Thank-you - It is a fun spirit...Jonathan wrote: I love the spirit in which you phrased this ;=>
So I did, and you have so far neither asked for more not responded to what I provided...Here's how I see it: "In God we trust. All others bring data."
So I am at a loss on how to assess the efficacy of my provision to you of your request...
I do not think denominational stance should determine one's understanding of the Bible, but the fact that the early Church originated and transmitted it, and gave us a thousand years of commentary on its meaning, so that such a witness can hardly be discarded out of hand... It is a Holy Work originating from the practicing Holy Community that the Church IS for the first thousand years of a mostly undivided Church...B-Greek, of course, has a wide variety of faith stances - and some who claim no faith. If a Bible believing Mennonite like me is going to engage fruitfully with an Orthodox Christian, other Christians across the faith spectrum, a few linguists who claim no faith, etc. then we have to do that at the level of data and careful interpretation of the text, looking at the bumps and wrinkles of the Greek.
As a consequence of these facts, is that IF one desires to get the original intended meaning, there is no better source than the history of commentary the worshiping Church that originated the particular text which we are seeking to understand and translate...
It is not, you see, a matter of the originating source of the texts being on an equal footing with those coming later facing the text in worshiping communities that did NOT originate it...
This hermaneutic is ignored at great risk, and in the EOC's understanding, a fatal risk... And it matters not a lick if one has no belief whatsoever, of is one of ANY other Christian Confession - Even the EOC's like me, as I amply demonstrated, need to keep that history of commentary of the EOC clearly in view, which I almost did not...
Jes' sayin'...That SHOULD be starting point, from which if one disagrees, one must prove wrong or at least inadequate...
Arsenios