The Living Word of God: Rethinking the Theology of the Bible
Overview
In this volume Ben Witherington asks, “What does it mean to call the Bible ‘God’s Word’?” In doing so, he takes on other recent studies which downplay the connection between history and theology, or between historical accuracy and truth claims. Witherington argues that the Bible is not merely to be viewed as a Word about God. Instead, he says that the Bible exhorts us to see the Bible as a living Word from God.
This volume carefully assesses topics with a firm biblical basis and provides readers with a deeper understanding of the foundations—as well as the contemporary implications they bring. Perfect for scholars, students, pastors, and laypersons alike, the Logos edition of these theological works is fully searchable and easily accessible. Scripture passages are linked directly to your English translations and to the original Greek text, and important theological concepts are linked to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of resources in your digital library.
Key Features
- Focuses on Scripture as divine inspiration
- Discusses the inspiration and authority of the Bible
- Includes an appendix featuring a Q&A section on various general Bible topics
Contents
- Seeking the Word of God
- Inspiration without an Expiration Date
- The Ends of Enns: The Danger of an Analogy
- Truth Telling As an Art Form
- Can These Things Be True?
- Did the Canon and Its Translators Misfire?
- How to Pick a Translation without Losing Your Religion
- Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth
- The Art of Reading Scripture in a Postmodern World
- Afterword: The Sacrifice of the Intellect?
Praise for the Print Edition
If we believe that Scripture is God’s word and that God cannot err, then it follows the Bible is inerrant. But what would have constituted an error in the biblical cultures? What does Scripture testify about itself and the nature of its reliability? Ben Witherington, prolific New Testament professor at Asbury Seminary, addresses these and related questions, including the formation of the canon, the history of Bible translations, how to choose among the many English-language versions, and basic hermeneutical principles. Almost every reader will disagree at some point, but the vast majority of his positions are compelling and clear. Warmly to be recommended.
—Craig L. Blomberg, distinguished professor of New Testament, Denver Seminary
Whatever Ben Witherington writes goes to the top of my ‘must read’ list. His new book doesn’t disappoint. It’s insightful, creative, provocative, and challenging—in other words, it’s pure Ben!
—Lee Strobel, Author of The Case for the Real Jesus
Product Details
- Title: The Living Word of God: Rethinking the Theology of the Bible
- Author: Ben Witherington III
- Publisher: Baylor University Press
- Publication Date: 2008
- Pages: 291
About Ben Witherington III
Ben Witherington III (PhD, Durham University) is Amos Professor for Doctoral Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Kentucky, and is on the doctoral faculty at St. Andrews University, Scotland. Witherington has twice won the Christianity Today best biblical studies book-of-the-year award, and his many books include We Have Seen His Glory: A Vision of Kingdom Worship and socio-rhetorical commentaries on Mark, Acts, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Galatians, Philemon, Colossians, Ephesians, and 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
Top Highlights
“My point in this discussion is simple: ancients did not think words, and especially divine words, were mere ciphers or sounds. The ancients believed words partook of the character and quality of the one who spoke them, especially when talking about God’s words, and not surprisingly oral culture puts a premium on the oral word.” (Page 3)
“The greatest causes of misunderstanding of the Bible are the modern expectations and the presuppositions we bring to the text that lead us to assume that the text must be understood in a way that makes common sense to any of us in the twenty-first century.” (Page xvi)
“We are not given an explanation of how inspiration works. This text by itself does not explicate a theory of inspiration or its nature. Does the Spirit lift the mind of the writer to see, understand, and write, or is it a matter of mechanical dictation? These questions are not answered here. Rather, whatever the process, the product is God’s word, telling God’s truth.” (Page 10)
“God’s word, though spoken in human language, should never be confused with mere human speech, or even mere human words about God, however accurate. Rather we are talking about divine speech that changes human lives.” (Page 5)
“Under inspiration, the Gospel writers appear to have followed the conventions of their own day when it came to writing a biography of Jesus, and one of those conventions was that they had a certain freedom to arrange their material. Sometimes it might be a chronological arrangement, sometimes it might be a more topical arrangement, or in the Fourth Gospel even a theological arrangement of materials.” (Page xvi)
- Title: The Living Word of God: Rethinking the Theology of the Bible
- Author: Ben Witherington III
- Publisher: Baylor University Press
- Print Publication Date: 2009
- Logos Release Date: 2013
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Bible › Theology; Religion › Christianity--General; Religion › Christian theology--Systematic
- ISBNs: 9781602581760, 9781602580176, 9781281162069, 9781481301527, 1602581762, 1602580170, 128116206X, 1481301527
- Resource ID: LLS:LIVWRDGDWITHER
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T01:16:37Z
Ben Witherington III (PhD, University of Durham) is Jean R. Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. A prominent evangelical scholar, he is also on the doctoral faculty at St. Andrews University in Scotland. Witherington has written over forty books, including The Jesus Quest and The Paul Quest, both of which were selected as top biblical studies works by Christianity Today. His other works include The Indelible Image, Women and the Genesis of Christianity, The Gospel Code, A Week in the Life of Corinth and commentaries on the entire New Testament. He also writes for many church and scholarly publications and is a frequent contributor to Patheos and Beliefnet. Witherington is an elected member of the prestigious Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, a society dedicated to New Testament studies. He is a John Wesley Fellow for Life, a research fellow at Cambridge University and a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Society of Biblical Literature, Society for the Study of the New Testament and the Institute for Biblical Research. He previously taught at institutions like Ashland Theological Seminary, Vanderbilt University, Duke Divinity School and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. An ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church and a popular lecturer, Witherington has presented seminars for churches, colleges and biblical meetings around the world. He has led numerous study tours through the lands of the Bible and is known for bringing the text to life through incisive historical and cultural analysis. Along with many interviews on radio and television networks across the country, Witherington has been seen in programs such as 60 Minutes, 20/20, Dateline and the Peter Jennings ABC special Jesus and Paul—The Word and the Witness