From: Jim West (jwest@Highland.Net)
Date: Fri Dec 11 1998 - 04:36:36 EST
At 08:32 AM 12/11/98 -0500, you wrote:
>On Thu, 10 Dec 1998 08:56:00 -0800 Eric Weiss <eweiss@gte.net> writes
>(snip):
>
>>"Unless you can read Greek, you have decided to let someone else tell
>you what the Bible says."
>
>I have a question regarding the above statement. Even if we do study
>Greek, aren't we still relying on others to tell us what the Bible says?
Ted,
It is certainly true that as one begins study one relies on others. But as
one progresses, one finds that one need rely on others less and one feels
more comfortable in thinking one's own thoughts. To steal a line from Paul;
"when I was a child I thought as a child.... but when I became an adult I
put away childish things...". As children we depend on others to tell us
right from wrong and truth from falsehood. As adults we rely on our own
moral compass. The same is true, I think, in linguistic study of the Bible.
As we learn more and more we depend less and less. Then one day, we
discover that we actually disagree about some things with those who have
taught us!!!! And lo and behold, we discover that they are in no wise
superior to us in intellect or persuasive power. What they have seen, they
have seen mostly, but not always, aright.
In short, as we grow as "Greeks" (and hopefully as Hebraists and
Aramaicists) we are less and less dependent on commentaries and can actually
come to the place where we can write our own.
Best,
Jim
++++++++++++++++++++++
Jim West, ThD
Quartz Hill School of Theology
jwest@highland.net
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