Simpson on the Papyri
Posted: November 15th, 2013, 9:34 am
In a Tyndale New Testament Lecture given in 1946 (Words Worth Weighing...), E.K. Simpson said:
"In recent years we have been flooded with testifications to the vernacularity of the New Testament; so much indeed that methinks the balance needs to be somewhat redressed. Unquestionably we owe a debt to the Egyptian papyri and inscriptional lore that cannot be ignored. They have shed light on many incidental points in the sacred text and supplied parallels to many anomalous grammatical forms... As long as Scriptural writers hug the coast of mundane affairs, the Egyptian pharos yields a measure of illumination to their track; but when they launch out into the deeps of the divine counsels, we no longer profit by its twinkling cross-lights."
The image is memorable, but can somebody comment on the statement in bold letters above? Is it a broad generalisation that needs to be carefully qualified?
Thanks,
Patrick
"In recent years we have been flooded with testifications to the vernacularity of the New Testament; so much indeed that methinks the balance needs to be somewhat redressed. Unquestionably we owe a debt to the Egyptian papyri and inscriptional lore that cannot be ignored. They have shed light on many incidental points in the sacred text and supplied parallels to many anomalous grammatical forms... As long as Scriptural writers hug the coast of mundane affairs, the Egyptian pharos yields a measure of illumination to their track; but when they launch out into the deeps of the divine counsels, we no longer profit by its twinkling cross-lights."
The image is memorable, but can somebody comment on the statement in bold letters above? Is it a broad generalisation that needs to be carefully qualified?
Thanks,
Patrick