Theological Word of the Day

Illegitimate Totality Transfer



In biblical interpretation, this refers to the illegitimate transfer of a word”s total possible meaning, with all its variations and nuances, and forcing them all into a particular context. For example, if one were to do a word study on the Greek word phile, one would find that it could mean “affection, friendship, love, or kiss.” The context must decide. The illegitimate totality transfer occurs when one forces all of these meanings into one passage, without consideration of which nuance best fits the context. This is a common interpretive fallacy.

Sponsors

Get Email Updates Email Newsletter icon, E-mail Newsletter icon, Email List icon, E-mail List icon

For Email Marketing you can trust

Our Classes

Theological Word of the Day

Marcion of Pontus
Referred to by Polycarp as “the first born of Satan,” Marcion was one of the most famous heretics of the early church and the leader of the sect known as the “Marcionites.” Marcion is known for his Gnostic leanings which he integrated into a version of Christianity. Marcion rejected the entire Old Testament, believing the [...] continue reading