Class 02 Verify Text & Translation Jeremee M.

. Tyler, November 15th, 2013 Cone, 268-274; Zuck, 27-58; Couch, 11-30 Professor Matthew Bryce Ervin, BIBL2302 - Hermeneutics

Reading Component

Books referenced: Christopher Cone, Prolegomena on Biblical Hermeneutics and Method, 2nd Ed, and Mal Couch, an Introduction to Classical Evangelical Hermeneutics, Kregel.

In Mal Couchs book titled: and Introduction to Classical Evangelical Hermeneutics, he speaks of the importance of Gods voice in our lives. On page 11, Dr. Couch speaks of the belief held by most believers that the Bible is the spoken word of God. Now, although most believers hold this to be true, all believers should hold this to be true, because of the fact that the Bible itself tells us that Christ Himself is the Living Word (1 John 1:1-4), and if we follow Christ, we need to also follow the book that His life has been based upon.

On Pages 15, and 16, there is a statement made by Dr. Couch that is very encouraging, and one that should remind us that not everyone is in denial of Gods word, or His majesty. The statement that Dr. Couch made was this, There are people among us today, teaching in our institutions, laboring in our denominations, pastoring in our churches, who have not departed all that far from classic Biblical Doctrine. They still believe that Jesus is God. They still believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ. They still believe that everything in Scripture is necessarily accurate, and without error. They have started over the ledge. This statement is encouraging
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Class 02 Verify Text & Translation Jeremee M. Tyler, November 15th, 2013 Cone, 268-274; Zuck, 27-58; Couch, 11-30 Professor Matthew Bryce Ervin, BIBL2302 - Hermeneutics

and inspirational for me as a young pastor, because sometimes we can tend to focus on the negatives, but it is great to remember that not everyone is watering down the Gospel, and not everyone in the body is backing down from the frontlines.

As Dr. Couch says on page 16, Today the Word of God is under attack more than at any time in the history of the church. This statement is true today, with books such as Love Wins, by Rob Bell of Mars Hill Church, which speaks of God not actually being a God of wrath or there not being any existence of hell, Dr. Couch was right then, and this statement he made holds a great deal of weight within the Bride of Christ now, on this very day. Todays issues are (homosexuality, abortion, no existence of hell) still at the forefront, and we must come together as an army to stand up for truth rather than ducking or hiding. This all must be done in love, however we cannot avoid these issues because if we do not speak up for the Word of God, other men and women will draw their own conclusions and the Bible as it stands today can be watered down by humans who create their own Gospel, which as Paul made clear (Galatians 01:08) is extremely detrimental, and they are a curse to the body of Christ.

In Christopher Cones book titled, Prolegomena on Biblical Hermeneutics and method, Dr. Cone does an absolutely incredible job of breaking down the importance of scripture in our lives, and actually applying them, not only reading and memorizing them. One thought that really seemed to be a constant theme within this book was to remember that Hermeneutics is not
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Class 02 Verify Text & Translation Jeremee M. Tyler, November 15th, 2013 Cone, 268-274; Zuck, 27-58; Couch, 11-30 Professor Matthew Bryce Ervin, BIBL2302 - Hermeneutics

only for Pastors, it is for all believers, and it teaches us a great deal as far as being able to explain what the scriptures mean. The beauty of Hermeneutics is that if there is something you do not understand in the texts of Scripture, you are taught how to properly look up, and research the meaning of the Biblical text in its entirety (staying within the context).

On Page 269, Dr. Cone made a statement that is crucial to keep in mind when studying the scriptures, he said, It should her be noted that study in the original languages is necessary for accuracy of understanding. The exegetical process can only be fully conducted in the original languages, and thus exegetical study in the English Bible is limited in effectiveness. This is not to say that the translations are not speaking truth, however when we study the text as it was originally written, we may draw different conclusions because we took the time to define each words literal meaning. Sometimes when studying, we may assume what a certain word means rather than actually taking the time to define it. When we take an extra step and find out what the root definition is we get a better understanding of what the text means in its entirety.

Another key point can be found on page 273 of Prolegomena. On this page, Dr. Cone tells us, For study in the English Bible, study the passage in several different translations, and identify any key differences or issues in the translations. This was given as an assignment to me on my previous paper, and it is a great element to add to our techniques when studying the Word of God. Certain sentences are structured differently in passages, so it is important that we
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Class 02 Verify Text & Translation Jeremee M. Tyler, November 15th, 2013 Cone, 268-274; Zuck, 27-58; Couch, 11-30 Professor Matthew Bryce Ervin, BIBL2302 - Hermeneutics

understand how to properly explain the meaning of the scripture, and this will also show us how to explain the word in such a way that everyone, no matter what version they have, can understand. Knowing the structure of each version will make it easier for us when we ourselves are asked questions about a verse imparticular and someone asks about it reading from a version that is different from our own, we will be better prepared to answer their questions because we know what type of structure the author used when translating the bible.

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