The Bible:Myth or History?

God did not design the God did not design the Bible Bible

to be a dark puzzle to be a dark puzzle

for bright scholars for bright scholars

but to be a bright lamp but to be a bright lamp for travelers through a for travelers through a

dark world dark world

The link between

Bible, Bible, Miracles & Miracles &

ResurrectionResurrectionNonbelievers say:

Miracles like that don’t really

happen

The Bible is myth not history

These three

typically stand or fall

together

The Senses of Myth

1.) The sacred story sense (literal)

– from the Greek mythos “a sacred story”

– this says nothing about its truth or falsity, historicity or non-historicity

The Senses of Myth2.) The unreal

sense (popular)– something that

didn’t really happen or is not real a merely fictional human invention

– contrast the story against truth or fact

The Senses of Myth

3.) The parable sense– a way of explaining natural facts

by supernatural or natural fictions

– a literary genre of stories that are not literally true these can include fantasy, animals that talk, and stories of gods

The Senses of Myth 4.) The projection sense– Projection of human

consciousness out onto reality

– Kant’s theory of knowledge “all human knowledge is myth”

– dreams are myth if while we are dreaming we take them objectively

The Senses of Myth5.) The worldview sense

– Any story to articulate a worldview

– Both literally true and fictional stories

The Senses of Myth

6.) The archetype sense– A Platonic archetype

in story form– A universal truth

about human life expressed in a story

– Christ’s resurrection is a story in this sense as the pattern for our resurrection

Biblical Studies The Major Controversy

DemythologizersAll or most of the miracle

stories in the Bible are myths in all six of these senses

Orthodox ChristiansAgree that the bible contains

sacred story, parables, worldview and archetype

never unreal or projection

The bottom line is The bottom line is miraclesmiracles

The Proper LogicIf the resurrection really did happen

The assumption

that miracles don’t happen is refuted

ThenThen

the miracle the miracle stories of stories of

scripture can be scripture can be history, history,

not mythnot myth

The Importance of the IssueEffect of Demythologizing TeachersApproximately 50% of students who enter

Catholic Colleges as believers exit as non-believers.(Biblical Interpretation in Crises Richard Neihaus)

– They enter with a thoughtless belief in the Bible and its miracles, notably the resurrection

– They take theology courses that debunk these miracle stories via the historical-critical method

– They graduate as unbelievers, or believers in a religion without miracles, a real resurrection or scriptural authority

A Religion of mere “sharing and caring”A Religion of mere “sharing and caring”

The Importance of the IssuePsychological Motives for

Unbelief

• Addiction to power in this world

• Addiction to lust, our society’s favorite pastime

• Addiction to greed, the sin Christ’s spoke against most frequently

• Addiction to worldly acceptance and popularity

• Addiction to freedom defined as “doing your own thing”, “looking out for number one”

Sin & Sin & SelfishnessSelfishness

The Role of Scripture in Apologetics

Avoid two extremes

FundamentalistFundamentalistBelievers in the five fundamentals: Christ’s divinity, resurrection,

virgin birth, real second coming, and the infallibility of Scripture The Popular SenseThe Popular Sense

Not just biblical infallibility but also biblical literalisma generally close-minded, narrow minded, ant-intellectual, even

bigoted attitude

Theological ModernismTheological ModernismBelievers in a religion without miracles, a real resurrection or scriptural authority

The Fundamentalist Extreme

Beginning apologetics from Beginning apologetics from the starting point of the the starting point of the authority of scriptureauthority of scripture

• Necessitates convincing others of scripture’s authority before even beginning.

• Places doubt on natural human reason’s ability to direct unbelievers to belief.

• Wields scripture as a weapon even before establishing its authority

• Demands special standards for interpreting scripture because of God’s involvement

Fundamental Problem

You must first prove Scripture You must first prove Scripture deserves Special Treatmentdeserves Special Treatment

• Early Christian apologists and church fathers argued quite effectively for Christianity without having the New Testament Scriptures as authoritatively defined.

• Through centuries many people have been led to belief in God and the possibility of salvation through rational arguments

• It is very difficult to first prove the authority of Scripture to the unbeliever

• The unbeliever will not accept the use of any special standards or assumptions or attitudes towards Scripture at the outset.

The Modernist ExtremeInterpret everything miraculous Interpret everything miraculous

or supernatural or supernatural

or morally unpopularor morally unpopular

non-literally, non-literally,

and insist right from the start on an unbelieving, skeptical attitude toward the

Bible.

