Apocrypha

[Tony Mel]

Is the Apocrypha inspired? If so, which books? Should these books be in the Bible?

[elfdream]

(02-13-2011 07:40 PM)Tony Mel Wrote:  Is the Apocrypha inspired? If so, which books? Should these books be in the Bible?

Yes, all of them and Yes. Ever read the Book of Wisdom or Sirach? They are beautiful.

I always wondered why the proponents of the 1611 KJV never seemed to notice those books were in the original.

[Tony Mel]

(02-13-2011 07:56 PM)Donb123 Wrote:  There are other parts that are not so helpful and I believe this is why they are not included in the canon for most people. There are two stories that come to mind- one of a man falling asleep under a tree and a bird crapping in his eyes and scales forming over his eyes or something like that... and the other one is I think from Tobit about an angel telling him to use a fish gall bladder to burn to drive away evil spirits. This stuff is in no way inspired.

Using this same argument, could we also say that Ezekiel 4:12-15 and Mark 7:32-33 are not inspired?

[elfdream]

Some find difficulty with Raphael’s use of the fish’s heart, liver, and gall (cf. 6:3–8) to perform two miracles, the driving away of the demon Asmodeus (cf. 8:1–4) and the healing of Tobit (cf. 11:8–14).

Regarding these miracles, natural objects were often used in Scripture to accomplish miracles, even if they had no natural power to do so. The use of the fish’s heart and liver to drive away the demon is no more strange than the use of sticks Jacob made in a sheep-breeding miracle (cf. Gen. 30:37–43), especially since prayer to God is involved (cf. Tob. 8:4).

http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2003/0307bt.asp

Feel free to disagree.

[Tooktheredpill]

(02-13-2011 08:43 PM)Donb123 Wrote:  

(02-13-2011 08:40 PM)elfdream Wrote:  Some find difficulty with Raphael’s use of the fish’s heart, liver, and gall (cf. 6:3–8) to perform two miracles, the driving away of the demon Asmodeus (cf. 8:1–4) and the healing of Tobit (cf. 11:8–14).

Regarding these miracles, natural objects were often used in Scripture to accomplish miracles, even if they had no natural power to do so. The use of the fish’s heart and liver to drive away the demon is no more strange than the use of sticks Jacob made in a sheep-breeding miracle (cf. Gen. 30:37–43), especially since prayer to God is involved (cf. Tob. 8:4).

http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2003/0307bt.asp

Feel free to disagree.

Fine I'll concede. This is one of those stories that sounds like an embellishment to me and there's a handful in the Protestant canon that I'm concerned about too....

Do you still hold to inerrancy? Or aren't you sure?

[exIFB]

Book of Enoch. Fact or Fantasy? (I lean towards Fantasy, mainly because Enoch describes the giants/Nephilim as being 200 feet tall). I know Jude quotes it, but perhaps the Enoch we have today is a fraud.

[Faith]

Like the rest of the Bible, there is much that is good in the Apocrypha. The stuff that some people dismiss as kooky is really no stranger than some of the episodes in canonical scripture. I wouldn't recommend Sirach for child-rearing tips, though.

[Tony Mel]

(02-13-2011 09:47 PM)Faith Wrote:  I wouldn't recommend Sirach for child-rearing tips, though.

At first I didn't read "tips."

[Faith]

I think there's been entirely too much talk about pedophilia around here...

[Faith]

Good point.

People who insist on the inerrancy of scripture seem to want a religion of verifiable facts. If the Bible is 100% factually accurate, scientifically proven, and completely literally true - who needs any faith to believe?