Holy: Understanding it Better on the Map (the Bible)

So you are exploring the meaning of holy as it is found in the Bible.  That is wonderful.  It is extremely important, as is pointed out by those famous words  in Isaiah: "Holy, holy, holy ...."   Perhaps the best way to think of words is to think of them as tools to map out the territory.  In tandem, the territory equals real life.  Imagine having to go to new locations all the time with no map let alone without your GPS!  Worse yet, let's say your map was dated a bit and MapQuest did not show the street that you were looking for but instead a close equivalent!  I know the experience with MapQuest personally.  It can be frustrating, because it was supposed to make the trip easier rather than more difficult.  If we misunderstand the meaning of holy, then frustration and difficulty will be the outcome.  That is why the meaning of holy is not only important, but also relevant.  What if we are losing our way?   Let's look at the maps that are available for finding your destination. 

Well, there are three maps out there that have been used for the last 500 plus years.  The first map put in the bin historically grew out of the Protestant Reformation.  The definition of holy on that map is that holy means morally whole, but there is also a secondary definition.  The primary (or broad) definition is moral wholeness.  The secondary (narrow) definition is set apart.  The second map to be put in the bin historically was made mostly by Puritans.  The definition of holy on that map is pure.  The third map was made popular at the end of the 1800s and became more popular during the 1900s (20th century).  The definition of holy on that map is set apart.  This map also remains the most popular at the present moment.  That is what you find in most of the books and on most of the internet as you search.  There are other maps available with other definitions, but I have given you only the top three to simplify your decision-making. 

Understanding the Bible correctly is very important, when you consider that the effect of errant maps.  You can get lost, frustrated, or arrive late.  It is important to know the implications or effects isn't it?  This is the "why" behind my blog. I believe the Bible clearly teaches that even the best of us will face affliction.   Life is difficult enough without adding to the territory of life a bad map! 

So please know that these three maps are out there.  I am presently testing each one for accuracy.  The one that I have tested the most experientially since 2004 is the idea that holy means whole.   Before that and from my childhood, I was given the map that said holy means set apart.  So I was unintentionally testing that option the entire time.  I guess that I also tested the idea that holy means pure in my first 3 years of college.  I am also testing these three maps through writing a scholarly paper, where I will be using a linguistic and grammatical synthesis as my method. 

Please pray that God would grant me more resources to finish this task yet this spring (before May).  Then I will announce to everyone the results of that work.  Don't threw out any of the above maps away quite yet.  There are elements of truth in each one.  I'll let you know when you can settle in with the best one or a better replacement than any of the three. Do wisely as the ancient Jewish copyists did.  Place one definition as central in your life and keep the other two in your life's margin.  Thank you for reading this post. 


In Christ,

Jon

Holy: Understanding It Better Through Territory and Map

You may have heard the saying, "The map is not the same thing as the territory".   You also may have heard someone else say: "This sure would be a lot easier, if only we had a map".   Life can be a lot easier, if we maintain the distinction between territory and map on the one hand and if we have a map to use on the other.  We don't want to live like the pre-reformer Martin Luther did for a long time, having to always learn things the hard way, due to his misunderstanding of the Bible as his map.  That is the way he describes his learning until his breakthrough in understanding the map of the Bible and that after having traveled down so many real life dead ends.  We also don't want to live a life of dead orthodoxy that came about after Luther's death, where the map came to mean more than the territory.  The same goes for understanding that key biblical word that is translated as holy.   It is supposed to be a word map that helps us understanding real life territory.   The question is whether the current popular definition of holy as a part of the map does that or not.   Does "set apart" fit the map and the territory?

 

The picture above is a world map and one of the most incredible things in history is all the changes that have been made to maps and how useful maps are in our smaller much-travelled world,   We have even changed some of the terminology.  If you went to Google Maps you would see different optional boxes in the upper right corner.  For our purposes the two names closest to territory and map would be earth and map.  You could explore the earth using a satellite or you could examine it using a map!

Using the analogy of earth and map (or territory and map) the meaning of holy can be explored in two ways: 1) by using the territory and 2) by  using a map.  You could make the terminology even more comtemporary by using the words from Google Maps: Earth and Map.  Through satellite, you can view the territory or terrain of the earth.  Through its maps, you can use the line drawings of map experts.  The best way to do the exploration of its meaning is to test the possible definitions for holy through both means and not just one or the other.  You could call it a hybrid method.  I am speaking here of testing: 1) the meaning of set apart, 2) the meaning of whole and 3) the meaning of pure.  These are the top 3 meanings scholars, teachers, pastors and lay people suggest for the central idea of qadosh (Hebrew transliteration) or hagios (Greek transliteration), both of which are transalated as holy (or sanctified or hallowed) in an English Bible. 

The first test for our knowledge is the test of the territory.  How do each of these meanings fit with real life territory?   First, we have a consensus that whatever meaning this word carries, it should be a high priority thing in reality.  "Holy, holy, holy" is not said repreatedly for no particular reason.  Rather it is said like that to point to the pinnacle of God's character.  Not many scholars should disagree with that indication in the map of the Bible. 

So then, does "set apart/separate", "whole", or "pure" rise to the highest place in the reality of God's character?   One thing is certain, they all are ideas that fit reality.  What is an unique test is whether these ideas are more significant than others in the face of reality. 

Before we answer the question, let's expand each idea a little bit.  First, some believe that the main thing missing in addressing reality is that there is not enough separation between Christians and sin or Christians and the world.  They believe that is the missing reality.  Second, others believe that what is missing is moral wholeness as opposed to moral reductionism.  They believe that what would change reality is to recognize the importance of seeing the whole of God's character rather tthan reducing it to one trait like for the example of reducing God's character to just love.  Third and finally, some believe that the reality that is missing is that Christians are not pure like they need to be.  They are too intermixed with the sins of the world.  They believe that the introduction of a new level of purity would change the church. 

My loose ends -

exploring the territory with wholeness
knower learner

exploring the map with wholeness
tearher studier

tremendously effective in territory
through streets versus dead ends


tremendously effective in map
through streets versus dead ends
remaining issues only with the map


exploring the territory with set apart (separate)
exploring the map with set apart (separate)

somewhat effective in territory (plausible)
somewhat effective in territory (plausible)

exploring the territory with purity
exploring the map with purity
dead ends versus through streets

somewhat less effective in territory
somewhat less effective in map


Closing illustration since paper maps are becoming more and more obsolete though mapping itself (someone has explored this area before) has not. 

Global positioning devices (mapping)
Tom Tom (territory match due to sufficient updates) vs. Dumb Dumb (not a territory match due to lack of updates)

{This will be completed fairly quickly with some time available hopefully next week - but you can already see some of my direction in these loose pieces}.

Sincerely,

Jon