Does it matter what Paul meant?
When you read the Epistles written by Paul he slips in a lot of personal messages to specific fellow Christians (for example Timothy).
He also makes statements of personal opinion (Corinthians 7:40).
So there's evidence that Paul's writing contains a human element even if all of it is inspired by God. Paul doesn't seem to be simply sitting down dictating words he heard in his ear.
So this raises an important question. Does it matter what Paul meant when he wrote the Epistles?
If we could bring Paul back to life and ask him questions about the Epistles could we get definite answers on what they mean?
Paul certainly isn't infallible. He'd be the first to admit. However is Paul infallible so far as he can interpret his own writings in the Bible?
I bring all this up because some people tend to look at what Paul wrote and use that to interpret difficult verses. Can Paul tell us how we should interpret 1 Cor. 11:8-10?
Or are the words of the Epistles of Paul beyond his interpretation. Did God simply use him as a dumb tool. Did God use Paul to write verses he may not have even interpreted correctly himself?
If Paul was writing things that he didn't fully understand then how much does it matter what Paul meant?
When we ask what a writer of Biblical text meant it makes me wary. Does what they meant even matter?
4 comments:
They are butchering me over at race 4 2008...They are hopping mad at me for what I posted about mormonism and all it was was a direct link from BYU...what do you think...?
Can Paul's words....even if "this is me saying this"... be taken as truly being God's word?
Yes... In timothy and thessalonians we read that all scripture is from God. It is all useful. So Paul's words are part of scripture and as such can be taken as God's words.
The new testament was not considered scripture by the new testament writers themselves. Paul did not intend for his letters to be considered in the same fold with Genesis or Isaiah. Paul's letters are letters from a man of God and are good for insight but only Revelation is direct prophecy from God. Read 2 Peter 1:16-21 about a "more sure word of prophecy".
Does it matter what Paul meant? Yes it does. Without an understanding of the author's intent, there is no controlling interpretation - any passage can mean anything. I think Paul understood what he was writing, but we can also take that true and actual intent and draw inferences that perhaps would not have occurred to Paul. So, while Paul does not discuss the Trinity per se, we can read what he and others write and come up with a true (if not complete) doctrine about the nature of the three persons of God.
I think it helps to see the Bible (including the NT Epistles) as both human and divine in a similar way Jesus is both human and divine. Therefore, you have both the human element all over the Bible (even within direct prophecy - language, word pictures etc) and the divine.
Anonymous, I'm not sure which New Testament you are reading. Only two chapters on from your reference in 2 Peter 3:16 Peter calls Paul's writings Scripture. Paul himself equates his writings with God's command in 1 Cor 14:37. This is true elsewhere in the NT also.
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