always check sources!

Friedrich

While reading NIGTC on 2 Timothy 3:16, the author writes:

γραφή (NT 50x [30x singular], Pl. 14x [9x singular]) was used in the Greek of the day for any piece of writing, but in the NT it is used only of holy scripture (BAGD s.v. 2; cf. G. Schrenk, TDNT I, 751ff.). This is borne out by its use here in parallel with ἱερὰ γράμματα (v. 15). Singular γραφή is often used in the NT of a particular passage of scripture (BAGD s.v. 2a; Schrenk, 752f.), and some have claimed that this is its only use (e.g., Lightfoot, Galatians, 147). Nonetheless, it is also used in the NT for scripture as a whole (see BAGD s.v. 2bβ for examples; Schrenk, 753–55; Warfield, Inspiration and Authority, 236–39).
Knight, G. W. (1992). The Pastoral Epistles : A commentary on the Greek text (445). Grand Rapids, Mich.; Carlisle, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.

Though he doesn't out-and-out say it, you could easily read that BAGD supports that graphe has the meaning "holy scripture", and that further the singular usage of graphe could refer to either a "particular passage" or "scripture as a whole."  And technically, he has said nothing wrong.  All assertions are correct.  However BAGD s.v 2a lists 2 Tim 3:16 ONLY as referring to a "particular passage".  It does not list that reference as also possibly meaning "as a whole."  And this is a particular bone of contention in the translation of 3:16. 

Now, BAGD isn't necessarily saying 2 Tim 3:16 cannot mean "as a whole" but you have to wonder that that is the way the editors/authors have intended it to mean, especially since "particular scripture" is the only definition given for 2 tim 3:16 in a specific sense.  Knight skirts over BAGD on this matter (and the more recent BDAG does also). 

As for myself, I (probably incorrectly) first read Knight as implying that BAGD supported his view that graphe in 3:16 could mean either.  While the definitions BAGD gives could mean either, it seems clear BAGD itself only means the singular sense for 2 Tim 3:16.  It was only after checking BAGD that I realized what they said explicitly about 2 Tim 3:16 to the exclusion of the view that Knight himself comes to.

So, you feel me?  This is not a grievous example, but it calls to mind many times that I would check Biblical references while reading NIDNTT articles that I would say "how the heck does this scripture support his point?"  Check your resources and don't take the authors word for it . . .

 

 

 

 

Friedrich

 

oh--here is the BAGD entry (relevant portion):

