How can we trust the Bible if it's not inerrant?

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How can we trust the Bible if it's not inerrant?

Post #1

Post by otseng »

From the On the Bible being inerrant thread:
nobspeople wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 9:42 amHow can you trust something that's written about god that contradictory, contains errors and just plain wrong at times? Is there a logical way to do so, or do you just want it to be god's word so much that you overlook these things like happens so often through the history of christianity?
otseng wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 7:08 am The Bible can still be God's word, inspired, authoritative, and trustworthy without the need to believe in inerrancy.
For debate:
How can the Bible be considered authoritative and inspired without the need to believe in the doctrine of inerrancy?

While debating, do not simply state verses to say the Bible is inspired or trustworthy.

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Re: How can we trust the Bible if it's not inerrant?

Post #491

Post by JehovahsWitness »

TRANSPONDER wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 7:44 pm
If the idea is to make the priests buying a field with the money he threw back at them somehow buying it for Judas simply and solely because the money was originally paid to him, it doesn't work ....
Why not?
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Re: How can we trust the Bible if it's not inerrant?

Post #492

Post by JehovahsWitness »

Difflugia wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 11:56 pmThe grammar of Acts 1:18 could only have applied to Judas posthumously if he were one of the walking dead.

COULD JUDAS HAVE OBTAINED THE FIELD POSTHUMOUSLY ?

Yes, scriptures are full of actions attributed to one person when we can reasonably assume they were actually carried out by another on that person's behalf: The priests would not have flogged the Apostles themselves, Herod didn't likely seize Peter himself and it is more than probable that it was Luke (a doctor) and not Paul that circumcised Timothy (Acts 5:40, 12:4, 16:2). There is no reason to conclude it is impossible the priests bought the field in Judas behalf.


BUY OR AQUIRE?

As for the verb used [ktaomai] does not mean "to buy" but rather "to acquired, gain, get, obtain or possess" [1], all of which can be achieved through a third party. It's the same word used by the fictional Pharisee who boasted " 'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get [ktaomai].' Clearly his boast covered all he possessed whether he bought them personally, was given them as gifts or obtained them through somebody else' s legitimate actions. Note STRONGS entry.

Image

PRIESTS BUY JUDAS OBTAINS

The Greeks had a seperate words (agorazo ,oneomai) which covered the physical act of buying. According to VINES agorazo means {quote} "primarily, to frequent the market-place, the agora, hence "to do business there, to buy or sell"[2]. Arguably the writer would have used agorazo or oneomai if he had wanted to communicate that Judas had personally performed the transaction himself rather than it legally came into his possessionby some other means.


CONCLUSION Matthew explicitly states that it was the priests that bought (agorazo) the field, and there is nothing in the tenses (which are entirely irrelevant) or lexicon that negates the possibility of the field coming into Judas possession (Ktaomai) after his death.

[1] https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicon ... aomai.html
[2] https://studybible.info/vines/Buy,%20Bought





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RELATED POSTS

How did Judas die?
viewtopic.php?p=975629#p975629

Who named the field of blood?
viewtopic.php?p=975690#p975690
Last edited by JehovahsWitness on Wed Dec 29, 2021 4:26 am, edited 2 times in total.
INDEX: More bible based ANSWERS
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 81#p826681


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Re: How can we trust the Bible if it's not inerrant?

Post #493

Post by TRANSPONDER »

JehovahsWitness wrote: Sun Dec 26, 2021 12:13 am
TRANSPONDER wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 7:44 pm
If the idea is to make the priests buying a field with the money he threw back at them somehow buying it for Judas simply and solely because the money was originally paid to him, it doesn't work ....
Why not?
Because Judas throwing the money back at the priests and them buying a field for burying is Not buying it for Judas even if he was still alive by then. It is no longer his money, his purchase and his asset. It does not work to pretend that priests buying a field with the money returned to them and for their own purposes is the same as Judas buying a field for himself.

You may say (or write) 'Well I think it is the same'. Very well. I am accustomed to denial. 'The nativities are the same because they both agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem'. The Resurrections don't contradict because they all agree that Jesus rose from the dead and there were angels. The death of Judas doesn't contradict because he died (weave those together), and there was money and a field involved. Browsers (if they are open - minded) have to draw their own conclusions whether pointing out irreconcilable contradictions means anything or whether 'why doesn't it work?' is going to persuade those who should see plainly that it doesn't.

It's the old business of claiming the claim as the evidence. 'Jesus had to be born in Bethlehem. Contradictory stories were written to show that it happened and the Bethlehem birth is claimed as the evidence for it and the contradictions can be ignored or denied. Same here though, sure, trying to say one thing is actually another is more effort on your part than just denial.

