Q&A:Plagiarism - Revision history

Admin: /* Red Herring Arguments */

2021-08-31T16:14:45Z

Red Herring Arguments

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	Our refutation of the charge of plagiarism in the Bible is found below. However, even if we were unable to refute this claim, it is completely irrelevant to the issue of whether William Branham was guilty of plagiarism. Each individual accusation must be dealt with separately and considered on its own merits.		Our refutation of the charge of plagiarism in the Bible is found below. However, even if we were unable to refute this claim, it is completely irrelevant to the issue of whether William Branham was guilty of plagiarism. Each individual accusation must be dealt with separately and considered on its own merits.

			The fact remains that William Branham said he received the following sermons from God while it can be clearly shown that he plagiarized them from others (the source of the plagiarism is listed in parentheses):

			#1957 sermon entitled "The Eagle in her Nest" (C.L. Franklin)
			#1960 sermon series on the seven church ages and the related book, "An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages" (Clarence Larkin)
			#1961 sermon entitled "Revelation Chapter 4" (Clarence Larkin)
			#1961 sermon series on the seventy weeks of Daniel (Clarence Larkin)
			#1963 sermon series on the seven seals (Clarence Larkin)
			#1964 sermon entitled "The Future Home Of The Heavenly Bridegroom And The Earthly Bride" (Clarence Larkin)
			#1965 sermon entitled "Christ is Revealed in His Own Word" ((Clarence Larkin)
			#1965 sermon entitled "A Thinking Man's Filter" (Billy Graham)

	=The Biblical Sin of Plagiarism=		=The Biblical Sin of Plagiarism=

Admin: /* Email #2 */

2021-08-31T15:49:05Z

Email #2

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	'''Nowhere does Luke violate the principle that God outlined in Jeremiah 23:30.'''		'''Nowhere does Luke violate the principle that God outlined in Jeremiah 23:30.'''

			==Matthew 23:23==

			Matthew the apostle was a former tax collector who may well have kept records of Jesus’ ministry. Tax collectors were well versed in keeping records. We also understand that the Gospel of Matthew, like all of the Gospels in the New Testament, is an anonymous document.<ref>Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 1–13, vol. 33A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1993), lxxvi.</ref> However, the first of the canonical gospels was widely ascribed by the early church to be Matthew, the apostle of Jesus (named in Mt 9:9; 10:3; Mk 3:18; Lk 6:15; Acts 1:13).<ref>W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr., A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, vol. 1, International Critical Commentary (London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004), 8.</ref>

			The original manuscripts of the books of the New Testament are referred to as "autographs" (or autographa). However, none of the original autographs are available today. They were most likely destroyed in the violent persecutions of the early church.<ref>James B. Williams and Randolph Shaylor, eds., From the Mind of God to the Mind of Man: A Layman’s Guide to How We Got Our Bible (Greenville, SC; Belfast, Northern Ireland: Ambassador-Emerald International, 1999), 183.</ref> Everything we have today are handwritten copies of the original books.

			Other than this, we have no real knowledge of how the Gospel of Matthew was written or put together. Did Matthew use an amanuensis, a scribe who wrote what Matthew dictated? From their letters, we know that both Paul and Peter used amnuenses.<ref>Harry Y. Gamble, “Amanuensis,” ed. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 172.</ref>

			Certainly, if Matthew used his own experiences with Jesus, then a charge of plagiarism cannot be levied against him.

			It is also important to note that the "sin" of plagiarism as described in Jeremiah 23:30 cannot be levied against Matthew or any of the Gospel writers as they are not ascribing the words to themselves, they are simply recounting the story of Jesus as they best recall it from everything they saw and heard.

			Based on the above, we do not think the charge of plagiarism from a biblical perspective can be made against any of the Gospel writers.

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Admin: /* Luke 11:42 */

2021-08-31T15:19:00Z

Luke 11:42

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	From this we understand that we are reading a document that the author of the Book of Luke wrote to his friend, Theophilus. It was handwritten. We can assume that Theolphilus allowed others to copy the letter he received from his friend and thus we have today the Gospel of Luke.		From this we understand that we are reading a document that the author of the Book of Luke wrote to his friend, Theophilus. It was handwritten. We can assume that Theolphilus allowed others to copy the letter he received from his friend and thus we have today the Gospel of Luke.

