Let me state here and now so there can be no misunderstanding.
I have the deepest love and respect for the bible. I believe that over the thousands of years that span the compilation of this work, it has remained, in general, an accurate facsimile of the original work. I do not contest the divine nature of the bible, nor the fact that it does contain infallible fact when it sets out to offer infallible fact. However, some sections taken at face value miss the point that is hidden away for those who make the effort to find the hidden gems. The bible is written using numerology, Midrashic tradition and other techniques. I am not talking about the Da Vinci Code rubbish.
It is a work that takes on the culture and traditions and writing techniques of its time and place and culture. Those traditions and techniques and cultural mores differ greatly in style and understanding to European understanding. The translation into European understanding falls short if relying only on the exchange of words. It's a deeply Jewish, Middle Eastern work, filled with their imagery, history and modes of communication. That it has been translated into English offers only so much as a means of understanding this work.
I am in awe of Whiston and especially Newton. Newton never made a public declaration of his beliefs. He dabbled in very strange pursuits and would have been considered a heretic. Newton may have been the greatest mind to have ever lived.