γραφή, ῆς, ἡ (trag., Hdt.+; inscr., pap., LXX, En., Ep. Arist., Philo, Joseph., Test. 12 Patr.) writing—1. of a little book (γ.=piece of writing: Diod. S. 1, 91, 3 price-list; Maximus Tyr. 16, 1b indictment; Dialekt-Inschr. 4689, 49 and 58 [Messenia]; PHib. 78, 18; 1 Ch 28:19; 1 Macc 14:27) Hv 2, 2, 1.
2. in the NT exclusively w. a sacred mng., of Holy Scripture.—a. ἡ γ. the individual Scripture passage (4 Macc 18:14; Philo, Rer. Div. Her. 266.—S. also Test. Napht. 5:8 γραφὴ ἁγία of a written word of a divine sort outside the Bible) Mk 12:10; 15:28 v.l.; Lk 4:21; J 13:18; 19:24, 36f; Ac 1:16; 8:35; Ro 11:2; 2 Ti 3:16; Js 2:8, 23; 1 Cl 23:5.
b. Scripture as a whole—α. the pl. αἱ γραφαί designates collectively all the parts of Scripture: the scriptures (Philo, Fug. 4, Spec. Leg. 1, 214 αἱ ἱεραὶ γ.; Rer. Div. Her. 106; 159; Jos., C. Ap. 2, 45τ. τῶν ἱερῶν γραφῶν βίβλοις) Mt 21:42; 22:29; 26:54; Mk 12:24; 14:49; Lk 24:27, 32, 45; J 5:39; Ac 17:2, 11; 18:24, 28; Ro 15:4; 2 Pt 3:16; PK 2 p. 15, 4; αἱ γρ. τῶν προφητῶν the writings of the prophets Mt 26:56; αἱ ἱεραὶ γ. 1 Cl 45:2; 53:1 (s. Philo and Joseph. above); γ. ἅγιαι Ro 1:2; προφητικαί 16:26 (on the omission of the article in both pass. fr. Ro and 2 Pt 1:20 s. γράμμα 2c).
β. the sg. as designation of Scripture as a whole (Philo, Mos. 2, 84; Ep. Arist. 155; 168; cf. 1 Ch 15:15; 2 Ch 30:5, 18) Ac 8:32; J 20:9; 2 Pt 1:20 (s. bα above); εἶπεν ἡ γ. J 7:38, 42; λέγει Ro 4:3; 9:17; 10:11; Gal 4:30; 1 Ti 5:18; Js 4:5; 1 Cl 23:3; 34:6; 35:7; 42:5; 2 Cl 2:4; 6:8; 14:1f; B 4:7, 11; 5:4; 6:12; 13:2, also 16:5 in a quot. fr. En. 89, 56ff; περιέχει ἐν γ. 1 Pt 2:6; πεπλήρωται, ἐπληρώθη ἡ γ. J 17:12; cf. 19:28; πιστεύειν τῇ γ. J 2:22; οὐ δύναται λυθῆναι ἡ γ. scripture cannot be set aside 10:35. W. Scripture personified: προϊδοῦσα ἡ γ. scripture foresaw Gal 3:8. συνέκλεισεν ὑπὸ ἁμαρτίαν vs. 22.—κατὰ τὴν γ. (w. ref. to a contract PRainer 224, 6 [Dssm., NB 78=BS 112f]; PAmh. 43, 13; 2 Ch 30:5; 35:4; 1 Esdr 1:4) Js 2:8; κατὰ τὰς γ. (BGU 136, 10 κατὰ γ. w. ref. to the laws) according to (the prophecy of) the holy scriptures 1 Cor 15:3f. ἄτερ γραφῆς without scriptural proof PK 4 p. 16, 6.—JHänel, D. Schriftbegriff Jesu ’19, 13ff; Harnack, D. AT in d. paul. Briefen u. in d. paul. Gemeinden: SAB ’28, 124-41; OMichel, Pls u. s. Bibel ’29. S. νόμος, end.—Scripture is often quoted by the authors of our lit. with as little care for literal accuracy as e.g. Maximus Tyr. uses in quoting ‘the ancients’ (KDürr, Philol. Suppl. VIII ’00, 150f). On the other hand, the close acquaintance of Christians with Scripture has its parallels in the familiarity of the Greeks with Homer. Heraclit. Sto. I p. 2 l. 3ff: ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας the child is trained on Homer. To the end of his life he occupies himself with Homer’s works. M-M.*
Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1996). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature : A translation and adaption of the fourth revised and augmented edition of Walter Bauer's Griechisch-deutsches Worterbuch zu den Schrift en des Neuen Testaments und der ubrigen urchristlichen Literatur (166). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

And here is the BDAG (i like the look of it better!):