	It is clear that ~~nowhere does~~ Luke ~~violate~~ the ~~principle~~ that ~~God stated~~ in ~~Jeremiah 23:30~~.		It is also clear that Luke tells us at the outset that he heard the story of Jesus from a number of eyewitnesses and from all of the reports that he heard and gathered, he put together an account of the story of Jesus. At no point in the book of Luke does the author state that this is his unique work. In fact, he starts out with a statement that he put together this account for his friend from a variety of different sources.

	~~It is also clear that~~ Luke ~~tells us at~~ the ~~outset~~ that ~~he heard the story of Jesus from a number of eyewitnesses and from all of the reports that he heard and gathered, he put together an account of the story of Jesus. At no point~~ in ~~the book of Luke does the author state that this is his unique work. In fact, he starts out with a statement that he put together this account for his friend from a variety of different sources~~.		'''Nowhere does Luke violate the principle that God outlined in Jeremiah 23:30.'''

Admin: /* Luke 11:42 */

2021-08-31T15:17:53Z

Luke 11:42

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	From this we understand that we are reading a document that the author of the Book of Luke wrote to his friend, Theophilus. It was handwritten. We can assume that Theolphilus allowed others to copy the letter he received from his friend and thus we have today the Gospel of Luke.		From this we understand that we are reading a document that the author of the Book of Luke wrote to his friend, Theophilus. It was handwritten. We can assume that Theolphilus allowed others to copy the letter he received from his friend and thus we have today the Gospel of Luke.

			It is clear that nowhere does Luke violate the principle that God stated in Jeremiah 23:30.

	It is also clear that Luke tells us at the outset that he heard the story of Jesus from a number of eyewitnesses and from all of the reports that he heard and gathered, he put together an account of the story of Jesus. At no point in the book of Luke does the author state that this is his unique work. In fact, he starts out with a statement that he put together this account for his friend from a variety of different sources.		It is also clear that Luke tells us at the outset that he heard the story of Jesus from a number of eyewitnesses and from all of the reports that he heard and gathered, he put together an account of the story of Jesus. At no point in the book of Luke does the author state that this is his unique work. In fact, he starts out with a statement that he put together this account for his friend from a variety of different sources.

Admin: /* The Biblical Sin of Plagiarism */

2021-08-31T15:16:47Z

The Biblical Sin of Plagiarism

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	=The Biblical Sin of Plagiarism=		=The Biblical Sin of Plagiarism=

	~~The Bible records what~~ the ~~Lord thinks~~ of ~~prophets who plagiarize from each other,~~ and ~~say~~ it ~~is a word from the Lord~~.		Today, plagiarism is considered to be intellectual theft or intellectual dishonesty. It is specifically defined as taking "the work or an idea of someone else and pass it off as one’s own."<ref>Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson, eds., Concise Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004).</ref>

	~~'''~~Jeremiah 23:30~~'''~~		In Jeremiah 23:30 we understand that God also does not condone plagiarism:
	~~:KJV: ''Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.''~~
	~~:NET: ''So I, the LORD, affirm~~ that ~~I am opposed to those prophets who steal messages from one another that they claim are from me.''~~
	~~:GNT: ''I am against those prophets who take each other’s words and proclaim them as my message.''~~
	~~:NLT: ''“Therefore,” says the LORD, “I am against these prophets who steal messages from each other and claim they are from me.''~~
	~~:NIV~~: ~~''“Therefore,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me.''~~

	It is clear that God is against plagiarism when a person says they received their inspiration from God, when in fact they received it from another person.		:''Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.''<ref>The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Je 23:30.</ref>

			Here is the same passage in a modern English:

			:''“Therefore,” says the LORD, “I am against these prophets who steal messages from each other and claim they are from me.<ref>Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2015), Je 23:30.</ref>

