Yesterday I had the privilege of being present at the installation of a new pastor on our district. He is a great young man with a wonderful spirit. His new congregation seems so excited to have him and I’m happy for him. I wish him nothing but the best. I found the service somewhat strange however. He preached from the KJV (I assume that’s his preference and that’s ok!) but he spent half of the time explaining what the Olde English meant in modern terms. Furthermore, he referred to about a dozen Greek words during the sermon. Obviously the autographs were written in Hebrew and Greek and I can appreciate that. But I found him falling into exegetical fallacies that are common with those who only have a cursory knowledge of Hebrew/Greek.
Ah Strong’s Concordance. ah 1 ah 2 ah 3 Ah 3 greek words
Thankfully he didn’t descend into the spirit of Python or some other
In the pew, when I could hear well, it sometimes bothered me to be overwhelmed by the messenger who seemed to be ‘changing’ the meaning from what ‘we’ were taught to believe.Maybe today the messenger feels he has a more educated audience, since he is probably educated, and they can handle the revelations of the ‘original Greek’.Many pastors can use the Word effectively, but us old folk get skeered when a preacher has the audacity to say, ‘BUT WHAT IT REALLY MEANS IS THIS’.Folks don’t realize us old folk know King James could write what he meant! It was King James who wrote it, right? I do get the point, and yes IMHO there can be too much Greek in many settings. ________________Some facts but mostly just my [email protected]/
I can’t help thinking of Jerry Clower’s description, educated beyond his intelligence. I remember hearing a guy appealing to Strong’s for the definition of one or something like that in a passage such as every ONE that doeth evil. It made for some interesting, though not edifying, gymnastics.
The big fallacy of Greek/Hebrew…
Consider that our translations of the Bible were done by SCHOLARS who had intimate understanding of the Biblical languages.I consider it a FARCE to make students take Greek or Hebrew for Bible Studies UNLESS they intend to become a doctor in linguistics/languages, etc.Consider this too obvious scenario…. A minister who has two semesters of Greek gets up and has something to say about the translation of the Bible. He is basing this on his meager education in the languages, despite the translation having been rendered by lifetime experts in the field. So why take Greek? Do we not trust the translators? And if we don’t, wouldn’t we need Greek EXPERTS to take that on, and no those with only a cursory understanding of the language? Here’s the deal, if you’re going to contest the translation or provide some other understanding of the Greek, then you should be a Greek EXPERT…and not just someone with minimal skills in Greek.Of course, that has never stopped colleges/universities from requiring this cursory understanding. After all, hope springs eternal that some first year Greek student will find some stunning mistake in the KJV that will forever change our understanding and doctrine.
You make some good points Aaron. I’m one of those you speak of that has a few years of Hebrew and Greek under my belt but I am by no means a scholar. Having said that, I am thankful for the knowledge I do have and believe it has enriched my study of the scriptures. Much like the 4 semesters of Spanish helped me get the gist of a conversation in Spanish but makes me far from an expert in the language!!
Please know that I am NOT denigrating your accomplishment. Nor am I suggesting that knowing Greek is not worthwhile.
Did he have Moses interceding for Israel in tongues? Perry said ats why the dash is in exodus 32:32
Aaron I receive your comments in the spirit they were given and we are on the same page. And OTCP
The ole timer now knows why some are gung ho bout unaccredited docterates–you know, them what don’t require much effort. Men/women standing before sinners/saints ever single week don’t need no Greek/Hebrew. Aint no big deal. Pastors is gonna stand before the living God an give account fer everthing they preach, so learnin more bout the good Book aint no big deal. Take a short cut. Do it the cheap way. No need to study hard, discipline yaself an exegete correctly.Hey, this is why they so many cults. This is why woffie doctrine is embraced by so many COG preachers. PINK FLOYD is their theme group. We don’t need no educationWe don’t need to study at allJust give us a Strong’s ConcordanceAn we’ll fulfill our Gospel call
This is absolutely a good discussion point. Years ago (me) and every preacher had a Strong’s, some used it for what it was a ‘reference’, others let it be their TEACHER and used their own interpretation of the ‘interpretations’ to impress the uneducated. My dad used it for his own education, there wasn’t much else that the average preacher could buy outside some college text book. Some have degraded Strong’s to a useless book, I don’t know myself, I gave mine away. Strong’s read much smarter than I was, that is for sure. ________________Some facts but mostly just my [email protected]/
Since I made a few comments bout Strong’s a few times, let the ole timer chime in an defend his position.1. Strong’s Concordance lists ever word in the KJV, tells the passage(s), an gives a very succinct definition from the original language.2. For what it is, Strong’s is a excellent study tool.3. Strong’s was not designed (nor does it do so) to be an in-depth linguistic tool. It’s like learnin English. Ya gotta start with learnin ya A-B-C’s. Strong’s is like learnin ya A-B-C’s. These aint disparaging remarks, cause to gain skill in a language ya gotta learn the alphabet. What the ole timer has said about Strong’s that may be perceived as negative (although it aint) is that it is dangerous/problematic when fellers begin building doctrine based on a Strong’s level of linguistic skill.
I have had the occasional privilege of hearing some preach who had mastered Greek, as well as other Biblical languages, and would be considered an authority on the subject. I do not recall ever, not even once, that they used a Greek word or attempted to define a term from the Greek during their message. They just simply preached. They weren’t trying to impress anybody. They didn’t have to. They just preached the Gospel. And that was impressive________________
Aaron,I took a Greek class.I am no scholar – but it did help me make sense of it for myself.When I teach however, I study enough to explain to my students. I don’t throw Greek words in – I study so I don’t have to throw Greek words in. I find out what they mean – and incorporate their meaning into my teaching. The average student wants to apply something to their life – not spout some Greek word. The teacher out to study everything he can, however, to show himself approved.What if we let Obama teach us law – since he studied more of it than we have? Would that be ok? Or would it be better to study some of it ourselves and confirm whether he is telling us the truth or a bunch of B S________________