Types of Truth in the Bible

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Types of Truth in the Bible

• Not all facts and ideas that we believe are
  provable beyond a shadow of a doubt.

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• At some point we must simply believe, and have
  faith that what we are told is true.
• e.g., The glass floor in the Sydney Tower Skywalk
  will hold you up.

3
Religion and Truth

• Some truths in religion are historical, some are
  moral some are scientific and some are
  religious.

4
Religious Truth

• Religion is concerned with human relationships
  with God
• The deeper meaning that God intends to reveal to
  people through historical events.
• Deals with fundamental questions of human
  existence and destiny

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Religious Truth cont

• Above all else, the Bible contains religious
  truths, particularly for Jews and Christians,
  but also for Muslims.
• The Jewish people and the followers of Jesus
  interpreted events in their story, or the story
  of Jesus, long after the events, in the light of
  what happened in between.
• In other words, believers theologised factual and
  historical truths in order to make meaning of
  their lives and their changing understanding of
  their God over time.

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Moral Truth

• A lesson is being taught of what is right and
  what is wrong.
• It is about how to live in relationship with God
  and other people. This covenant relationship
  demands compassion and justice for the poor
• Example Thou shalt not kill

7
Historical Truth

• The Bible contains the recorded and oral history
  of the Hebrew people and the early Christians
  from 4000yrs ago.
• History of the Hebrew people was passed mostly
  passed orally for generations before it was
  written and edited.
• As great importance was given to memorisation of
  history and tradition and because texts were
  carefully copied, there is historical truth
  within the bible and it is partly a historical
  document of great value

8
Scientifc Truth

• The scientific understanding of biblical writers
  was very primitive.
• Example The Bible describes the Earth as flat,
  the Sun as the center of the universe
• We do not look to the Bible for scientific truth.

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Factual Truth

• The Bible does indeed still include what is
  considered factual truth today as well as in
  the times in which its texts were written.
  However, many of what were considered factual
  truths in the Bible then and across history
  have been shown now not to be the case and no
  doubt that will continue in the future.
• This is not of great concern to scholars or the
  Church, because (i) the Bible has never claimed
  or been considered to be a book about
  scientific facts and (ii) today, Bible readers
  are advised to look, not for factual events, but
  for the meaning of the narratives in Bible texts.

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Examples of Factual Truth in the Bible

• There are factual truths about Sacred Scripture
  and factual truths in Sacred Scripture, though
  the Bible is not primarily concerned with Factual
  Truth.
• Some factual truths in the Bible
• There are many factually true statements about
  geographical locations in the Bible- e.g. the
  existence of cities, mountains, rivers, lakes and
  the distances between them.
• The Bible gives the location of the first and
  second temples as Jerusalem.
• The Bible states that Caesars face was on coins
  used in Palestine at the time of Jesus.
• The Bible gives many factual truths about the
  practices of the Hebrew people - their purity
  rituals eating habits status of various
  individuals in that society.
• The Bible mentions the existence of a number of
  groups within Judaism in the 1st century CE- e.g.
  Scribes, Pharisees, Zealots.

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What type of truth?

1. Water freezes at 0 celsius
2. God told Noah that the rainbow would be a sign of
   hope.
3. David replaced Saul as King

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• 5. Jesus teaches us that everyone should be
  treated equally
• 6. The Roman empire began to crumble after Jesus
  birth
• 7. It takes 365 days to complete one circle of
  the sun
• 8. Be faithful to your spouse
• 9. The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed

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10. Jesus lived and died a Jew 11. Mary was
Jesus Mother
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• Acknowledgement
• Out of the Desert Book 3 Morrisey, Mudge,
  Wilson
• Pat Lavercombe Types of Truth in the Bible
  powerpoint