The Infallible and Inerrant Bible - Part 02

(Please note: For better understanding, please read the previous parts of this study before reading this one.) 

Click here to read Part 01 of this study

 

Evidences for Biblical Inerrancy

The available data support the belief in inerrancy far more strongly than its opposite. The very fact that it is still possible today to claim the autographs were inerrant is an indication that no one has yet succeeded in showing there is even one substantial, undeniable error or contradiction in our present copies. After all, the Bible has proved its reliability in many ways and in many areas, and stood the test of time. Methodological analyses of inerrancy categorize the testimonies about the inerrancy of the scriptures as follows:

1. Testimony of Logical Proof and Plenary Inspiration

The pillar of Christian faith is the doctrine of inspiration which states that the authors and editors of the Bible were led or influenced by God with the result that their writings may be designated as the word of God. This is rooted in the Biblical verse 2 Timothy 3:16. Since all scriptures are breathed out by the Almighty God Himself, it ought to be true and inerrant. God can neither lie nor teach truth using errors. This infallible character of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit essentially proves that the scripture which is inspired by God is also true and inerrant in every aspect. Furthermore, the logical proof shows that since God is truth (Romans 3:4, John 3:33 ), what is breathed out by God, must also be true (John 17:17) and infallible.

2. Testimony of Scriptures or Self Witness of Bible

Bible teaches its own infallibility and inerrancy.  Some critics bring forward a lame argument that the word inerrant is not seen in Bible. Just because inerrancy is not a Biblical term does not mean that the concept of inerrancy is not taught in the Scripture. Important concepts like Trinity and rapture, etc. which are not Biblical terms are taken from Biblical content itself. Rather than the literal word, the concept is given importance. The main reason why we think the Bible is Inerrant is because the Scripture tells us so.

Legitimacy of considering Bible’s self testimony as the basis of inerrancy doctrine need not be questioned. This is because the base of our faith is God himself who has attested the scriptures as the source of all true spiritual knowledge. Just like we consider scriptures as the primary source of advice in the doctrines like sin, salvation, judgment, future etc, we need to base the doctrine of inerrancy [which in turn is the building block of other doctrines] in the scripture itself.

The Old Testament itself declares 3,808 times that it conveys the words of God Himself.  Most of the authors of the biblical books have confirmed that they are communicating God’s word and it is flawless.

ü      Old Testament Writers

All prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Jonah, Micah, Joel, Amos, Zechariah, Obadiah, Zephaniah and Habakkuk has confirmed in their writings that they are conveying Words of God.

Moses declared that the law was given by God himself and warned Israelites not to add to or diminish from them. [Deuteronomy 4:2, 6:1-2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12:32].

Psalmists affirms that the word of God is

§         Flawless [Psalms 12:6, Proverbs 30:5-6]

§         Eternal and stands firm [Psalms 119:89]

§         Perfect [Psalm 19:7, 119:96]

§         Truth [Psalm 119:43, 142, 151, 160]

§         Righteous [Psalm 119: 172]

ü      New Testament Writers

Paul says word is Holy, Righteous and good. [Romans 7:12, 1 Timothy 3:15]. He also testifies that it is inspired [2 Timothy 3:16, Romans. 3:2, 1 Corinthians 2:12-13,] and true [2 Timothy 2:15]. The apostle's teaching is so explicit in Galatians 3:16-17, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, 4:8

Peter confirms the doctrine of inspiration [2 Peter 1:21, 3:2, 3:15-16] and declares that it is eternal, [1 Peter 1:25] living and active [1 Peter 1:23].

Author of the epistle to Hebrews also mentions that the word of God is living and active [Hebrews 4:12]

Apostle John concludes his revelation [Revelation 22:18-19] with the warning against human intervention for changing the Word of God.

ü      Words of Jesus Christ

Since Jesus Christ is the example for Christians, it is perfectly sensible to consider his teachings and quotes as one of the most important criterion for evaluating the inerrancy of the scriptures.  It is obvious from his words that our Lord Jesus had absolute confidence in the authenticity, factuality and reliability of the scriptures. He proved the following aspects in his teachings:

1. Historicity and factuality of the scriptures

During the ministry in the earth, Jesus attested many historical facts in the Old Testament.

