Internal Evidence for the Inerrancy of The Pentateuch -- By: Eugene H. Merrill

Journal: Conservative Theological Journal
Volume: CTJ 02:5 (Jun 1998)
Article: Internal Evidence for the Inerrancy of The Pentateuch
Author: Eugene H. Merrill


Internal Evidence for the Inerrancy
of The Pentateuch

Eugene H. Merrill

Professor of Old Testament Studies
Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, TX

Note: The following article is the first in a series dealing with the vital issue of inerrancy. The editor of this journal as well as the members of the Conservative Theological Society are very concerned with the growing compromise on this issue among supposed evangelicals. Thus, we feel this series is timely to show the overwhelming evidence for our belief in an inerrant Bible text!

Introduction

A major ongoing issue in twentieth century theological reflection is that of the nature of the Bible: Is it or is it not what it claims to be—the very Word of God and thus an inerrant communication of His self-disclosure? Failure to arrive at a positive consensus on this issue will continue the challenge to the doctrinal integrity and authority of the Bible, and will contribute to the resulting paralysis of the life and witness of the church. To hold to a mistake-ridden Bible vitiates compelling reasons to believe and proclaim the Gospel message. This is true whether one speaks of the Old or the New Testament. The Old Testament was, after all, the Bible of Jesus and the Apostolic church and to this day has lost none of its revelatory and magisterial character.

Most of the discussion of the inerrancy of Scripture centers on its epistemological and theological necessity.1 Its proofs are largely theological deductions based on certain New Testament texts (mainly though not exclusively 2 Tim. 3:16–17; 2 Pet. 1:20–21). While this is entirely appropriate as far as it goes, such a limited approach tends to

ignore the more global witness of the entire canon, particularly of the Old Testament. The purpose of this study is to examine the evidence for Old Testament attestations to its own inerrancy, specifically in the Torah (or Pentateuch), the foundational composition upon which all the subsequent biblical witness is based. What do the writings of Moses say about themselves with respect to their infallibility as divine revelation?

External Testimony

Before this question is addressed, it will be helpful to look, at least briefly, at how Moses and his writings were viewed by his contemporaries and successors. This will be treated under (1) the remainder of the Old Testament, (2) the postbiblical Jewish tradition, (3) the New Testament, and (4) the post-New Testament Christian tradition.

The Old Testament an...
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