Which Bible 6
Wednesday, September 04, 2013
Answering Questions
Dear brothers and sisters in
Christ. We ended our last session with
these claims”
“The very least requirement is a new set of rules. We need to rethink the whole field of text
criticism … [here are] some suggestions about where the rules should be
headed. A few of the subjects we should
explore include:
·
What is an accurate
definition of Autographa and where are they located?
·
How were Autographa
historically accessed and how do we access them today?
·
Are the Autographa a single
collection of unchanging documents, or can they be changed? Are there possibly multiple Autographa?
·
What is Inspiration?
·
What is Inscripturation and
how does it relate to Transcription?
·
What is Canonization and
who has authority to Canonize? Is
Canonization fundamentally: an act of God, an act of the Jews, an act of the
Church, or an act of man?
·
How shall evidence be
handled?
·
How do we focus on real
translatable differences, and not on meaningless trivia, or on mere document
counting?
·
What Bible(s) can we
recommend to the Church?”
I would like to devote today’s
discussion to our basis of Authority and from it, issues concerning Autographa
raised by the above questions.
Authority. What is the Basis of our
Authority?
The basis of our authority is certainly not Scripture. No.
No. A thousand times, No. Absolutely not. The only basis of our authority is God
Himself. God Himself is the Fountain of
Truth. He is the sole source of all Light,
Life, and Love. Everything we are and
have stems from His relationship with us.
If we attempt to make the Bible the center of authority, we
have committed the sin of Bibliolatry or Bible worship. If we attempt to make the Church the center
of authority, we have committed another sin of idolatry, though I’m not sure
what we would call it. Many people want
to define God; that is, to make God in their own image. This is the sin of self-worship, in which
each individual makes him or herself into god.
There is only one center of authority, One King of kings,
One Lord of lords, One True God. God is
the only center of authority. His name
is יהוה.[1] He is God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost; the Holy Trinity, One in Essence and Undivided.
Autographs. What are Autographs?
Autographs or Autographa are the original first writings of
Scripture. Moses gives a detailed
description of how the first Autographa came into being and how they were
preserved and used.
“Moses took a tent,[2] and pitched it outside of
the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the Congregation.
Everyone who sought the Lord went out to
the Tabernacle of the Congregation, which was outside of the camp. When Moses went out to the tent, all the
people rose up, and every man stood at his tent door, and looked after Moses,
until he had gone into the tent. And it
came to pass, as Moses entered the tent, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood
at the door of the tent, and the Lord talked with Moses. All the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at
the tent door. All the people rose up
and worshipped, every man at his tent door.
And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.
And he [Moses] returned again to the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of
Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tent.[3]
When Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law
in a book, when they were finished, Moses commanded the Levites, who bare the
ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, “Take this book of the law, and put it
beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a
witness against you.”[4]
The Decalogue[5] is a distinct artifact
preserved within the ark, underneath the mercy seat. The Decalogue itself was engraved in stone by
the finger of God Himself.[6] Moses is not now speaking of the Decalogue;
rather he speaks of the Torah, the five books he wrote, which contain a full
report of the Decalogue, its preservation in the ark, and a quote of its
wording. Now we are looking at the
writing, and laying up of the Torah in the Most Holy Place, beside the ark.
First logically, in these acts, God reveals Himself to man:
in other words, this is God’s act of Revelation. Second, Moses hears and interacts with this
revelation in what must be considered a conversation with God: God’s act of
Inspiration. Third, Moses records the
minutes of the conversation with God’s permission, supervision, and approval:
man’s act of Inscripturation of the Autographa.
Fourth, the Levites layup the Autographa in the Most Holy Place, beside
the ark, with God’s permission, supervision, and approval: man’s act of
Canonization[7] of
the Autographa.
None of the participation of man occurs without the direct
supervision of God and in the Presence of God’s Glory. These acts of Revelation, Inspiration,
Inscripturation, and Canonization were all carried out in open public, in the
presence of millions of eye witnesses.
There is every reason to believe that the same sort of
process applies to many of the books of Hebrew Prophecy:[8] namely, Joshua, Judges,
Samuel, and Kings; possibly even Isaiah, and Jeremiah.
Other books were written as a result of private Inspiration:
for example, most of the Minor Prophets[9] and the Hebrew Writings.[10] Since these followed a different process of
Inscripturation, they had to be examined and Canonized separately, as the
Congregation realized their public value and God approved their
Canonization. Before their publicly
witnessed Divine recognition such private Inspirations were known as Bath Kol,
daughter of voice, daughter of revelation, secondary revelations.[11] The Inspiration of the Holy Ghost was not
limited to anointed prophets, but neither was He generally received by the
congregation.[12] Exegetical interpretations of Canonized
Scripture were also known as Bath Kol.
Books like Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Lamentations,
Ezekiel, Daniel, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were never Canonized under
Divine approval for reasons we are about to examine. All of these were written after the Fall of
Jerusalem in 586 BC.
Ezekiel explains how this process ended.
“Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and
stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud,
and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord's glory.”[13]
“Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of
the house, and stood over the cherubim.
