Featured A Fact Sheet on the Greek NT

I have taken the position that the Hebrew and Greek originals were without error and provided a contextual self-defining pattern that God providentially preserved from being destroyed by copiest or translators. This method of divine preservation was through divinely appointed custodians (Jewish and church administrations) who cherished it and painstakenly produced multiple copies wherein only minor errors occurred and never insomuch that the immediate and overall contextual pattern is ever destroyed.

This contextual pattern provided by inspired originals is preserved in spite of minor copiest and translator errors as the pattern is conveyed from one language to another and the abundance of hebrew and Greek copies along with studying the immediate and overall contextual pattern provides all that is necessary to fill the holes with the proper available terms.

This can be illustrated by an afgan. When you look at an afgan there is an observable overall and immediate contextual pattern. Wear and tear may cause minor holes to occur throughout the afgan, however, careful consideration of the overall and immediate pattern provides the necessary information to determine what should fill those holes. If previous multiple copies of this afgan were available this task would be more simplified.

This overall and immediate self-defining contextual pattern is conveyed through translations into other languages and along with copies of Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, thorough study of the immediate and overall context will provide the necessary insight as to which alternative wording (found in other copies) should be fill the gaps.

However, even if one has only, for example, the KJV, and has no background in ancient languages, the principle still holds true. There is a preserved overall and immediate self-defining contextual pattern which through careful study in combination with the leadership of the Spirit can determine the proper understanding of any given passage to the extent that no essential doctrine or truth is lost but what you have is indeed the word of God.

Hence, simply be diligent in studying the overall and immediate context of whatever copy or translation one may have in their possession is all that is necessary as there is a preserved self-defining pattern preserved.

 

Jesus said that scripture cannot be "broken". The Greek term (luo) behind this translation can refer to the bandages wrapped around a corpse in a cohesive manner so that they are interwoven so it does not come apart.

 

Both you and I know the term simply means "to loose" but I said it is used or applied to the cohesive bandages wrapped around a corpse.

 

Baur, Arndt and Gingrich has this:

1. Loose, untie bonds...fetters...or something...similar used to hold something together or to secure it.

2. set free, loose, untie....Of Lazerus bound in grave clothes....unbind him

 

Ok, but the very principles of historical grammatical exegesis demand the very same thing in essence. In John 10:35 it is perfectly legitimate to translate it as "unbind" which would imply it is bound together in some fashion.

 

I don't think the context has any implications about scripture being "destroyed" versus being preserved from destruction. The idea seems to me that Jesus is saying this is part and parcel with the rest of scripture and it cannot be separated or untied from the rest, thus, scripture is bound together and if anything about destruction is implied it is the connectivity of all scripture rather than the cessation of scripture.

 

Honestly, I don't see any contextual basis for "destroyed" at all in other sense except cohesiveness that Psalm 86 has with all other scriptures. However, you are right, a person can believe what they choose to believe as we all have that freedom.

 

On earth, it is our job as believers to preserve it, based on the doctrine of the priesthood of the believers. One way we do that is by textual criticism. - John of Japan

John, do you really believe that it is "our job" to preserve it as though God could not preserve it apart from us? Sure, we ought to preserve it, but is God dependent upon us for its preservation here on earth? Preserving it in heaven does not help anyone on earth does it?

 

One of the usages as BAG says is "used to hold something together". Would not that support the idea of being held together as in a contextual cohesiveness? When Lazerus was "loosed" from his bandages it was not a mere single cut but there were overwrappings designed to hold together? Jesus is saying you cannot cut out this particular text from the rest of scripture as scripture is bound together in a cohesiveness unity. Ok, I am dropping it but I just wanted to express this last idea for consideration.

 

But isn't that the direct necessary implication? Loose him from what? It was not the tomb as he already came forth from the tomb. Does not the text say he was "bound hand and foot with graveclothes:"? From here one can go back into Jewish tradition and discover the manner in which a corpse was "bound hand and foot with graveclothes." They were to undo, unbind, unravel the burial wrappings from around him.

Robertson says they were to loose him from "the various bands" of the wrappings.

Gill who was very aquainted with the ancient burial customs of the Jews says this:

bound hand and foot with grave clothes;
not that his hands were bound together, and much less his hands and feet together, with any bands or lists of cloth; but his whole body, as Nonnus expresses it, was bound with grave clothes from head to foot, according to the manner of the eastern countries, Jews, Egyptians, and others, who used to wrap up their dead in many folds of linen cloth, as infants are wrapped in swaddling bands: and their manner was to let down their arms and hands close by their sides, and wind up altogether from head to foot: so that there was another miracle besides that of raising him from the dead; that in such a situation, in which he could have no natural use of his hands and feet, he should rise up, stand on his feet, walk, and come forth thus bound, out of the cave: