Church. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1992.
Charles, R. H., ed. The Assumption of Moses. London: A. & C. Black, 1897.
Charlesworth, James H., ed. The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. 2 vols. New York: Doubleday, 1983–1985.
Knight, Henry H., III. The Presence of God in the Christian Life. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1992.
Leiman, Sid Z. The Canonization of Hebrew Scripture. Hamden, CT: Archon Books, 1976.
Leithart, Peter J. Defending Constantine. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2010.
Lewis, C. S. The Literary Impact of the Authorized Version. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1963.
Luther, Martin. The Bondage of the Will. Grand Rapids: Revell, 1957.
McDonald, Lee Martin. The Biblical Canon. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2007.
Mullins, E. Y. The Axioms of Religion. Philadelphia: Judson Press, 1908.
Otto, Rudolf. The Idea of the Holy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1923.
Outler, Albert C. “The Wesleyan Quadrilateral.” Wesleyan Theological Journal 20 (1985): 7–18.
Thiselton, Anthony C. Hermeneutics. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009.
Vanhoozer, Kevin J. Is There a Meaning in This Text? Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998.
Ware, Kallistos. The Orthodox Church. London: Penguin, 1993.
Wright, N. T. The Resurrection of the Son of God. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003.
Yoder, John Howard. The Politics of Jesus. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972.
Wolterstorff, Nicholas. Divine Discourse. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995.