The Nugget:
Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
The Challenge:
Ask any Muslim, regardless of race, to recite surahs (not verses) from the Quran. Then, try asking any Christian to recite several verses only from the Gospel in Greek (or even in English).
My Comments:
[Dean Crossley presented the full chart of the conjugation of the Greek verb for “loose” to show how the Greek verb in its various forms very precisely conveys the type of action intended as a comparison to Arabic in a discussion of which language was superior for communicating truth most accurately to the widest audience.]
l had to learn those conjugations and much more by heart when I took two years of New Testament Greek at Bob Jones University. I have been studying Greek ever since and have much more to learn, though. I only know of two English translations of the Greek NT which properly render the subjunctive mood (and the middle voice) consistently and adequately into English [Young’s Literal Translation and the Lavender New Testament]. This has a most important bearing on understanding Bible doctrine!
As for memorization, my elderly friend, Uncle Frank Burrell, who lived in the Grand Hotel which was next to my apartment building on Fort Street, about eight blocks west of the Ambassador Bridge, in southwest Detroit, had lived in the same hotel room since 1920 when I first met him in 1963 or 1964. He had retired from Kelvinator in 1950. Uncle Frank had memorized the entire New Testament in English. He told me he did that so he could discuss the Bible with others without having to turn through the printed pages of the Bible. He knew the Old Testament nearly as well. He was an expert in the types of the Old Testament, especially the Tabernacle. I inherited his library.
Many people have memorized the entire Bible or the entire New Testament.
If Uncle Frank could do this as an ordinary blue collar factory worker out of personal interest, it is not unreasonable to believe many other Christians have done the same.
PixelMistakePicasso asked:
May I ask which version of the Bible your friend memorized? It’s important to note that your friend didn’t memorize “the Bible” in its original form; they memorized an English translation of it. When it comes to the Quran, it was originally revealed in Arabic, and Muslims memorize it in Arabic, word for word. This means that regardless of any translations into different languages, Muslims still retain the original Arabic version in their memory. This practice ensures that no one can intentionally or unintentionally alter even a single word of the Quran, even after thousands of years. The memorization of the Quran is a means of preserving it as the Final Revelation from God, since there will be no subsequent revelation to correct any corruption if it were to occur. While the Gospel (Injeel) revealed to Jesus or the Torah given to Moses could have been corrupted, it is understandable because they are not the final revelations. This is why God did not promise in the Torah or the Injeel that those texts would be protected from alteration.
this is one example why memorization is important in preservation.
“He led the team to victory” vs. “He let the team to victory.”
Changing “led” to “let” alters the meaning significantly.
My answer:
My friend Uncle Frank memorized the Bible as I described above in English, in the King James Version.
Remember that you said in your comment above, “or even in English.”
My elderly friend was still studying NT Greek and Greek grammar clear into his mid eighties.
Though he was just a blue collar factory worker in Detroit at Kelvinator (a manufacturer of wood burning cookstoves–my grandparents in North Dakota had that brand of stove in their farmhouse), he certainly knew his Bible well.
He was an expert on the subject of baptism. In his younger days he debated Baptists on the issue of the mode of baptism. No one could defeat him on this subject in a debate!
Dean Crossley’s response to PixelMistakePicasso:
I don’t think you fully grasp the point that Ehrman was making when he emphasized the importance of written evidence to prove that what is being recited today in the 21st century is the same as that of the 7th.
Please re-read that section from Ehrman:
“”Unless the text is written down someplace, there is no way actually to *check* to see. So unless you have WRITTEN evidence that goes back to the seventh century (in this case), there is no way to know. That’s why such manuscript discoveries are important.”
My response to Dean Crossley:
There was a sign prominently displayed on the school security office door at Denby High School in Detroit, Michigan at the time I was a teacher there.
The sign read:
IF IT IS NOT WRITTEN, IT DID NOT HAPPEN.
Dig deeper into what God’s Word teaches for Psalm 119:11 by carefully studying the cross references given for this verse in The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:
Psalms 119:11
Thy word. [Heb. imrah, S# H565. Psa 119:38; Psa 119:41; Psa 119:50; Psa 119:58; Psa 119:67; Psa 119:76; Psa 119:82; Psa 119:103; Psa 119:116; Psa 119:123; Psa 119:133; Psa 119:140; Psa 119:148; Psa 119:154; Psa 119:158; Psa 119:162; Psa 119:170; Psa 119:172, Gen 4:23 (speech). Psa 12:6 (the only place where the plural is found)] *Psa 119:97; Psa 119:105; Psa 119:125, **Psa 1:2; **Psa 37:31; *Psa 40:8, Deut 6:6; Deut 11:18; Deut 32:46, *Job 22:22; **Job 23:12, *Pro 2:1; Pro 2:10; Pro 2:11, Isa 51:7, **Jer 15:16; Jer 20:9, Luk 2:19; Luk 2:51, +*Joh 5:38; Joh 5:39, **Col 3:16, 1Jn 2:14.
hid. T1070 (The Scriptures to be: Laid up in the heart), T1088 (Saints hide Scripture in their hearts). Psa 119:16; Psa 119:98, +Deut 6:6; Deut 11:18, **Jos 1:8, 1Sa 21:12, Jer 31:33, Eze 3:3, Luk 8:15, 2Co 3:3.
in mine heart. Psa 37:31; Psa 40:8, Deut 6:6; Deut 11:18, 1Sa 21:12, Pro 3:1; Pro 3:3; Pro 4:4; Pro 16:23, Eze 3:10, Dan 7:28, Mat 12:35, Luk 1:66; Luk 6:45; Luk 8:15, Joh 15:7, 1Jn 2:14; 1Jn 2:24, 3Jn 1:3.
that I. Psa 119:16; Psa 119:125; Psa 119:133; Psa 119:165, Psa 18:21, 22, 23; *Psa 19:11; Psa 19:13, Deut 4:9, Jos 24:22, 1Ch 28:8, Neh 13:3, Pro 3:23; Pro 6:22, **+Joh 8:11 note. +*Joh 17:6; Joh 17:17, +**1Co 15:34, Eph 6:17, 18, +*2Ti 3:16.