How Do We Know We're Reading the Actual Bible? (With Dr. Dan Block) 

Come back home, beloved brother in Christ. You're only one Reconciliation away :)

@@TS47YT no thanks…

He’s intelligent.

We're all from different backgrounds around here; I was an atheist and member of FFRF for many years and grew up with an atheist stepfather with an axe to grind against Jehovah Witnesses. Really enjoy the content and community of this channel

@@jacobrodriguez7771 Catholic. I get the comment. I am Anglican.

Yes, good point! Put anyone on a pedestal besides Jesus himself, and you are opening up the possibility of error in your interpretation. The given example is a great example of how that happens.

What is it called?

@@jessestone117 I too would like to know. This comment is for the sole purpose of being notified if the answer is posted. A whole comment when a ● would have sufficed.

Maybe I'm crazy, but his voice and some facial features reminds me of Adam Savage of mythbusters.

They're variants, so someone must have changed something somewhere. Either someone changed it from Moses to Manasseh, or they changed it from Manasseh to Moses. They can't both be original.

The Dead Sea Scrolls have other extra biblical texts aswell

@@mrmcface713 Definitely, sectarian records and much more, including their own sectarian scriptures.

The Bible is the infallable Word of God which is being privately interpreted by fallable people.

@@guardianangel3425 - What evidence supports your confidence enough for you to state this as fact?

@@JohnnyQuick_ By evidence, you mean scientific evidence? I don't have one if that's what your asking.

There's another verse I like to check in Bible translations, it's Romans 5:12...Jerome mistranslated the Greek "ἐφ’ ᾧ" (eph' hō) which means "because" as "in quo" in the Latin Vulgate which is rendered to English as "in whom" in translations like the 1382 Wycliffe Bible, 1526 Tyndale Bible, 1535 Coverdale Bible, 1568 Bishop's Bible, 1582 Douay-Rheims Bible, 1599 Geneva Bible, 1611 Authorized King James Version and pretty much any other translation that used the Latin Vulgate as a source text...which led to the heterodox doctrine of inherited guilt that most Western Christian denominations believe as a consequence of offshooting from Roman Catholicism...the orthodox doctrine of Original Sin being that we inherited the consequences of Adam & Eve's sin, but not the guilt, for "fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin." - Deuteronomy 24:16 (echoed again in Ezekiel, Jeremiah & 2 Kings)

I actually really love the Eastern Orthodox teaching on this, death entered the world because Adam & Eve sinned, people die as a consequence of sin, but people also sin as a consequence of fearing death, it's the source of every unloving non-sacrificial act we make, so just as death is a consequence of sin, sin is a consequence of death, a vicious cycle Satan uses to terrorize us with, until we die to this world, realizing that Christ conquered the physical death we fear so much, it's a shift of mentality that lets you strap on the armor of God & charge into battle as opposed to trying to save your own tail at the expense of others...it's a beautiful doctrine really...die to this world, volunteer to take up your cross & follow Him.

The Orthodox church is the only real church. Catholics are heretics.

He’s Canadian/American but I believe teaches in Liverpool and has picked up some of that accent

@@davegarciaofficial Thanks!!! I appreciate it.

Because God works primarily in and through people. That's his whole deal.

@@HarrisonTheGrey - Why does an omnipotent god work through other people, guaranteeing an imperfect transmission, instead of working directly in and through each individual to transmit the most important information? Alternatively, why does an omnipotent god not guarantee a flawless transmission in his use of other people?

@@JohnnyQuick_, He created people to reflect His glory and to share in His rule over Creation. In spite of the fact that we rebelled and made ourselves flawed, He will not take away our dignity by refusing us our role in reflecting His glory and sharing in His authority.

@@tryingnottobeasmartass757 - 1. That doesn’t answer my questions. 2. How do you know that what you said is true?

@@JohnnyQuick_, that does answer your question, and how do you know anything is true?

I think Dr. Block suggested something like 99% of the textual conflicts are inconsequential and easily resolved. My work has yielded the same impression. That said, the one your brought up is the big one. The very big one, and it's entirely fair and helpful for you to mention it. The Septuagint underscores almost the entire New Testament with 90% of quotes being drawn from it as opposed to Hebrew text traditions. In addition to the "young woman" issue, the tension between the two is noticeable in Jesus' reading of Isaiah 61 at the synagogue in Luke 4. There is looks like some sort of hybrid between the Greek Septuagint and Hebrew text traditions is present. Beyond that, I think even most well-informed students of the Bible would have trouble coming up with a well-known tension off the top of their heads without googling. I think Dr. Block is mathematically correct in his assertion that nearly all tensions in the manuscripts supporting the Old Testament are easily resolved, and there are very solid arguments in support of resolving the issues you and I have raised as well. Again, I appreciate the helpful and insightful comment.

@@MattWhitmanTMBH I would potentially agree with the mathematical correctness of the stats he gave. I’m actually a mathematician by trade and my point was more along the lines of the 1% having infinitely more importance than the other 99% in some sense. It’s a bit misleading and, in my opinion, downplays the importance of that 1%. For example, I did some work for Northrop Grumman in the city of LA. They wanted us to calculate the scenario at a 4-way intersection that yielded the least probability of an accident, with particular attention to transition times between stop lights (from green to yellow to red). What we found was that the scenario that yielded the least probability for an accident to occur (at a 4-way intersection) was to remove all of the stop lights and for every car from every direction to be going at least 240 mph. Of course, when other factors are considered, this scenario is not practical and is misleading because you may fail to realize that when an accident does occur, everybody within 3/4 of a mile radius of the intersection will likely die. My point being, I don’t like the casual way the 99% correct ones are portrayed. That 1% matters more than, perhaps, anything else. I really appreciate your thoughtful comment and love this discourse. More people should engage in such. I’d also like to mentioned that I’m a fairly early student of the Bible and Christianity. I’m, by no means at all, an expert on these things. I have approached religion the same way one would approach a mathematical proof. You start with your axioms and question everything on your way to the conclusion. It didn’t take long for me to realize how lightly people took their biblical studies and just how thin their foundation was. Certainly not suggesting that’s the case with you or Dr. Block, just giving context to my opinions.

@@kevinsaint20, keep in mind, also, that the Masoretic text is a Jewish translation that was intentionally translated to minimize the texts Christians were using to prove Jesus is the Messiah. It is also one of the reasons why certain books (e.g. Wisdom of Solomon) is found in the Septuagint but not the Masoretic.

@@tryingnottobeasmartass757 exactly. I made that point earlier in my comment with reference to the translation of “virgin”. Masoretic text translated that Hebrew word into “young woman” whereas LXX translates it to “virgin”, seemingly downplaying the divinity of Jesus

@@kevinsaint20, sorry, I missed that, but I was in the hospital and high on painkillers when I responded. LOL.

Have you like at all? Try de-puffing your chest and read the 2015. I challenge you. Spend one month in the NLT every day, 10 chapters a day (5 OT 5NT) and report back. You’ll be humbled