1 KEYNOTE THE CONFESSION, INSPIRATION, AND The Westminster Confession helps us understand and answer quite a few of the TRANSLATIONS by Tito S. Lyro questions posed in the preceding para- graph. The divines rightly gave the chap- Which one is the right Bible? Are all ter on the Word of God a place of pre- translations inspired? Can I be sure that eminence by placing it first. Chapter 1 my English Bible is the Word of God? All masterfully deals with the doctrines of of us have, at one point or another, asked inspiration and preservation of the Scrip- all or some of these questions. When the tures, and sets forth the need for transla- Lord saved me, I was given a nice, paral- tions in the common language of the lel Bible. It had all kinds of bells and people. An analysis of the entire chapter 1 whistles, but it became confusing to me is beyond the scope of this article. There- because I didn’t know which column to fore, we will focus on Paragraph 8 of that read. Should I read the column on the first chapter because it encapsulates the right, or the one on the left? Or, should I issues that are pertinent to this article. read one with one eye and the other with the other eye? Besides personal doubts THE INSPIRED TEXT about which version to read, there is also The Confession states “The Old Tes- the debate about which Greek text should tament in Hebrew (which was the native be used, which method of translation is language of the people of God of old), sound, which version is from God and and the New Testament in Greek (which, which is from the Devil. Choosing a Bible at the time of the writing of it was most can be a very stressful activity! generally known to the nations), being immediately inspired by God… are there- fore authentical.” This means that inspi- ration has to do with the biblical text in the original language, not with translations into various languages. No single trans- Inspiration has to do lation is inspired in the same sense that with the biblical text in the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts are. the original language, Notice that the Confession speaks of the immediacy of the inspiration of the origi- not with translations nal text. The word immediately in this case into various languages. means “without intervening medium of No single translation is agent.”2 In other words, immediately inspired in the same could be replaced by the word directly. God directly inspired the original writ- sense that the Hebrew, ings.3 Aramaic, and Greek texts are. Inspiration, however, is not a me- chanical or robotic process. God worked out the lives of the sacred writers in a such The WRS Journal 10:2, August 2003 2 a way that when they arrived at the point Although we don’t have the autographs, of writing the Scriptures, they wrote ex- we do have the correct, inspired text be- actly what God wanted without any vio- cause God preserved for us as he prom- lence being done to their own thinking, ised he would. Interestingly enough, he purpose, or volition. Dr. Warfield writes: chose a way that is contrary to what most of us would have chosen. Instead of pre- Representations are sometimes made serving one set of manuscripts that would as if, when God wished to produce be the standard for everybody, God pre- sacred books which would incorpo- served the original text in thousands of rate His will–a series of letters like different manuscripts. What at first seems those of Paul, for example–He was counterintuitive becomes obvious when reduced to the necessity of going down one thinks about it. Instead of preserving to earth and painfully scrutinizing the the autographs, which would probably men He found there, seeking anx- become the object of sinful worship, God iously for the one who, on the whole, kept the text protected by providing so promised best for His purpose; and many copies of it that no one can effec- then violently forcing the material He tively change the reading of the text and wished expressed through him, against get away with it. G. I. Williamson explains his natural bent, and with as little loss this concept in more scholarly terms: from his recalcitrant characteristics as possible. Of course, nothing of the sort At first sight it would appear that with took place. If God wished to give His the disappearance of A [autographs] people a series of letters like Paul’s (probably worn out with use) the text He prepared a Paul to write them, and would be doomed to progressive cor- the Paul He brought to the task was a ruption thereafter. But such is not the Paul who spontaneously would write case. The reason is that God has exer- such letters.4 cised control over all the elements and agencies concerned with the preser- The Scriptures speak of its writers vation of the sacred text. We see that being moved by the Holy Spirit as a ship God determined that early copies of is carried along by the wind.5 As a ship the original would be made. True, each arrives at its wanted destination by the erred in a slight degree, but they did blowing of the wind, the biblical writers not all err in the same points. Being arrived at what they wanted to write by human, the copier of manuscript B the moving of the Spirit. Thus, the origi- would make a mistake here and there. nal manuscript of each of the books of Likewise would the copiers of C and the Bible contained the exact words that D. But they would each err in a differ- the Holy Spirit uttered through the writ- ent, individual way. So that where B ers. This is true of the autographs. How- erred, C and D would not err. In ef- ever, what about the current Hebrew/Ara- fect, C and D would thus bear witness maic and Greek texts? against the error of B. And so, while the true (or perfect) original text would The Confession states that “by His not be entirely reproduced in any singular care and providence,” God single copy, yet it would not be lost or “kept” the original text “pure in all ages.” inaccessible because by the majority The WRS Journal 10:2, August 2003 3 testimony of several copies, error nation unto which they come.” The need would always be witnessed against. for translating the Scriptures into the vul- The true text would be perfectly pre- gar, or common, language of people is served within the body of witnesses.6 made clear by the testimony of the Scrip- tures themselves and by the testimony of Thus, when the science of textual criti- God’s providence in history. cism has been correctly applied, we can truly say that we have today the inspired When the Israelites returned to Judea and inerrant text of God. Now, keep in from the Babylonian captivity, Hebrew mind that this is true of the text in the origi- was no longer their everyday language. nal languages. That is why the Confes- Aramaic had become the popular lan- sion says that “in all controversies of reli- guage among the people of Israel. So, gion, the Church is finally to appeal unto when Ezra gathered the people to hear the them.” Therefore, it is imperative that the Law read, he also provided a translation leaders in the Church of the Lord Jesus of the sacred text: Christ know the language of his Word.7 Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book If God wished to give of the Law of Moses, which the LORD His people a series of had commanded Israel. So Ezra the letters like Paul’s He priest brought the Law before the as- prepared a Paul to sembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the write them, and the first day of the seventh month. Also Paul He brought to the Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, task was a Paul who Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, spontaneously would Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, write such letters. helped the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their place. So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to Not everybody in the Church, how- understand the reading. (Neh 8:1-2, ever, is able to study and learn the origi- 7-8) nal languages and the Confession makes provision for that. It says, “But, because The Levites helped the people understand these original tongues are not known to what was being read by providing a trans- all the people of God, who have right unto lation from Hebrew into Aramaic. The and interest in the Scriptures, and are com- result of providing a translation of the law manded, in the fear of God, to read and that the people could understand was search them, therefore they are to be trans- hearts broken by the Word of God.8 lated into the vulgar language of every The WRS Journal 10:2, August 2003 4 We find the same pattern in the New Testament biblical writers used. By the Testament. Time and time again, the gos- end of the 1800s it was commonly ac- pel writers go through great pains to trans- cepted that there were words in the New late words they think their audience will Testament that were specially coined by not understand.