Is the Bible human literature?

[St.Roymond]

@Mervin_Bitikofer

That’s an interesting way to put it! “Possession” is indeed spoken of as a bad thing, as we’re usually thinking of demons when speaking of it. But ‘possession’ by God? Isn’t that exactly the state all of us are exhorted to voluntarily aspire toward?

I see possession as nullification of personal control, replacing it with another’s. So no, possession by God isn’t something I aspire towards.

@Mervin_Bitikofer

that it’s probably just mincing words at this point if one was splitting hairs about “God choosing every word”, but that being different than God ‘dictating’.

This reminded me of a comment by one participant at a seminar; he said he could see God saying, “Wait, not that word”, but not much more than that. Of course some smart-aleck had to ask, “What about ‘No, don’t use a pluperfect there!’?”

@Mervin_Bitikofer

whatever such ‘dictation mechanics’ may have been involved

The “mechanics” of it is such a modern question! A view I like is that God chose authors at birth and said, “I’m going to guide this guy’s life so that when it comes time to write, he’ll get the message across to his audience”. I was delighted to find that this fits with how Dr. Michael Heiser talks about inspiration not as a momentary “Wow – now that’s over with…” sort of event but a lifelong process where the writers were prepared to be the right spokesmen at the right time.

@Mervin_Bitikofer

they result in the very same veneration of scriptures either way

I don’t see any reason to venerate something that was dictated; I’m far more impressed by God preparing someone and then saying, “Go to it!”, and afterwards, “That works!” (Especially since the “good” in Genesis 1 links to the idea of “that works”.)