What is more important, the 'written word' or the 'spoken word'?

[Jobam]

Is the written word and the spoken word the same thing? If not, how are they different? Is one more important that the other?

 

[BetteTheRed]

Does it depend on whether the spoken word is recorded or not?

 

[Mendalla]

Context matters here.

If it is a public, legal matter than the written word is more important because it puts things down in black and white, avoiding ambiguity when someone is called upon to arbitrate the matter.

If it is private, say among friends or family, then spoken is likely more important and written may not even happen (though that has probably changed nowadays with social media, texting, etc. being common ways to communicate amongst each other.

In the spiritual world, spoken is more important in worship. Sound, intonation, etc. play a role in making a sermon, prayer, etc. effective. Written is more important when one is dealing with matters of scripture, exegesis, etc. where, again, having things spelled out clearly and repeatably becomes more essential.

So the answer is (c) either of the above depending on context.

 

[unsafe]

Jobam------your quote ----Is the written word and the spoken word the same thing? If not, how are they different? Is one more important that the other?

God's written word is the Logos ----------

God's Spoken word is Rhema ----

Strong's Greek: 4487. ῥῆμα (rhéma) -- a word, by impl. a matter

HELPS Word-studies
4487 rhḗma (from 4483 /rhéō, "to speak") – a spoken word, made "by the living voice" (J. Thayer). 4487 /rhḗma ("spoken-word") is commonly used in the NT (and in LXX) for the Lord speaking His dynamic, living word in a believer to inbirth faith ("His inwrought persuasion").

Ro 10:17: "So faith proceeds from (spiritual) hearing; moreover this hearing (is consummated) through a rhēma-word (4487 /rhḗma) from Christ" (Gk text).

[See also Gal 3:2,5 which refers to "the hearing of faith" (Gk text) – i.e. a spiritual hearing that goes with the divine inbirthing of faith.]


So without the written word --Logos ----there would be no Rhema word ------

 

[Jobam]

I posed the question as I was having a conversation with a clergy person about worship and she stated that the spoken word was more important than the written word. As to the specifics of the conversation, I can't remember. I was kind of hoping that by posting the question it might jog my memory.

Unsafe's answer above is interesting. "So without the written word --Logos ----there would be no Rhema word ------"

So, as far as I understand it, "Word Of God" comes from the Bible as we know it - thus, written. Romans 10:17, if I take this as only spoken, it fails to accommodate people who are deaf and/or can't hear. And since when did we assume that spiritual hearing only comes from a human voice?

 

[BetteTheRed]

Is the written word an evolution of the spoken word, and therefore, the spoken word resonates more deeply within our collective common human soul?

From repetitive noise came spoken language came written language, came distributable language (the press) came universally available all of language (the internet).

 

[crazyheart]

I wonder if you can have one without the other.

 

[unsafe]

Jobam ----your quote -----it fails to accommodate people who are deaf and/or can't hear. And since when did we assume that spiritual hearing only comes from a human voice?

First of all we need to understand what the word Hearing God's word means ------The Word Spoken is not just by our mouth ----the deaf have sign language --that language speaks the word -----and if a church wants to invite all people to hear God's word having a person fluent in sign language is needed ------

So assuming that the word hearing just means by having ears to hear is narrow mindedness -----in my view ----God gave us a heart ----our heart can be our ears to hear God's word through signing -----

191. akouó ►
Strong's Concordance
akouó: to hear, listen
Original Word: ἀκούω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: akouó
Phonetic Spelling: (ak-oo'-o)
Short Definition: I hear, listen

191 akoúō – properly, to hear (listen); (figuratively) to hear God's voice which prompts Him to birth faith within (cf. Ro 10:17)

to be taught by God's inward communication


Luke 6:45 (NKJV)
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his hearta]' data-fn="#fen-NKJV-25192a">[a] brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.


unsafe says -------This is interesting ---a beautiful poem from a deaf person

Hearing with your Heart

Here is a poem by a Deaf friend, Donna Shinton, of USA, written about 1976

Hearing Hearts.
God wants you, deaf and hearing persons,
To ‘hear’ His wonderful words of love.
Do not let your hearts be deaf,
Let your hearts be hearing!

God sent His only begotten Son to the Earth
To show you His truth & His love,
His Son, Jesus Christ, died
And rose for you all.

Is it not great and wonderful,
The things He has done for you?
Do not let your hearts be deaf,
Or reject how great He is.

How do you feel hearing persons,
If you can’t hear beautiful music
Down here on the Earth
If the sound ‘goes off’?

How do you feel Deaf Persons,
If exciting TV you cannot hear,
When captions and interpreters
Are simply not there?

The LORD wants you to hear
How wonderfully He has made you.
Physical deafness is only temporary,
But spiritual deafness lasts forever!

Ask Him now to forgive your sin
By praying to the LORD to come in,
So Christ Jesus’ love in your heart
Will turn your deafness into hearing.

THAT’S HOW YOUR HEARTS CAN BE HEARING!


Signing Time Bible Fun: Christian Signs in American Sign Language

 

[revjohn]

Is the written word and the spoken word the same thing?

Yes, and No.

They are the same in the sense that one can read what has been written as easily as one can hear it. Thanks to the Protestant Reformers who laboured, often to the point of painful endings, to ensure that the Word of God was released from the Latin prison Roman Catholicism locked it in so that it could be spoken in tongues still spoken.

