On another thread, it was stated that Moses did not write Genesis. Since the traditional Jewish and Christian understanding is that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, where did this idea come from?
One of the primary goals of the Reformation was to re-establish the supremacy of the written Word of God as the foundation for all Christian beliefs and practices. Thus the slogan “Sola Scriptura”. But no sooner had the Reformation become a reality than Satan raised up the “Higher Critics” to attack and decimate the Bible, and create doubt and confusion in the minds of ordinary Christians through so-called “Christian” theologians, professors, and clergymen. And it all began with a French priest named Richard Simon (1638-1712).
When you see the following names – primarily German -- you are seeing the higher critics (as related to the Old Testament): Simon, Astruc, Eichorn, Herder, Vater, de Wettle, Blount, Collins, Reimarus, Lessing, Semler, Bleek, Ewald, Geddes, Hupfeld, Keunen, Reus, Graf, Wellhausen, Briggs, Driver, Robertson Smith, Cheyne, Black, H. P. Smith, and C. H. Toy.
The higher critics called their findings “the assured results of biblical criticism”, when in fact they were nothing of the sort. Many conservative Christian scholars opposed them, and exposed them for what they were – pure fabrications (“subjective fancies”). All these critics were influenced by Hegel, the Rationalists, the Deists, and the Skeptics, but behind them all was the arch Deceiver himself – Satan.
So how does the attack of the higher critics totally undermine the inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility of Scripture? Here’s what they teach:
1. The Old Testament (OT) is not really inspired by God, but is full of human imperfections, limitations, and errors. It is merely a collection of “oriental literature”.
2. The OT is a hodgepodge of myths, legends, and historical events, and the historical portions are not really the way they are presented.
3. Genesis is simply a book of myths – not historical accounts. This would actually apply to the whole OT, thus all of it has little value.
4. The Creation, the Fall, and the Deluge were “borrowed” from Babylonia, where they existed in their purest and “original” form.
5. The Torah (first five books of the OT) was not written by Moses, but is a hodgepodge of writings by various “redactors”. This is elaborated in the Document Hypothesis, where four fictitious documents – J.E D P were stitched together to form the Pentateuch in the reign of Solomon. And according to the critics, it is mostly legend and poetry anyhow.
6. The Pentateuch is not the Pentateuch but it is the Hexateuch, with Joshua added to the mix.
7. It is doubtful whether the miracles and prophecies in the OT are real.
8. It is doubtful whether there is anything supernatural in any of the events show as miraculous.
9. God did not give the Old Covenant to Israel, but the “religion of Israel” “evolved” from polytheism to monotheism.
10. The chronological order of the OT is false, and should be reversed.
11. The Chronicles are not historical.
12. Many of the books of the OT, such as Jonah, are simply “moralizing fictions”.
13. The book of Daniel was written during the Maccabbean period, not after the Babylonian captivity.
14. David wrote few – if any – of the Psalms.
15. The Jewish conceptions of Paradise, Sheol, angels, and devils are all of Chaldean origin.
16. More recently, the idea has been proposed that the bulk of the OT is simply “astral myths” where heavenly bodies are being represented by humans.
The New Testament has also been attacked in a similar fashion, but all this goes to show that apostasy has been at work for quite a while, and Christians are to beware of “scholars” whose goal in life is to attack and undermine Scripture.
One of the primary goals of the Reformation was to re-establish the supremacy of the written Word of God as the foundation for all Christian beliefs and practices. Thus the slogan “Sola Scriptura”. But no sooner had the Reformation become a reality than Satan raised up the “Higher Critics” to attack and decimate the Bible, and create doubt and confusion in the minds of ordinary Christians through so-called “Christian” theologians, professors, and clergymen. And it all began with a French priest named Richard Simon (1638-1712).
When you see the following names – primarily German -- you are seeing the higher critics (as related to the Old Testament): Simon, Astruc, Eichorn, Herder, Vater, de Wettle, Blount, Collins, Reimarus, Lessing, Semler, Bleek, Ewald, Geddes, Hupfeld, Keunen, Reus, Graf, Wellhausen, Briggs, Driver, Robertson Smith, Cheyne, Black, H. P. Smith, and C. H. Toy.
The higher critics called their findings “the assured results of biblical criticism”, when in fact they were nothing of the sort. Many conservative Christian scholars opposed them, and exposed them for what they were – pure fabrications (“subjective fancies”). All these critics were influenced by Hegel, the Rationalists, the Deists, and the Skeptics, but behind them all was the arch Deceiver himself – Satan.
So how does the attack of the higher critics totally undermine the inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility of Scripture? Here’s what they teach:
1. The Old Testament (OT) is not really inspired by God, but is full of human imperfections, limitations, and errors. It is merely a collection of “oriental literature”.
2. The OT is a hodgepodge of myths, legends, and historical events, and the historical portions are not really the way they are presented.
3. Genesis is simply a book of myths – not historical accounts. This would actually apply to the whole OT, thus all of it has little value.
4. The Creation, the Fall, and the Deluge were “borrowed” from Babylonia, where they existed in their purest and “original” form.
5. The Torah (first five books of the OT) was not written by Moses, but is a hodgepodge of writings by various “redactors”. This is elaborated in the Document Hypothesis, where four fictitious documents – J.E D P were stitched together to form the Pentateuch in the reign of Solomon. And according to the critics, it is mostly legend and poetry anyhow.
6. The Pentateuch is not the Pentateuch but it is the Hexateuch, with Joshua added to the mix.
7. It is doubtful whether the miracles and prophecies in the OT are real.
8. It is doubtful whether there is anything supernatural in any of the events show as miraculous.
9. God did not give the Old Covenant to Israel, but the “religion of Israel” “evolved” from polytheism to monotheism.
10. The chronological order of the OT is false, and should be reversed.
11. The Chronicles are not historical.
12. Many of the books of the OT, such as Jonah, are simply “moralizing fictions”.
13. The book of Daniel was written during the Maccabbean period, not after the Babylonian captivity.
14. David wrote few – if any – of the Psalms.
15. The Jewish conceptions of Paradise, Sheol, angels, and devils are all of Chaldean origin.
16. More recently, the idea has been proposed that the bulk of the OT is simply “astral myths” where heavenly bodies are being represented by humans.
The New Testament has also been attacked in a similar fashion, but all this goes to show that apostasy has been at work for quite a while, and Christians are to beware of “scholars” whose goal in life is to attack and undermine Scripture.
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