SCIENTIFICALLY MODERNISING BIBLICAL LANGUAGE

SCIENTIFICALLY MODERNIZING BIBLICAL LANGUAGE

BY DR.MERVYN ABREO

          The reason for this project is essentially because, with our modern knowledge of time and space, we are able to understand to a much greater extent the ‘strange’ phrases used in the New Testament.

          On the other hand, because of the lack of knowledge of time and space, leading theologians, without a proper insight, have come up with strange interpretations, or have even lost their faith.

          Rudolf Bultmann (died in 1976), one of the twentieth century’s leading theologians, has popularized the theory that the New Testament statements about Christ are largely ‘mythical’. Phrases like, ‘becoming man,’ ‘sending His Son,’ ‘raised from the dead,’ and ‘at the Father’s right hand,’ must not be taken literally. These ‘mythical’ statements use a pre-scientific, out dated world view to what Christ meant to the early Christians.
         Their meaning for human life today can be discovered only by stripping off the mythical form of expression. This meaning, according to Bultmann’s view belongs entirely to this world. That there is no other world for the Son of God to ‘come from’ or ‘return to.’ (These two paragraphs taken from Lion’s: Handbook of Christian belief).

MODERNISING BIBLICAL LANGUAGE USING ‘TIME’ AND ‘SPACE’.

(First please read: ‘Understanding time-space-matter’)

          We should realize that the phrases given above cannot be taken literally because we are bound in a world of time and space, and God isn't.

          We will have a look at the four above mentioned phrases, first in the original and then, after I have rephrased them into modern lingo.

NOTE: First the BIBLICAL passage will be given- followed by the author’s PARAPHRASED VERSION.

I: ‘becoming man’- there are several examples of God becoming man.

1) ‘The Word became flesh……………’(Jh.1:14)

     ‘God transcended into our dimension, limiting Himself in time and space, by manifesting Himself as human matter.

2) ‘…………that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.’ (Jh.4:2b).

       ‘…………..that God has transcended into our dimension and manifested Himself as Jesus Christ by taking on a human form of matter.’

II ‘sending His Son’: countless problems have arisen because this expression has not been properly understood.

 1) ‘But when time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman…………….(Gal. 4:4A).

      ‘But at the appropriate moment in earthly time, God transcended into this dimension, manifesting as Jesus, born of a woman………..’

2) ‘………..God did by sending His only Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering…………’(Rom.8:3).

     ‘…………..God did by transcending into our dimension as Jesus Christ, identifying Himself with sinful man to be an appropriation for our sins.’

3) ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son………..’(Jh.3:16A).

     ‘For God so loved (the people of) this dimension, that He fully gave of Himself, to man, as Jesus Christ.’

III ‘Raised from the dead,’

1) ‘But God raised Him from the dead,’ (Acts 13:30).

     ‘But He (Jesus Christ) transcended from the dimension of the dead by using His Godly powers.’

2) They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life. (Matt.17:23A).

    ‘They will stop the functioning of His physical body of matter, thereby forcibly sending Him off, from this dimension of the living, into the dimension of the dead and, on the third day,(as calculated by time in this dimension), He will, on His own, re-enter the dimension of the living.

IV. ‘At the Father’s right hand.’

1) ‘But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. (Acts 7:55).

     ‘But Stephen, under the power of the Holy Spirit, was able to perceive into the heavenly dimension, and discern Jesus as God, in all His glory and power.

NOTE: in Part II on the same subject, many more Scripture verses have been scientifically modernized.

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Dear friend,

          I look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:

                                        drmervynabreo@gmail.com 

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