Subject: ALL Scripture Inspired by God? |
Bible Note: ischus Your right Mark 16:9-20 isn't in the two oldest manuscripts but it is in 99.5 percent of all the other Greek manuscripts we have in our possession. While it is not in the Codex Vaticanus there is room left between the end of Mark 8 and the beginning of Luke 1. It is as if the copyist knew of the passage but didn’t have it before him and left room for it’s addition at a later time. In the Codex Sinaiticus again it is missing but Mark 14:54-16:8 and the beginning of Luke 1:1-56 were written on cancel leaf and not by the same copyist. It appears some one removed the original pages and re did them. As for some you say rejected it, Jerome included the verses in his translation and Eusebius later acquiesced to Mark 16:9-20 saying they could be reconciled to Matthew with the right punctuation. Irenaeus a man discipled by Polycarp who himself was directly discipled by John quoted Mark 16:19. Clement and Origen were both silent on the issue and their silence proves nothing. It contains fanciful/mystical references to many believers doing miraculous things, when in fact only the apostles did these things (which is interesting, since even they didn't drink poison) While it does mention drinking of poisons we have no knowledge that attempts to poison the disciples didn’t occur. They tried everything else to shut them up including sawing them into pieces. For us to say no one attempted to poison the disciples which God then miraculously preserved is beyond human knowledge. All the other “fanciful/mystical” are record to have occurred in the Book of Acts. Or was that added too. You have parroted the words of the famous liberal teachers yet neither you nor they can offer substantial proof that Mark 16:9-20 is anything other than what it claims to be. I have gone further into this subject that I think it worth. Again I stand on the firm foundation that the scripture is the living word of God inspired, recorded and perfectly preserved through the generations. And I still say to hold the scripture in any lower regard is to cast doubt on the capability of God to preserve his word. EdB |