Last week/chapter, I wrote that Lexicographical -
dictionary resources are the most authoritative extra-Biblical resources. While
these resources are very reliable, they are not inspired. This raises the
question of how God preserved his Message.
Can God preserve His message using human language even
if our knowledge of that language is less than infallible? The answer is
absolutely yes. To understand why the limitations of human language do not
limit God, we should understand how God address these epistemological limits to
human knowledge. This issue is addressed in 1 Corinthians 13:9-12, which
describes current limits of human epistemology.
"For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect [complete]is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."
- 1 Corinthians 13:9-12
This passage says that we have partial knowledge of the
things of God. This makes sense, as God is infinite and humans are finite.
Humanity, in the current mortal flesh, cannot grasp exhaustively the knowledge
of God in both its breadth and depth. Communication between an infinite person
and finite persons created in the image of the infinite person is possible
because the finite person has the same categories as the Infinite Person. The
finite person, however, has neither the storage capacity and bandwidth to store
all information, nor the infallibility to guarantee integrity of the data; The
Infinite Person is not only able to do those things, but is able to compensate
for the weaknesses of the finite person in the communication process.
Communication between the Infinite Person and the finite person involves a
tradeoff: Completeness comes at the price of expressiveness and precision.
Precise expressiveness comes at the price of completeness.
God chose completeness over precision at the cost of
some ambiguity. 1 Corinthians 13:12 says
that "we see through a glass, darkly."
This dark glass Paul is referring to was a description of ancient mirrors. They
lack the perfect and precise reflectivity of modern mirrors. Ancient mirrors
were basically polished brass. These mirrors would do a good job of presenting
a complete or whole image, but the image would be fuzzy, lacking precise
expression of details. Images produced by these mirrors provided good knowledge
of the big picture but were weak on some of the details.
God compensates for ambiguity at the level of
microscopic or nano-scopic detail NY weaving the
fullness of His Message into the Big Picture. Throughout these Bible studies,
both narrative and points of doctrine have been supported NY multiple passages
in context and multiple contexts that are woven together in one meta-narrative.
God has embedded abundant redundancy
into his word to insure that his message gets through. Uncertainties at a microscopic level
concerning the integrity of a particular
text or its meaning do not create uncertainty in the larger narrative anymore
than a microscopic mole can defile a portrait.
Further proof that uncertainties in small scales do not
create uncertainty in larger scales can be found in physics and mathematics. In
physics, this principle is called the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle; and in
mathematics, it is called Godel's Completeness and
his two Incompleteness Theorems. These
principles prove the epistemology that Paul laid out in 1 Corinthians 13:12
under inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
The Heisenberg
Uncertainty Principle
The Heisenberg Principle states that it is impossible
to measure with high precision both the position and momentum of particles. It
is generally regarded by physicist as, not merely an uncertainty of
measurements, but an actual uncertainty in the physical universe. Hyper Lab's
description assert that " Even with perfect instruments and technique, the uncertainty is
inherent in the nature of things. " Below is the following definition from HyperPhysics Lab at Georgia State University. 1
"The position and
momentum of a particle cannot be simultaneously measured with arbitrarily high
precision. There is a minimum for the product of the uncertainties of these two
measurements. There is likewise a minimum for the product of the uncertainties
of the energy and time.
Δx Δp > h/2
ΔE
ΔT > h/2
"This is not a statement about the
inaccuracy of measurement instruments, nor a reflection on the quality of
experimental methods; it arises from the wave properties inherent in the
quantum mechanical description of nature. Even
with perfect instruments and technique, the uncertainty is inherent in the
nature of things."
