Category Archives: Bible

Was Peter behind Mark’s Gospel?

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Mark is believed by many to have based his account on the testimony of Peter.  However, much modern critical scholarship maintains that the internal evidence ‘hardly suggests, far less supports’ the traditional attribution. (Telford, A Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation).  This is unduly sceptical, to say the least.

The usual starting point is Papias (c.AD 60-130), who cites the ‘elder’ John:

‘Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately everything that he remembered, without however recording in order what was either said or done by Christ.’

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Mk 14:51 – The young man who ran off naked

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14:51 A young man was following him, wearing only a linen cloth. They tried to arrest him, 14:52 but he ran off naked, leaving his linen cloth behind.

Who was this young man?  Mark Strauss lists thirteen(!) possibilities.  Here are some of the contenders:

(a) Mark himself.  This is the traditional view.  Cole inclines to this view, as do Lange, Hendriksen and others.  This would then be Mark’s way of saying, “I was there,” without mentioning himself by name.  …

Can we know what Jesus really said?

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This question is addressed by John Nelson, who begins by noting several factors that might suggest some distance between what Jesus actually said and what is recorded in the Gospels:

First, Jesus spoke Aramaic, but the Gospels were written in Greek. This means that we often depend (at best) upon a translation of Jesus’ original teaching.

Second, the Gospels were written in an oral culture. This means that many of Jesus’ teachings were likely passed down verbally before they were written down.

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John Calvin on errors in Scripture

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I appreciate the work that Wyatt Houtz has done in demonstrating John Calvin’s approach to various apparent discrepancies in the Bible.

Here’s briefest of summaries.  In most cases, I have elaborated in my Bible Commentary on the various passages.

Gen 1:14:16 – Calvin knows that the Moon is not larger than Saturn, and that the Moon is a dark opaque body and not a luminary.  Calvin concludes that the author of Genesis is justified in using unscientific language, in order for God’s revelation to be understood by ordinary people.…

Mt 26:39/Mk 14:36/Lk 22:42 – “Let this cup pass from me!”

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Mt 26:39 Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Mk 14:36 He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Lk 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me.…

Lk 17:21 – “The kingdom of God is in your midst”

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Lk 17:20 Now at one point the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God was coming, so he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, 17:21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Various interpretations have been proposed:

(a) Some think that this is a later addition to the Gospel, attempting to deal with the so-called ‘delay of the Parousia’ and seeking to ‘spiritualise’ the notion of the kingdom of God.…

Challenges and blessings of Bible reading

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John Piper talks about the challenges and blessings of reading the Bible from cover to cover.

First, three challenges:-

1. You will be opposed. “Satan hates the word of God and will disincline you, blind you, distract you, bore you.” He will do anything to keep you from the word. Pray for his subversive aims to backfire. “Ask God to keep your heart inclined, remove your blindness, grant you focus instead of distraction, and give you excitement instead of boredom.”…

Why we need to read the Bible daily

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From the teaching of John Piper:-

Here are ten reasons we need the word daily.

(1) Scripture is a means of preserving our salvation. Salvation is a dynamic reality that functions in three tenses: past, present, and future. And in the present reality, “God saves us daily by Scripture” (1 Tim. 4:16).

(2) Scripture meets Satan’s temptations (John 8:32, 44; 1 John 2:14). “Every time Jesus was tempted by the devil, he struck back with ‘the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God’” (Eph.…

The Gospels and the ‘Telephone Game’

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It is generally agreed that a period of some 40 years lies between the Gospels and the events they record.

How, then, were the stories of those events passed on.

New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman thinks about transmission in terms of the ‘telephone game’:

‘You are probably familiar with the old birthday party game “telephone.” A group of kids sits in a circle, the first tells a brief story to the one sitting next to her, who tells it to the next, and to the next, and so on, until it comes back full circle to the one who started it.

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Rev 19:13 – ‘He is dressed in clothing dipped in blood’

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Rev 19:11 Then I saw heaven opened and here came a white horse! The one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice he judges and goes to war. 19:12 His eyes are like a fiery flame and there are many diadem crowns on his head. He has a name written that no one knows except himself. 19:13 He is dressed in clothing dipped in blood, and he is called the Word of God.…