C.S. Lewis on Textual Criticism!

[Nazaroo]

Another fascinating development in Lewis' Challenge is this. It began as a question, and remained an unanswered challenge. But in the calmer perspective of hindsight it has become almost a standard interpretation of the evolution of scientific thought in the archaeological fields:

RE: The Gospel of John:


Critics F. C. Baur and Van Manen speculated that the Gospel of John was not written until after A.D. 150. However, copies of the Gospel of John have been found that date before A.D. 150.17 The Dead Sea Scrolls have shown that the Gospel of John fits the language, the geography, the culture and historical context before A.D. 70. The destruction of Jerusalem destroyed all that, making it impossible for people living after A.D. 150 to have correctly gotten all those details.18

Archaeologist W. F. Albright wrote:
In the same way, the form-critical school founded by M. Dibelius and R. Bultmann a generation before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has continued to flourish without the slightest regard for the Dead Sea Scrolls.

In other words, all radical schools in New Testament criticism which have existed in the past or which exist today are pre-archaeological, and are, therefore, since they were built in der luft ("in the air"), quite antiquated today.19

​

17 W. F. Albright, The Archaeology of Palestine (Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1960), pp. 239-240.


18 Ibid., pp. 243-249.


19 W. F. Albright, The Teacher's Yoke, ed. E. J. Vardaman (Waco: Baylor Press, 1964), p. 29.
Donald J. Wiseman and Edwin Yamauchi, Archaeology and the Bible, An Introductory Study (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979), p. 64.

What are these men saying? They are saying that Textual Criticism and Form Criticism remains in the Dark Ages, and has not at all adjusted to the current situation and mass of modern evidence that drastically affects the 'assured results' and must be accounted for.

 

[FreezBee]

Whatever are you doing reading his non-fiction?

Curl up with 'Lion, a Witch, and a Wardrobe' beside the fire,
and pour yourself some 'oinos'.

Yes, I sure thought his reputation must have been based on his fiction literature, so maybe I'll take your advise

Oh, by the way, should it be fermented or unfermented 'oinos'?


- FreezBee

 

[Nazaroo]

Oh, by the way, should it be fermented or unfermented 'oinos'?

Are you applying it internally or externally?

 

[justified]

. When I drink wine, it usually ends up being both...

 

[Nazaroo]

. When I drink wine, it usually ends up being both...

...fermented and unfermented?

Perhaps a change of clothes is in order...

 

[FreezBee]

Are you applying it internally or externally?

Oh, does that mean there is a choice? If it's fermented, I'd apply it internally, I suppose, and if it's unfermented, I'd apply it externally, I suppose. What is the usual method?

- FreezBee

 

[Nazaroo]

We have created a webpage on C.S. Lewis you can download or read here:

http://adultera.awardspace.com/SUPLEM/CSLewis.html

peace,
Nazaroo