Books of the bible from the same authors which show differences in style and grammar?

Actually there is truth to the statement.
The Apostle John wrote the gospel that bears his name and Revelation. The Gospel is far more polished Greek than Revelation. People generally fall into to two different camps with some overlap. John wrote Revelation first so his Greek was not as well rounded at the time or he was in such a hurry to record what he saw that he did not take the time to polish it up. Whereas, the gospel shows definite signs of artistic intension in the grammatical structure

 

God uses each person according to their gifts and skills. Paul who was well versed in Greek and Rhetoric reads like a legal argument before a court. It doesn't suck as you say but is quite miraculous that God can still communicate His word as he wants despite human limitations while still having them operate at their skill level.

 

This is really not such a big problem.
An excellent document to study regarding biblical inerrancy is:
THE CHICAGO STATEMENT ON BIBLICAL INERRANCY [LINK]

Here are some pertinent sections:

Article III.

We affirm that the written Word in its entirety is revelation given by God.

We deny that the Bible is merely a witness to revelation, or only becomes revelation in encounter, or depends on the responses of men for its validity.

Article VII.

We affirm that inspiration was the work in which God by His Spirit, through human writers, gave us His Word. The origin of Scripture is divine. The mode of divine inspiration remains largely a mystery to us.

Article VIII.

We affirm that God in His work of inspiration utilized the distinctive personalities and literary styles of the writers whom He had chosen and prepared.
We deny that God, in causing these writers to use the very words that He chose, overrode their personalities.

Rob

 

Yes

"The mode of divine inspiration remains largely a mystery to us."

Rob

 

I've never heard this before.
It's not something I'd notice though.
I'm not terribly proficient in Greek, (more precisely I'm just terrible in Greek).

Where ever did you hear this?

Then you ask: "How do we know who wrote Timothy?"
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus, (2 Timothy 1:1 NAS)

Rob

 

God doesn't keep us from any number of stupid sins. If someone wants to disbelieve the testimony of scripture, God doesn't prevent them from doing so.

 

xdisciplex, try having a little faith instead of fretting over who wrote what in the Bible.

 

Some people believe in the "repeat after me" principle of learning instead of studying it for themselves. So often the ignorant are leading the just as ignorant.

 

Any writer that writes much & writes over a period of time will write in different styles.

Even in the same paper, or speech, there is often quite a difference in style, grammer, content, vocabulary, and purpose.

 

A couple of observations.

1st El Guero has it about right, writing styles change. Don't believe it, take a look a something you wrote in 6th grade and something else you wrote in high school.

As for the Pauline letters, some of them were scribbled by Paul personally, others were dictated. Perhaps the scribe for the latter was not as polished as Paul personally was.

As for the book of John and the Revelation of John. I am not convinced Revelation is by the same John as the Gospel of John, but if it was, then more exposure to Greek learning and culture over a number of years or the frailties of old age would change the way one writes.

 

Agreed. They are one and the same.

A lot of "guesswork" no matter how much fun it is to do - does not equal "one fact" that is reliable.

 

I find discussions about authorship and such to be interesting; however, I am careful to begin from a standpoint of trust in God and in His Word as an infallible guide for doctrine and spiritual truth.

Bruce Metzger had a fascinating comment in his commentary on Revelation concerning the dispute over authorship of that book.

"It doesn't matter."