The Bible... part III

With the exception of Hieronimus (†420) and a few others, before the 20th century the Church vehemently defended the full OT of the Septuagint.

And the concept of scripture of the Church was w i d e open:

Old scripture, new scripture, Hebrew scripture, Greek scripture, Aramaic scripture – all were scripture; as long as they witnessed to the Righteousness of God the Creator in Christ.

Logoi spermatikoi, kernels of truth, of the Gospel, could be found in absolutely any scripture.

Even heathen ones.

As long as they witnessed to the Righteousness of God… & c. – and on that condition.

To understand this today, post Renaissance Integrism and post 20th century "fundamentalism", we need remember that not even the “synoptic” gospels are synoptic.

They tell more or less the same stories in much the same order – with revealing exceptions – but they take different views.

This is why there are 4 gospels of the one Gospel.

The Jewish, and Biblical, narrative method being to juxtapose different versions of the same story presenting different views, different interpretations. And then discuss.

Take the story of Abraham and Sara in Genesis 12 and 20 and Isaac and Rebekka in Genesis 26. The husband gives his wife in marriage to another man (Abimelek in all 3 cases ;=), saying that she is his sister…

Which by the way, is not 6th Commandment adultery; infidelity, as we think of it, because in pre-modern societies the Husband has absolute right over all the members of the Household (compare 5th Commandment).

Or take the story of Sodom. The inhabitants of Sodom are certainly wrong to break the laws of Hospitality, but so has Loot, taking unknown strangers into his house without the permission of the Elders of the City.

To which is added that Loot is a resident alien himself… And that he offers his daughters for sex (which is not rape, as we think of it, see the powers of the Husband referred to above).

This offering incidentally, is Jewish rhetoric: – You can’t do this! – See how stupid you are!

Well they were, taking his “offer” literally…

(most later interpreters too, it seems ;=)

So, whatever it is, it’s never been “literal”. The Bible is Hebrew scriptures, not Indo-European. They are meant to be discussed.

And the youngest son is meant to put the tricky questions, pointing out the flaws...

And there are always several answers possible. Simultaneously.

Hence the Nobel prizes ;=)

Adapted from comments on Augustus Meriwether's blog (länk till höger)