Study notes

Sir, Regarding the debate on the veracity of the Bible, in the light of Mandy Bissett’s remarks, may I make the following comments.

Anyone who takes Bible study seri- ously will soon refer to study notes or commentaries. At once they will have entered the vast field of biblical interpretation in which very many furrows have been ploughed. There are those who believe that the Scriptures derive their authority from the Church, which can add to them, the Catholic view. There are others – was not CS Lewis one of them? – who believe that the Scriptures have simply become embodied in the life of the Church and accepted by all. There are those who believe the Bible in whatever accepted version is the Word of God, whose real author is the Holy Spirit, working through human agents and giving power to true believers to receive its life-giving doctrines.

Amongst those who hold a very high doctrine of Scripture is a plethora of professors, scholars, bishops, clergy and teachers as well as a host of distinguished saints, such as Prof David Wilkinson, himself being both a scientist and a theologian.

The many versions of Scripture have the same holy story, and vary only in slight detail, usually with readership in mind.

It was an established principle of the Reformation that the purpose of exposition is “to unfold the mind of the writer” with clear brevity.

The debate about how St Paul used… is far from new, constantly being sifted in its … by theological institutions throughout the world.

The Anglican community is well served by an abundance of scholars, one of whom, Prof Gerald Bray, himself a holder of a very high doctrine of Scripture, has produced a masterly volume, ‘Biblical Interpretation – Past and Present’ – a must for all concerned with the story of the approaches to understanding God’s enduring truth. However, it is most important to heed the words of St Basil of Caeserea: “Let us hear Scripture as it has been written.”

The Rev Canon Peter Cook, Cheadle Hume, Cheshire