Roland

I have an even more obvious question:

Why didn't the AUTHORS of the books of the Bible claim divine inspiration, if they indeed believed they were divinely inspired when they wrote them? Wouldn't they be the best judge of that? ("Gee, one day I was sitting at my writing desk and all of a sudden my pen started moving across the page, until, lo and behold, THIS was produced").

After all, what person who is writing under divine inspiration needs to do RESEARCH (as Luke claims to) for crying out loud?

motorhead

Catholics might reply that the Bible is the word of God by the authority of the Church. The Church that was started by Jesus of Nazareth and entrusted to the apostles. Jesus stated the Holy Spirit would guide His Church. Therefore, any decisions the Church made would be honored in Heaven because those decisions were guided by the Holy Spirit.

Protestants might reply the Bible is the word of God by the authority of its own testimony. Protestants, correct me if I'm wrong here.

The writers of the books included in the Bible (NT, at least) didn't know they were writing something that would one day be considered inspired and included in a canon. The early Church (first few centuries) made the call as to which books were inspired, and even in this process there were disagreements. I think their criteria for determining which books were inspired is how well the book lined up with orthodox Christian teaching.

Chris Weimer

2 Timothy 3:16 actually reads "All writings are godbreathed" not specifically scripture. Plus, if you read it as alluding to only scripture, you would have the author of 2 Timothy already knowing about the full Christian canon ahead of time, which is quite absurd.

countjulian

God said so?
The priest told me so behind the rectary?

Zeichman

grafh, from what I've been taught, is used to refer to Scripture throughout the Christian Testament, in addition to "writings" in general". And historically, isn't it possible that the author was referring to the Hebrew Bible (or possibly including the gospels and some Pauline literature)?

Chris Weimer

Quite possible. However, I would tie it in with Acts 17.23 and Lukan universalism, perhaps, although that may be stretching it a bit.

judge

Hmmm....this does come close.

This does not preclude that other writings apart from the HB are inspired as well though.

I think today it is common for some believers to think that "the word of god" means that there are 66 books that are divinely inspired and nothing else at all is divinely inspired.

So I suppose I think that the term "word of god" has connotations today that are not consistent with Pauls use here.

Lux Interior

Well, doesn't this, at least kind of? I mean, if they weren't claiming divine inspiration, why the threat that they're gonna sic their dog, err, their God on ya?

Black Feather

Clearly George W asked God specifically. I don't know if we want others actually asking. lol

austin2

do you differentiate between the Bible and the Gospels?

if I remember correctly, G-d speaks in the Bible

does G-d speak in the Gospels? I do not think anyone ever made that claim