② sacred scripture, in the NT exclusively so
ⓐ ἡ γ. individual scripture passage (4 Macc 18:14; Philo, Rer. Div. Her. 266; Just., D. 65, 2 al.; Mel., P. 1, 3.—S. also TestNapht 5:8 γραφὴ ἁγία of a written word of a divine sort outside the Bible) Mk 12:10; 15:28 v.l.; Lk 4:21; J 13:18; 19:24, 36f; Ac 1:16; 8:35; Ro 11:2; 2 Ti 3:16; Js 2:8, 23; 1 Cl 23:3.
ⓑ scripture in its entirety
α. the pl. αἱ γραφαί designates collectively all the parts of Scripture: the scriptures (Philo, Fug. 4, Spec. Leg. 1, 214 αἱ ἱεραὶ γ.; Rer. Div. Her. 106; 159; Jos., C. Ap. 2, 45 τ. τῶν ἱερῶν γραφῶν βίβλοις; Just., D. 68, 8; 137, 3 al.; Did., Gen. 70, 13: θείαι γ.) Mt 21:42; 22:29; 26:54; Mk 12:24; 14:49; Lk 24:27, 32, 45; J 5:39; Ac 17:2, 11; 18:24, 28; Ro 15:4; 2 Pt 3:16; PtK 2 p. 15, 4; αἱ γ. τῶν προφητῶν the writings of the prophets Mt 26:56 (cp. αἱ τῶν προφητῶν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων τοῦ Ἰησοῦ γ. Orig. C. Cels. 5, 5, 10). αἱ ἱεραὶ γ. 1 Cl 45:2; 53:1 (s. Philo and Joseph. above); γ. ἅγιαι Ro 1:2 (Just., D. 55, 3); προφητικαί 16:26 (Just., D. 85, 5 γ. προφητικῶν; on the absence of the art. in both Ro passages and 2 Pt 1:20 [β next] s. γράμμα 2c).
β. the sg. as designation of Scripture as a whole (Philo, Mos. 2, 84; EpArist 155; 168; cp. 1 Ch 15:15; 2 Ch 30:5, 18; Just., Mel; ἡ θεία γ. Theoph. Ant. 2, 10 [p. 122, 33]; Did., Gen. 71, 15) Ac 8:32; J 20:9; 2 Pt 1:20 (s. bα above); εἶπεν ἡ γ. J 7:38, 42; λέγει Ro 4:3; 9:17; 10:11; Gal 4:30; 1 Ti 5:18; Js 4:5; 1 Cl 23:5; 34:6; 35:7; 42:5; 2 Cl 2:4; 6:8; 14:1f; B 4:7, 11; 5:4; 6:12; 13:2, also 16:5 in a quot. fr. En 89:56ff (Just., D. 123, 1 al.); περιέχει ἐν γ. 1 Pt 2:6; πεπλήρωται, ἐπληρώθη ἡ γ. J 17:12; cp. 19:28 v.l.; πιστεύειν τῇ γ. J 2:22; οὐ δύναται λυθῆναι ἡ γ. scripture cannot be set aside 10:35. W. Scripture personified: προϊδοῦσα ἡ γ. scripture foresaw Gal 3:8. συνέκλεισεν ὑπὸ ἁμαρτίαν vs. 22.—κατὰ τὴν γ. (w. ref. to a contract CPR I, 224, 6 [Dssm., NB 78=BS 112f]; PAmh 43, 13; 2 Ch 30:5; 35:4; 1 Esdr 1:4) Js 2:8; κατὰ τὰς γ. (BGU 136, 10 κατὰ γ. w. ref. to the laws) according to (the prophecy of) the holy scriptures 1 Cor 15:3f (Just., D. 82, 4) ἄτερ γραφῆς without scriptural proof PtK 4 p. 16, 6.—JHänel, D. Schriftbegriff Jesu 1919, 13ff; Harnack, D. AT in d. paul. Briefen u. in d. paul. Gemeinden: SBBerlAk 1928, 124–41; OMichel, Pls u. s. Bibel 1929; HvanCampenhausen, D. Entstehung d. christl. Bibel ’68. S. νόμος, end.—‘Scripture’ in the early Christian period always means the OT, and only after some passage of time was this term used in ref. to the writings of the NT. Quotation of the Gospels as such begins to make its appearance in Justin, but concern for literal accuracy is first to be found in Irenaeus. In general, the authors of our lit. quote the Gospels with as little care for precision as that exhibited e.g. by Maximus Tyr. in his citation of ‘the ancients’ (KDürr, Philol. Suppl. VIII 1900, 150f). The close acquaintance of Christians with Scripture has its parallels in the familiarity of the Greeks with Homer. Heraclit. Sto. I p. 2 ln. 3ff: ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας a child is trained on Homer and is to be occupied to the end of life with his epics.—DELG s.v. γράφω. M-M. EDNT. TW. Sv.
Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed.) (206). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.