And the cherubim lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in
my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one
stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord’s house; and the glory of the
God of Israel was above them.”[14]
“Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, and the wheels
beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. And the glory of the Lord went up from the
midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the
city.”[15]
God removed His last protection from Israel, the Northern
Kingdom in 722 BC. Now, around 586 BC,
God abandons the Temple at Jerusalem, along with Judah, the Southern
Kingdom. The city that was protected by
Divine intervention is now powerless.
Left with only pitifully inferior human armies, the Southern Kingdom
falls. The Babylonians, led by
Nebuchadnezzar, quickly defeat Judah and sack Jerusalem. Solomon’s Temple, the ark, mercy seat, Urim,
Thummim,[16] Decalogue, and Autographa
are all destroyed: never to be recovered again.
The time span from Moses (1446 BC[17]) to Ezekiel (586 BC[18]) is roughly 860
years. The Jews knew how to oil
documents and seal them in pottery jars.
There is no good reason to doubt that the Autographa of Moses were still
intact in 586 BC. Their destruction is a
monumental loss to the world.
After the return to Jerusalem seventy years later, the
Second Temple was built, but the ark, mercy seat, Urim, Thummim, Decalogue, and
Autographa were never recovered.
Instead, in a purely human act, the Scripture was reconstructed from
copies.
The Presence of God’s Glory would not return until around 4
BC. Yes, in the interim He did continue
the conversation with individuals like Ezra, Nehemiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Haggai,
Zechariah, and Malachi; as well as the authors of Chronicles, Esther, and
Lamentations. None of these could have
been Canonized by God until the event of the return of the Presence of God’s
Glory, Jesus of Nazareth and the giving of the Holy Ghost on the day of
Pentecost in 33 AD. Without the
authentication of Jesus the Christ of God and the Holy Ghost we would have no
confidence in any Canonization of Scripture whatsoever. Without the work of Jesus the Christ of God
and the Holy Ghost everything we have would be nothing more than a futile,
useless work of corrupt human flash.
As it is, because of Jesus the Christ of God and the Holy
Ghost, we have excellent documents, supported by the Father’s approval. If we give a little thought we even know
where the Autographa are. What is
required for an authentic Autographa?
Divine official recognition by the primary author in the presence of
many witnesses. The Autographa are
located exactly where God always intended them to be, at His side, next to the
mercy seat, in the Most Holy Place.
Consider the location of Jesus throne and know that the Autographa are
there.
“For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with
hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear
in the presence of God for us.”[19]
“I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book
written front and back, sealed with seven seals. I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud
voice, “Who is worthy to open the book, and to break its seals?”
“No man in heaven, in earth, or under the earth, was able to
open the book, or to look at it. I wept
much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, or to look at
it. One of the elders said to me, “Weep
not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed
to open the book, and to break its seven seals.”
“I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the
four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain,
having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent
forth into all the earth. He came and
took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne.
“When He had taken the book, the four beasts and twenty-four
elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden
vials full of incense, which are the prayers of saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “You are
worthy to take the book, and to open its seals: for You were slain, and have
redeemed us to God by Your blood from every kindred, tongue, people, and
nation; and have made us kings and priests to our God: and we shall reign on
the earth.”
“I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about
the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten
thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud
voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, riches, wisdom,
strength, honor, glory, and blessing.”
Every creature that is in heaven, on the earth, under the
earth, such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying, “Blessing,
honor, glory, and power, be to Him Who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb for
ever and ever.” The four beasts said, “Amen.” The twenty-four elders fell down and
worshipped Him, Who lives for ever and ever.”[20]
“The Temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen
in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices,
and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”[21]
Can there remain any doubt about where the Autographa are
located, or about Who authenticates and canonizes them?
The Three Autographa Questions
·
What is an accurate
definition of Autographa and where are they located?
An Autograph is a Divine
self-Revelation, Inspired in the form of a conversation between God and man,
which the human partner in the conversation makes an official record of it in
an act of Inscripturation, and which record is finally laid-up beside the Ark
of the Covenant in an act of Canonization.
All of which takes place in the presence of, with the approval of, and
by the authority of God Himself, frequently in the presence of many witnesses.
Historically, the Autographa
were kept beside the Ark of the Covenant, within the Oracle,[22] in the presence of God’s
Glory; first in the Tabernacle and later in Solomon’s Temple.
Today, the only known Autographa
are kept beside the Ark of the Covenant, within the Oracle, in the presence of
God’s Glory in heaven.
·
How were Autographa
historically accessed and how do we access them today?
In the days of the Judean
Kingdom, priests and Levites accessed the Autographa by going in and out of the
Oracle, under God’s watchful eye, as part of their ordinary duties. These duties included the manufacture and
maintenance of accurate copies for the king and other leaders.
Since the days of the
destruction of Jerusalem in 586 there has been no means of earthly human access
to the Old Testament Autographa. Shortly
after the writing of the New Testament Autographa, they were lost and are also
without any means of earthly human access.
The only human who has access to the Autographa today is Jesus Christ
the Word of God Himself, as John tells us in Revelation 5.