			It is clear that God is against plagiarism when a person says they received their inspiration from God, when in fact they received it from another person. And this is exactly what William Branham did:

			:''Now, then, when we got finished with the book of the revelation of the church, what God did to those seven churches, which were then in their infancy, or their shadow, in Asia Minor. Then the Holy Spirit revealed and opened to us all the mysteries in There, of how He has brought His Church through history. And if you don’t have The Seven Church Ages on tape, it would be good if you listened to them. And soon they’ll be in book form.<ref>William Branham, 64-0719M - The Feast Of The Trumpets, para. 38</ref>

			William Branham said that the Holy Spirit was the source of his teaching on the seven church ages, yet he never mentions Clarence Larkin as the source of most of his teaching. In fact, in many places, he actually [[Plagiarism#Plagiarism in the Church Ages\|quotes Larkin word for word]].

	=Email #1=		=Email #1=

Admin: /* Luke 11:42 */

2021-08-31T14:52:47Z

Luke 11:42

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	:''Many people have done their best to write a report of the things that have taken place among us. They wrote what we have been told by those who saw these things from the beginning and who proclaimed the message. And so, your Excellency, because I have carefully studied all these matters from their beginning, I thought it would be good to write an orderly account for you. I do this so that you will know the full truth about everything which you have been taught.<ref>American Bible Society, The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation, 2nd ed. (New York: American Bible Society, 1992), Lk 1:1–4.</ref>		:''Many people have done their best to write a report of the things that have taken place among us. They wrote what we have been told by those who saw these things from the beginning and who proclaimed the message. And so, your Excellency, because I have carefully studied all these matters from their beginning, I thought it would be good to write an orderly account for you. I do this so that you will know the full truth about everything which you have been taught.<ref>American Bible Society, The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation, 2nd ed. (New York: American Bible Society, 1992), Lk 1:1–4.</ref>

	From this we understand that we are reading a document that the author of the Book of Luke wrote to his friend, Theophilus. We can assume that Theolphilus allowed others to copy the letter he received from his friend and thus we have today the Gospel of Luke.		From this we understand that we are reading a document that the author of the Book of Luke wrote to his friend, Theophilus. It was handwritten. We can assume that Theolphilus allowed others to copy the letter he received from his friend and thus we have today the Gospel of Luke.

	It is also clear that Luke tells us at the outset that he heard the story of Jesus from a number of eyewitnesses and from all of the reports that he heard and gathered, he put together an account of the story of Jesus. At no point in the book of Luke does the author state that this is his unique work. In fact, he starts out with a statement that he put together this account for his friend from a variety of different sources.		It is also clear that Luke tells us at the outset that he heard the story of Jesus from a number of eyewitnesses and from all of the reports that he heard and gathered, he put together an account of the story of Jesus. At no point in the book of Luke does the author state that this is his unique work. In fact, he starts out with a statement that he put together this account for his friend from a variety of different sources.

Admin: /* Joshua and Samuel who quoted Jasher and Enoch */

2021-08-31T14:50:47Z

Joshua and Samuel who quoted Jasher and Enoch

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	'''Joshua 10:13'''		'''Joshua 10:13'''
	:''So the sun stood still, And the moon ~~stopped~~, ~~Till~~ the people had ~~revenge Upon~~ their enemies. Is this ~~not~~ written in the '''Book of Jasher'''? So the ~~sun stood still in the midst of heaven~~, ~~and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day~~.		:''So the sun stood still, And the moon stayed, Until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the '''Book of Jasher'''?<ref>The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Jos 10:13.</ref>

	'''2 Samuel 1:18'''		'''2 Samuel 1:18'''
	:''~~...and~~ he ~~told~~ them to teach the children of Judah the ~~Song~~ of the ~~Bow; indeed~~ it is written in ~~the~~ '''~~Book~~ of Jasher'''...''		:''Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in '''the book of Jasher'''.<ref>The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), 2 Sa 1:18.</ref>

	It is not ~~possible to plagiarize~~ when you mention the source. Once again for emphasis, '''if William Branham had simply said that he was using some ideas that he got from Clarence Larkin, it would not have been plagiarism.'''		It is not plagiarism when you mention the source, which in this case was the book of Jasher.