ü      Adam and Eve [Matthew 19:3-5 and Mark 10:6-8]

ü      Flood in Noah’s days [Matthew 24:38-39, Luke 17:26-27]

ü      Destruction of Sodom [Matthew 10:15, Luke 17:28-29]

ü      Jonah’s experience in the belly of great fish [Matthew 12:40]

ü      Historicity of famous bible men like

·        Isaiah (Matthew 12:17)

·        Elijah (Matthew 17:11-12)

·        Daniel (Matthew 24:15)

·        Abel (Matthew 23:35)

·        Zechariah (Matthew 23:35)

·        Abiathar (Mark 2:26)

·        David (Matthew 22:45)

·        Moses (Matthew 8:4, John 5:46)

·        Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matthew 8:11, John 8:39)

It is to be noted instead of simply referring these as mere moral stories He authenticated these historical facts to be trusted.

2. Entirety of the scriptures

Jesus affirms the plenary inspiration of the scripture in Matthew 4:1-11. Quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, He responded to Satan that man is to live by every word (plenary) that comes out of the mouth of God (inspiration). By attesting the finality of the scripture (usage of “It is written”) it is clear that Jesus negates all views of inerrancy in the Bible.

3. Indestructibility of the scriptures

In Matthew 5:17-18, Christ promised that the entire Old Testament, the Law and the Prophets, would be fulfilled, not abolished pointing out that all of it is inspired and true. In Luke 16:17 also He mentions that not even a stroke of pen [“jot” or “tittle”] in the scripture will be dropped out. Both verses establish the particularity of inerrancy (“jot,” “tittle”) and the extent of inerrancy (all Scripture). A basic understanding about the Hebrew alphabets may help in better understanding the significance of this statement. Below given is a table of Hebrew alphabets.

The smallest letter Hebrew alphabet “Yod” (see picture) is referred as ‘jot’ in the English translation. It may look like an apostrophe in English. The word “tittle” in English translation refers to minor and almost unnoticeable strokes that distinguish certain Hebrew letters from others. In the above picture, the letter “Dalet” and “Reish” is distinguished by a protrusion that in a normal font type would not be more than 1/16 of an inch. That tiny protrusion is referred to as tittle. This tittle can be observed in the comparisons of the letters “Beit” and “Kaf” as well. Presence or absence of “tittle” or “jot” could change the word and/or meaning of a statement. Jot and title may be scarcely compared to “letter and syllable” in English language.

What Jesus meant by using this comparison is that the scriptures are precisely accurate to the smallest possible pen stroke or letter. It is impossible to think of another expression to conclusively establish the meticulous accuracy, validity, and truth of the law. Based on this unique formula of assertion used by Jesus, if it is easier for heavens and earth to pass from existence than for a “jot or tittle” to be failed, it is very clear that even the minutest detail in the scriptures are infallible, authoritative, and trustworthy.

This passage in Matthew clearly shows that Jesus had a view of plenary inspiration about the scriptures.

4. Infallibility of the scriptures

In John 10:31-38 Christ confidently clarifies the infallibility, accuracy and reliability of the scriptures, even when his life was at stake on that matter. He refers Old Testament as the Law and quoting the Psalmist, [Psalm 82] points out that the judges in the Israel were called “Gods” though they were mere humans, due to their God given office. Stressing this fact, it was concluded that if a mere man can be referred to as “God” the Son of God who was sent to the earth is more suited for that word.

The very fact that Jesus focused on the single word, “God” reveals that He affirms the verbal infallibility of scripture. He was emphasizing that the minutest part or even a part of the sentence, is inspired by the God. Furthermore, in verse 35, He asserts that “the word cannot be broken” indicating the authoritative inspiration of the scriptures. Since only an inerrant nature can conclude this authority, it is clear that Jesus knew the scriptures are infallible.

5. Inerrancy of the scriptures

Matthew 22:23-33 is another instance where Jesus focused on specific written words rather than a general concept. Quoting God’s words to Moses, at the burning bushes, He clarifies the doctrine of life after death.  He said that though He is the God of the living, by using present tense in identifying himself as God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob [I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob] it is implied that they are living before God, after their physical death in the earth.  When man ignores the usage of “I am” vs. “I was” as an insignificant matter, God had specific reason to use that part of speech exactly like that. From Jesus’ teaching of this passage of the scripture, it is understood that He affirms

·        Historical inerrancy of the scriptures

o       Attesting to the life of Moses

·        Prepositional inerrancy of the scriptures

o       Attesting to the Verbal or plenary accuracy

·        Doctrinal inerrancy of the scriptures

o       Attesting the doctrine of life after death

·        Factual inerrancy of the scriptures

o       Attesting that Nothing in scripture is insignificant

6. Authority of the scriptures

In Matthew 22: 41-46 Jesus clarifies the authority of scriptures to his listeners. Quoting Psalm 110:1, he asked Pharisees how David can call Messiah as his Lord, if Messiah is his son, to which they had no answer. The only possible way is that Messiah is both God and Man. This clearly shows that Jesus acknowledged that the passages in the scriptures which are not be properly understood by everyone in the true context does not imply an error or difficulty, rather it simply proves the authority of the bible, since God never makes a mistake as a human does.

