Elijah John wrote:
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
These are verses which Evangelicals and other supporters of the notion of Bible infallibility cite in order to support the claim that the Bible is complete and perfect.
But in this case, "All Scripture" that Paul refers to would be the Hebrew Bible (the "Old" Testament) alone. That is the historical context of those verses
The Gospels had not even been written at that point.
And the canon which included the book of Revelation, supposedly the final book of the Bible, the seal, had not even been compiled yet.
Paul's letters had not yet been deemed "Sacred Scripture".
So for debate,
-How is it reasonable that Evangelicals use those verses from 2 Timothy to defend everything in the Bible as we have it today?
and
-What are some other examples where Evangelicals ignore historical context in order to support their narrow interpretation of the Bible, their doctrine and dogma?
These Evangelicals go to universities to learn not the truth... but what the universities want them to believe... must like our non-Evangelical snowflakes in universities today!
First you must define the term "All Scripture".
Manuscript/Bible time line:
TORAH: Dated to the time of Moses
Samaritan Pentateuch : 300 B.C.
Septuagint (LXX) OT: 250 B.C.
JESUS : Born
Aramaic Peshitta : 100-150 A.D.
Diatesseron: 170-200 A.D. (4 Gospels) / Tatiain
Chester Beaty Papyrus (200 AD)
Codex Vatican NT : 250 A.D.
Codex Sinai NT: 250 A.D.
Codex Bezae (300 AD)
Alexandrian NT: 350 A.D.
Masoretic Text O.T. 900 -1000 A.D.
Latin Vulgate OT / NT 350 A.D.
King James Version 1611 A.D.
MASORETIC TEXT O.T. 900 A.D.
The oldest translations of the ENTIRE Masoret Tanakh tend to come from the Leningrad Codex of 1008 AD. There's another from 925 AD, but nothing before that date has all the books of the Tanakh.
So our oldest Masoret texts are from a rather recent date. There are a few Torahs from further back than that. There are partial scrolls from further back than that. But often the translation we generally get is from a text that is only about 1000 years old.
Let's look at some of the key differences between the LXX and the Masoretic Text in our Bible.... as your Evangelicals teach as infallibility..... and where the LXX seems to be superior.
AGE OF LEVITICAL SERVICE
MT Numbers 4: 3, 23, 30, 35, 39
the ages of the Levites qualified to minister in the temple was between ages 30 to 50
MT Numbers 8: 24
the ages are between 25 and 50
In the Septuagint however, both chapters say between 25 and 50 each time. There is no discrepancy.
How Many Horsemen?
MT 2 Sam 8:4 (1,700 horsemen)
4 And David took from him
a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty
thousand foot soldiers; and David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but left enough
for a hundred chariots.
MT 1 Chr 18:4 (7,000 horsemen)
4 And David took from him a thousand chariots,
seven thousand horsemen, and
twenty thousand foot soldiers; and David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but left
enough for a hundred chariots
LXX: agrees with both. It reads: 7,000 in both passages
2 Sam 8:4 - 4 And David took a thousand of his chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David houghed all his chariot horses, and he reserved to himself a hundred chariots.
1 Chr 18:4 4 And David took of them a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand infantry: and David houghed all the chariot horses, but there were reserved of them a hundred chariots.
How many years of famine?
2 Sam 24:13 (7 years)
13 So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall
seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days' pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.
1 Chr 21:12 (3 years)
12 either
three years of famine; or three months of devastation by your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you; or else three days of the sword of the LORD, pestilence upon the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.' Now decide what answer I shall Return to him who sent me."
The LXX reads: 3 years famine in both
(3 years) 2 Sam 24:13- And Gad went in to David, and told him, and said to him,
Choose one of these things to befall thee, whether there shall come upon thee for
three years famine in thy land; or that thou shouldest flee three months before thine
enemies, and they should pursue thee; or that there should be for three days
mortality in thy land. Now then decide, and see what answer I shall return to him
that sent me.
(3 years) 1 Chr 21:12 either three years of famine, or that thou shouldest flee
three months from the face of thine enemies, and the sword of thine enemies shall be employed to destroy thee, or that the sword of the Lord and pestilence should be
three days in the land, and the angel of the Lord shall be destroying in all the
inheritance of Israel. And now consider what I shall answer to him that sent the
message.
You speak of Bible infallibility... when true bible scholars have been seeking to remove manuscript infallibility for 400 plus years! The true search is for the earliest pure form of scripture in a non-corrupt manuscript. It has yet to be found!
In the past most Scholars saw the LXX as inferior to the Hebrew Bible called the Masoretic Text (MT). With the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, this all changed. Far more ancient Hebrew scrolls were found that follow the LXX, not the Masoretic Text.
Hope this helps
Paul
