Questions tagged [inspiration]

How God's part of authorship of Scripture works.

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Is The Bible truly infallible? Is it inerrant without divine inspiration?

My question comes in two parts, the second being a direct result of the first. Is the Bible infallible? I have often heard that it is, but the most conclusive proof that I have heard essentially ...
TheCosmicAspect's user avatar
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How to understand the the inspired metanarrative of the Judges periodic to late Monarchic Scriptures?

As a Christian I can see the early OT involving God's guidance through sacred etiological myths, setting apart from ANE, and origins. I understand that the time of the judges to post-Davidic kingdoms ...
Pisaster's user avatar
10 votes
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How can a reasonable faith be placed in the Being that inspired the Bible if it is "inspired" but not "inerrant"?

This question (and two related sub-questions) is directed towards those who believe that the Bible is inspired but not inerrant. I understand inerrant to simply mean "without error". "...
Mike Borden's user avatar
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How are the definitions of Ecumenical Council divinely inspired?

Catholics, Orthodox, and other denominations hold that the definitions produced by accepted ecumenical councils are protected from error by the Holy Spirit. What is the manner of this inspiration? ...
Terjij Kassal's user avatar
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2 answers
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Was the division of the Holy Bible into the Old and New Testaments divinely inspired?

We hear Jesus telling the disciples in John 13:34-35 (NRSVCE): I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone ...
Kadalikatt Joseph Sibichan's user avatar
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1 answer
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For traditional sources, how does the Catholic Church distinguish between holy truth and human speculation from the same author?

Some denominations believe that the Bible is the sole source of revealed knowledge (e.g. Protestant Sola scriptura). Some believe that recorded oral tradition that doesn't contradict the Bible is a ...
Ray Butterworth's user avatar
7 votes
4 answers
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What are arguments for the divine inspiration of the longer ending of Mark (Mark 16:9-20)?

Simple question: What are the best arguments for the divine inspiration of the longer ending of Mark (Mark 16:9-20), according to believers in its inspiration? These are examples of articles ...
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2 votes
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Are there any denominations or Christian groups that teach the Bible is not inspired?

I know that there are a respectable number of denominations that hold to the idea that the scriptures aren’t innerant (free from error). But are there any that go as far as to teach that the ...
Luke Hill's user avatar
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How do people who deny Biblical inerrancy understand this argument on inspiration?

This is my own deductive argument for the inerrancy of the scriptures. From what I can tell, people who deny Biblical inerrancy still accept God’s inspiration of the scriptures (as espoused in 2 ...
Luke Hill's user avatar
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What is the difference between Sola Scriptura and the belief in a closed canon?

Does belief in Sola Scriptura entail belief in a closed canon? Does belief in a closed canon entail belief in Sola Scriptura? What is the difference between these two concepts? Is it possible to ...
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Do any denominations consider the writings of any Apostolic or ante-Nicene Father to be inspired?

Do any denominations consider the writings of any Apostolic or ante-Nicene Father to be inspired and authoritative to establish doctrines? If so, what criteria are used to make such a determination?
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What is the difference between special revelation and (biblical) inspiration?

From the Wikipedia article on special revelation: Special revelation is a Christian theological term that refers to the belief that knowledge of God and of spiritual matters can be discovered through ...
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What evidence and authority make The Song of Solomon a work of spiritual inspiration and not an erotic poem?

Is it not true that the place of this book in the Jewish bible was not established until sometime in the early Christian era? If that is so, is it not presumptuous to deem it as being among the so-...
Las Gayle's user avatar
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2 answers
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According to Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, what are the strongest apologetic arguments for the divine inspiration of the deuterocanonical books?

According to Wikipedia, the deuterocanonical books include: Canonical for the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church: Tobit Judith Baruch Sirach 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees Wisdom Additions to ...
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What do Christians pay attention to in order to decide if a given piece of text or manuscript is divinely inspired?

Epistemologically speaking, when a Christian is faced with a given piece of text, manuscript, book, etc., how does he or she go about deciding whether the material at hand is divinely inspired or not? ...
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4 votes
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How do Christians who see Scripture as self-evidently inspired explain that Catholics, Protestants and Mormons have different sacred scriptures?

There are Christians who believe that there is no need to argue intellectually / apologetically for the divine inspiration of Scripture, since Scripture proves itself, by virtue of being self-...
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1 vote
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How do those who cite 2 Tim 3:16 to prove the inspiration of Scripture know that 2 Tim 3:16 is itself inspired and what is meant by "All Scripture"?

