History can inform and reveal one some essential questions like how, when, what and why something happened in the past. Even though one cannot repeat and examine events that happened in history again and again as one can do in science, one can be sure and know some facts about it if having enough evidence. In this sense, history plays an obviously crucial role throughout ages for humans.
On the whole, every generation relies on a previous generation. Therefore, one cannot ignore and overlook it if one is eager to find out what happened in the early time and why modern people are holding a particular view at the present without a doubt. In the same way, one can trace back and study the development of the authority of Scripture from the beginning to the end. For this is not a detailed presentation, only an overview of historical perspective on the Bible is going to be discussed. The authority of Scripture can be seen clearly as a controversial subject throughout history.
Historically speaking, people have regarded the Scriptures both the Old and New Testaments as authentic and reliable sources for a long time. However, the idea of the Bible and its inerrancy was not fully developed and widely accepted among evangelicals until the twentieth century (Bovell, 2011, Chapter 1). Originally, Christians may have held a high view on the Bible, but the doctrine of error-free was not, otherwise evangelicals or scholars did not need to make an official statement about it.
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For example, Princetonian scholars of the nineteenth century stated that “the Scripture teaches that it is one hundred percent inspired, and this means it is authoritative for the purpose for which it was given, namely, instruction in matters of faith and morals” (Bovell, 2011, Chapter 2). There was limitation, for it did not nominate and include every topic and area. In a later time, there seems to be no limitation of inerrancy.
“During the twentieth century, Western (i.e., European-American) conservative Protestant Christianity split into two loosely defined and overlapping camps: fundamentalism and evangelicalism” (Bovell, 2011, Chapter 6). They generally hold the doctrine of inerrancy of the Bible. Therefore, there have been some intense debates and arguments over the inerrancy of the Bible among Christians since then. Sadly, many have also left Christianity due to this doctrine. In addition to that, reinterpretations of the Bible have occurred to defend secular and liberal scholars’ serious criticism and attacks.
As an instance, “the historical and biblical contexts of Gen 1 confirm that a day-age interpretation is unnatural. The fact that no one until the rise of modern science interpreted the days of Gen 1 as long ages seals the case that such an interpretation is unnatural” (Bovell, 2011, Chapter 2).To conclude what has been presented regarding a historical perspective on the authority of the Bible, traditionally and historically the Bible is highly respected and authoritative in many ways such as theology, morals and ethics.
However, the doctrine of inerrancy in every aspect of the Bible is likely to be beyond the way early Christians have taught and passed down from generation to generation. As a result of overstated inerrancy, natural or traditional views and approaches are at stake. New interpretations have been adopted, and “since the latter half of the eighteenth century Christianity has endured battles with scientists, philosophers, historians, exegetes, and theologians who have approached the Bible in a way that has caused many Christians to react defensively” (Bovell, 2011, Chapter 12).
