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Book Cover for: Text and Time: The Providential Preservation of Holy Scripture, Edward F. Hills

Text and Time: The Providential Preservation of Holy Scripture

Edward F. Hills

God has revealed himself to man, that we might know him - not things about him -- but that we might know him as the one true God, and our God.

His first revelation came through the things that are made. The heavens, the earth, the sun, moon, and stars proclaim daily, "The hand that made us is divine!" This revelation, though universally given, is not salvific.

God's saving revelation came through the inspiration of scripture (i.e., God "breathed" his heavenly words onto the sacred page). Because God is the author of scripture, it is, by nature, infallible.

Sadly, the veracity of God's testimony is sometimes called into doubt due to innocent errors made while hand-copying manuscripts. We also know that certain evildoers changed some readings with ill intent.

Today, most Christians look to "the experts" and their archaeological discoveries for some assurance that we still have a sufficient portion of God's word. A better approach, however, is presented in this volume.

It begins with the assumption that God preserved the words he inspired so that his people, in every generation, could hear their Shepherd's voice. This preservation was accomplished not by way of miracle, but through the mystery of divine providence.

Believing this, the ordinary Christian may apply the logic of faith to arrive at a place of maximum certainty that he holds in his hands, today, what the prophets and the apostles originally wrote in the Received Texts of the Old and New Testament and through reliable translations like the Authorized (King James) Version.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Kept Pure Press
  • Publish Date: Mar 1st, 2024
  • Pages: 406
  • Language: English
  • Edition: Legacy - undefined
  • Dimensions: 9.00in - 6.00in - 1.06in - 1.65lb
  • EAN: 9798218366995
  • Categories: Biblical Criticism & Interpretation - GeneralReligiousBiblical Studies - General

About the Author

Hills, Edward F.: - Edward Freer Hills was a distinguished Latin student when he graduated from Yale University with a BA, Phi Beta Kappa. He also earned a ThB from Westminster Theological Seminary and a ThM from Columbia Theological Seminary. After beginning his doctoral work at the University of Chicago in New Testament textual criticism, he completed his program at Harvard, earning a ThD in this field.

Praise for this book

"E.F. Hills was a voice crying in the wilderness of post-Enlightenment, twentieth-century, modern textual criticism of the Bible... he did the unthinkable and rejected what he called "naturalistic textual criticism" to embrace "the logic of faith."


- Jeffrey T. Riddle (Pastor, Christ Reformed Baptist Church, Louisa, Virginia)


"The thoroughly biblical and logical argument of Edward Hills concerning the inspired and preserved text of the Bible, particularly, with regard to the Greek text of the New Testament, deserves, indeed demands, to be sounded and resounded."


- David J. Engelsma (Professor of Theology Emeritus, Protestant Reformed Seminary: Grandville, Michigan)


"Dr. E.F. Hills' theological approach to the text, applying the logic of faith, was such a breath of fresh air to me vis-a-vis the modernistic textual criticism that I was taught in seminary."


- Dr. Jeffrey Khoo (Principal, Far Eastern Bible College)


"Hills' book remains a true standard that logically and rationally defends the traditional Greek New Testament."


- Russell Spees (Director, Institute for Biblical Textual Studies)


"I strongly advocate that we make it our regular duty to read and study this excellent book..."


- Maurice Roberts (Retired editor, Banner of Truth magazine)