The Modernist Extreme

If we used the same critical standards on other ancient literature that modernists use on the Bible, we would

necessarily doubt every single fact we know today about every single writer and event before the Middle

Ages.Whereas

If modernists applied to the bible the same standards that historians and textual scholars apply to secular literature of ancient times, biblical records would be

accepted as some of the most reliable and credible of all ancient documents.

Why Modernists Deny the Authority of Scripture!

Do miracles happen?

Is the supernatural world real?

Are there angels and devils?

Does God ever reach down and interfere?

Why Modernists Deny the Authority of Scripture!

Is there a super-naturally given moral law?

Did God not just Moses invent the ten

commandments? Are there any moral

absolutes--objective unyielding moral laws that do not

change when our feelings or

societies change?

Why Modernists Deny the Authority of

Scripture!Is Christ divine

and thus

infallible and absolutely authoritative

in everything

he says?

Is human life on earth a spiritual warfare?

Are the stakes in life

infinite?Is there a real heaven or hell

at the end?Do our

choices matter very much?

Why Modernists Deny the Authority of Scripture!

Is there one objective true way to heaven--Jesus Himself--

as he claims (John 14:6)

Or are all religions of the world equal and thus

are generic human sincerity and niceness the only requirements for salvation?

Why Modernists Deny the Authority

of Scripture!Scripture Scripture

unequivocally and unequivocally and repeatedlyrepeatedly

answersanswers

YES!YES!To all these questions.To all these questions.

The typical modern mind answers

NO!

Is the Answer Found in Compromise?

Unbelievers say that the New Testament and

Christianity is FALSEChristians say the New

Testament and Christianity is TRUE

Modernists seek to make peace by picking and

choosing what is acceptable to both

Will Scripture allow Will Scripture allow compromise?compromise?Galatians 1:8Galatians 1:8

HermeneuticsThe Science of Interpretation

Use the same Use the same standards, methods standards, methods

and approaches to the and approaches to the BibleBible

you would use for any other book.

Do not patronize Do not patronize anyone anyone

by fudging your by fudging your textual datatextual data

to make it more acceptable or palatable

Surrender to the work as it is Surrender to the work as it is rather than molding it to where we arerather than molding it to where we are

Grow and learn Grow and learn rather than reinforce and flatterrather than reinforce and flatter

Read the book Read the book in the same in the same

spirit or mindspirit or mindas the author as the author

wrote itwrote it

Exegesis (“reading out of”)

not Eisegesis

(“reading into”)

Separate Interpretation Separate Interpretation from Belieffrom Belief

Interpretation means finding out

“WHAT THE AUTHOR MEANT AND BELIEVED”

in light of his words or thoughts

“NOT WHAT YOU MEAN OR BELIEVE”

After we understand After we understand what the person meanswhat the person means

comes agreement or disagreement,

belief or disbelief

Interpret a Book Interpret a Book According to Its GenreAccording to Its Genre

First find out the form or style of the work

poetry vs law

parable vs biography

science vs religion

myth vs history

Then use the principles

that govern the interpretation of that

style

Similarities Similarities Between Biblical Between Biblical Stories and MythStories and Myth

Repeated Stock Events– Many events described in

myths, legends and fairy tales also occur in history

Symbolic Numbers– Sometimes real things do

happen in 3,6,10 and 40 increments

– Since God is in charge of history he may very well arrange for events to conform to symbolic number schemes

Similar kinds of miracles– The occurrence of

miracles in myth does not disprove their occurrence in real history

Know When to Know When to Interpret the BibleInterpret the Bible

Literally vs. Literally vs. SymbolicallySymbolically

When the biblical author claims he saw

something in the external world with his own eyes, or that someone else did and told him, then we are

to interpret it literally.

(Jesus miracles)

Know When to Interpret the BibleKnow When to Interpret the Bible

Literally vs. SymbolicallyLiterally vs. Symbolically

When a thing is not visible to the eye we can not interpret it literally

The object by its nature is invisible

(Moses sees God)

The object is a vision or dream

(Joseph interprets dreams)

It is made up fiction

(parable)

Know When to Interpret the BibleKnow When to Interpret the BibleLiterally vs. SymbolicallyLiterally vs. Symbolically

The line between literal and non-literal is not simply the line between natural and supernatural,

or miraculousMiracles are visible not invisible

(effect vs cause)natural-or-supernatural criterion

is external taken from philosophy and theology

not internal criterion taken from the form of the text

Know When to Interpret the BibleKnow When to Interpret the BibleLiterally vs. SymbolicallyLiterally vs. Symbolically

Don’t ignore that a given passage could rightly be interpreted as both literal and symbolic

– Exodus, Israel, Moses, Red Sea, Promised land– Signs must first stand in the real world, literally, in

order for it to take on the second meaning that points beyond itself

• Symbolic-literal is not always an either/or issue it is rather sometimes a both/and issue

• Language that is not literal can still be true, accurate and extremely important

Know which stories are historicalKnow which stories are historicalLiteral history

(Modern history)The court history of the Kings of Israel

Non-literal history

(Traditional history)Garden of Eden, The Fall, Creation

Fiction

(Non-historical)

Job, Jonah(perhaps), Parables

The Fall Can Not Be FictionThe Fall Can Not Be Fiction

If the fall is not historical at all,

then its effects

--suffering and death--

also are not historical.