I have noticed however that there is this common element of a field. That can't be coincidence. Matthew surely hears the claim that 'the disciples stole the body'. Could he have hears that Judas' death was associated with a 'field'? And couldn't Luke have heard that, too? He has researched. He knows Paul's letter and he knows Josephus. He knows apparently of Pilate killing Galileans in the Temple - which is unknown to history. Maybe Judas and this field is a real thing, though of course that would make Jesus and his disciples real. But then no -one denies that Caiaphas and Pilate were real people, even if the stories the Gospels tells us about them aren't reliable..

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Re: How can we trust the Bible if it's not inerrant?

Post #494

Post by TRANSPONDER »

JehovahsWitness wrote: Sun Dec 26, 2021 2:38 am
Difflugia wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 11:56 pmThe grammar of Acts 1:18 could only have applied to Judas posthumously if he were one of the walking dead.

COULD JUDAS HAVE OBTAINED THE FIELD POSTHUMOUSLY ?

Yes, scriptures are full of actions attributed to one person when we can reasonably assume they were actually carried out by another on that person's behalf: The priests would not have flogged the Apostles themselves, Herod didn't likely seize Peter himself and it is more than probable that it was Luke (a doctor) and not Paul that circumcised Thomothy (Acts 5:40, 12:4, 16:2).


BUY OR AQUIRE?

As for the verb used [ktaomai] does not mean "to buy" but rather "to acquired, gain, get, obtain or possess" [1], all of which can be achieved through a third party. It's the same word used by the fictional Pharisee who boasted " 'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get [ktaomai].' Clearly his boast covered all he possessed whether he bought them personally, was given them as gifts or obtained them through somebody else' s legitimate actions. Note STRONGS entry.

Image

PRIESTS BUY JUDAS OBTAINS

The Greeks had a seperate words (agorazo ,oneomai) which covered the physical act of buying. According to VINES agorazo means {quote} "primarily, to frequent the market-place, the agora, hence "to do business there, to buy or sell"[2]. Arguably the writer would have used agorazo or oneomai if he had wanted to communicate that Judas had personally performed the transaction himself rather than it legally came into his possessionby some other means.


CONCLUSION Matthew explicitly states that it was the priests that bought (agorazo) the field, and there is nothing in the tenses or lexicon that negates the possibility of the field coming into Judas possession (Ktaomai) after his death.

[1] https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicon ... aomai.html
[2] https://studybible.info/vines/Buy,%20Bought





JW


RELATED POSTS

How did Judas die?
viewtopic.php?p=975629#p975629

Who named the field of blood?
viewtopic.php?p=975690#p975690
Sorry I cannot take seriously this evasive wriggling to try to make a purchase by priests of a field for their own purposes with money that had been returned to them a purchase (posthumous or not) by Judas of a field as his own asset. It is not the same thing even if you try to play the translation -game. Since if it said 'They bought with their own money' you could still argue that they bought it for Judas. Of course you can rewrite what the Bible actually says. 'Judas flung the money back in their faces' becomes 'he gave it to them and asked them to buy a field for him'. But nobody who isn't looking for an evasive wriggle to avoid what is plain as a pikestaff with a spunge on it- that the stores are contradictory - is going to buy this excuse. The stories differ in all respects and the 'prophecies' are a disgrace.

It's a ploy I have noted before - Apologists fixate on One thing they think they can explain - one angel means two and one donkey means two. and the second time Jesus taught the lord's prayer wasn't actually the first time, (though no apologetics mention this as no atheists have picked it up) - and it's the one shot win. But of course the different deaths can be 'woven together' Apologists have more excuses and wriggles than the US has Lawsuits. The reader has to judge whether they really work. I suspect the apologist is really trying to give themselves a pretext for not having to face doubts - 'that just cannot be true'. Because that's the first shift in the sand that brings the whole house of cards of religious faith down.

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Re: How can we trust the Bible if it's not inerrant?

Post #495

Post by Difflugia »

JehovahsWitness wrote: Sun Dec 26, 2021 2:38 amCOULD JUDAS HAVE OBTAINED THE FIELD POSTHUMOUSLY ?
Your analysis so completely misrepresents the point I made and avoids the evidence I linked that I can only assume that you think you're calling a bluff. This must be how sharks feel when they smell blood in the water.

Broadly, you're replying to a nuanced analysis in an academic lexicon by overinterpreting a one-line overview. While I'm hardly an expert and I'm sure there must exist many compelling rebuttals to my claim, this isn't one of them. Before I respond to the few specifics of your argument, I'll expand a bit on why I think the Liddell-Scott entry for κτάομαι supports my assertion.

First, the lexicon doesn't merely offer a simple definition, but provides a survey of word usage in extant sources. Usage that is novel or peculiar is mentioned. I suppose there's no guarantee of thoroughness, but I'll point out that the linked definition of κτάομαι takes up roughly a third of a two-column dictionary page, most of which is individual references to phrases in Greek literature where the word is found. The Strong's definition upon which you've entirely based your argument would barely qualify as a thesaurus entry.

