Episode Details

We look at some of the common ways that this is [mis]understood, and share some other perspectives on the how’s, who’s and what’s behind it.

Did the Gospel writers receive Divine guidance? Or were they hearing from some part(s) of their inner selves? [image crated by Andrew … thanks Andrew!]

[note: this is a re-release of an episode from our Archive …. Episode #101 … as a foundation for the current on-going mini-series which uses the Gospel accounts to find “the historical Jesus”]

Is the Bible divinely-inspired?

Often the first thing that Evangelicals will do when asked that question  — after voicing a very vigorous “YES!”  — is quote 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which begins with “All scripture is God-breathed …”

The problem is, that’s not the question that was asked.

To begin with, Paul is NOT talking here about the Bible! He’s writing this before the Bible as we know it even existed: before the Gospels or any of the non-Pauline books (from Peter, James, Luke, and one or more Johns) had even been written, and hundreds of years before a number of books were selected out of a large pile of sacred writings circulating at the time and collated into what we call “the Bible”.

He’s probably referring in part to the Old Testament books, but who’s to say he wasn’t also referring to yet other books? He uses a phrase which in the original Greek means “sacred writings” and which is translated in our modern English into “all scripture”. The Old Testament itself endorses many other ancient Hebrew books — “sacred writings” — that are not in our modern Bibles:

• the Annals of Samuel the Seer (1 Chronicles 29:29)
• the Records of Nathan the prophet (1 Chronicles 29:29; 2 Chronicles 9:29)
• the Recor