The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle does not destroy certainty on the larger
level. It is only at the subatomic level that uncertainty exists. We can be
certain of the big picture view of things, but when we pursue precision at the
subatomic level we lose some certainty. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle
suggests that the universe is porous, allowing for some wiggle room at the
smallest levels. If this be the nature
of reality, then it follows that good interpretation of the Bible allow for
wiggle-room at the smallest levels. What is gained by precision is lost in
certainty
Godel's Completeness and Incompleteness Theorems
Godel's Completeness and
Incompleteness Theorems describe the same scope of epistemology as 1
Corinthians 13:12. Godel's Completeness Theorem says
that in a natural language or propositional logic, every valid argument can be
constructed as a formal proof using the language of mathematics or mathematical
logic. Godel's First Incompleteness Theorem states
that every logically consistent formal
system, meaning a system that describes proof using mathematical language or
meta-language*, has statements that are true but unprovable
from within the system. Godel's Second Incompleteness
Theorem states that no consistent formal system can prove its own validity from
statements within the system. Ambiguous,
natural language has contained within it
completeness, but the more precise, formal system are necessarily incomplete.
What formal systems gain by precision, they lose in
completion. Even if gaps in one formal
system are filled by appeal to another formal system, the second formal system
would have gaps of its own. No finite number of formal systems can have
complete knowledge. Only an infinite number of formal systems can attain formal
completion, and only the mind of God can contain knowledge of an infinite
"number" of formal systems.
Three things follow from these three theorems: A finite
mind can find complete, but not
exhaustive knowledge expressed in terms of somewhat ambiguous natural language.
This knowledge includes certainty about the big picture, but fuzzy on the
details - just what Paul claimed in 1 Corinthians 13:12 (Godel's
completeness Theorem). The second is
that no formal system can account for all of reality (Both of Godel's Incompleteness Theorems). The third is that no
uncertainty caused by incompleteness or inconsistency can destroy the certainty
that exists in natural language and logic. Godel's
Incompleteness Theorems do not contradict the Completeness Theorem.
No formal or formalized system can be both consistent
and complete. Attempts to do result in discrepancies. These discrepancies,
however, do not destroy our knowledge of the whole. These three theorems
confirm the Pauline epistemology of 1 Corinthians 13:12. Uncertainties at the
microscopic level do not destroy our knowledge of the message of God.
God has chosen to communicate His message in natural
language. Natural language is complete and sufficient to convey His intended
message. Because no formal system can be both consistent and complete,
discrepancies from these systems or formalized
systems (i.
e. modern science) at the microscopic level are not valid objections to the
main narrative. Reality exists in such a way that no finite mind can judge with
certainty in both a complete and consistent way the smallest scales. The
Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle establishes these limits as a matter of
empirical or experiential observation, and Godel's
Theorems establish these limits as necessary truths. In the midst of
microscopic uncertainty is certainty and completeness concerning the big
picture.
The Bible is
consistent concerning the big picture or meta-narrative, and it uniquely
and completely provides answer to some fundamental questions that are found
nowhere else. God has built in massive redundancy into the Scripture, insuring
that important doctrines are confirmed in context and in multiple places. Weakness in human knowledge at the
microscopic level, whether it be matters of textual criticism or that of the most precise shade of meaning of a word
in its original language, do not hinder the ability of the Holy Spirit to
deliver God's intended message to man using human language.
The role of the
Holy Spirit in Hermeneutics
While this study in hermeneutics emphasizes valid methodologies of interpretation, God
has not left us with just methods. He has given us his Holy Spirit that we may
understand his ways (1 Corinthians 2:9-16).
We should seek God, asking him for the
wisdom He generously gives when we study his word (James 1:5-8). While I
have said only a little about seeking God's wisdom, this is the most important
thing in hermeneutics.
Scripture References
1 Corinthians 2:9-16; James 1:5-8
Other References
1 HyperPhysics
Lab at Georgia State University
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/uncer.html
http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/G%C3%B6del_s_completeness_theorem.html
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/GoedelsIncompletenessTheorem.html
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/GoedelsSecondIncompletenessTheorem.html
1 Can God preserve His message using human language
even if our knowledge of that language is less than infallible?
2 What does the Bible say about human epistemology?
3 What is the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle?
4 How does the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle confirm
Biblical epistemology?
5 What does Godel's
Completeness Theorem say?
6 What does Godel's
Incompleteness Theorems say?
7 What do Godel's Three
Theorems, when taken together, mean for epistemology?
8 Why is
God redundant in his revelation?
9 What is the most important thing in Hermeneutics?
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