THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION

SOLUSI UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES

TOPIC: THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION

A PROJECT PAPER PREPARED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE COURSE

RELT 421 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 1

 

 

WRITEN BY

LAMULANI B NGWENYA ID# 2 0 1 2 1 2 0 1 0 2

INSTRUCTOR DR. N ZVANDASARA ZHOU

To know is an inherent desire that man has been given by the creator of the universe. The bible teaches that man was given many natural abilities, which include passion, cognition and desire. The account found in Genesis 2:7 states that God made man from the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soul. The term soul in the hebrew is נפש which means nephesh, a designation of :... a breathing creature, that is, animal or (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental): - any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature...”1 This shows that man is a creature that is able to reason concretely and abstractly.

Man possesses qualities that make him apt to engage in thinking and reasoning. The power to think is however made possible by the fact that God created him in his image. Hence God would not deal with man as though He were dealing with dumb creation or imbeciles. Rather He would communicate with man as far as it is possible for him to understand Him.

Man is said to have received the breath from God. This breath in the Book of Genesis is called the
(נְשָׁמָה neshâmâh) which ordinates “...intellect or (concretely)...inspiration, soul, spirit” Man is an intellectual creature and this was granted to him by God on creation week. Solomon in Ecclesiastes chapter three sees man as having the same “spirit” as an animal. The term used for spirit is רוּח
“ruach2”…
For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. (Ecc 3:19)

Strong states that ruach means “...figuratively life, anger...by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions)...” Rational beings are people with capabilities to use the mental powers for both cognition and emotional purposes. Brown, Driver and Griggs say ruach means
“... spirit (as that which breathes quickly in animation or agitation, spirit, animation, vivacity, vigour, courage, temper, anger, impatience, patience, spirit, disposition (as troubled, bitter, discontented)disposition (of various kinds), unaccountable or uncontrollable impulse, prophetic spirit...3”


The context in Ecclesiastes makes it clear that the term ruach is the life giving principle and not the intellectual capabilities. Yet since the word can also mean the intellectual componet, hence one can deductively conclude that man being created in the image of God has a higher capacity to reason than the beast s that are refered to in the same book.

When God partook to create man He out of him an animate being that was complete with the capabilities to think and act independently. This ability scientifically is known as metabolism. The metabolic processes are the ones that distinguish between a dead cell and a living cell. The body that is dead does not have catabolic and anabolic processes that ensure energy is both acquired and used up. All of which constitute life. Man was created physiologically and cognitively able4.

God has chosen to reveal himself to people in many ways. These ways of revealing himself are called revelation. They are varied means of revelation.
And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
(Num 12:6).

Dreams and visions make up the component in which God reveals Himself. Revelation is based on belief. Belief is accepting something as true or could be true without a posteriori knowledge5. Revelation comprises of two notions, “belief in” and the “belief that”. Belief in is a desiganation of good things and the belief that belongs to “propositional attitudes”6. Propositional attitudes include statements like ‘thinking that’, ‘wishing that’ and ‘feeling that’.

The science of knowing is called epistemology. Epistemology concerns itself with ways of knowing and how we know. The word is derived from the Greek words epistéme and logos – the former term meaning “knowledge” and that latter term meaning “study of”7. Epistemology involves reason and methodology. It is a study of the human act of knowing when it is done consciously8. Hussey and Hussey 1997 state that epistemology refers to knowledge itself. The further postulate that research is intended to add to knowledge itself. Knowledge to them is data that can be obtained through different methodology such as pure and applied research, quantitative and qualitative research, deductive and inductive9.

When God was making a revelation He used the prophets. God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, (Heb 1:1). This meant that the prophets became the vehicle of communication but they did not use their own attitudes to convey the messages. The prophets reported the message as it was given from God. The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah (Isa 1:1). The notion of adding to the word of God or to remove from the word was unthinkable to the prophets. There was no ‘propositional attitude’. The message was given ‘a posteriori’.

A Posteriori knowledge is given from a point of sense experience. The prophet would not gain an ‘impression’ and from that impression write what he/she ‘feels is’ the prophecy. In Daniel Chapter Ten we see how Daniel received his vision. In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.  (Dan 10:1). This same language is repeated by the New testament equivalent of Daniel that is, John. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:  (Rev 1:1).