If sin is historical in its effects,

it must be historical in its cause

The Fall Can Not Be FictionThe Fall Can Not Be FictionIf Adam’s fall didn’t really happen,

then Christ’s salvation need not really happen either.

(Paul Romans 6) (Paul Romans 6)

If the first Adam was not historical

why should the second Adam be?

If the disease is myth

then the cure can also be myth.

The Fall Can Not Be The Fall Can Not Be FictionFiction

If the fall did not happen in history

then God rather than humanity is the blame for sin

for God must have created us as sinners rather than innocents.

If there was really never any un-If there was really never any un-fallen state fallen state

then we were sinners from the then we were sinners from the first moment of creation first moment of creation

and God was wrong to declare and God was wrong to declare everything he made good.everything he made good.

BUT THE STORY NEED NOT BE LITERAL

You cannot separate You cannot separate religious questions from historical questionsreligious questions from historical questions

Historical question

• Moses led Israel through the Red Sea

• Jesus body was really resurrected

Religious Question

• Israel saw God’s hand in history

• “Easter Faith” was resurrected in the hearts of the apostles

Not Faith in Faith rather Faith in firm realityNot Faith in Faith rather Faith in firm reality

No historical Jesus then No ChristianityNo historical Jesus then No Christianity

Christianity is not an -ismChristianity is not an -ism

You cannot separate You cannot separate religious questions from historical religious questions from historical

questionsquestions

The only distinctively

Christian teachings are the beliefs about the historical JesusIncarnation & Incarnation & ResurrectionResurrection

Modernists feel these stand in the way of a single world religion

We can not fudge We can not fudge our data in order our data in order

to solve their to solve their problemproblem

Contradictions in the Bible?

Can we prove any parts of scripture falsefalse

That it contradicts itself

or

That it contradicts facts outside itself

Internal Contradictions• Old Testament populations of

peoples and armies are estimated differently

• Exodus God parted the Red (Reed) Sea or a strong East wind blew all night

• No two Gospel have Jesus life in the same chronological order

• One Easter morning account has one Angel another has two

• Judas hung himself or fell down and his guts burst asunder

• Ancient histories rarely claimed exact numbers. Inexact estimates were common and expected

• First and second causes do not exclude each other.

• Only Luke claimed anything to be in order.

• Perhaps one woman didn’t see the other one.

• Perhaps Judas’ noose broke

Details are not contradictions in substance and do not bring into question fallibility of teachings or message

No minor detail has been discovered which can not also be explained

We must not impose modern concepts of accuracy upon ancient authors

Contradictions in God• God is eternal and changeless

• God is just and punishes the wicked

• God is one

• God is awesome and terrifying

• God acts and effects changes in time and history

• God is merciful and revokes eternal punishment for the repentant

• God is three

• God is compassionate and comforting

•God’s essence is timeless but he effects changes in time. No creature can change another without itself being changed, but God can do this because he is purely active, not passively responding to the laws of creatures

•He does not compromise his justice or his mercy. The two are reconciled on Calvary. Jesus gets the justice and we get the mercy.

•He is one in being and essence, three in persona

•He is both awesome and loving. What is more awesome than love? The same God of holy love can be comforting to a saint and threatening to a sinner.

External Contradictions

Archeology has found Archeology has found nothing to invalidate the nothing to invalidate the

claims of the Bibleclaims of the BibleAll overlaps have been either proved or

rendered probable none have been disproved

Unanswered questions Unanswered questions are not disproofare not disproof

No prophecy has been No prophecy has been disproved disproved

Yet many have been proved true by history.

Jesus fulfilled at least 30, perhaps as many as 300, specific and distinct Old

Testament propheciesBEWARE!! BEWARE!!

Modernist scholars attempt to date prophecies by their fulfillment

External Contradictions““Science Contradicts Religion”Science Contradicts Religion”

Which science?

Which idea?

Is that idea a proven fact?

What proves it?

Which statement in the Bible does it contradict?

Is the statement properly interpreted?

Answer these questions andAnswer these questions and

The general challenge dissipates The general challenge dissipates

like fog under sunlightlike fog under sunlight