Scholarship

There are times when I wish my brain worked a little bit more quickly. A little while ago I got into a discussion with someone after they found out I knew a little Greek. And they were talking about how the New Testament was inspired by God and how this was shown in the special Greek used which was different from the rest of the documents we have. And I was drawing a complete blank.

Then they mentioned that this person who 'proved' the similarity of language in the New Testament and differences from the rest of the Greek language wrote his book around 100 years ago. And I went 'oh that must have been before many of the recent discoveries of papyri and pottery shards. And they didn't know what I was talking about. I still couldn't come up with why what I had learned was so different. Until after they left.

And then I realized I had heard mention once upon a time of the author and book. And it was discounted because the Greek manuscripts used were from classical Greek sources and the New Testament is in common or 'koine' Greek. One set of manuscripts were written by the educated for the educated, the other was what was used in the marketplace (agora in Greek) and city streets.

Now I suspect much of what I do is more akin to writing for the elite than talking in the marketplace. Who but an educated elitist would spend their extra money on buying books from the Loeb Classical Library and rather have that than an expensive meal. But, still, there are lessons. Philology and the study of language has changed because of more recent discoveries so that we can more clearly understand what was written. But sometimes our opinions are stuck back in the Reformation or before.

And I wonder if that's related to our view of Scripture. If we talk about Scripture as without error or a timeless understanding then we are more likely to treat previous generations as more correct than our current generation. If we talk about Scripture as the story of a faith journey, as the record of struggles, then we can look and examine what was done in our past as we go to the future.

I certainly don't deny the saints of the past who have taught me and others. As I think of the grandmother I knew and my mother I resonate with the letter to Timothy talking about his mother and grandmother. As I read Calvin again and again I recognize the faith and learning that went into them and am inspired to return to scripture once again. And as I read the confessions and creeds of my denomination I am reminded that councils may err and we are called to examine the past to make sure that we are not repeating the mistakes that they made.

The work in examining scripture needs to be done and redone since we are still learning and are like those looking in polished silver or bronze at our reflections. For Christians our golden age lies ahead in that realm towards which we work. We build on what the past has done, but look to what still needs to be done and what needs to be corrected.