Exploring
Our Biblical Heritages is a science-based educational approach for reading the
Bible. The Biblical Heritage Center, Inc. is not a religious organization,
therefore we do not require people to accept, adopt or believe an institutional
theology. We do expect those who participate with others in our explorations to
agree to follow this guideline:
My belief system will
be large enough to include all facts,
open enough to be
examined and questioned,
and flexible enough to
change if errors or new facts are discovered.
This
guideline creates the open and safe environment required for exploring the biblical
text. It also gives all participants permission to examine and question each
other’s beliefs and a plan for what happens if errors or new facts are
discovered.
Beliefs About the Bible
All
Explorers of Biblical Heritages have beliefs about Bibles, while most Explorers
also have beliefs based on the words in their Bible. Unlike Bible studies that
take place in religious institutions, our explorations have participants that
range from religious people to atheists. Religious people and atheists both
have beliefs about Bibles, but they are usually polar-opposite beliefs. Religious
people have beliefs about God based on words of their Bibles, while atheists do
not.
Belief about Bibles
range from believing
“the Bible is the
inerrant infallible Word of God”
to believing “all
Bibles are total fiction.”
One
fact that all Bible readers agree on is -- “Bibles are books with words.”
Another fact is that there are rules that govern how those words are understood
and communicated. Without those rules, the communication process would not
work. We created linguistic models to guide Explorers as they work with the
words in Bibles (or anywhere else).
1.
Identify the Source (author or speaker).
2.
Identify the Receptor (reader or hearer).
3.
Identify the Symbols or Sounds (language).
4.
Identify the Bundle of Associations attached to the symbols or
sounds (Source’s culture, time period, geographical location, personal
experiences).
5.
Identify the Context (the environment in which a word or phrase
appears).
Developing
the Exploring Skills above will transform your understanding of the
words of in your Bible. Using these skills, you will see things that you wouldn’t
have been able to see before. Below are a couple of examples I discussed in
previous Exploring Our Biblical Heritages Educational Emails.
1.
In the context of Genesis 1:1-2:4a, ELOHIYM (Hebrew word) is the “creator
of the heavens and the earth.” ELOHIYM is translated “God,”
but ELOHIYM describes a type of entity. In
this context the name of the ELOHIYM is not revealed. In other
words, god’s name is not “God.”
2.
In the context of Genesis 2:4b-3:24, YAHWEH ELOHIYM
(Hebrew words) is the “planter of the Garden in Eden.” Yahweh
is the name of this ELOHIYM. The Hebrew words were translated
into English as LORD God (King James Version), Jehovah
God (American Standard Version), Jehovah Elohim (Darby’s
English Translation), Lord God (Douay
Rheims Bible), and Yahweh God
(World English Bible). We usually translate it “Yahweh the ELOHIYM”
or “Yahweh the god.”
3.
In the context of Genesis 1:1-2:4a, ADAM (Hebrew word) is “one
human male and one human female.” This ADAM is able
to function as “a producer of a new human life.” This ADAM
is also used to describe the collective we call “mankind.”
4.
In the context of Genesis 2:4b-3:24, ADAM (Hebrew word) is “one
male human.” He is incapable of producing a new human life.
Genesis
1:1-10:32 is an ancient Hebrew wisdom text. The Source (author
or speaker) used the Hebrew words ELOHIYM and ADAM in
two different contexts that resulted in their meanings being changed. Readers
must be aware of the Hebrew words to discover the wisdom principles the Source
embedded in those contexts.
In
my opinion, being aware of information like this is not only very important, it
is an essential requirement for accurately understanding the words that 2.5
billion people base their beliefs on. What do you think?
If You Think Exploring
Our Biblical Heritages
Is Important, Please Make
a Year-End Donation.
We
do not include advertisements in our emails or require subscriptions
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help is needed and greatly appreciated. Please donate
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Biblical Heritage
Center
PO Box 714
Cleburne, TX 76033-0714
Shalom
and Thank You!
Jim
Myers
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