Again, it was noted in the BACKGROUND Page “A strict adherence to a few principles will be used here. The first is remaining true to the wording of Scripture; the second, having multiple witnesses to establish a truth; and finally, a reliance upon an understanding that the Scriptures were written in a context of life very different from today’s.”
There are two parts to “multiple witnesses” that will be noted here. First is the point that having only one witness does not establish truth. And the obvious corollary to that is that the witness must not be a false witness.
Deuteronomy 19:15-19 NKJV
15 “One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established. 16 If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, 17 then both men in the controversy shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days. 18 And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother, 19 then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil from among you.
Many other passages refer to the importance of multiple witnesses:
Nm. 35:30; Dt. 17:6-7; Is. 8:2, 43:8-13; Mt. 18:15-17; John 8:17-18; 2Co. 13:1; 1Ti 5:19; He. 10:28-29; Re. 11; going to elders: Dt. 21, 22, 25; Ru. 4:1-12; Ac. 15:1-14
And, referring to the avoidance of false witnesses, a partial list:
Ex 20:16, 23:1; Dt 5:20, 19:18; Ps 27:12; Pr 6:19, 12:17, 14:5, 19:5, 9, 21:28, 25:18; Ek 13; Zch 8:17, 10:2; Mt 15:19, 19:18, 26:60; Mk 10:19, 14:56-57, Lk 18:20; Ac 6:13; 1Tm 1:3-7, 6:2-5; 2P 2:1-3; 1J 4:1; Jude 3-4; Re 2:2, 16:13, 19:20, 20:10, 21:17
Proverbs 6:16-19 NKJV
16 These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
Suffice it to say that one witness does not establish truth. Multiple viewpoints minimize chances of false testimony. Where possible, the writer will use a witness from the two sections of the Bible, the earlier writings and the more recent writings, Hebrew and Greek.
We will now introduce some terminology, more about the reasoning for not using the “old and new” testament terminology . The goal in learning the terminology used here is to remove as much implanted bias [intentional or not] as possible from our discussions. Throughout LogandSpeck, the effort will be to peel back some wording that has become so much a part of our language that we no longer recognize that it is based upon assumptions made long ago, which may or not be true. This is called “assumptive reasoning.” Assumptive reasoning simply means making decisions or choices based upon assumptions. We all do it, probably hundreds of times every day. However, to be discerning about choices we make, it is important to step back to ask ourselves, “What is the basis of this decision? Is it based upon an assumption? Am I ‘certain’ the assumption is true?” We engrain many ideas that lead our choices in certain directions that might be different had we begun at a different starting point, a different “assumption.” Discernment is about critical thinking. Critical thinking depends greatly upon the inferences made from certain basic assumptions.* The writer encourages the reader to review the brief footnoted article on inferences and assumptions below. Discernment is not only about critical thinking; it is also about allowing the Spirit of God to lead. These are the “two witnesses” for us, the two elements, the physical and the spiritual. They are the two trees in the garden. Making the choice for the tree of knowledge instead of the tree of life is the fatal flaw. The Word must be the instruction. The Spirit discerns, and guides toward critical thinking. (John 16:13) For example, the use of “Greek and Hebrew Scriptures” is at least partially unfamiliar to the reader, in order to change a mindset based upon an assumption. The reader, in the course of reading here, will have to determine what s/he believes based upon the evidence presented. But, the attempt is to remove assumptions based upon hearsay or doctrinal teaching and replace them with more “solid” or realistic evidence from Scripture.
Why in particular are we referring to “multiple witnesses” and truthful witnesses in this website? Because it specifically relates to interpretation of Scripture, in addition to other circumstances in life. Here is how that is applied, in the discussions here. On this site, please hold this writer to the standard of never taking one passage from Scripture and making a broad claim about it. Statements in Scripture are witnesses. Scripture will have many overlapping points, always making the point by at least two or three witnesses. If the writer here is trying to make a point, it will be substantiated by more than one witness. You, the reader, should expect the same of any teacher or commentator.
And the point about truthful witness as opposed to false, as it pertains to the discussion about Scriptural interpretation means pointing out two specific issues. Scripture, as already pointed out here, is Truth. Again, a partial listing: 2Sa. 7:28; 1Ki 17:24; Ps. 19:9, 34:4, 119:43, 119:142, 119:151, 119:160; Mt. 22:16; Mk. 12:14; Lk. 20:21; John 18:37; Ro. 2:20; 2Co. 6:7; 2Ti. 3:16; Re. 21:5, 22:6.
Hebrew words for “witness”
עֵדָה ‘êḏâ עֵד ‘êḏ
feminine form masculine form
So how does this relate to our topic? The first issue is one of Bible translations that make significant changes to original wording. Such changes can be made in what the translator feels is in the best interest of readers, can be made based upon ambiguities in the understanding of the original language, or can be made based upon specific doctrinal beliefs.
The second major issue is that a spiritual leader, herself or himself, may give teaching based upon false teaching that they received, or not follow specific guidelines for interpreting Scripture, or simply have a point they want to make and go to Scripture to find proof. In a later post we will talk about the difference between “eisegesis – reading into Scripture,” and “exegesis – lifting out of Scripture.” For now, I suggest for a brief introduction, you listen to this 3 and a half minute YouTube video about exegesis and eisegesis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a62WKXVCgs
The best approach for assuring a teacher is feeding you Truth is to research the topic yourself. Make a note of the verses they quote, and for yourself read those in context, and any other referred-to verses that connect with those. Know that Scripture speaks to you, not returning void, when you dig into it. One more word about “referred-to verses,” many study Bibles are available that will give you referent verses from the verse you are currently reading to linked passages elsewhere in Scripture. These are helpful for your understanding, when you remember the first point of always including context. We will also go much more deeply into intertextual references at a later post. (johnpratt.com)
The best approach for Bible translations, for those who are not really well versed in Scripture is to read different translations of the same passages to look for similarities and differences. Spend more time on researching the areas that are different. It may mean some area of ambiguity translating from the original language or an attempt to interpret for you, which can be dangerous. In a later post, we will get into the variations among Bible translations, but know that there is a spectrum of approaches to Scriptural interpretation, from more literal, word-for-word translations, to what are called thought-for-thought translations, even to what are called paraphrases. This writer had recommended to him to stay more toward the word-for-word translations, by several professors, which I pass along to you. The quotations on this website will tend to be more toward the word-for-word end of the spectrum, and even there you will see variations. Ones most quoted here will be LITV, ESV, NASB, and NKJV.
Our school’s headmaster had us review a paper he wrote while in graduate school in which he cited a list of characteristics of religious cults [based upon his research]. The thrust of the list was that a cult group tended to have an insistence upon their “one way,” meaning one line of thought, one strong leader, one book or set of treatises to follow, with no questioning of the authority of the “one way.” The reader is likely familiar with examples. Nevertheless, keeping in mind that having multiple sources is healthy, another of our professors always reminded us to “be Berean” (Acts 17:11) whenever he taught. Always going to the source, which is the divinely-inspired writing in Scripture, and double-checking is the wisest course. It is totally appropriate to follow “one way” when it is God’s way. It is not, when it is man’s way.
© Jan 2018 logandspeck.com please cite if copying