2 Timothy 3:16 and the two Models of Inspiration

Preamble:  As I see it there are two models of how Christian Scripture is related to Divine inspiration and that two different ways of interpreting 2 Timothy 3:16 coincide with those two models.  The first model is what I call the Content Model: scripture became scripture because it contains Divine communication: "The Law" contains laws given by and actions performed by God; "the Prophets" contain prophecy given by and actions performed by God; "the Gospels" contain the teachings and actions of Jesus. This is to say that Scripture became scripture, for the most part, not because it was determined that the author was under inspiration in what they wrote but by its divine contents.  The Divine Dictation Model defines scripture as that which is the product of an inspired-by-God author--everything the author wrote is inspired by God.  On this view, what determines scripture is whether the author was under divine inspiration.  It is the process, not the content, that matters.

2 Timothy 3:16:
The Greek is ambiguous.  pasa graphe theopneustos kai ophelimos pros didaskalian pros elegmon pros epanorthosin pros paideian ten en dikaiosune. All/Every scripture God-breathed and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.  Here is roughly how the two models interpret the verse:
Content: Every God-inspired writing is useful for...
Divine Dictation: All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is useful for...

For an argument favoring the Content Model's interpretation of 2 Timothy 3:16 see here: https://www.franknelte.net/article.php?article_id=281

Thesis
I believe that the Content model is to be preferred to the Divine Dictation model. I will gives some reasons for why I think this is the case.  One of the weaknesses of the Divine Dictation Model is that it aims at certainty where none is to be had and so lacks faith and falls into idolatry.

Comparison with the Qur'an and Islam:  The Divine Dictation model is very similar to how a Muslim views the Qur'an.  The Qur'an was revealed to Muhammed through the angel Gabriel.  Ignoring the transmission problems (God-Gabriel, Gabriel-Muhammed, Muhammed-writers, writers-Qur'an we have today), the Qur'an is the very words of Allah.  This belief opens up Islam to stinging critiques.

Argument from New Testament:  The predominant model of scripture in the Gospels is the Content Model.  To show this I have listed most of the obvious scriptural referents in the Gospel of Mark. Note the lack of concern in the inspiration of the author of the referent. 

Data:  In what follows, the categories listed will be:
A: Speaker/Writer
B: Identification
C: Verse from Scripture
D: Original Speaker/Writer

• 1:2-3  A: Mark B: written in prophet Isaiah C: i)Exodus 23:20; ii)Malachi 3:1; iii)Isaiah 40:3 D: i) God to Moses; ii) Lord to Malachi; iii) Heaven's court attendant
• 1:11 A: God B: a voice came from Heaven C: Genesis 22:2; Isaiah 62:4, 42:1, 44:2; Psalm 2:7 D: God in all including Psalm 2:7: decree from the Lord
• 1:44 A: Jesus B: what Moses commanded C: Leviticus 14:10-32 D: God
• 2:25 A: Jesus B: read C: 1 Samuel 21:1-6 D: Prophet
• 4:12 A: Jesus B: [quoted] C: Isaiah 6:9-10 D: Lord said 
• 7:6-7 A: Jesus B: Isaiah prophesied C: Isaiah 29:13 D: God ["commandment of God"]
• 7:10a A: Jesus B: commandment of God/Moses said/word of God C: Deuteronomy 5:16; Exodus 20:12 D: God
• 7:10b A: Jesus B: [same as 7:10a] C: Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9 D: God
• 9:12 A: Jesus B: written about the Son of Man C: [perhaps many] D: [indeterminate]
• 9:13 A: Jesus B: as it is written about him C: [note: Matthew eliminates this phrase] D: [indeterminate]
• 9:48 A: Jesus B: [quoted] C: Isaiah 66:24 D: the Lord
• 10:4 A: Jesus B: Moses command C: Deuteronomy 24:1-3 D: God
• 10:6 A: Jesus B: [quoted] C: Genesis 1:27, 5:2 D: narrator commenting on what God said
• 10:7-8 A: Jesus B: [quoted] C: Genesis 2:24 D: narrator commenting on creation
• 10:19 A: Jesus B: the commandment [quoted] C: Deuteronomy 5:16-20; Exodus 20:12,13-16 D: God
• 10:34 A: Jesus B: [allusion] C: Isaiah 50:6; Hosea 6:2 D: Prophet in both
• 11:9 A: crowd B: [quoted] C: Psalm 118:25-26 D: Author
• 11:17 A: Jesus B: is it not written C: Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11 D: God in both
• 12:1-12 A: Jesus B: [allusion] C: Isaiah 5:1-2 D: Prophet 
• 12:10-11 A: Jesus B: have you not read this scripture C: Psalm 118:22-23 D: Author [but note: "this is the Lord's doing"] 
• 12:19 A: Sadducees B: Moses wrote for us C: Deuteronomy 25:5-6 D: God
• 12:26 A: Jesus B: have you not read in the book of Moses C: Exodus 3:6, 15 D: God
• 12:29-30, 33a A: Jesus B: [quoted "commandment"] C: Deuteronomy 6:4-5 D: God
• 12:31, 33b A: Jesus B: [quoted "commandment"] C: Leviticus 19:18 D: God
• 12:32 A: a scribe B: [allusion] C: Deuteronomy 4:35; Isaiah 45:21 D: Author, God respectively
• 12:33 A: scribe B: [allusion] C: i) Joshua 22:5; ii) 1 Samuel 15:22 et al D: i) Joshua; ii) Prophet
• 12:36; 14:62; 16:19 A: Jesus B: David himself by the Holy Spirit C: Psalm 110:1 D: David
• 13:14 A: Jesus B: [allusion] C: Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11 D: Gabriel, vision, vision respectively
• 13:19 A: Jesus B: [allusion] C: Joel 2:2; Daniel 12:2 D: Prophet, vision respectively
• 13:24-25 A: Jesus B: [allusion] C: Isaiah 13:10, 34:4; Ezekiel 32:7; Joel 2:10, 31, 3:15; Haggai 2:6, 21 D: various
• 13:26; 14:62 A: Jesus B: [allusion] C: Daniel 7:13-14 D: vision
• 14:21 A: Jesus B: as it is written of him C: [perhaps many] D: [indeterminate]
• 14:27 A: Jesus B: for it is written C: Zechariah 13:7 D: says the Lord
• 14:49 A: Jesus B: let the scriptures be fulfilled C: [perhaps many] D: [indeterminate]
• 15:28 [other ancient authorities add this verse] A: Mark B: and the scripture was fulfilled that says C: Isaiah 53:12 D: Prophet
• 15:29 A: Mark B: [allusion] C: Psalm 22:7 D: David
• 15:34 A: Jesus B: [Jesus' own words] C: Psalm 22:1 D: David
• 15:36 A: Mark B: [allusion] C: Psalm 69:21 D: of David