Thus it is clearly understood that Jesus, the God incarnate, himself has pronounced that Bible is infallible, inspired, inerrant and hence totally trustworthy.

3. Testimony of Scientific, Historic and Prophetic Accuracy

For those who oppose the presupposition of inerrancy truth, tons of historical and scientific evidences are there to prove the accuracy of Bible. 

A.  Bible does not contradict any known scientific fact

Though the Bible was not written as a work of science, wherever the Bible describes the physical world, it is accurate. A common but lame attack by the liberals on the Bible is in the usage of “Sunrise” or “Sunset” in the scriptures. However, they do not consider that even in the languages in modern world, we do use these terms in literature and it does not refer that Sun is moving. The theory of evolution was an unsuccessful attempt by human to question the creation defined in the Bible.

As a matter of fact, several centuries before the scientific inventions by man, Bible has proclaimed, many science facts such as the following:

• Universe is expanding [Job 9:8, Psalm 104:2, Isaiah 40:22, Isaiah 42:5, Isaiah 44:24, Isaiah 45:12, Isaiah 48:13, Isaiah 51:13, Jeremiah 10:12, Jeremiah 51:15, Zechariah 12:1] 
• The universe is winding down and will "wear out" (second law of thermodynamics ensures that the universe will run down due to "heat death"-maximum entropy) [Psalm 102:25-27] 
• Number of stars exceeds billions  [Genesis 22:17, Jeremiah 33:22] 
• Every star is different [1 Corinthians 15:41] 
• Pleiades  & Orion as gravitationally bound star groups [Job 38:31] 
• Light is in motion [Job 38:19-20] 
• The earth is controlled by the heavens [Job 38:33] 
• Earth is a sphere [Isaiah 40:22, Job 26:10] 
• At any time, there is day and night on the Earth  [Luke 17:34-35] 
• Earth is suspended in space   [Job 26:7] 
• Earth began as a water world. Formation of continents by tectonic activity described [Genesis 1:2-9, Psalm 104:6-9, Proverbs 3:19, Proverbs 8:27-29, Job 38:4-8, 2 Peter 3:5] 
• Water cycle [Ecclesiastes 1:7, Isaiah 55:10, Job 36:27-28] 
• Ocean currents in the sea [Psalm 8:8] 
• Air has weight [Job 28:25] 
• The chemical nature of human life [Genesis 2:7, 3:19] 
• Life of creatures are in the blood [Leviticus 17:11] 
• The nature of infectious diseases [Leviticus 13:46] 
• Importance of sanitation to health [Numbers 19, Deuteronomy 23:12-13, Leviticus 7-9] 
• Earth began as a water world. Formation of continents by tectonic activity described [Genesis 1:2-9, Psalm 104:6-9, Proverbs 3:19, Proverbs 8:27-29, Job 38:4-8, 2 Peter 3:5]

It is interesting to know that scientific textbooks are constantly being rewritten. With the discovery of quantum physics, the theories of classical physics have to be revisited. With the revelation of relativity, we can no longer be certain of the environment we are living in. compared to the absolute and unchanging nature of God and His word, nature of science is so uncertain and changing.

B.  Bible does not contradict itself

Many critics vainly try to accuse Bible of contradicting itself without knowing the fact that a difficulty is not a contradiction. Some apparent contradictory statements are harmonized upon gaining more information. Most contradictory statements are only superficial and taken out of context. 

C.  Bible does not contradict any historical events

Through out the Bible we can see the God’s divine intervention in human history for fulfilling the eternal plan. These interventions are proven in the numerous modern archeological and historical inventions. These proofs can be laid out in different categories:

o       Documentary analysis

In modern historical science, several techniques are available for dating documents and traditions, verifying events reported in those documents, and reconstructing an interpreting those reports. These techniques are effectively used in defending the inspiration and authority of the Holy Scriptures. By analyzing the textual content of the scriptures using the tools available in historical sciences, one can conclude the source, authenticity and infallibility of the Bible.

