Christian Publishing House Blog
Apologetic Defense of the faith, the Bible, and Christianity
"Preachers always have to be careful trying to make sweeping theological conclusions based on the lexical meanings of Greek or Hebrew words. Lexical meanings alone rarely settle those kinds of issues. Simply appealing to, "In the Greek (or in the Hebrew), it means this" is almost always not a good argument for whatever theological point you are trying to make." - Professor Gary Yates. Is this true?
John 1:1 is all about capitalization and the tiny word “a,” which in grammar is called the indefinite article. And yet, this clause has been the most debated verse for centuries. So, was the Word “God” or “a god”?
An interview with Dr. Mark House and a question and answer with Dr. Ted Hildebrandt by Christian Publishing House (CPH). Mostly Biblical Greek will be discussed but the same principles apply to Biblical Hebrew.
Hebrews 2:1; 3:12 Updated American Standard Version (UASV) 2 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to the things that have been heard, so that we do not drift away from it. 12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God.
As I have written in previous articles, a good English translation can go a long way in helping the reader of God’s word understand the text, but there are times where a consideration of the original language can help that same reader go even farther. One such text is Ephesians 2:8-10.
The Septuagint (LXX) is a translation of the Hebrew scriptures and was made for the Jewish community, not Christians. The vocabulary is Greek and the syntax Hebrew. There is a Semitic influence in the vocabulary of the LXX. The New Testament is not a translation and is written for Christians who have the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Third, The Greek of the NT is 180 years to 310 years removed from the Greek of the Septuagint.
1946 claims to be a revolutionary new film that chronicles how the misuse of a single word changed the course of modern history. The Supposed Mistranslation of "HOMOSEXUAL" at 1 Corinthians 6:9. Read here to defend against this Project 1946's misrepresentation of information.
Knowledge of the original languages can get you even farther. If you have the opportunity to learn the languages, take it. If you have learned the languages, use every opportunity to deepen your knowledge of them. If neither, learn to use responsibly the various study tools now available to help you in your study of God’s Word.
How many times have we been in church listening to the preacher do a good job expositing (explaining) the text? At some point, he says “Now, what the Greek actually says is…” At that pronouncement, the congregation grows a little quieter and a little more attentive. Why is that?
Why did the resurrected Jesus Christ invite Thomas to touch him yet he had stopped Mary Magdalene from doing so earlier? Mary Magdalene was a close friend, why would Jesus say that to her? "This verse belongs to a handful of the most difficult passages in the New Testament." - D. A. Carson