Scripture must become a part of the Christian. The Word becomes an implanted spiritual organ that grows on nourishment from its reading combined with access provided through corporate worship where it is read, prayed, sung, preached, and blesses offerings.

Paragraphs 1 to 7 of the Westminster Confession of Faith have shown that Scripture is necessary to know God and his gospel message through the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit. Added to this is the unchanging content of the Word authoritatively and finally provides God’s inspired revelation of his will, to which nothing must be added nor deleted. Also, the Word’s redemptive message is clearly presented so that it can be readily understood even by the unlearned. These topics thus far concerning Scripture in chapter 1 raise the question—how is Scripture to be accessed? This question may appear silly since the obvious answer at the beginning of the twenty-first century is access to the Bible is available through one of the reliable translations available whether it be a printed edition or digital presentation. However, the availability of Scripture that is taken for granted currently has not always been the norm.

Paragraph 8 of chapter one reads,

The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God of old), and the New Testament in Greek (which, at the time of the writing of it, was most generally known to the nations), being immediately inspired by God, and, by his singular care and providence, kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical; so as, in all controversies of religion, the church is finally to appeal unto them. But, because these original tongues are not known to all the people of God, who have right unto, and interest in the Scriptures, and are commanded, in the fear of God, to read and search them, therefore they are to be translated into the vulgar [vernacular, common] language of every nation unto which they come, that, the Word of God dwelling plentifully in all, they may worship him in an acceptable manner; and, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, may have hope.

Scripture was originally composed by divinely inspired authors using primarily two languages—the Old Testament in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek. Another language used in the Old Testament is Aramaic with instances in Daniel 2:4-7:28, Ezra 4:8-6:18 then 7:12-26, and Jeremiah 10:11. Aramaic was also used occasionally and briefly in the New Testament for personal names, places, and concepts such as “maranatha” in 1 Corinthians 16:22 (see KJV), as well as poignantly when Jesus said on the cross, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani,” “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). The use of Aramaic by Jews in the Old Testament during the era of the Babylonian Exile was due to their acceptance of it as the vernacular of their captors. Then by the time of Jesus, Aramaic had become commonly spoken by Jews. Much as English is the business language of the modern world, Aramaic was the trade language of the region at the time of Jesus and the Apostles. God spoke and inscripturated his teaching in the language of the Jews for a localized theocracy under the Old Covenant, then under the New Covenant revelation was provided in the common language of the eastern Roman Empire as provided by the Greeks. The Greek Empire’s greatest extent was from northeast Egypt, across the eastern Mediterranean coast to Asia Minor, on to Greece, and then east as far as India where it is believed the apostle Thomas took the gospel. Hebrew was the most efficient language for presenting God’s will to the Jewish people, and Greek was the most efficient for going to the uttermost parts of the earth with the gospel. Transition of the language of Scripture from Hebrew to Greek could be associated with the Temple veil being rent in two because once the efficacious atonement was achieved by Christ, the Kingdom was no longer confined to a single ethnic people using Hebrew but instead it was extended to include all nations with Greek being used to cross ethnic and national borders.

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