Revelation makes sense only in the belief in a greator Causality. The Causality is God. In order to know a posteriori one must have had previous experience. This previous experience is called a “presupposition”10. The presupposition is assumed by the subject before he or she engages in an act of knowledge...They help make sense of the object11. This relationship between subject and object brings about knowledge. The whole matter is based on a set of conditions which help us understand objects. Man is in an epistemological relationship with God. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.  (Isa 1:18)

God being the one who gives the revelation must therefore have qualities that would make him more trustworthy enough not to lead the researcher into a fallacy. The Bible states that “he is not a man that he should lie”, God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Num 23:19

Revelation is also called Biblical epistemology. Then revelation from God must be perfect, harmonizing with his character.
The glory of God is His character. . . . This character was revealed in the life of Christ. That He might by His own example condemn sin in the flesh, He took upon Himself the likeness of sinful flesh. Constantly He beheld the character of God; constantly He revealed this character to the world. Christ desires His followers to reveal in their lives this same character.12

The reason why we trust the Bible as the word of God is the words found in the book of Peter:
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 2 Peter 1: 21

The whole Bible is a revelation; for all revelation to men comes through Christ, and all centers in Him. God has spoken unto us by His Son, whose we are by creation and by redemption. Christ came to John exiled on the Isle of Patmos to give him the truth for these last days, to show him that which must shortly come to pass. Jesus Christ is the great trustee of divine revelation. It is through Him that we have a knowledge of what we are to look for in the closing scenes of this earth's history. God gave this revelation to Christ, and Christ communicated the same to John13.

Christ is One who is the revealer of the mysteries and the prophets who received prophecies from Christ bear witness to fact that the knowledge they received is divine and causes the receiver to understand,
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing 1Co 13:2.

Daniel was told to understand, And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. (Dan 9:22). Knowledge from God is called revelation and it is not difficult to understand and it is simple enough for the unlearned and there is enough to occupy a scholar. David states that revelation has made him to have more “...understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation Psa 119:99.

Epistemology as a philosophical discipline has its limits. The limits are called contradictions. For example one cannot believe that something ‘is’ and at the same time that it isn’t14. Then this leads us to another aspect of knowledge, which is called interpretation. To know is to interpret. Therefore, scripture must be interpreted…
A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels, To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Pro 1:5-7)

Notice the role that is played by interpretation. It is the function of wisdom and the presupposition is that a wise person is able to interpret and therefore attain knowledge. When Nebuchadnezzar wanted somebody to interpret his dream he looked for a person to interpret but non was found. But in the eventuality of time Daniel was brought to the king and he was having the interpretation
But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart...This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. (Dan 2:30-Dan 2:36)

The Bible shows that knowledge is gotten from God and it must be accepted cognitively and then interpreted. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. (2Pe 1:19-20), the presupposition hence is that the prophecy has “...an interpretation...” though not private therfore it must be public. Meaning that it should not obscure or contradictory to the whole Bible which is God’s word reveled.

Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith. To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen (Rom 16: 25-26 15)

In conclusion, revelation is a science that leans heavily on belief and faith. It is not corporeal. It involves Divine Wisdom. It is God who gives knowledge. This knowledge is given to man through Christ Jesus. Jesus disseminates it through the prophets. Then the prophets take it to the people. Epistemology is the science of how we know. And how we obtain knowledge. A priori is knowledge obtained without prior experience and a posteriori is knowledge obtained from experience gotten by empirical methods.

References.

1. Strong J,Hebrew and Greek Lexicon, public domain (1890).
2. ibid.
3. Brown-Driver-Briggs,Hebrew and Greek lexicon, public domain.
4. James l Christian,Philosophy: Introduction to the art of womdering 4th ed Holt Rhinehart and Winston, NY((1986))
5. www.utm.edu/resorces/iep/b/behaviour/htm article belief
6. Internet encyclopedia of philosophy article belief 
7. Carl J. Wenning, Physics Education Specialist, Physics Department, Illinois State University, Normal, IL (2009)
8. Canele F. A, Biblical epistemology for Adventist scholarship, Andrews University.
9. Hussey and Hussey,Fact sheet 5: Museum Audiences in Victoria, Arts Research and Markeying Unit, Melbourne, (1997)
10. Canele F. A, Biblical epistemology for Adventist scholarship, Andrews University
11. Ibid.
12. White E G,That I May Know Him, Washington D.C, Review and Herald p131.3, (1964) 
13. White E.G, MR No. 1453 – Article ‘Be Steadfast Unto the End’ ,Estate Washington, D.C. May 11, 1989.
14. www.utm.edu/resorces/iep/b/behaviour/htm article belief 
15. All scripture was qouted from “The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.”