Second, many words shift in meaning depending on grammatical usage, sometime subtly and sometimes not so. The range of meaning between tenses and voices often shifts in ways for which simple grammar rules don't account. When such shifts are apparent in the literature, as they are for κτάομαι, the lexicon notes them. Strong's does not.

The lexicon separates κτάομαι into three broad classes of meaning based on verb conjugation:
  1. Present, imperfect, future, and aorist
  2. Perfect and pluperfect
  3. Aorist passive
The verb as it appears in Acts 1:18, ἐκτήσατο, is aorist tense, middle voice, indicative mood. This corresponds to the first of the three grammatical categories and the "middle voice" here appears to be a clue to meaning. In Greek, the middle voice (rather than active or passive) is normally used to indicate that the subject both causes and is affected by the action (though not an exact analogy, this is similar to a reflexive verb in English). The grammatical implication of this is that the subject both actively performs the acquisition and is the recipient in the sense that one "procures for oneself." While this alone isn't a slam dunk (κτάομαι never appears in the active voice and is sometimes considered a deponent verb for which active voice takes middle voice endings), the usage examples reinforce this interpretation. The known uses in extant literature all refer to the subject gaining something by virtue of the subject's own actions. The fact that this meaning shifts subtly when the passive voice is used is an indication that the use of middle voice is itself important to the meaning. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the verb is sometimes used to mean that the subject acquires something for someone else, it is never, with the possible, solitary exception of Acts 1:18, used to mean that someone else acquires something for the subject.
JehovahsWitness wrote: Sun Dec 26, 2021 2:38 amYes, scriptures are full of actions attributed to one person when we can reasonably assume they were actually carried out by another on that person's behalf:
Whether language can or can't be used in metaphorical and nonliteral ways was not my point. My point was that the specific verb in question and its grammatical form suggests action on the part of the subject.
JehovahsWitness wrote: Sun Dec 26, 2021 2:38 amit is more than probable that it was Luke (a doctor) and not Paul that circumcised Timothy
Bless your heart.
JehovahsWitness wrote: Sun Dec 26, 2021 2:38 amThere is no reason to conclude it is impossible the priests bought the field in Judas behalf.
Aside from Matthew 27:5 and Acts 1:18, that's true.
JehovahsWitness wrote: Sun Dec 26, 2021 2:38 amall of which can be achieved through a third party.
You've asserted this, but haven't provided any support or evidence. If you're not bluffing, show us your cards. If you do show us anything, I'm betting it's the equivalent of ten high.
JehovahsWitness wrote: Sun Dec 26, 2021 2:38 amIt's the same word used by the fictional Pharisee who boasted " 'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get [ktaomai].' Clearly his boast covered all he possessed whether he bought them personally, was given them as gifts or obtained them through somebody else' s legitimate actions.
How is that clear? You're asserting without support again. Considering the amount of theological dickering over exactly what is subject to the Tithe, you're just inserting your own theological conclusion into the Pharisee's claim. Maybe he meant that and maybe he didn't, but considering that Pharisee's were sticklers for their own specific interpretation of Torah and the Tithe during the Second Temple period referred specifically to agricultural production, the Pharisee may have meant all that he earned or even all that he produced himself. In fact, I might even argue that he "clearly" meant that.
JehovahsWitness wrote: Sun Dec 26, 2021 2:38 amNote STRONGS entry.
All fifteen words of it? Oh, I have. In fact, I'll note it again, just for good measure.

Image

Perhaps you'd return the favor and note the Liddell entry. I linked a thumbnail because it's big.

Image
JehovahsWitness wrote: Sun Dec 26, 2021 2:38 amArguably the writer would have used agorazo or oneomai if he had wanted to communicate that Judas had personally performed the transaction himself rather than it legally came into his possessionby some other means.
I'm sure it is arguable. I look forward to you making and supporting the argument.
JehovahsWitness wrote: Sun Dec 26, 2021 2:38 amCONCLUSION Matthew explicitly states that it was the priests that bought (agorazo) the field, and there is nothing in the tenses or lexicon that negates the possibility of the field coming into Judas possession (Ktaomai) after his death.
Bless your heart.
My pronouns are he, him, and his.

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Re: How can we trust the Bible if it's not inerrant?

Post #496

Post by brunumb »

[Replying to Difflugia in post #496]

Meanwhile, this simpleton is trying to figure out why on earth the priests would have bought a field for Judas. :?
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Re: How can we trust the Bible if it's not inerrant?

