From God’s Mind to Man’s Pen, Volume 1 by Sean Hochdorf, Editor

From God’s Mind to Man’s Pen, Volume 1:  Inspiration, Canonization, Transcription, Translation, Sean Hochdorf, Editor

This is a lectureship book from the 28^th Annual West Visalia church of Christ Lectureship in West Visalia, CA conducted in 2007.  This is actually a two-volume set, but this review will focus on the first volume which deals with matters relating to the text of the Bible in four different, but interconnected, areas:  inspiration, canonization, transcription and translation.  Knowledge in each of these four areas is critical to effectively answer questions such as “How can we know the Bible is from God?”, “How do we know we have all the books of the Bible and that the ones we do have actually belong there?”  “How can we know that the Bible has been faithfully copied and transmitted to us over the centuries?” and “Can I rely on my English translation of the ancient languages of the Bible?”  All of these are highly relevant questions and ones which deserve serious attention.  This lectureship book does a fine job of explaining these matters in a straightforward manner that is not overly technical but does not sacrifice scholarship for simplicity. 

It appears the West Visalia congregation sought to conduct a very informative lectureship and if certain subjects were unable to fit the schedule, then the leadership sought qualified writers to write lectures for the book.  This makes the lectureship book even more informative than merely attending the lectures alone.  It is readily apparent that a lot of planning and detail work went into the making of this book.

There are excellent articles relating to evidences for the inspiration of the Scriptures, whether inspiration was at the “thought” or “word” level, and the impact of archaeology on the accuracy and inspiration of the Scriptures.  There are also excellent articles on whether or not the Catholic Church gave us the Bible and about other books by Gnostic writers.  Included are chapters dealing with matters such as the Received Text compared with the Critical Text, the difference between Higher and Lower Criticism and an excellent discussion about the full picture of those “copyists’ errors” that all would do well to read.  Included is a chapter by B. J. Clarke on whether or not Mark 16:9-20 belongs in the Bible or not that one will find informative.  These is also a review of some of the more reputable translations accepted among conservative scholars such as the KJV, NKJV, ASV, NASV, NIV, ESV and others. 

The articles are well written with extensive citations to follow-up with additional research for the dedicated student. Some of the subjects dealt with in this series of lectures are complex.  One may not agree with every point in any book on this scale of subject matter; however, From God’s Mind to Man’s Pen is a valuable research tool from a conservative viewpoint of the Scriptures for one’s study of the One who guided man’s hand in the writing of His word!

Originally printed in West Virginia Christian, Vol. 20, No. 1, January 2013, p. 8. Reprinted by permission.

The Bible in 3D: God’s Word Revealed Through Bible Geography, Sean Hochdorf, Lectureship Director

The Bible in 3D: God’s Word Revealed Through Bible Geography, Sean Hochdorf, Lectureship Director


Polycarp (69 – 156 AD) was a member of the church who was reported to be a disciple of the apostle John. According to his account, he appears to have been at least 86 years old when he was arrested and put to death. What was his great crime? He refused to burn incense and thus acknowledge that Caesar was Lord. When they pressed him to do so to spare his life, his response is reported to have been “"Eighty and six years have I now served Christ, and he has never done me the least wrong: How then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?" When they threatened to burn him at the stake he stood firm and replied “"Thou threatenest me with Fire which burns for an hour, and so is extinguished; but knowest not the Fire of the Future Judgment of that Eternal Punishment which is reserved for the Ungodly. But why tarriest thou? Bring forth what thou wilt!" Because he was a Christian, meaning he knew that Jesus alone is Lord, he was burned at the stake.

These events occurred in the city of Smyrna. The city of Smyrna was chosen, over other competing Asian cities, by the Roman Empire with the honor of having a temple built to Emperor Tiberius. This was not good news for the church there. As one writer noted:

Evidently then the cult of Empire and Emperor, of Rome and Rome’s Caesar, was a matter of great pride in Smyrna. Did the Christians refuse to sprinkle incense on the fire which burned before the emperor’s bust? Of course they did. To do so would be idolatry. They could not call Caesar Lord when Jesus was their Lord. But their unwillingness to conform was interpreted by the common people as a disgraceful and even treacherous lack of patriotism. -- John R. W. Stott, “What Christ Thinks of the Church,” Preaching for Today, Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1958, p. 37.

Many Christians suffered at Smyrna including Polycarp, who was among many who died here for their allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ. I find it very interesting that Smyrna is one of the churches of Asia Minor that were written to in Revelation by the apostle John. Again, Polycarp is believed to have been one of John’s disciples and the letter to Smyrna dealt with pending persecution that was to fall upon Christians. The events surrounding Polycarp’s death bring what John revealed to this church over fifty years prior—“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10, NKJV.) Polycarp is just one recorded example of fulfilling what Jesus rightfully expects—be faithful to Him up to and including your death.

I became more interested in learning about the city of Smyrna and The Bible in 3D: God’s Word Revealed Through Bible Geography was a treasure of information. This lectureship book deals with several key biblical places from three vantage points—lectures on key places and corresponding events, an index to the Bible based on places of the Bible and a very informative and attractive set of maps. I found myself really captivated by much of the material in this book. Since it was published in 2006, it contains a wealth of information from past scholars and recent discoveries as well. This would be an excellent addition to the church library dealing with a subject that some may have not given as much detail to as in times past.

Originally printed in West Virginia Christian, Vol. 17, No. 12, December 2010, p. 8. Reprinted by permission.