Monday, March 16, 2026

Modern evangelical avoidance of a plain sense reading of Confession 1:8

X post:

It is simply amazing to see the extent to which some modern evangelical interpreters will go to avoid a plain sense reading of WCF/2LBCF 1:8:

"Paragraph 8. The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God of old), and the New Testament in Greek (which at the time of the writing of it was most generally known to the nations), being immediately inspired by God, and by His singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical;...."

Immediate inspiration in Hebrew and Greek allows use of the LXX and other ancient versions to correct the corrupted Hebrew? "By his singular care and providence" means by natural, ordinary, and humanistic restorationist (reconstruction) means? "Kept pure" means kept mostly pure? "In all ages" means "as reconstructed in recent times" with the rise of modern historical textual criticism in the 19th century, the discovery of the DSS in the 20th century, and the arrival of CBGM/ECM in the 21st century? "Authentical" does not actually mean genuine (having no relation to the modern term "authentic") but suggestively authoritative as an "initial text"?

You might believe it is outdated, reject it, or claim it points to a trajectory for a new modern articulation of the topic, but please don't attempt a radical, anachronistic, and tortured redefinition of its original meaning.

JTR

No comments: