INSTANT
claim
to
be
alone
in
knowing
and
revealing
the
Father
(Mt
H^'),
and
His
repeated
declaration
of
His
depend-ence
in
His
doctrine
on
the
Father.
3.
Christ
recognizes
the
inspiration
of
the
OT
(Mt
22"),
9,nd
the
authority
of
the
prophets
(Lk
24^5).
The
word
'inspire'
is
used
only
in
Wis
16"
'Because
he
was
ignorant
of
him
that
moulded
him,
and
of
him
that
inspired
into
him
an
active
soul,
and
breathed
into
him
a
vital
spirit.'
The
word
'inspiration'
is
used
in
this
general
sense
in
Job
32«
AV
'
But
there
is
a
spirit
in
man;
and
the
inspiration
(RV
'breath')
of
the
Almighty
giveth
them
understanding.'
In
special
reference
to
the
OT
we
find
in
2
Ti
3i»
(RV)
'every
scripture
inspired
of
God
is
also
profitable
for
teaching,'
etc.
While
the
term
is
not
used,
the
fact
is
recognized
in
2
P
1"
'
For
no
prophecy
ever
came
by
the
will
of
man;
but
men
spake
from
God,
being
moved
by
the
Holy
Ghost.'
It
must
be
added,
however,
that
both
these
passages
are
in
writings
the
ApostoUc
authorship
of
which
is
questioned
by
many
scholars.
But
the
NT
view
of
the
authority
of
the
OT
is
fully
attested
in
the
use
made
of
the
OT
as
trustworthy
history,
true
doctrine,
and
sure
proph-ecy;
and
yet
the
inaccuracy
of
many
of
the
quota-tions,
as
well
as
the
use
of
the
Greek
translation,
shows
that
the
writers,
whether
they
held
a
theory
of
verbal
inspiration
or
not,
were
not
bound
by
it.
4.
Although
the
doctrine
of
the
inspiration
of
the
Bible
does
not
properly
fall
within
the
scope
of
a
Bible
Dictionary,
a
brief
summary
of
views
held
in
the
Christian
Church
may
be
added:
(a)
The
Theory
of
verbal
inspiration
affirms
that
each
human
author
was
but
the
mouthpiece
of
God,
and
that
in
every
word,
therefore,
God
speaks.
But
the
actual
features
of
the
Bible,
as
studied
by
reverent
and
believing
scholarship,
contradict
the
theory.
(6)
The
theory
of
degrees
of
inspiration
recognizes
suggestion,
direction,
elevation,
and
superintendency
of
the
human
by
the
Divine
Spirit;
but
it
is
questionable
whether
we
can
so
formally
define
the
process,
(c)
The
dynamical
theory
recognizes
the
exercise
of
hum?,n
faculties
in
the
author,
but
main-tains
their
illumination,
stimulation,
and
purification
by
the
Spirit
of
God,
in
order
that
in
doctrine
and
ethics
the
Divine
mind
and
will
may
be
correctly
and
suffi-ciently
expressed;
but
this
divorces
literature
from
life,
(d)
We
may
call
the
view
now
generally
held
personal
inspiration:
by
the
Spirit
of
God
men
are
in
various
degrees
enlightened,
filled
with
zeal
and
devotion,
cleansed
and
strengthened
morally,
brought
into
more
immediate
and
intimate
communion
with
God;
and
this
new
Ufe,
expressed
in
their
writings,
is
the
channel
of
God's
revelation
of
Himself
to
men.
In
place
of
stress
on
the
words
and
the
ideas
of
Scripture,
emphasis
is
now
laid
on
the
moral
character
and
religious
disposition
of
the
agents
of
revelation.
Alfbed
E.
Garvie.
INSTANT.
—
^'Instant'
and
'instantly'
are
now
used
only
of
time.
In
AV
they
have
their
earlier
meaning
of
'urgent,'
'urgently,'
as
in
Lk
23^
'they
were
instant
with
loud
voices,
requiring
that
he
might
be
crucified';
Lk
7'
'they
besought
him
instantly'
(RV
'earnestly').
Cf.
Erasmus,
Paraphrase,
i.
31,
'whoso
knocketh
at
the
doore
instantly,
to
him
it
shal
be
opened.'
INSTRUMENT.—
For
musical
instruments
see
Music.
The
word
Is
also
frequently
used
in
AV
(though
only
twice
in
NT,
both
times
in
Ro
6'')
for
any
utensil,
implement,
or
weapon,
and
in
To
7",
1
Mac
13"
for
a
legal
document
or
deed.
INTERCESSION.—
See
Prayee.
INTEREST.—
See
UstmY.
INTERMEDIATE
STATE.-See
Eschatoloqt,
3
(d),
and
Paradise,
3.
INTERPRETATION.—
This
word
and
its
cognates
are
found
throughout
the
Bible
with
a
wide
variety
in
their
use.
1.
In
the
earlier
stages
of
the
history
of
mankind
dreams
were
looked
upon
as
manifestations
of
Divine
INTERPRETATION
intervention
in
human
affairs,
and
it
was
regarded
as
of
the
first
importance
that
their
mysterious
revelations
should
be
explained
for
those
to
whom
they
were
vouch-safed.
From
the
story
of
Joseph
we
learn
that
a
special
class
at
the
court
of
the
Pharaohs
discharged
the
function
of
interpreters
of
dreams
(cf.
'magicians'
[RVm
'sacred
scribes']
and
'wise
men,'
Gn
41»).
A
similar
body
of
wise
or
learned
men
is
mentioned
in
the
Book
of
Daniel,
for
the
same
object
at
the
court
of
Babylon
(Dn
2^-
4"-).
The
idea
that
dreams
were
a
means
of
communication
between
the
Deity
and
men
was
also
current
amongst
the
Hebrews
from
a
very
early
date.
In
the
NT
we
find
that
dreams
occupy
the
place
of
direct
visions
or
revelations
from
God,
and
no
difficulty
seems
to
have
been
experienced
by
the
recipients
as
to
their
precise
meaning
(Mt
1™
2"-
"•
"•
^).
2.
Turning
again
to
the
history
of
Joseph,
we
find
there
an
incidental
remark
which
leads
us
to
believe
that
there
was
an
official
interpreter,
or
a
body
of
interpreters,
whose
work
it
was
to
translate
foreign
languages
into
the
language
of
the
court
(cf.
'the
interpreter,'
Gn
422S).
The
quaUflcation
to
act
as
Interpreter
seems
to
have
been
required
of
those
who
acted
as
ambassadors
at
foreign
courts
(cf.
2
Ch
322').
That
prominent
politicians
and
statesmen
had
this
means
of
international
communica-tion
at
their
disposal
is
seen
in
the
translation
by
the
Persian
nobles
of
their
letter
from
their
own
language
into
Aramaic
(Ezr
4').
As
the
Hebrew
tongue
ceased
to
be
that
of
the
common
people,
interpreters
were
required
at
the
sacred
services
to
translate
or
explain
the
Law
and
the
Prophets
after
the
reading
of
the
original
(see
W.
R.
Smith,
OTJC'
36,
64n,
154).
In
the
NT,
examples
are
frequent
of
the
interpretation
in
Greek
of
a
Hebrew
or
Aramaic
phrase
(Mt
l^s
27",
Mk
S«
IS'^-
",
Jn
ise.jit.,
Ac
4"
9^
13');
and
in
this
connexion
it
is
interesting
to
recall
the
extract
from
the
writings
of
Papias
preserved
by
Eusebius,
in
which
Mark
is
called
'
the
interpreter
of
Peter'
(see
HE
ill.
39)
—
a
tradition
accepted
by
Jerome
and
Athanasius.
The
most
natural
explanation
is
that
which
makes
St.
Mark's
Gospel
the
outcome
in
Greek
of
St.
Peter's
teaching
in
his
native
tongue.
3.
The
function
of
the
prophets
is
described
as
that
of
interpreters
or
ambassadors
explaining
to
Israel
Jehovah's
messages
in
terms
suited
to
their
capacity
(Is
43^',
cf.
EUhu's
reference
to
the
intercessory
or
ambassadorial
work
of
angels
in
interpreting
to
man
what
God
requires
of
him
in
the
way
of
conduct,
as
well
as
jBxplaining
the
mystery
of
His
dealings
with
men
[Job
33^]).
4.
Frequent
reference
is
made
by
St.
Paul
to
a
peculiar
phase
in
the
life
of
the
early
Corinthian
Church
—
speak-ing
with
tongues.
Whatever
may
be
the
precise
mean-ing
attaching
to
this
feature
of
Christian
activity,
and
it
is
plain
that
in
individual
cases.
the
practice
gave
the
Apostle
considerable
cause
for
anxiety,
one
of
the
special
spiritual
'
gifts
'
to
believers
was
the
power
of
interpreting
these
strange
utterances.
The
speaker
himself
might
possess
the
gift
of
interpretation
and
use
it
for
the
benefit
of
the
congregation
(see
1
Co
14='
"),
or,
on
the
other
hand,
he
might
not.
In
the
latter
event
his
duty
was
to
keep
silence,
unless
an
interpreter
were
at
hand
to
make
his
message
intelligible
to
the
other
assembled
worshippers
(cf.
1
Co
14M«-
12""-
s»).
5.
A
somewhat
ambiguous
use
of
the
word
'inter-pretation
'
occurs
in
2
P
1™,
where
the
writer
refers
to
the
expounding
of
ancient
prophecies;
'
no
prophecy
of
scrip-ture
is
of
private
(RVm
'
special
')
interpretation.'
Two
explanations
of
this
passage
are
current:
(1)
the
'inter-pretation
'
is
that
of
the
prophet
himself,
who,
because
of
his
peculiar
relation
to
the
Spirit
of
God,
uttered
words
the
full
meaning
of
which
he
did
not
comprehend;
or
(2)
the
word
has
a
reference
to
the
exegesis
of
the
passage
in
question
by
individual
readers.
The
present
writer
is
of
opinion
that
neither
explanation
does
full
justice
to
the
author's
idea.
If
the
word
translated
'private'
be
confined
solely
in
its
meaning
to
the
noun
which
it
