Monday, October 23, 2023

"As far as it is translated correctly" in interpretations of the Foundational Clause of the BASF

The foundational clause of the Birmingham Amended Statement of Faith reads thusly:

 

That the book currently known as the Bible, consisting of the Scriptures of Moses, the prophets, and the apostles, is the only source of knowledge concerning God and His purposes at present extant or available in the earth, and that the same were wholly given by inspiration of God in the writers, and are consequently without error in all parts of them, except such as may be due to errors of transcription or translation.—2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Corinthians 2:13; Hebrews 1:1; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 Corinthians 14:37; Nehemiah 9:30; John 10:35.

 

Commenting on this, Peter Hemingray (who wrote a very good biography of John Thomas, John Thomas: His Friends & His Faith ) and Peter Bilello wrote the following:

 

Consequences

 

We can summarize these as follows:

 

·       The Foundation Clause recognizes that over the long period of the Bible’s history there may be difficulties created by errors of transcription or translation
. . .

·       Given the meticulous process of copying later developed, and the diligent labors of translators who believed that they were handling the Word of God, we may be sure that the LORD has overseen the preservation of the word, although we must be careful not to ascribe to this any particular Hebrew or Greek manuscript or to any particular Bible Translation. (Peter Hemingray and Peter Bilello, Doctrines to Be Rejected: A Study in the Second Section of the Birmingham Amended Statement of Faith [Simi Valley, Calif.: The Christadelphian Tidings Publishing Co., 2023], 44, emphasis added)

 

Further Reading:


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