How do the two models fare given this data?:

1. Divine Dictation model: Has a difficult time with this data because there is little concern whether a certain author was under divine inspiration.  Instead, the focus is on those parts where God is directly communicating. 
2. Content model: what makes scripture is that it is the depository of God's law or word and not primarily because the author is inspired.  The data supports this well.

Of course, these two ways of viewing scripture are not mutually exclusive, and the data is not all in one direction. Here are some conclusions given the data:

• Jesus does refer to inspiration in 12:36.  On the other hand, David was considered a prophet (see 2 Samuel 23:1-2) and the five-fold structure of the Psalms seems to mimic the five books of Moses, the prophet par excellence.
• In Matthew Jesus refers to the "Law and Prophets" (5:17, 7:12, 22:40) which seems to be a reference to the entirety of scripture.  This designation seems to highlight the content of the writings, namely, God's law and prophecy (God's word).
• Jesus often refers to what was written without specifying the divine source if any.  However, that a divine source is behind many of Jesus' quotations and allusions lessens the gravity of this point.

Argument from Paul:

In Romans 3:2, Paul says the Jews have been entrusted with the "oracles of God."  This formulation seems better suited to the Content Model because it highlights the actual communication of God.

Argument from Canonization:

The problem with the Divine Dictation Model is that it has a hard time explaining the process of canonization.  It doesn't seem that the main criteria for why a writing ended up in the canon was because the author was under inspiration.  It was not important that Mark was under divine inspiration, but it was important that Mark recorded the life and times of Jesus.  The following is a passage from Church historian Eusebius about Papias's statements on Mark (taken from Richard Bauckham):

The Elder used to say:  Mark, in his capacity as Peter's interpreter, wrote down as many things as he recalled from memory--though not in ordered form--of the things either said or done by the Lord.  For he [Mark] neither heard the Lord nor accompanied him, but later, as I said, [he heard and accompanied] Peter, who used to give his teachings in the form of chreiai, but had no intention of providing an ordered arrangement of the logia of the Lord.

The one book in the New Testament that best exhibits the Divine Dictation Model, Revelation, is also one of the most contested books in the historical process of canonization. 

Argument from Apologetics:

The Divine Dictation Model is a house of cards.  Once one item in scripture is questioned, the whole thing collapses.  Countless people have left the Faith because they could no longer go on because their house of cards came crashing down.  People leaving the Faith is a serious issue.  Of course, this is countered by saying that without the Divine Dictation Model then the Bible would become secular and that his would be bad for Christianity.  This lacks faith and endangers Christianity too. If the Divine Dictation is false, then those advocating it are in danger of idolatry, and idolatry is a serious issue.

Advocates of the Divine Dictation Model claim that they do not lack faith because it take a lot of faith to believe that God was controlling the writing process.  If Mark was about to write an iota but God wanted him to write a tau, then God had to influence Mark in such a way as to ensure Mark wrote the iota.  True that is a miracle, but it is too big a miracle.  God would have to basically control the author (and then control editors if needed assuming that not everything the original author wrote was what God wanted) and then we are left with no freedom.  But if God was perfectly controlling Mark, why was Matthew, Luke of John needed?  Why didn't God inspire Mark to write down what Jesus said in his native language (Aramaic?); wouldn't that have been more accurate?   

Theological upshot:

The Divine Dictation Model is a mess.  The Content Model puts the emphasis on the content and not the process.  The process is important too, but God's freedom preserving Providence is all we need, anything more is idolatry.