Throughout history there has been a plethora of great literature but none are comparable to the Bible. This book not only hold acataleptic knowledge that can impact the world but also is a compendium for many people's life. It has become a symbolic representation of many Christian's faith and continues as one today. The Bible has many forms of symbolism not only in itself but also in the pages. Biblical numerology is one form of symbolism that appears though out the Bible. This paper will explore the origins of symbolic numbers, the development of the symbolism and the interpretation of symbolic numbers. To understand what Biblical numerology is we must first take a look at its origins.
There are many arguments to where symbolism of numbers in the Bible originated but there is no clear consensus to any single one. The two main arguments are " 1.) the original revelations of God to Scripture writers and/or 2.) the observations of the scribes and writers ( both of the Bible and other literature) with regard to natural phenomena of the universe both structural and chronological in nature ( Davis 106)." Despite theses two arguments there is still "... a large group of scholars which contends that symbolic or significant numbers were in use before the writing of the Old Testament and were a common literary device of scribes from Babylon, Egypt, etc (Davis 104-105)." There is also the concept that can best be summed up "... in the old Latin phrase: 'Res ipsa loquitur,' which means, 'The thing speaks for itself.' Numerological patterns need no interpretation, their meaning is readily apparent (Holcombe 30)."
When the Bible was written the concomitant influence was from God and the Holy Spirit. This view of the origins of Bibli...
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Diel, Paul. "Symbolism in the Bible: the Universality of Symbolic Language and it Psychological
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Holcombe, A.D. "Biblical Numerology Confirms the Spiritual Validity of its Contents."
Journal of Religion & Psychical Research. 20.1(1997): 30. Print.
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Wilkinson, Kathryn. Signs & Symbols: An Illustrated Guide to Their Origins and Meanings.
1st American Ed,. New York, New York: DK Publishing, 2008. 352. Print.
The Bible: The Old Testament. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Sarah Lawall et al. Vol 1. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1999. 47-97.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Augmented Third Edition, New Revised Standard Version, Indexed. New York: Oxford UP, 2007. Print
Scholars have shifted from the notion that the Bible differs from other ancient Near Eastern literature, cultures, and religions. If this were so, the Bible would be considered a myth. In this chapter Oswalt gives descriptions to what a myth is and gives insight into whether it is acceptable to label the Bible as a myth. Since the 1960s, scholars have been stating that the attributes of the Bible and its contemporary belief system have more in common to a myth even though the data used to make these claims have remained the same.
Writings of historical scholars, Josephus, Aristotle, and Plato, to name a few, are taken as truth and fact, yet the writings of the Scripture are constantly disputed. Why? Perhaps because of the ethical imperatives imposed to which people do not want to adhere. Perhaps because of man’s ego and pride that disallows them to submit to a Higher Authority. Nonetheless, The Bible has been, and still remains, the most widely read and revered book of all
spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh. Nevertheless, in Revelation 13, in the Holy Bible, 666, the number, or name, of the wild beast with seven heads and ten horns that comes out of the sea has some interpretations. According to J.W.Org., this beast, which is the 666, identifies the world political system as a gross failure in God’s sight. The number 666 is considered imperfect, representing the number of a man and actually a symbol of the worldwide political system, who was to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations (Revelation 13:7).
The Documentary Theory holds that the Pentateuch was composed or compiled from several different documents or traditions written by several different authors. These original documents were argued to favor different styles and names for God, and thus were written by different authors. One document might favor “Elohim,” while another might favor “YHWH.” These sources are generally argued to be source J, E, P, and D. Genesis, however, only shows traces of J, E, and P. Some have even further subdivided the four primary sources. However, this theory fails to adequately explain the origin of the Pentateuch. Religious documents of the ancient Near East were not complied in this way, nor are variations in style and word choice conclusive. Dating the different documents is extremely difficult and far too subjective to prove the Documentary Theory.1
Metzger, B. (1997). The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance. New York.
Harris, Stephen. Understanding The Bible. 6 ed. New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2002. Print.
—. The Unity of the Bible: Exploring the Beauty and Structure of the Bible. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2003.
For centuries now Christians have claimed to possess the special revelation of an omnipotent, loving Deity who is sovereign over all of His creation. This special revelation is in written form and is what has come to be known as The Bible which consists of two books. The first book is the Hebrew Scriptures, written by prophets in a time that was before Christ, and the second book is the New Testament, which was written by Apostles and disciples of the risen Lord after His ascension. It is well documented that Christians in the context of the early first century were used to viewing a set of writings as being not only authoritative, but divinely inspired. The fact that there were certain books out in the public that were written by followers of Jesus and recognized as being just as authoritative as the Hebrew Scriptures was never under debate. The disagreement between some groups of Christians and Gnostics centered on which exact group of books were divinely inspired and which were not. The debate also took place over the way we can know for sure what God would have us include in a book of divinely inspired writings. This ultimately led to the formation of the Biblical canon in the next centuries. Some may ask, “Isn’t Jesus really the only thing that we can and should call God’s Word?” and “Isn’t the Bible just a man made collection of writings all centered on the same thing, Jesus Christ?” This paper summarizes some of the evidences for the Old and New Testament canon’s accuracy in choosing God breathed, authoritative writings and then reflects on the wide ranging
Damrosch, David, and David L. Pike, eds. "The Gospel According to Luke." The Longman Anothology of World Literature. Compact ed. New York: Pearson, 2008. 822-33. Print.
Robinson, B. A. (2008, March 30). Books of the Hebrew Scripture . Retrieved May 7, 2011, from Religious Tolerance: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_otb3.htm
Kohn, Risa Levitt, and Rebecca Moore. A Portable God: The Origin of Judaism and Christianity. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. Print.
In this paper I am trying to find out what true Biblical exegesis means. By finding that truth then I and the person reading this paper can leave with an understand-ing on how to comprehend the content of exegesis. Through out my paper you will see noted some of my sources. I have carefully read these books and have selected the best ones to fit the purpose of this document. I will be exploring many areas of exegesis and will be giving you a brief overview of these and then explaining different uses for exegesis.
Answering these questions is the purpose of this essay. I begin by arguing that the Bible cannot be adequately understood independent of its historical context. I concede later that historical context alone however is insufficient, for the Bible is a living-breathing document as relevant to us today as it was the day it was scribed. I conclude we need both testimonies of God at work to fully appreciate how the Bible speaks to us.