Post #497

Post by Diogenes »

otseng wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 10:00 am
Diogenes wrote: Wed Dec 22, 2021 8:22 pm Yes indeed, the burden of proof is on the one making the claim; i.e. the resurrection of Jesus.
Since this is an extraordinary claim, a claim that defies everything we know of science and the physical laws of the universe, we do indeed circle back to the issue of inerrancy because to make such an otherwise absurd, anti-knowledge claim, the words of 'scripture' must come from a god AND be inerrant. On what other authority can an otherwise crazy claim be justified?
I'm not claiming science can explain the resurrection. It's a supernatural event so there is no physical law of the universe that can explain it.

There is a fundamental misunderstanding of science. Science, by definition, only deals with naturalistic explanations. It assumes that only the natural world exists and only naturalistic explanations can be used. It says nothing about supernatural causation and if it can or cannot happen. So, it is basically stacking the deck to impose science to be able to explain the resurrection. It is saying, "You cannot use a supernatural explanation to explain the resurrection. The resurrection did not have a natural explanation. Therefore the resurrection did not happen." The fundamental flaw is the assumption that a supernatural explanation cannot happen.

Now, skeptics might balk at using a supernatural explanation to explain things since we live in the modern times and everything has been explained by naturalistic causes. Actually, scientists have already entered into the world of the "extranatural" with string theory, multiverse, and the big bang theory -- extra dimensions are posited, a multitude of undetectable universes are posited, and an unknown causation of our universe that is expanding into another dimension.
"supernatural" is just another way of saying "It didn't happen." We use the word when we have no evidence or no reasonable explanation. Claiming a supernatural cause is an inherent admission one is without knowledge.
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Re: How can we trust the Bible if it's not inerrant?

Post #498

Post by Diogenes »

[Replying to otseng in post #1]
Back to the original question, I suggest believers (and even non believers) can put at least some trust in the Bible without demanding it be inerrant. We trust many things, sources despite the fact none of them are 'inerrant.' Error is part of life. Even those of us who place considerable faith in science, do not expect infallibility. The very nature of science is that it is open to new conclusions based on new data.

I also suggest it is dangerous to place such absolute faith in either science or religion or its writings. A quick example of this danger has been provided by JW in this thread by coming to the conclusion that slavery may not be an evil because it was not condemned in the Bible. The most famous example of this evil is Abraham's willingness to kill his own son because of accepting the absolute authority of God's voice.

We currently have a horrific problem in the U.S., a problem that has a simple solution, but for the absolutism that is in large part driven by [white] Christian Nationalists, who correlate strongly with Covid-19 vaccine avoidance.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8489517/
This widespread phenomenon gives rise to other problems such as the January 6 attacks.
https://divinity.yale.edu/news/threat-w ... ds-podcast

I hasten to say this is NOT something that affects most Christians, but it is significantly reflected in the population. Christians and others would be better served by NOT viewing scripture as inerrant. It leads to dangerous extremism because it too frequently leads to or supports the crazy belief that one is ABSOLUTELY right and therefore reason and compassion can be set aside.
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Re: How can we trust the Bible if it's not inerrant?

Post #499

Post by mgb »

Diogenes wrote: Mon Dec 27, 2021 3:07 pm "supernatural" is just another way of saying "It didn't happen." We use the word when we have no evidence or no reasonable explanation. Claiming a supernatural cause is an inherent admission one is without knowledge.
I don't see the need for 'supernatural' if that means 'beyond nature'. For example, it may be entirely natural to make an object vanish and appear somewhere else. Who knows because we don't know what is possible. In the Middle Ages it was not possible to hear a conversation 1000 miles away. Now we can. Back then it would seem like magic. What is natural for God is not the same as what is natural for science. Maybe there's no need, even for God, to go beyond the laws of nature.

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Re: How can we trust the Bible if it's not inerrant?

Post #500

Post by TRANSPONDER »

brunumb wrote: Sun Dec 26, 2021 7:59 pm [Replying to Difflugia in post #496]

Meanwhile, this simpleton is trying to figure out why on earth the priests would have bought a field for Judas. :?

Correct. This is rather the same translation -shopping apologetic as 'pro' to argue that the Census tax was held before Quirinus was governor of Syria. Now I read a couple of online comments that the Greek wouldn't be grammatically correct in that context, but what do I know? I am sure that a list of usages for the same word doesn't mean that all the usages could apply in the context. But what I knew was that it made no sense to say the tax was held before Qurinus became governor when they could say that it was held when Saturnius or Piso was governor. Thus the '2nd census' apologetic doesn't work in the context, even without grammatical confirmation.

I think t's the same here. The whole context of the Judas -death story makes it absurd to argue that the priests buying a field with (effectively) their own money for their own use means Judas buying it for himself through their agency, which is plainly not what is going on, even if the same word could cover both usages. It isn't good enough even before it is argued that grammatically it doesn't wash. And that's even without the observation that contradictions between Mathew and Luke are a regular feature of the gospels. But people don't know them and the Bible scholars (who ought to be Very familiar with them), don't whisper a single solitary doubt.

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