Example 1: Critics argue that since God is given 2 different names in Genesis chapter 1 and chapter 2, the authors of these 2 chapters may be different.  However it is known that there have been discoveries of differing uses for the name of god even in other cultures. We find an example of this in Homer's epics with no need for source division. The word "Elohim" is used to refer to God as the Almighty creator of the universe while the word "Yahweh" is the covenant name for God, which is reserved for situations in which covenant engagement of God is involved. Hence the usage of 2 words is not referring to 2 authors; instead it shows 2 different aspects of God in related events.

Example 2: Critics speculate that chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis represent two different creation stories. This argument is wrong, since this technique of recapitulation was widely practiced in ancient Semitic literature. The author first introduces his account with a short statement as a summary, and then he follows it up with a more detailed, circumstantial account when dealing with matters of special importance.

Example 3: Some critics use aramaisms [usage of Aramaic words] to divide the text of Scripture into various sources assuming that Aramaic words did not become part of the Hebrew language until after the exile. However this was proven untrue due to recent archeological discoveries that show Hebrew words used by non-Jews of some regions. Given the biblical account, we can reason that Abraham migrated to a region where the Aramaic language was spoken and he learned the language to gradually adopt the tongue of his neighbors.

Example 4: Despite critics' assertion that Moses was not the author of the Pentateuch [First 5 books in Bible], there is significant evidence to the contrary. On analyzing the text of the scripture, it is evident that Exodus 17:14, Exodus 24:4, Numbers 33:1-2, and Deuteronomy 31:9 attribute authorship to Moses. It is to be noted the fact that the author of Pentateuch uses more Egyptian words than others sheds light to the authorship of Moses. The texts also clearly depicts a first hand experience with Manna, Egyptian culture etc to the author.

o       Archeology

Biblical archaeology is the archaeology that relates to, and sheds light upon, the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. Certain discoveries from countries in the Middle East [Egypt, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Syria, and Palestine] have contributed the most to the development of archeology that helps Bible students. Recent years have witnessed a lot of archeological finding supporting the accuracy of biblical scriptures. Some of the major findings are:

1947 – Dead Sea Scrolls: Among the more than eight hundred documents represented by whole scrolls, incomplete scrolls, and a myriad of fragments which have been recovered are complete copies or portions of all the books in the Hebrew Bible (our OT), except for the Book of Esther.

1993 – Proof of King David's existence. At an ancient mound called Tel Dan, in the north of Israel, words carved into a chunk of basalt were translated as "House of David" and "King of Israel" proving that he was more than just a legend.

1979 – Amulet Scroll: A rolled-up amulet dating to 6^th century, bearing the Tetragrammaton, the name of God (the consonantal letters yod, he, waw, he), YHWH was found in one of the tombs in Hinnom Valley of Jerusalem. The scripture passage on the amulet is from the Aaronic or priestly blessing found in Num 6:24-25.

1986 – Two thousand year old Galilee boat excavated from Sea of Galilee. It is estimated that the boat could hold some fifteen individuals, similar to the boats in which Jesus and his twelve disciples traveled across the sea (See Matt 8:18, 23-27, 9:1, 14:13- 14, 22-32, 15:39, 16:5; Mark 4:35-41, 5:18, 21, 6:32-34, 45-51, 8:9-10, 13-14; Luke 6:1, 8:22-25, 37, 40; John 6:16-21).

1970s – Baruch Bulla: Hardened clay seal impression that had survived in damp earth containing the stamp and name of the scribe of Jeremiah. This bulla was found to be from the impression of Baruch ben Neriah, the scribe who wrote to the dictation of the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 36:4).

1990 – Ossuary of Caiaphas: The ossuary contained the remains of six people: two infants, a child aged two to five, a boy aged 13 to 18, an adult female and a man about 60 years old. The latter are believed to be the bones of Caiaphas, before whom Jesus was brought for questioning (Matt 26:3, 57; Luke 3:2; John 11:49, 18:13, 14, 24, 28; Acts 4:6)

1961 – Pontius Pilate Inscription: A dedicatory stone that bore a three line inscription: Tiberieum / [Pon]tius Pilatus / [Praef]ectus Iuda[eae], "Tiberius [the Roman emperor of the period]/Pontius Pilate/Prefect of Judea." The inscription not only confirms the historicity of Pilate, it clarifies the title that he bore as governor.

