Does the Bible shield itself?

Does the Bible shield itself? It is not just between the scriptures, but also the contents of the same scriptures.

In his scholarly article The Midianites in Numbers, Old Testament scholar Thomas B. Dozeman pointed out that there are two conflicting views of the Midianites in the narrative text of Numbers.

Numbers 10:29-36 is the dialogue between Moses and the Yue parent-Hoba of the Midian tribe. There are two key points: first, the ethnicity of Yue parent shows that Moses' wife was from Midian, that is, Moses married a foreigner; Moses twice asked the father-in-law of Midian to lead the people of Israel (v29, v30–31), and even be able to share the blessings of the Lord with them (v32). From this, the image of the people of Midian is positive, and they are allies of Israel.

However, in Chapters 22 to 3 of the People's Republic of China, the image of the Midian people has undergone a breakthrough change: first, the intermarriage between a Midian woman and an Israeli man is regarded as a grave sin; Become an alien threat to Israel, led by Phinehas to exterminate them. At first glance, a difference can be a change in narrative development, not necessarily a contradiction. However, in the broader context of the text, the contradiction becomes indisputable:

In the book of Judges, the narrative mentions Moses' father-in-law twice (1:16, 4:11), and it tells of Hoba's descendants twice helping the Israelites in victory. Meaning, Judges follows the narrative of Numbers 10:29–36, giving the Median man a positive image, an ally; but it goes against the story of Numbers 22 to 3, because apparently the Median man in the narrative of Judges is Those who were not exterminated caused great controversy among peoples twenty-two to three.

Therefore, Dozeman puts forward his argument that the above differences reflect the authorship of Numbers from two traditions: the positive Mandian is from the author of the Shendian tradition, and the opposite is from the priestly tradition, the second holy The theological controversy over grace and religious beliefs in the Temple period is preserved together in the canon. In short, he argues that the final texts of the Hebrew Bible books were developed by different authors at different times, writing and editing—understood as a shock to some readers, but readers must be aware that this is evangelical academia. There is also almost no controversy. Or, the question is why so many preachers don't say a word when they teach in church after being equipped in seminary.

Having said that, what this article wants to express is-

If the Holy Word also admits its contradictions, has the courage to keep them, and does not try to unify the multiple voices in it and build a fictional harmony, then we should not be afraid of the contradictions and inaccuracies, but dare to point out and face them. Or, rather than overturning its credibility, their existence enriches its meaning and value, and is closer to the original revelation of God.

If the Holy Word is not a single authority and cannot be disputed, then our beliefs will not be static, rejecting criticism and questioning, and resting on our laurels. On the contrary, accepting the contradictions and tensions under pluralism, encouraging independent thinking, and opposing blind obedience to authority are the expressions of loyalty to the Holy Word.

Finally, I remembered the words of an Old Testament scholar in class, which meant something along the lines of: "Only those who take the Word with great seriousness and rigor will be able to spot inconsistencies and inaccuracies." you are one of them.

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Dozeman TB, "The Midianites in Numbers." in Studies in Leviticus and Numbers, ed. T. Römer, 261–84. Leuven: Leuven University Press, 2008.