I really like the approach of asking people Socratic questions as a means of gaining deeper insight into why they believe what they believe. For example, when I've asked people to explain to me how ...
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2 votes
1 answer
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What practical difference does it make between "Word by word" Inspiration and Dynamic Inspiration of the Bible?

"Word by word" inspiration of the Bible: is the view that each word of the Bible was inspired by God, He miraculously guided the authors to write the exact word He wanted to be written, free ...
Black Watch's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
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Is there a consensus among Christian scholars or apologists as to which Biblical prophecies have been fulfilled?

Questions such as Biblical Prophecy and Fulfillment and Which prophecies have definitely been fulfilled? have already been asked in the past, but they have been closed due to their wording that ...
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1 vote
2 answers
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What are the most challenging objections to the divine inspiration of the Bible?

What are the most challenging objections to the divine inspiration of the Bible? Are there particularly compelling arguments that skeptics of the divine inspiration of Scripture commonly bring up to ...
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17 votes
3 answers
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What are scholarly objections to the divine inspiration of the Book of Mormon? [closed]

What are scholarly objections to the divine inspiration of the Book of Mormon? Answers backed up with sources will be appreciated. Note: this question is asked in good faith, with the intention of ...
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13 votes
7 answers
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According to Latter-day Saints, what are the strongest apologetic arguments for the divine inspiration of the Book of Mormon?

Inspired by my previous question on the divine inspiration of the Bible, I would like to ask a similar question on the Book of Mormon: According to Latter-day Saints, what are the strongest apologetic ...
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6 votes
5 answers
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What are the strongest arguments for the divine inspiration of the Bible?

Simple question: How do Christians who believe that the Bible was supernaturally inspired by God justify their position? What are the strongest arguments for the belief that the Bible is the inspired ...
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21 votes
9 answers
4k views

Are there theological explanations for why God allowed ambiguity to exist in Scripture?

Doctrinal differences abound in Christianity. This is attested to by the numerous times the Church has suffered splits and given birth to different denominations, branches, and sub-branches. The ...
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Were splits already present in the New Testament? If so, how did Jesus handle these splits? [closed]

Were splits already present in the New Testament? If so, how did Jesus handle these splits? Each Christian religion claims that it is the true Christian Faith and is moved by the Holy Spirit. Is it ...
salah's user avatar
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How do proponents of Sola Scriptura address the ministry of those Apostles who authored no parts of Scripture?

My purpose is to find a defense of sola scriptura against one part of the argument put forth in this article: https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/going-beyond The author of the article ...
Paul Chernoch's user avatar
35 votes
6 answers
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Is there any Biblical Basis for 400 years of silence between Old and New Testament? [closed]

When I was researching about the deuterocanon (or the apocrypha, as most Protestants call them) I stumbled upon the notion that God was silent during a period of 400 years between the end of the Old ...
David Woitkowski's user avatar
3 votes
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Find this quote regarding Inspiration of the Apocrapha

I once read a passage from one of the apocrypha books but I don't remember which one. I believe that it's from one of the books of the Maccabees but I was unable to find it. In paraphrasing, from what ...
Waylon Johnson's user avatar
-2 votes
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According to Catholicism did "Sacred Tradition" include Gnostic sources?

According to extant history the development of some of its main tenets ("The Doctrine of the Blessed Trinity" and "consubstantialism") clearly do not have their roots in the scriptures (and are ...
Ruminator's user avatar
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When the early church was formalising the canon, what did they understand by the word 'Inspired'?

When the early church was formalising the Biblical canon, what specific definition of the word 'inspired' did they have in regard to the biblical literature? I'm curious about how this relates to the ...
Adam Heeg's user avatar
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To the LCMS Lutherans, how is the Bible the word of God?

A. The Bible is the Word of God. (means, all the words we read are the Words of God) B. The Bible contains the Word of God. (means, not all the words we read are the Words of God) C. other than A ...
karma's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
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To the Lutherans ELCA, how is the Bible the word of God?

A. The Bible is the Word of God. (means, all the words we read are the Words of God) B. The Bible contains the Word of God. (means, not all the words we read are the Words of God) C. other than A ...
karma's user avatar
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How do Evangelicals explain when Paul writes "I, not the Lord"?