The archeological findings related to Bible are too numerous to be listed here. All points to the fact that Bible is free from errors.

o       Accuracy in Prophesies

The Genuine prophecies listed in the Bible are the most evidential for substantiating the Bible’s claim to divine inspiration. The amount of predictive matter in the Bible is 8,352 verses out of its total 31,124. This means that the portion of the Bible that is predictive is 27% (28.5% in the Old Testament and 21.5% in the New Testament). There is no other Scripture on the face of the earth, nor has there ever been, which even comes close to this kind of predictive ability. Every prophecy in the Bible that is intended to the period till date is fulfilled with 100% accuracy. No other predictions in the world can claim this accuracy.  Some of the major historical events which were predicted in the Bible decades and centuries before its happening are listed below:

• The reign of King Cyrus [Isaiah 44:28 to Isaiah 45:6] 
• Babylonian captivity of Judah [Isaiah 39:5-7] 
• Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman empires [Daniel 2, 7, 11:1-35]  
• Reign of King Josiah [1 Kings 13:1-2] 
• Return of Israel to home town after Babylonian captivity [Jeremiah 32: 36,37] 
• The fall of the following towns: 
• Edom [Jeremiah 49:16]
• Tyre [Ezekiel 36: 3-5]
• Samaria [Micah 1:16]
• Gaza and Ashkelon [Jeremiah 47: 5, Zephaniah 2:4-6]
• Palestine [Ezekiel 36: 33,35, Leviticus 26: 31,33] 
• Messianic Prophecies:

• Event	Prophecy	Fulfillment
  Virgin Birth	Isaiah 7: 14	Matthew  1 :18,20,25
  From the tribe of Judah	Genesis 49:10,	Luke 3: 23,33
  Born in Bethlehem	Micah 5:2	Matthew 2:1
  Named as Immanuel	Isaiah 7:14	Matthew  1: 23
  Ministry of Miracles	Isaiah 35:5,6	Matthew  9: 25
  Forsaken by disciples	Zechariah 13:7	Matthew 26: 56
  Betrayed by friend	Psalms 49: 9	John 13: 21
  Sold for 30 silver coins	Zechariah 1:12,13	Matthew 26.15, 27: 5
  Tortured and mocked	Isaiah 53:5, Isaiah 50:6, Psalms 22:78	Matthew 27: 26,30,31
  Body gets pierced	Psalms 22: 16,   Zechariah 2:10	John 20:25
  Crucified with robbers	Isaiah 53:12	Matthew 27: 38
  Garments gets divided	Psalms 22:18	John 19: 23, 24
  No bones are broken	Nahum 9: 12	Matthew 19:33-36
  Raised from dead	Psalms 16:10	Acts 2:31

o       Confirmation in Church Histories

The Christian church for all these past 2000 years has held fast to the doctrine of inerrancy. When Errantists maintain that inerrancy has not been the historic position of the Church they are either unacquainted with the data, or refuse to accept it. As Lindsell states: There is no evidence to show that errancy was ever a live option in the history of Christendom for eighteen hundred years in every branch of the Christian Church that had not gone off into aberration. Bible has stood the test of time. Its authors are proven trustworthy over the centuries.

Conclusion

There is no middle ground or partial inerrancy.  The whole of the original autographs of the Bible is verbally inspired, divinely infallible and absolutely inerrant. Man’s knowledge has often proved unreliable and limited. However, in spite of the wealth of confirmation for 2,000 years, even in light of 200 years of recent skeptical attack, the Bible has proved its reliability in many ways and in many areas, and it is absolutely worthy of our trust.

Your Brother In Christ,
Finny Samuel

References:
Reliability Of The Canon by Dr. Johnson C. Philip and Dr. Saneesh Cherian
http://freecourses.org
http://apologeticscourses.com
http://bible.org
http://jashow.org
http://ankerberg.com
http://jashow.org
http://mb-soft.com
http://givingananswer.org
http://yutopian.com
http://biblicalstudies.info

The Infallible and Inerrant Bible - Part 01

Biblical inerrancy is the doctrinal position that the biblical Scripture in the original manuscripts is accurate and totally free of error. Biblical infallibility is the doctrinal position that what the Bible says regarding matters of faith and Christian practice is wholly useful and true. In other words, 'Inerrant' means there are no errors; 'Infallible' means there can be no errors.

The Christian Church as a whole believes that the Bible is inspired, infallible and inerrant. The words Infallibility and Inerrancy may be distinguished but not separated. The Bible is inerrant since it makes no false or misleading statements on any topic whatsoever and it is infallible since it makes no false or misleading statements on any matter of faith and practice. God himself has guided the personality and style of the sacred authors to communicate the message he desired. It is important to bear in mind that belief in inerrancy is in keeping with the character of God. If God is true and He is (Romans 3:4), and if God breathed out the Scripture, then the Scripture, being the product of God, must also be true.  

