Home Made Study Bible

[mark kennedy]

I have been working on a Study Bible concept, basically I'm put whatever resources I'm tired of looking up in my own version of the study Bible. I finally got a Strong's dictionary and concordance into a notebook/Word format (not as easy as it sounds. I got some good ole Matthew Henry and the Esword free downloads (got to remember to drop them a donation). The HTMLbible is an invaluable tool and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in some online study tools.

I just thought I would pop in and ask you guys what you think of a couple of idle thoughts that occured to me this morning while I was browsing the boards. What would you think of someone taking Aristotle, Plato, Pilgrims Progress, Dante and using them for the verse by verse commentary?

Just a for instance, please don't start throwing holy water on me. Plato's similes of the Cave reminds me of the descrption of the forshadows of Christ in Leveticus. Plato describe people chained and forced to look at shadows on the wall their whole lives. There only reality was the shadows that were cast from behind them on a bridge.

I don't know, just a thought before I trail off to sleep. This morning I was trying to think of any Walt Witman or Robert Frost that might work. I thought I would post it and see if anyone had any ideas.

Grace and peace,
Mark

 

[Onlythingavailable]

I personally do not put much credit in philosophy. The Bible warns us about about following vain philosophy. That's, of course, a vague description, and philosophy has impacted society on several levels. Still, a large part of philosophy ignores/denies God's existence, and as such I don't see how it can be of much use to a Christian.

 

[JTLauder]

My personal take is that there's nothing wrong with looking at the Bible from different perspectives and viewpoint just as long as you don't give them too much authority.

Too often people turn to commentaries or other classic works and place too emphasis on them. They think that because it's a long standing work by a respected scholar, they must be correct or more authoritative than one's own perspective. Yes, they may have more experience with Biblical scholarship, but in the end, all they are offering are just interprertations of the Bible.

The proper attitude when using commentaries or other references or other works, including philosophies, fiction, etc., is to regard them as just one more person's perspective among everything else. You may consider them, but not to rely on. Listen to their arguements and use the Bible to either back them up or refute them. Study guides do not have to just collaborate your intended focus, but can be used as comparison tools to draw differences as well.

 

[pugby]

it would have to be done carefully, but I could see it working.

 

[mark kennedy]

The men who introduced this doctrine did not posit Ideas of classes within which they recognized priority and posteriority (which is the reason why they did not maintain the existence of an Idea embracing all numbers); but the term 'good' is used both in the category of substance and in that of quality and in that of relation, and that which is per se, i.e. substance, is prior in nature to the relative (for the latter is like an off shoot and accident of being); so that there could not be a common Idea set over all these goods. Further, since 'good' has as many senses as 'being' (for it is predicated both in the category of substance, as of God and of reason, and in quality, i.e. of the virtues, and in quantity, i.e. of that which is moderate, and in relation, i.e. of the useful, and in time, i.e. of the right opportunity, and in place, i.e. of the right locality and the like), clearly it cannot be something universally present in all cases and single; for then it could not have been predicated in all the categories but in one only. (Aristotle, Ethics)

This sounds like something that could be applied to hermeneutics. I'm still just kicking the idea around but Aristotle is pretty easy to relate to Biblical Theism. As he continues he begins to talk about virtue saying that every virtue is flanked by two extremes, one of excess and the other defect.

I don't know, William Ramsey makes a good commentator for Acts and Luke. Spurgen wrote some really good things on the Psalms. Matthew Henry seems consistently insightful throughout his commentary and I still intend to use all those great Christian commentators as well as Strong's dictionary and Concordance of course.

I'm wondering about the possibility of Aristotle and Proverbs. I don't have my heart set on it but I'm considering the idea, just because I like the classics.

Can you guys think of any Literature that might be insightful? Philosophy isn't all that difficult and it's been done before with Aristotle. I'm wondering if there is somekind of classical literary works that might be helpful. Any thoughts?