They are not the same in the sense that we generally do not know the cadence and tone any line of scripture was spoken in. We in essence have an uncoloured, colouring book in the scriptures and the picture is not complete until the colour is properly added. And for most of that we simply guess.

Is one more important that the other?

Rightly, no. One is not more important than the other. That said, the words were not written so that they could simply be relegated to the private realm of life. They were recorded so that they would be spoken into the public sphere.

I can read scripture silently. I don't prefer it. There is something more visceral to hearing the words spoken than imagining what they would sound like if spoken.

 

[Jae]

I can read scripture silently. I don't prefer it. There is something more visceral to hearing the words spoken than imagining what they would sound like if spoken.

I sometimes enjoy Alexa reading it to me on my Echo.

 

[Mendalla]

I can read scripture silently. I don't prefer it.

Of course, the whole "reading silently to yourself" thing is modern. Romans read out loud or even had a literate slave read to them. Reading silently to oneself was seen as an eccentricity. So you're just 2000 years too late.

 

[Mendalla]

More seriously, I just read @revsdd 's devotional and it is interesting that the "Word" is a spoken word embodied in someone whose teaching was oral. The written word then becomes strictly second hand, a recording of the Word, rather than the actual Word. At least that is a possible way of seeing it.

 

[Luce NDs]

If you think out loud the brutes will believe your crazy because they don't hear such voices ... they get rackets ...

 

[JRT]

Is the written word and the spoken word the same thing? If not, how are they different? Is one more important that the other?

A very good question. In the early years of the 20th century a great deal of research went into the study of societies that were largely illiterate and still in the oral phase of passing information. Researchers went to the far corners of the word to study these societies using the newly developed sound recording machines. The results were instructive. The professional story tellers seldom told the same story exactly the same twice. They did work from a bare bones outline but they tailored the stories to the interests and moods of their audiences. Once such as story is recorded in the written word, it becomes impossible to determine what is the barebones outline of truth and what is the story tellers embellishments on that truth. I suspect that the same sort of thing has happened in our own scriptures as they emerged from the oral tradition into the written tradition.

 

[GeoFee]

More seriously, I just read @revsdd 's devotional and it is interesting that the "Word" is a spoken word embodied in someone whose teaching was oral. The written word then becomes strictly second hand, a recording of the Word, rather than the actual Word. At least that is a possible way of seeing it.

Socrates would probably support this.

 

[Mendalla]

Socrates would probably support this.

Socrates and I go a long way back.

 

[Luce NDs]

Is the spoken and written work equally questionable according to biblical logos?

Who declared the logos law ... king James or King Hen Ray ... who pursued chics ... to the extreme that the Catholicism had to be challenged ... Anis still goest on ...

 

[Luce NDs]

Socrates and I go a long way back.

Tis in the bag ...

 

[Neo]

Is the written word and the spoken word the same thing? If not, how are they different? Is one more important that the other?

The spoken Word is by far more important than the written word. One is the manifestation of the other. In the beginning, the spoken Word is the manifestation of Spirit-Energy, the cause of creation. The Word proceeds the formation of solid matter and literally sounds being into existence. The spoken Word is the great AUM of the Hindus, with its 3 syllables representing the forces of creation, preservation and destruction. The spoken Word is the sound of the Big Bang forever vibrating, echoing and manifesting out across time and space in a cyclic dance of eternity.

The written word, however, comes after creation. It's limited to a particular time and place and could never convey the true spirit of the spoken Word. God can only ever be heard and experienced and never limited to pen and paper, let alone the culture and general intelligence of the race, i.e. the audience, at the time the word was written. Considering the written word to be as important or even more important than the spoken Word would be pure idolatry and unforgivable as long as the belief is held.

 

[airclean33]

The spoken Word is by far more important than the written word. One is the manifestation of the other. In the beginning, the spoken Word is the manifestation of Spirit-Energy, the cause of creation. The Word proceeds the formation of solid matter and literally sounds being into existence. The spoken Word is the great AUM of the Hindus, with its 3 syllables representing the forces of creation, preservation and destruction. The spoken Word is the sound of the Big Bang forever vibrating, echoing and manifesting out across time and space in a cyclic dance of eternity.
Hi Neo--
--Airclean----post--
I believe this firist part wrong Neo.Do you not understand John 1:1The word is God.
There is GOD The Father -GOD The Son --GOD The HOLY Spirit. So I guess you could say ,The Word ", that is the SON". You could also say the Spirit is GOD. Is GOD a person like you are, NO". It said in GOD WORD The earth was made in the beginning". So first you have to explain when was the beginning ? Oh by the way, so were you made and me and all others. That lived in the time they lived", in there time.

--Neo --post--
The written word, however, comes after creation. It's limited to a particular time and place and could never convey the true spirit of the spoken Word. God can only ever be heard and experienced and never limited to pen and paper, let alone the culture and general intelligence of the race, i.e. the audience, at the time the word was written. Considering the written word to be as important or even more important than the spoken Word would be pure idolatry and unforgivable as long as the belief is held.

--Airclean--post-
Are you really sure The Written Word came after Creation, then why did GOD" say santan
was sinning" when he wanted to put his throne, above GODS? Oh yes Neo I have some Land, I want to sell you , no Written contracts though", you understand don't you?