The Nature of Scripture

Most of us are familiar with what is called pseudepigrapha, which are spurious writings falsely attributed to Biblical writers. It typical is dated from the 2^nd century BC to the 2^nd century AD. For example, there is the Apocalypse of Enoch, the Testament of Job, and the gospel of Thomas, which is a gnostic document. Those who wrote such works believed there would be a greater audience for them if they attached a well-known Biblical character as the author. Even Paul addressed this issue, when he wrote to the church in Thessalonica not to be “easily upset or troubled, either by a prophecy or by a message or by a letter supposedly from us, alleging that the day of the Lord has come.”

Some today claim there are books of the Bible that are spurious for the same reason. In ancient times, various cultures had those who practiced this same technique, now referred to as “fictional autobiography,” which take the form of propaganda. Fictional autobiographies can be found in Akkadian literature to promote a certain political or cultural agenda, by attaching a notable name with them for credence. Examples of this can be seen in the Sargon birth narrative and the Cuthean Legend of Naram-Sin. These documents, however, were forgeries, not written by those whose names were attached to them, and never claiming to be inspired by God. The pseudepigrapha, whose authors tried to play off the men and women of Scripture,  were outside the period of inspiration, as well.

Today, there are those who would claim Ecclesiastes is such a work, written by someone pretending to be Solomon, for the purpose of having the authority to speak on being rich and the use of wealth. There are several reasons to reject the notion that Ecclesiastes, or any work of the Bible, is fictional. First, the books of the Bible are spoken of as the canon of Scripture, meaning they have the authentic marks of inspiration. Those pseudepigrapha works mentioned are distinctly different from Scripture, with many having historical errors and contradictory teachings. Regarding Ecclesiastes specifically, while Solomon is not named as its author, he fits the context of what is written, speaking of his life experiences apart from God, and how one must include God in one’s paradigm for life to have real meaning and purpose. The thrust of Ecclesiastes message, which offers some general advice for living, always returns to a spiritual focus and the role of God in one’s life, in view of eternity.

Those who reject the inspiration and authority of Scripture try to discredit it, saying the Bible is a work of fictional literature. However, it is possible for those who claim to believe in Scripture as the word of God, to do something similar, trying to make Scripture mean something it does not, to legitimatize a lifestyle contrary to what it teaches. Peter said of some in his day, “Also, regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him. He speaks about these things in all his letters. There are some things hard to understand in them. The untaught and unstable will twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures” (2 Pet. 3:15-16). Some would make grace an excuse to sin, as Paul referenced (Rom. 6:1-2). Some want to deny the necessity of immersion. Others want to find references to instrumental music in the worship of the church that is not there. I had one person argue with me Scripture allowed him to give his time, but not his finances, when Scripture emphasizes all we have, time, finances, talents, etc. all belong to God.

The Bible in its entirety is inspired of God. It is accurate in revealing His will to us. None of it has been invented by an uninspired writer, but by men carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21). We must be diligent to know the truth, teach the truth, and live the truth. Don’t fictionalize the meaning of Scripture for personal motives. It is trustworthy, if we allow it to speak to us and mold us in the image of God (Eph. 5:1). This enables us to be children of God (1 John 3:1-2), having a living hope for eternity (1 Pet. 1:3-5). “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

Robert