It is to be noted that this divine inspiration and inerrancy is only applicable to the original writings, not the copies and translations made by man. When critics of the Bible point out apparent contradictions, what they are doing is either failing to understand the context of the passages they are examining, or they have encountered a scribal copying error. Even the copies of the scriptural documents are so accurate that all of the biblical documents are 98.5% textually pure. The 1.5% that is in question is mainly nothing more than spelling errors and occasional word omissions like the words "the," "but," etc. This reduces any serious textual issues to a fraction of the 1.5%. Nevertheless, nothing affects doctrinal truths. In fact, nothing in ancient history even comes close to the accuracy of the biblical documents. The rationalists gives much importance to show Bible has errors, since that will eventually question the reliability of God Himself and the integrity of Christian fundamentals.

Scriptural inerrancy is established by a number of observations and processes, which include the historical accuracy of the Bible, the Bible's claims of its own inerrancy, Church history and tradition and one’s individual experience with God. Since the doctrine of Bible Inerrancy is very much needed to assert the belief in biblical authority, every believer should understand and defend this doctrine.

Dimensions of Bible Inerrancy

Many of the so-called errors in the Bible, that those who oppose inerrancy point out, are easily eliminated because they fall into various categories that the doctrine of inerrancy allows for. In addition to this, since definitions of inerrancy are not plentiful, Errantists equate inerrancy with infallibility and then limit its scope to matters of faith and practice or to revelation matters or to the message of salvation. In view of this, when defining inerrancy, it is always important to state clearly what it means and what it does not mean. The fundamental issues that mesh with the concept of inerrancy can be summarized as follows:

1.   Inerrancy extents its scope to the whole of Bible.

It is very interesting that many have, in very subtle ways, retained words like inspiration, infallible, and even inerrant in speaking about the Bible while denying its freedom from error. It is said by advocates of this position that it need not be a concern to the Christian that the Bible contains historical, scientific, and factual errors because the purpose of the Bible is to merely instruct the believer in the life they should live. For example, Stephan T Davis in his book "The Debate about the Bible" claims that "The Bible is infallible, as I define that term, but not inerrant. That is, there are historical and scientific errors in the Bible, but I have found none on matters of faith and practice".

This scoping is absolutely wrong. Wayne Grudem defines biblical inerrancy in the following way: "The inerrancy of Scripture means that Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact." This definition implies that whatever the Bible talks about can be trusted to be true and accurate, whether it is a matter of doctrine, ethics, history or science.  For example, by the divine intervention in history, God initiated His plan for redemption of mankind from sin and realized it through specific historical events. The chain of historical events in Israel and the spiritual realities in the incarnation of Jesus of the salvation of man are so intertwined that if one is true other is true too. It is not logical to claim that doctrines depending on the historical events are inerrant but these events may be myth.  Furthermore, in geographical realm, the archeological evidences and understanding of antiquity attests to the exactitude of the scriptures.

Though bible does not claim to be the manual of science or history, the facts mentioned in it never errs. 

2.   Inerrancy allows for variety in details

Inerrancy does NOT mean uniformity in all the minute details of a particular event in analogous accounts written by different authors. Such differences seen in the Holy Bible have been greatly exaggerated by radicals and often referred to as contradictions or errors. In fact, different authors are free to decide the level of details in their narration. All that matters is whether the details contradict in the core substance of the event. This is true in the cases of event reporting, quotation or a specification in doctrines.

a.      Complementary details in the narration.

If four witnesses to a crime gave testimony that was word-by-word, syllable-by-syllable the same, a judge or jury will certainly conclude that the testimony is framed and fabricated. This explains the freedom of details observed in the 4 Gospels for reporting conversations and events. In regard to the Jesus’ quotes, it is to be noted that Jesus spoke in Aramaic and the writers of Scripture wrote their accounts in Greek and hence had to translate the original words into Greek. Writers might have used slightly different words to describe the same incident or quote, yet everyone gave the same meaning, albeit with different words. Another reason for the differences is the different standpoints/outlooks the writers had for the same event. Each author records what is important to himself as a historian emphasizing different points. These accounts are complementary, not contradictory.

