Difference between revisions of "Inspiration"
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The idea that everything (even the smallest detail) in the Bible must be historically, scientifically, culturally and ethically perfect and unchangeable is not a traditional idea but a modern concept born in some Christian circles in the last two centuries as a reaction to biblical criticism and scientific research, in particular to the rise of the evolutionist theories by [[Charles Darwin]]. Although some fundamentalist groups are very active and vocal in the defense of their broad understanding of the "infallibility" of Scripture, their position is not the majority position in both Christianity and Judaism. | The idea that everything (even the smallest detail) in the Bible must be historically, scientifically, culturally and ethically perfect and unchangeable is not a traditional idea but a modern concept born in some Christian circles in the last two centuries as a reaction to biblical criticism and scientific research, in particular to the rise of the evolutionist theories by [[Charles Darwin]]. Although some fundamentalist groups are very active and vocal in the defense of their broad understanding of the "infallibility" of Scripture, their position is not the majority position in both Christianity and Judaism. | ||
The majority of Christian and Jewish denominations today would agree with the statement of the Second Vatican Council that Scriptures are the "Word of God" in the sense that "they solidly, faithfully and without error teach that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation", but that "God spoke in Sacred Scripture through men in human fashion." In other words, God revealed himself through human history, "accepting" the limitations and influences of human culture. Hence, Scriptures do not have to be taken "literally" but understood in the historical context in which the texts generated. The Bible is not a book of history or science, but a divinely inspired human product whose truth is not diminished by the progress of historical and scientific knowledge. | The majority of Christian and Jewish denominations today would agree with the statement of the Second Vatican Council that Scriptures are the "Word of God" in the sense that "they solidly, faithfully and without error teach that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation", but that "God spoke in Sacred Scripture through men in human fashion." In other words, God revealed himself through human history, "accepting" the limitations and influences of human culture. Hence, Scriptures do not have to be taken "literally" but understood in the historical context in which the texts generated. The Bible is not a book of history or science, but a divinely inspired human product whose truth is not diminished by the progress of historical and scientific knowledge. And in the Bible a crucial distinction must be made between "timeless principles" and "culturally related" norms. | ||
Latest revision as of 10:16, 15 April 2016
Inspiration is the traditional concept used by Christians and Jews to define the divine authorship of their sacred texts.
According to Jewish and Christian traditions, the Bible was not "written" or "dictated" but "inspired" by God. The idea of "inspiration" implies that the sacred scriptures were the result of a synergy between God and the human authors who were ultimately responsible for the writing, being influenced by the historical, scientific, cultural and ethical knowledges of their time. Christian artists would imagine the authors of the Biblical texts as having been in conversation with angels.
While believing that Scriptures had a divine origin, ancient Jews and Christians had no problems recognizing the presence of some historical "errors" and "temporary" norms. There were indeed some major crisis; in the 17th century the positions of Galileo Galileo (in Christianity) and Baruch Spinoza (in Judaism) were initially rejected and condemned as too extreme. But generally speaking the principle that Scriptures could be subjected to historical criticism and theological analysis, was commonly accepted. Christians and Jews also acknowledged that some laws in the Scriptures (polygamy or slavery, for example) belonged to the past and did no longer apply to the present.
The idea that everything (even the smallest detail) in the Bible must be historically, scientifically, culturally and ethically perfect and unchangeable is not a traditional idea but a modern concept born in some Christian circles in the last two centuries as a reaction to biblical criticism and scientific research, in particular to the rise of the evolutionist theories by Charles Darwin. Although some fundamentalist groups are very active and vocal in the defense of their broad understanding of the "infallibility" of Scripture, their position is not the majority position in both Christianity and Judaism.
The majority of Christian and Jewish denominations today would agree with the statement of the Second Vatican Council that Scriptures are the "Word of God" in the sense that "they solidly, faithfully and without error teach that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation", but that "God spoke in Sacred Scripture through men in human fashion." In other words, God revealed himself through human history, "accepting" the limitations and influences of human culture. Hence, Scriptures do not have to be taken "literally" but understood in the historical context in which the texts generated. The Bible is not a book of history or science, but a divinely inspired human product whose truth is not diminished by the progress of historical and scientific knowledge. And in the Bible a crucial distinction must be made between "timeless principles" and "culturally related" norms.