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 7:10 (NKJV): Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband In verse 12 Paul writes: But to the rest I, not the ...
Kwame 's user avatar
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2 answers
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Did any of the Church Fathers think the current-day Gospels were not inspired?

I heard that some of the Church Fathers referred to the Gospels using terminology which indicates maybe they didn't think they were "inspired". Is there any statement by one of them that indicates ...
cool breeze's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
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Does the JEDP Theory propose that the Scriptures are not inerrant/inspired?

Does the JEDP Theory propose that the Scriptures are not inerrant/inspired?
Sebastian Clinciu's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
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How did James Orr's view of the inspiration of the Bible differ from B. B. Warfield's?

Two of the intellectual fathers of Christian fundamentalism, and ultimately evangelicalism, were James Orr and B. B. Warfield. Both contributed to The Fundamentals, and are well known for opposing ...
Nathaniel is protesting's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
283 views

What are the details for the Catholic position on the inspiration of Scripture?

Catholicism teaches that Scripture is inspired by God and that the bible is free from error "in matters of faith and morals". I'm wondering what the Church means when it says that the scripture is "...
TheIronKnuckle's user avatar
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1 answer
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Statements about the doctrine or the future made by current LDS Prophet, and the church view on those

I was looking at this mormon.org page that mentions that "The current prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Thomas S. Monson." Does the LDS church assert that ...
x457812's user avatar
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Do the notes in the NABRE accurately reflect the Catholic Church's understanding of biblical inerrancy?

The NABRE is largely a product of the Catholic Church, and it is approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It's even available online at the USCCB website. So I was surprised to ...
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3 votes
4 answers
729 views

What is the evidence that the New Testament authors believed, or did not believe, that they were writing an inspired record?

The term "canon" is used to describe the collection of books that are considered by Christians to be divinely inspired, and therefore to belong in the Bible. (See: How and when was the canon of the ...
R. Brown's user avatar
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9 votes
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What is an overview of Christian viewpoints on the accuracy and truthfulness of the Bible?

Can anyone provide an overview of major Christian viewpoints regarding the infallibility of the Bible? Background: I am struggling with accepting that the Bible is 100% correct in all it says. All ...
Adam Heeg's user avatar
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2 answers
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Who or what established the divine inspiration for the authors of the bible? [closed]

Conventional Christianity would assert that all authors of the bible were divinely inspired to write exactly what they wrote. What evidence is used as the basis of this assertion? Is there recorded ...
John Norton's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
339 views

What's the name of the process by which the scriptures were written down?

The word 'concoursis' was used by a Sunday school teacher to describe the process by which Scripture was revealed by the Spirit to the Apostles and then written down. However, I can't find the word ...
Andrew's user avatar
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By what process were the Scriptures written down? [duplicate]

In a Sunday school class I recently attended, the teacher used a word to describe the process by which Scripture was revealed by the Spirit to the Apostles, then written down. I believe the word he ...
Andrew's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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Did God give Moses visions of History and the Tabernacle on Mount Sinai? [closed]

After Moses spent forty days and nights on the mountain, he gave the people the requirements God had told him to say to the Israelites: All Scripture is quoted from the King James translation unless ...
BYE's user avatar
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Luke's introduction, doesn't seem like he is claiming he was inspired?

When reading the introduction of the Gospel of Luke, it seems very clear that he isn't really claiming to be inspired by God or anything. Rather he is saying that he thinks himself to be more worthy ...
Blankman's user avatar
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4 answers
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Who tells us that the whole Bible is inspired?

I understand the inspiration concept, but I don't understand how to consider a quote if it's inspired from God [then we consider it God's Words], or if it explanations by the the apostle or prophet? ...
Mostafa 36a2's user avatar
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2 answers
455 views

Is the Bible literally the word of God? [duplicate]

As someone from a Muslim background, I have noted a major distinction between the Quran and the Bible; The Quran is seen by its adherents as the ipsissima verba of God, while (I've heard) the Bible ...
tobeornottobe's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
4k views

Is there a difference between Scripture and inspired writings?

Take these two questions and their answers for consideration to this question: What does "scripture" mean in NT writing? What does it mean that all scripture is God-Breathed? I am having ...
user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
987 views

Does Mark 16:9-20 Prove the Bible is not the infallible word of God?

Regarding Mark 16:9-20: To my knowledge, most biblical scholars agree that the last 12 verses of the Gospel of Mark were added at a later date in order to give a more coherent finish to a seemingly ...
Anthony A's user avatar