For instance, in the Gospels of Matthew (Ch. 28) and Mark (Ch. 16) one angel is said to appear at the empty tomb of Christ and proclaim the good news that Jesus has risen from the dead. But in the Gospel of Luke (Ch. 24) the writer says that there are two angels at the tomb. These differences do not contradict each other. Though 2 angels appeared, only one spoke to the disciples.  This can be illustrated with the following story: Suppose I met President of India and his adviser. I then meet you and tell you that I met the President. Later I meet your friend and tell him of the meeting, but this time mention that it was both the president 'and' his adviser whom I had met. You and your friend meet and talk about how privileged I am to meet the President. However, when you compare notes you discover that I have told you that I "only" met the president, whereas I tell your friend that I met the president 'and' his adviser. There is an 'apparent' contradiction, but not an irreconcilable one. The same is true for the Gospel accounts of the angels.

b.      Non verbatim repetition of event or quotation.

In his book, "Thy Word Is Truth" E. J. Young noted that, “In times of antiquity it was not the practice to give a verbatim repetition every time something was written out”. A verbatim repetition of an event or quote was not always possible due to the need for translation. While Jesus’ quotes had to be translated from Aramaic to Greek, the Old Testament records had to be translated from Hebrew and/or Aramaic.  Furthermore, Old Testament scrolls were so lengthy that it was very difficult to unroll it every time a reference is needed. The fact that these scrolls were not readily and easily available for any writer made the non verbatim repetition further necessary. Hence Inerrancy allows for quotations to be paraphrases rather than word by word translation.

Some ancient writers took the liberty of non verbatim quotation to the extent of combining the words of two Old Testament prophets. In Matthew 27:9-10, though the author ascribes the prophecy to Jeremiah, on closer look, it can be understood that it is a combination of Zechariah 11:12-13, Jeremiah 18:2 and Jeremiah 19:2-11. Opponents of inerrancy argue that Matthew got it wrong by mentioning Jeremiah instead of Zechariah. However, in reality, what Matthew does is a comparison with some parts of the prophecy by Jeremiah. This is understood by the fact that although Matthew makes reference to 'a field', no reference is made to this by Zechariah. On the contrary, in Jeremiah 18:2 and 19:2-11 there are clear references to a field. Since Jeremiah is the "major" prophet, and Zechariah is a minor, the major prophet's name is used here.  Mark also does the same by mentioning Isaiah not Malachi in Mark 1:2-3.

c.       Non Contradiction on the subject matter.

Inerrancy demands the account does not teach error or contradiction. In Bible, we can learn that all the statements reflect as they are despite the variance in the details. For instance, in Matthew 8:5-13 it is noted that the centurion came to Jesus and said, “I am not qualified.” In Luke 7:1-10, it is noted that the elders came and said concerning the centurion, “He is worthy.” It seems that the elders first came and spoke to Jesus, and later the centurion himself came. Both accounts are in accord with things as they are.

It is a psychological fact that, due to inevitable differences in points of view, observation and individual emphasis, several individuals, each completely honest, will tell the very same events in quite different ways and words.

3.   Inerrancy allows for variety in writing styles

Inerrancy allows each biblical author to use his own unique style in terms of vocabulary, grammar, and method of presentation. It also accounts for the behavior of the writings. For instance, Paul wrote his books with a lot of emotion and reflects logic of a philosopher while Matthew gets straight to the point.

a.      Ordinary language in everyday speech.

The ways approximations are used in numbers are not usually considered for accuracy. For instance, in a battle, while the death toll is 7946 or 8124, a reporter can report it as 8000. This will not be an error or contradiction when it is considered as rounding off. The gospel of John was written in the simple style one might expect of an unlearned fisherman; Luke was written with a more sophisticated vocabulary of an educated person. It is in line with the form of everyday speech that sun is considered as “rising” in Ecclesiastes 1:5

b.      Pictorial language and Symbolic statements

The doctrine of Inerrancy allows for departure from standard forms of grammar.  Hence Inerrancy does not exclude the use of pictorial language and figures of speech.

For instance, in John 10:9 Jesus declares, “I am the door,” whereas in verse 11 He states, “I am the Good Shepherd.” In English language this is considered mixing metaphors, but for Greek grammar or Hebrew language this is not an issue. Similarly, In John 14:26 Jesus refers to the Spirit as no gender (pneuma = neuter) and then refers to the Spirit as “He” (ekeinos = masculine). This may raise an English grammarian’s eyebrows, but it is not a problem of Greek grammar. The context will help to determine whether the interpretation is literal, spiritual or symbolical.

Interpreting the Bible literally does not rule out figurative language when the context calls for it. The Bible uses literary devices such as metaphor, simile, and hyperbole to make a point. Inerrancy does not mean that passages need to be interpreted in a "hyper-literal" manner. It is to be noted that many things in Psalms, the Song of Solomon and the Prophets, as well as the parables in the gospels and in Revelation are figurative. Besides, thousand of expressions in both the Old and New Testaments are closer to poetry then a prose.

4.   Inerrancy does not demand scientific precision

The opponents of the inerrancy theory often argue that some historical statements in the Bible vary with other facts. Inerrant assumes the truth of a statement, even if it is not of absolute scientific precision since the writer and the readers understand that exact precision was not intended.  Rounding off numbers or approximation of years may be considered as inerrant since the context is given importance rather than the numbers.  For instance, In Joshua 4:9, it’s mentioned that the 12 stones set up in Jordan “are there unto this day”. “This day” obviously means that the day that scripture was written and not the day the reader reads it.

Placement of statements in right historical setting

Often times, the defenders of inerrancy had to take a “wait and see” approach in justifying certain historic or scientific aspect. Till day, that approach has vindicated them. For instance, until recently some scholars had believed that the usage of the word “politarchs” in Acts 17:6 as the title of the civil authorities in Thessalonica is incorrect, since no reference to this word could be found in any classical literature. However, recent discoveries uncovered about 19 inscriptions which use this term and interestingly 5 of them are mentioned specific to Thessalonica.

Another instance is Christ’s reference to mustard seed as the smallest of the seeds in Matthew 13: 31-32. Today orchid seed, not mustard seed is known as the smallest of the seeds. Jesus’ purpose was not to be a scientific discoverer, but to teach the common man about the kingdom of God in a language and science known to him. Hence this reference is not seen as an error.

Biblical chronologies have always been under attack by radicals. However, the fact the critics do not know or consider is that in ancient days, there was no universal calendar. The duration of reigns of the kings were often calculated and recorded based on different calendars. Very technical work following the ancient ways of calculation, has been done in the latter part of 20^th century to prove that biblical chronologies are accurate than any other ancient writers.

Placing the biblical statements in the right historical context will solve the questions arising on the differences in the usage of some grammar and writing style as well.

5.   Inerrancy allows for non-technical descriptions

The usage of exact technical vocabulary that conforms to the modern day science is not implied by the doctrine of inerrancy. It is reasonable to expect a biblical author to explain a natural event from the view point of a common man in pure non-technical descriptions. For instance, in Numbers 11:9, it says dew fell on the camp. Scientifically dew is “Tiny drops of water that form on cool surfaces at night, when atmospheric vapor condenses.” However, from the vantage point of an observer, manna looked like falling with small droplets of water. Here it is to be noted that the author is not mentioning scientific statement on the nature of universe. This is true in the case of Ecclesiastes 1:5 also, where it is mentioned sun to ‘rise’. It is not logical to expect Genesis 24:63 to read, “When the revolution of the earth upon its axis caused the rays of the solar luminary to impinge horizontally upon the retina, Isaac went out to meditate.”

The biblical record of creation touches upon areas of geology, astronomy, biology, meteorology, zoology, physiology and several others, without mentioning the exact technical expressions. Still, they are error free in regard to fundamental principles.

6.   Inerrancy allows for problem passage to exist

The main subject matter of the Bible is the salvation of human kind from sin. Bible is not intended to give the perfect solutions of all historical and scientific questions. Since the aim of bible records is not to provide total information on every subject, the doctrine of inerrancy allows for the existence of passages which are not comprehensive or complete. In some cases, the answers may be formulated only by further development in archeology and science. While waiting for the answers it makes sense to consider it as inerrant, rather than referring to error.

Inerrancy does not demand omniscience of authors

It is not reasonable to demand the authors of biblical records to be omniscient or scholars in all subjects. Every book in the Bible revolves around a central subject and that context is given importance rather than the comprehensiveness of all matters written in it. For instance, each of the 4 gospels has its own distinctive role in portraying the life of Jesus. None of them is intended to be day-to-day biography of Jesus Christ. John specifically mentions in his gospel that the comprehensive record of Jesus’ life and ministry is not humanly possible and it is not his intention. The events which help a person to accept Jesus as his personal savior got recorded in different contexts by different authors.

(To be continued...)

Click Here to view Part 02 of this study

Your Brother In Christ,
Finny Samuel

References:
Reliability Of The Canon by Dr. Johnson C. Philip and Dr. Saneesh Cherian
http://freecourses.org
http://apologeticscourses.com
http://bible.org
http://www.drbarrick.org
http://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.spotlightministries.org.uk
http://www.blueletterbible.org