This meme has been making the rounds lately:
“In 1000 years, people won’t understand the difference
between ‘butt dial’ and ‘booty call’ and THAT is why the Bible cannot be a
reliable resource.”
Cute.
But stupid. Very, very, stupid.
First, it assumes humankind will either not have access to
the trillions of documents that currently exist or, that they will not be able
to interpret/understand their context.
Secondly, it assumes that the Bible, likewise, stands alone
without other documents, or that modern humans are unable to
interpret/understand those documents and
the context they provide for Scripture.
As a simple case in point, let’s look at the crucifixion of
Christ. Some people contend that Jesus was crucified on a tree or a stake because
the Bible states that Christ was “hanged on a tree” and because the Greek word, stauros means an upright stake. But examining the Greek work for ‘tree’
(xulon), we discover that it means wood, a piece of wood, or anything made of
wood. If Jesus had been crucified on an actual tree, it would have been more
appropriate to use the proper word for that—‘dendron’. And history tells
us that many people were often crucified by the Romans on a stake, which was
essentially a cross with no crossbeam. In this case, the hands of the condemned
were raised above their heads and then nailed to the wood with a single nail.
As things change, the words to describe them do not
necessarily change with them. This has been true in the past as it is now. Think
about how the word “record” was once used to refer specifically to a vinyl
record. It now has a broader meaning which can refer to any audio recording,
and one must specify "vinyl” if they want to indicate they are speaking
about a true vinyl record.
Similarly, from the time people were first crucified by hanging them on a tree or a stake until the time Christ was crucified, the words to describe the event had not changed, but the methods definitely had. The Romans had perfected crucifixion by the time Christ died for our sins so that the condemned would suffer in agony for as long as possible. The Romans had by this point discovered that when the arms were directly over their heads, the convicted died relatively quickly. (This is due to the fact that the diaphragm must be able to move down in order to breathe in. When the hands are over the head and the body is suspended beneath, the weight of the body pulls on the diaphragm, causing the air in the lungs to remain there and not be expelled sufficiently, resulting in a form of suffocation.) In order to prolong the suffering, the Romans began adding a crossbeam in an effort to prevent the weight of the body from putting so much strain on the diaphragm. The condemned would naturally push up on their nailed feet to breathe properly (as their body still would sag down even in this position). In some cases, a small wooden platform was added beneath the feet so that the doomed person could prolong their life, and their agony, even longer.
It was for this reason that when the Romans wanted to hasten
the death of the prisoners, they would break the legs of those being crucified.
Once the leg bones were broken, the dying were no longer able to push their
bodies up to aid their breathing. This resulted in death by suffocation much
more quickly. If Jesus was crucified by the earlier methods (on a tree or on a
stake with his hands over his head) none of the references to breaking the legs would make any sense:
Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies
would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day),
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be
taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the
other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that
he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers
pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He
who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is
telling the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that
the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” And
again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.” (John 19:31-36)
Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us: For the word of God is living and
active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and
of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions
of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and
exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
The Bible is not simply translated word for word, without knowledge
of history or context.
And THAT is why it IS such a reliable resource.