			Once again for emphasis, '''if William Branham had simply said that he was using some ideas that he got from Clarence Larkin, it would not have been plagiarism.'''

	With respect to Enoch, we are unsure what the reference is as we are not aware of either Joshua or Samuel quoting Enoch. If the author of the question could send us a more detailed email containing a specific scripture reference, then we could address this issue more specifically.		With respect to Enoch, we are unsure what the reference is as we are not aware of either Joshua or Samuel quoting Enoch. If the author of the question could send us a more detailed email containing a specific scripture reference, then we could address this issue more specifically.

Admin: /* Paul on Aratus' poem "Phainomena" */

2021-08-31T14:44:30Z

Paul on Aratus' poem "Phainomena"

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	Acts 17:28 states:		Acts 17:28 states:
	:''...for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’''		:''...for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’''<ref>The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ac 17:28.</ref>

	This cannot be considered plagiarism for the following reasons:		This cannot be considered plagiarism for the following reasons:
	#Paul did not write the Book of Acts, Luke did. What we have here is Luke relating Paul's speech on Mars Hill.		#Paul did not write the Book of Acts, Luke did. What we have here is Luke relating Paul's speech on Mars Hill.
	#Paul clearly states that he is quoting someone else - a poet. So he is putting everyone on notice that these are not his words.		#Paul clearly states that he is quoting someone else - a poet. So he is putting everyone on notice that these are not his words.

	~~Not sure how~~ anyone could construe this as plagiarism. Plalgiarism is defined as the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own. Paul is not trying them to pass them off as his own ideas.		How anyone could construe this as plagiarism? Plalgiarism is defined as the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own. Paul is not trying them to pass them off as his own ideas and clearly states that these are the words of a Greek poet.

	==Jesus' Sermon on the Mount on Moses==		==Jesus' Sermon on the Mount on Moses==

Admin: /* The Biblical Sin of Plagiarism */

2021-08-31T14:38:36Z

The Biblical Sin of Plagiarism

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	:NLT: ''“Therefore,” says the LORD, “I am against these prophets who steal messages from each other and claim they are from me.''		:NLT: ''“Therefore,” says the LORD, “I am against these prophets who steal messages from each other and claim they are from me.''
	:NIV: ''“Therefore,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me.''		:NIV: ''“Therefore,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me.''
	~~{\| style="width:200px; border:1px solid #E8B399;background-color:#F0DCC8;vertical-align:top; float:right; text-align:center; padding: 0.3em;margin-left:15px"~~
	~~\|'''[[Q&A:Plagiarism]]'''<br>Paul quotes secular poets in the Bible. Is this plagiarism?~~
	\|-
	\|}
	It is clear that God is against plagiarism when a person says they received their inspiration from God, when in fact they received it from another person.		It is clear that God is against plagiarism when a person says they received their inspiration from God, when in fact they received it from another person.



	=Email #1=		=Email #1=

Admin at 14:38, 31 August 2021

2021-08-31T14:38:08Z

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-We have received two separate emails with the following specific questions relating to our article on [[Plagiarism|William Branham's plagiarism]].  Both of these questions seek to raise arguments that would be considered "red herrings".  We will comment first on the nature of the red herring argument and then deal with the specific questions raised in each of the emails.
+We have received two separate emails with the following specific questions relating to our article on [[Plagiarism|William Branham's plagiarism]].  Both of these questions seek to raise arguments that would be considered "red herrings".  We will comment first on the nature of the red herring argument, then we will outline a clear picture of the BIBLICAL sin of plagiarism.  Fianlly, we deal with the specific questions raised in each of the emails.
 =Red Herring Arguments=
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 Our refutation of the charge of plagiarism in the Bible is found below.  However, even if we were unable to refute this claim, it is completely irrelevant to the issue of whether William Branham was guilty of plagiarism.  Each individual accusation must be dealt with separately and considered on its own merits.
 =Email #1=