Was Bill O'Reilly Divinely Inspired to Write Killing Jesus?

The Fox News Channel political commentator Bill O’Reilly was a high school history teacher before he embarked on his television career. He has written numerous books such as Killing Kennedy, Killing Lincoln, The Last Days of Hitler, and Killing Patton.   He is a Roman Catholic believer and has said that he thinks he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write his excellent Killing Jesus. This set off a firestorm of criticism with some people saying that they think he is insane or blasphemous. I think he is probably correct that he was inspired.

I know the implications of what I am saying. I also think that this blog is inspired by God. Of course, it is not inspired on the same authoritative level as Scripture. That idea is the core heresy which led to modern Mormonism. The canon of scripture and doctrinal interpretation is closed. 

The Bible clearly states that each of the Saints (us, not a special class of extra-holy people) is divinely inspired. We  have the Mind of Christ. We have a direct link to the Holy Spirit who indwells, leads, instructs, and counsels individual believers.

Of course He leads us. Of course He inspires us. If He does not, then the problem is with us. We are not listening.

If you do not feel the Holy Spirit moving in your life, now is the time, today. If you are a Christian, ask Him, then listen.

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A general caution: books may give you wonderful new insights and explanations of subjects, but you should never base your Christian beliefs on any one book or the teachings of one person, no matter who they are. All teachings must be consistent with scripture. Read as the Bereans did, with discernment. “… for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11 NASB

Any doctrines must be consistent with the historical full body of Christian thought. Doctrines or teachings inconsistent with scripture in any way must be rejected. You would not eat cheese which had a fuzzy fungus growing on it.

Non-Canonical and Extra-Biblical Books and Letters Mentioned in the Bible

There are at least twenty-one extra-biblical books mentioned in the Bible. Each of these books may have been and probably were consulted by the Holy Spirit-inspired writers of the canonical books.  The Hebrews clearly had many other books than those included in the Bible. Some, such as the Book of Jasher, are mentioned in several verses.

"And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day." Joshua 10:13

"(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)" 2 Samuel 1:18

Jasher is not the name of a person. This is ספר הישר  Sefer (Book) Ha (the) Yashar (Upright, Correct, Just). The Latin Vulgate translates this as Book of the Just Ones while the Greek Septuagint translates the Hebrew as Book of the Upright.

This lost book was probably a collection of songs and poems about Hebrew battles and heroes. There are several books of Jasher which were composed much later than the biblical period and which are not the book mentioned in the Bible.

1. Sefer HaYashar: A collection of rabbinical theological writings which makes no claim to be the original book.
2. Pseudo-Jasher: ca 1625, a collection of Jewish legends.
3. Book of Jasher: 18th century. Claims to be a translation of the original book but most scholars consider this book to be an eighteenth century forgery.

Missing Something

On a calendar, we switched the page from March to April.   The next page said October, then November, then December. There was no sign of April through September.  This is the way that many people read their Bibles.

Many people don’t seem to realize that the Bible is one book.  They read only the New Testament.  They ignore, reinterpret, or “re-imagine” passages which are uncomfortable or which do not fit into their philosophy of life.

Worshipping the paper

"... I think God was wise in not allowing the original autographs to survive,  He wants us to hear His word and obey it, not worship it.  If we had the original manuscripts (or anything old enough that it could possibly be an original), I'm afraid people would set up shrines and worship the paper." Alan Kent Scholes, in What Christianity is All About (1999).

Christian Heresies: King James Onlyism

You may have noticed that when I quote from the Bible, I use the King James Version (KJV).  This has practical, cultural, and personal reasons.  It is the version of the Bible with which I grew up and with which I am entirely comfortable, but it is not the only version I use.  I also consult the New International Version and the Greek New Testament.  I have said here before that I would also like to consult the Hebrew Bible, but the Hebrew language is an impenetrable mystery to me.

The main reason that I quote here from the King James Version is that it is in the public domain so there are no copyright issues.  Some of the newer translations are actually sometimes easier to understand for English-speakers.

Followers of the King James Only Movement would declare that I am a heretic or that, because I use any translation other than the 1611 Authorized Version KJV, including any other modern languages, that I am not saved.  Their interpretation is at the very least, incorrect, and at the worst, heretical.  Heretical because it is, or borders on being, a form of idolatry.  Some actually believe that the KJV takes precedence over the Greek and Hebrew originals.  They worship a particular version of the book and miss what the book actually is.  They have allowed themselves to become distracted by side issues, taking their eyes off their true purpose: furthering the Kingdom of God.

The Bible is a collection of poems, letters, histories, instructions, laws, proverbs, songs, and other literature.  Left alone it will sit on a shelf.  Just a book.  In the hands of a believer, the divinely inspired book comes alive; one of the tools used by the Holy Spirit to instruct, comfort, teach, correct, and convict.  Some call it the Word of God, but the Bible itself tells us in John 1:1 that Jesus is the Word.  The Holy Spirit uses the Bible to glorify Jesus.

http://www.raptureready.com/rr-kjvo.html  

a spirited refutation of King James Onlyism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_James_Only_movement 

has a number of pro and con links at the end of the article

Psalm 118

There are a startling number of "strange" coincidences associated with Psalms 118.
1. Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible.
2. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible.
The next few "coincidences" are based on the arrangement of the books in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. Only the most extreme fundamental literalists say that the KJV is verbally inspired even in its order of the books and individual words. Most Christians who accept that the Bible is verbally inspired believe that the inspiration applies not to translations but to the original autographic documents, which, of course, we do not have. Many believers accept, after the work of thousands of biblical scholars in comparing all of the variant readings of the thousands of known scrolls, fragments, papyri, etc. that the reconstituted biblical books are accurate and have better attestation than many classical Roman and Greek works which exist in only a single known copy.
3. Psalm 118 is the middle chapter in the KJV, with 594 chapters before it and 594 chapters after it. 594 + 594 = 1188.
4. Psalm 118:8 (1188).
5. "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." Psalm 118:8.