Knowing Scripture by R. C. Sproul

Author:R. C. Sproul [Sproul, R. C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Religion, Biblical Studies, Exegesis & Hermeneutics
ISBN: 083083723X
Google: _gnjPbckZGMC
Amazon: B0026XHG1U
Barnesnoble: B0026XHG1U
Publisher: IVP Books
Published: 2009-08-20T00:00:00+00:00

The problem of phenomenological language in historical narrative. The Bible is written in human language. It is the only kind of language that we can understand, because we are humans. The limitations of human language apply throughout the Bible. In fact, much has been written in recent years about this problem. Skepticism has sometimes reached the point of declaring that all human language is inadequate to express God’s truth. Such skepticism is unwarranted at best and cynical at worst. Our language may not be perfect, but it is adequate.

Nonetheless, these limitations become apparent when we deal with phenomenological language, especially in historical narratives. Phenomenological language describes things as they appear to the naked eye. When biblical writers describe the universe around them, they do it in terms of external appearances and not with a view to scientific, technological precision.

How many controversies have boiled over whether or not the Bible teaches that the earth rather than the sun is the center of the solar system? Remember Galileo, who was excommunicated because he taught heliocentricity (sun-centered solar system) against geocentricity (earth-centered solar system), which the church had endorsed? That caused a grave crisis involving the credibility of Scripture. Yet nowhere do we find a didactic portion of Scripture teaching that the earth is the center of the solar system. To be sure, in narratives, the sun is described as moving across the heavens. That is the way it appeared to ancient people, and it still appears that way today.

I am somewhat amused by the admixture of technical jargon and phenomenological language used in our modern world of science. Consider the nightly TV weather report. I become dazzled by the charts and maps and technological nomenclature used by the meteorologist. I hear about high pressure centers and aeronautical perturbations and vortices. I learn of the wind velocity and the barometric pressure. Satellite photos and doppler radar reveal whether I should expect rain. Then, at the end of the survey, the meteorologist says, “Sunrise tomorrow will be at 6:45 a.m.” I am astonished. Should I phone the TV station and protest this blatant conspiracy to reconstruct geocentricity?

Shall I protest the fraudulence and errancy of the report that speaks of the sun rising? What is happening here? When we still speak of the sun rising and setting, we are speaking according to appearances, and no one calls us liars. Can you imagine reading narrative portions of 2 Chronicles containing descriptions of the external world in terms of barometric pressure and precipitation-probability quotients? If we read the narratives of the Bible as if they were scientific textbooks, we are in big trouble.

This is not to say that there are no didactic portions of Scripture that do touch heavily on matters of science. Indeed there are, and in these we often find real conflicts in matters of psychology and biological theories of human nature and origins. But many other conflicts would never arise if we recognized the character of phenomenological language in narratives.

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