·
Are the Autographa a single
collection of unchanging documents, or can they be changed? Are there possibly multiple Autographa?
Moses immediately writes a
Second Law, which is known to us by its Greek name Deuteronomy (Second
Law). Deuteronomy contains several
changes. The Autographa never were a
single collection of unchanging documents.
Every wise sea captain
incorporates within his plan various tactics to deal with changes of wind and
weather, or the abilities and attitudes of the crew. He intends to arrive at his next port by the
most expeditious route, which includes tacking into the wind, and navigating a
course around obstacles.
Even so God changes His tactics
in accordance with His plan, but He never changes His goal. Now He leads His Church in one direction, and
then seemingly in another direction. We
do not need to understand this, we are confident that He knows how to bring us
safely to His final portal.
Similarly, we have four Gospels,
which in general convey the same basic message but each is designed differently
for different audiences or for different purposes. Even within the Gospels themselves we
perceive that it was necessary for Christ to restate the Law and correct false
understanding of it which He did, evidently in the Greek language. The endorsement of the LXX by Christ did not
obviate the Hebrew text of Moses, or change its essential message or purpose:
it simply made course corrections and made it available to a wider audience.
Indeed, because so much of the
Hebrew and Greek was veiled in mystery, the Christ event appears to us as a
radical change. For example: the
covenant with David appears to be lost, instead it is enriched; the Law appears
to be rejected, instead it is fulfilled.
In Revelation 5 the Scroll is
sealed with seven seals. This could
indicate several Autographa: we cannot say, we cannot know. Hence, we do not know that the Alexandrian
text-type, the Byzantine text-type, the Western text-type, and some other
text-types are not all distinct and legitimate Autographa.
The point is that we do not know
that there is a unique Autographa, a single collection of unchanging
documents. Deuteronomy and the three
Synoptic Gospels cast doubt on the idea of a single Autographa. So, perhaps we should hold our opinions until
additional evidence is gathered. There
is nothing in Scripture to preclude a multiple or multifaceted Autographa. The Primary Author, God Himself has every
right to publish a second, or even a seventh edition. The evidence seems to indicate that God did
exactly that: at least one of these editions being in Greek. There is very little evidence to suggest that
the Autographa are a single collection of unchanging documents. God either published multiple editions or
unveiled the mysteries of a single edition over time, so that for all intents
and purposes, it has the appearance of multiple editions from the human
perspective.
The idea of a single inerrant
Autographa has sent the Christian Church into centuries of fruitless
tail-chasing. Of course the Autographa
are inerrant, God is their Primary Author.
However, this point is moot because we have no access to them and only
clues about their exact contents. Fundamental
to the problem of the Autographa is the undeniable fact that no man has either
authority or ability to open their seals.
Only Jesus and the Holy Ghost can disclose the contents of the Autographa
to us. Jesus and the Holy Ghost are well
able to pilot us safely between the many dangers of Scylla and Charybdis found
in this mortal life.
Yours in Christ,
Augie-Herb
[1]
Exodus 3:13-15
[2]
This is not the First Tabernacle.
Instructions for building the First Tabernacle had not yet been
given. This was a temporary tent which
Moses used for his conversations with God.
It is located outside of the camp, where Christ is Crucified. The First Tabernacle is erected in the center
of the camp, indicating that these are God’s people and He dwells among them.
[3]
Exodus 33:7-11
[4]
Deuteronomy 31:24-26
[5]
Exodus 20:1-17
[6]
Exodus 24:12; 31:18; 34:1, 4; Deuteronomy 4:13; 5:22; 9:9-11; 10:1-5
[7]
What is known as Canonization today generally describes an inferior act of the
human flesh. There is no evidence of the
Presence of God’s Glory whatsoever in these fleshly acts. Consequently, the Council of Jamnia and the
work of the Masoretes must be seen as works of flesh.
[8]
The Nevi’im
[9]
Sometimes known as the Twelve
[10]
The Ketuvim
[11]
An excellent discussion of Bath Kol and other Scripture related practices among
the Jews may be found in Beckwith, Roger T., The Old Testament Canon of
the New Testament Church (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, Oregon, and SPCK,
London, 1985: 528 pages).
[12] Numbers
11:16-17, 24-29
[13]
Ezekiel 10:4
[14]
Ezekiel 10:18-19
[15]
Ezekiel 11:22-23
[16]
Nehemiah 7:65 – the priest could not consult with Urim and Thummim because they
did not have them. There is no evidence
that they were ever recovered. Jesus
alone restores the ability and authority to talk with the Father and receive
direct answers. The coming of the Holy
Ghost extends this ability and authority to The Church. Such authority has never been removed from
The Church, but the ability to use it appears to have been lost.
[17]
The approximate date for Moses’ confrontation with Pharaoh.
[18]
The approximate date for the first sack of Jerusalem. There were three such sackings over a period
of about seventeen years.
[19]
Hebrews 9:24
[20]
Revelation 5
[21]
Revelation 11:19
[22]
also called the Holy of Holies, or the Most Holy Place.
