Phantom verses of the Bible
Posted by staff / June 7, 2011
One would think that if they had a nickel for every time someone quoted the Bible they’d be cruising the high seas in a luxury yacht rather than reading this before work, but chances are good they’d only have a high-end kayak after all.
Blame it on translations, culture or Martin Luther throwing the doors of biblical scholarship open to the little people, yet simple word of mouth appears to be the culprit in drowning out what the Bible actually says. Some mistakes are harmless, some only stray slightly from the text and some have had very serious implications for society at large.
Here’s a sampling of the good book’s phantom quotes:
– “God helps those who help themselves.”
– “Spare the rod, spoil the child.”
– “God works in mysterious ways.”
– “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.”
Oh, and Eve meeting Satan in the Garden of Eden? Never happened.
Full story at Breakfast Links via CNN.
Photo credit: Fotolia
That’s precisely the point, Fred & Vanessa – where in the text does it say the serpent is Satan? Historically, the concept of Satan emerged in history 500 years after this text was probably written. Also notice there is no apple – just a "fruit." (Milton gave us the apple in Paradise Lost.) Also, a close reading of the passage also shows that Eve wasn’t even alive when God told Adam not to eat of the fruit. Eve then tells the serpent that not only are they forbidden to taste the fruit, but not TO TOUCH. Where did she get this addition? Adam, perhaps? The text is fully of mystery, ambiguity and rich inter-textual analysis when one takes the time to read it closely… even without getting into the Hebrew.