The Library

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6:36 AM

@JackDouglas Would you have any problem with me closing this as "...off-topic because it focuses primarily on application of the text to the modern reader rather than its interpretation in the context in which it was written"? I'm reading on meta, and there's a lot, but it's mostly about answers rather than questions. The three VTC so far are 'systematic theology', which I'm hesitant about.

If you think it's on-topic, then we probably need more meta discussion.

-2

Q: If the New Testament was written in Koine/Alexandrian Greek, did each word have one meaning?

If the original text was in the form of Greek established by Alexander the Great then each word would have one meaning, therefore repentance would not be as simple as 'to change ones mind' because there are at least 4 places in New Testament scripture translated 'to change your mind'; such as in ...

greek

^^^Hunh? I've never heard of a language without semantic range....presumably this is based on some idea about "Alexandrian" Greek that I'm not familiar with, but...I just don't get it.

Jack Douglas

@Susan I usually agree about what's on-topic with everyone else, just not on the reaason :)

A: Revising Off-Topic Close option addressing "systematic theology"

I'd love to see it go away altogether and be replaced with the following: Exegetical questions that don't start from the text, but rather from a preconceived idea or framework, are off topic. I don't care if the question starts from systematic theology, physics, or theoretical underwater ba...

If we were allowed a fourth 'close' reason, I'm sure I'd use this one more than all the rest put together

Some people argue that we can't judge the OPs intent, but this question is a good example showing how it's possible

Susan

6:56 AM

@JackDouglas When you and Dan agree about this sort of thing, I'm happy. ;-)

Jack Douglas

ha ha, yes

Susan

@JackDouglas It's unusual among questions of this type in that it actually does give a particular text to start with, but I'm glad we all agree it's off topic anyway. Thanks for your help; I'll finish off the VTC.

Jack Douglas

A: Can we have more than 3 custom close reasons, pretty please?

We can enable more close reasons, but we are trying to hold off on doing that unless there's a demonstrated need because long lists have historically proven to be, at best, confusing. At the same time, we certainly recognize that some sites have different needs. For example, Stack Overflow alre...

Would you have any objection to me asking that here?

Susan

@JackDouglas No, and I imagine it could be demonstrated that we've had enough meta discussions to justify it. But is there any precedent for that being granted on a beta site?

Jack Douglas

@Susan good question, I don't know.

done

Susan

7:20 AM

@JackDouglas Thanks, does feature-request notify the appropriate person, or should we ping a CM?

Jack Douglas

@Susan yes, they automatically know when there is a feature request

I know that by how quickly they decline them :S

Susan

@JackDouglas Ha! Well, this one is either easy or not do-able on the beta platform, so I imagine it won’t be a terribly hard decision.

Librarian

Meta Q: Can we have a custom close reason please?

Jack Douglas

@Librarian I can't vote for my own question but at least I can star it in here :)

Susan

7:42 AM

@JackDouglas I wish one-boxed URLs would be rendered more elegantly in the star list.

(Apparently superpings too.)

Q: 1 Tim 2:12: What about a woman prophesying with authority over a man?

For as long as I can remember I have implicitly read this verse as specifically referring to office-authority, IE church leadership role. Given Paul's implicit endorsement of women prophesying in 1 Cor 11:5; I am considering which takes precedence in a moment where a woman is prophesying when it ...

prophecy gender

This also seems to start from a (? modern) circumstance and request assistance with application. I think. Not so sure about that one.

> Being a little charismatic is tough.

Ha!

Jack Douglas

8:13 AM

@Susan It's harder to make a call when the question is so unclear - I've VtC'd as 'unlear what you are asking'

2 hours later…

Susan

10:09 AM

@JackDouglas Thanks for helping the Librarian out. You’d think he’d be bright enough to figure that one out. ;-)

Jack Douglas

10:35 AM

@Susan He's well-read but not very technical :)

4 hours later…

ScottS

2:36 PM

It doesn't matter what language the NT were to have been written in, no language on earth has vocabulary where "each word would have one meaning" only. That's not the way language works. In any particular context (written or spoken), words often have a single meaning, but words themselves do not. A dog can bark. A tree has bark. A person can bark a tree or bark a command. The word bark may be an extreme example, but the general rule is still that words themselves do not inherently have just one meaning in language, including Greek (of any type). — ScottS 2 hours ago

^^^ That's about all I would have to say for that question.

3 hours later…

Susan

5:40 PM

This recent question prompted me to look at this old one which is in desperate need of an answer.

Q: How can we understand differences between the NWT and Latin/Hebrew/Greek on Zechariah 12:10?

Is there any early manuscript that shows a word translatable as "the one" (3rd person) in Zechariah 12:10? When looking at Zechariah 12:10, this is how it reads in: New World Translation (NWT) I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of favor ...