November of Thanksgiving 4

Last night I went to sleep with my window open, listening to one of the most pleasant sounds for sleeping—the sound of steady rain. That might not seem like a big thing to you, but rain in November is almost unheard of here. And the next time I go to sleep to the sound of rain will probably be in April or May next year. It would be wrong not to note it and thank God for it, don’t you think?

Others thanking God today:

• Diane is thankful for her husband’s profundity.
• Holly is thankful for grace.
• Elle is thankful for friends.
• Trisha is thankful that she can leave a legacy in the margins.
• Joan is thankful for healing from cancer.
• Becky is thankful for Jesus Christ.
• Lisa is thankful for God’s grace.
• Kim (The Upward Call) is thankful that “I can depend on the Lord as my portion and cup.”
• Persis is thankful for “opened eyes to behold the Creator as well as His creation.”
• Rosemary is thankful that “Christ has revealed himself to me, and that his love has neither brim nor bottom!”
• Victoria is thankful that God forgives.
• Kevin is thankful for his church AND books—again.
• Melissa is thankful for true friends.
• Leslie is thankful for the gift of music.
• Sandra is thankful for daily duties.
• Sallie is thankful that she found this thanksgiving activity and that she can participate.
• Jennifer is thankful for her family.

Update 10pm PDT:

• Dorothy is thankful for leftovers.
• Kim (Hiraeth) is thankful for her Bible study with friends.
• Connie is thankful for her mother.
• Amy in Peru is thankful for music.

You can get this button from Lisa of Lisa Notes.

What are you thankful for today?

I’ll be back this evening (late) to add any more thanksgiving posts I find (or that you point me to). As more people participate, it gets more likely that I’ll make mistakes in my posting, so if I miss your post or mess up a link, please tell me. And remember, if you miss a day or two, you’ll need to give me a heads up on your next thanksgiving post.

Do you want to participate, too? You’ll find instructions here for the ways both bloggers and nonbloggers can join in the thanksgiving.

Theological Term of the Week

textual criticism
“The careful study of ancient texts in an effort to establish what the original manuscripts of the Bible said.”1

• From The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy:

  Since God has nowhere promised an inerrant transmission of Scripture, it is necessary to affirm that only the autographic text of the original documents was inspired and to maintain the need of textual criticism as a means of detecting any slips that may have crept into the text in the course of its transmission. The verdict of this science, however, is that the Hebrew and Greek text appear to be amazingly well preserved, so that we are amply justified in affirming, with the Westminster Confession, a singular providence of God in this matter and in declaring that the authority of Scripture is in no way jeopardized by the fact that the copies we possess are not entirely error-free.

• From Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem:

  [T]he study of textual variants has not left us in confusion about what the original manuscripts said. Is has rather brought us extremely close to the content of those original manuscripts. For most practical purposes, then, the current published scholarly texts of the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament are the same as the original manuscripts. Thus, when we say that the original manuscripts were inerrant, we are also implying that over 99 percent of the words in our present manuscripts are inerrant, for they are exact copies of the originals. Furthermore, we know where the uncertain readings are (for where there are no textual variants we have no reason to expect faulty copying of the originals). Thus, our present manuscripts are for most purposes the same as the originals manuscripts….

Learn more:

1. Theopedia: Textual Criticism
2. John Stevenson: Has the Bible Been Changed? and In Search of Ancient Manuscripts
   
3. Frederic G. Kenyon: The Story of the Bible
4. Jeff Spry: Textual Criticism 101 - A General Introduction (mp3), Textual Criticism 201 - The Textual Apparatus (mp3) (Sample pages of NA27 & UBS4 (pdf) (referenced in previous lecture)) and Textual Criticism 301 - An Examination of Passages (mp3).

Related terms:

• autographs
• inerrancy of scripture
• manuscripts

1From 40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible by Robert L. Plummer.

Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it.

I’m also interested in any suggestions you have for tweaking my definitions or for additional (or better) articles or sermons/lectures for linking. I’ll give you credit and a link back to your blog if I use your suggestion.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms organized in alphabetical order or by topic.

November of Thanksgiving 3

You can get this button from Lisa of Lisa Notes.I’m thankful for my youngest son, who helped me wash the upper half of the dining room walls and fill the nail holes yesterday afternoon. Today, he’s going to help me sand those walls and paint them. I’m very thankful that God has provided me with willing help for some of the big home upkeep projects.

Now I just wish that the helper was as peppy in the morning as I am.

Others thanking God today:

• Diane is thankful that her citizenship is in heaven.
• Holly is thankful for her boyfriend.
• Elle is thankful for a deer for the freezer.
• Trisha is thankful for smiles.
• Joan is thankful for seasons.
• Becky is thankful for “so many godly friends.”
• Lisa is thankful for Psalm 27.
• Kim (The Upward Call) is thankful for her children.
• Persis is thankful for her job.
• Rosemary is thankful “that through the Holy Spirit’s work [scripture] is powerful in my life even when I’m not aware of it, and I am being changed into the likeness of Christ.”
• Victoria is thankful for the incarnation.
• Kevin is thankful for his church.
• Aadel is thankful for God’s faithfulness.
• Laura is thankful for some of the people in her life.
• Melissa is thankful for home.

Update 7pm PDT:

• Kim (Hiraeth) is thankful for a whole list of things.
• Pam is thankful for God in the Psalms and more.
• Leslie is thankful for all five senses and much more.
• Dorothy is thankful for God’s grace to her.
• Sandra is thankful for clean air and a wonderful drive over the mountains

What are you thankful for today?

Once again, I’ll be back this evening to add any more thanksgiving posts I find. As more people participate, it gets more likely that I’ll make mistakes in my posting, so if I miss your post or mess up a link, please tell me. And remember, if you miss a day or two, you’ll need to give me a heads up on your next thanksgiving post.

Do you want to participate, too? You’ll find instructions here for the ways both bloggers and nonbloggers can join in the thanksgiving.