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assuming god wrote the bible and not mere mortal men?
The belief is that mortal men wrote the Bible with God's direct involvement and overseeing. Dictation and notation. Shouldn't be too difficult to visualize.
The belief is that mortal men wrote the Bible with God's direct involvement and overseeing. Dictation and notation. Shouldn't be too difficult to visualize.
--- Unless, like many on the Christianity forum, one imitates 'Sargent Schultz' ('Hogan's Heros) - with his hands covering his eyes - declaring, "I zee nothing, I zee nothing"
The belief is that mortal men wrote the Bible with God's direct involvement and overseeing. Dictation and notation. Shouldn't be too difficult to visualize.
While hiding himself from mortal men, saying here you are lads and lasses a wonderful book for you to navigate your way through this earth without any built in guidance system.
If the bible tells you that God is a jealous God and also that God is love and love is not jealous then, according to those who think there are no contradictions in the bible, yes, jealous = not jealous.
You're asking about something which simply is not the case.
I'll try to explain it this way. The Bible does not tell you that xx plus xx equals xxxxx. God does not deal with absurdities. Reality is that if you hold up xx number of fingers, and then hold up another xx fingers you are holding up xxxx fingers. xxxx fingers is not xxxxx number of fingers, and the Bible does not tell you that xxxx is xxxxx.
The Bible does not teach things which are contrary to reality. I tried as an example to make it clear what the creation account is actually about and that it is not to be understood literally as a scientific explanation for how the Universe was created. The Bible is not asking you to believe that the heavens and the earth were actually created in six days and that the earth was created before the sun was created. The creation account in Genesis bears resemblances to the Egyptian creation accounts and to a lessor degree, the Mesopotamian creation accounts, but with differences. The story was meant to impress upon the Hebrews, using a context that they could understand, that it was Yahweh who is the Creator of heaven and earth, and not the gods of Egypt or Mesopotamia.
So the hypothetical question simply does not reflect what the Bible actually does say and why it says what it says. Again, the Bible has to be understood and interpreted within the context of the ancient Near East culture and world view of the people who wrote the Bible under the inspiration of God.
You have no idea what the Bible is actually saying, especially about 6 ea 24 hour days. That is not what it says if you read it with comprehension as to word meaning and context. Plus time to God, a day, is not only equal to a 1000 years to God, but also just a watch in the night, 4 hours, so the "days" do not mean just 24 hours anymore than saying "in my father's 'day'".
An example is Genesis 1:1.
The word "bara" in Hebrew, the verb portrays completed action, it is in the perfect state. Therefore the Heavens and Earth were already createdprior to the reading of Genesis 1:2. With that being the case the Earth and the Universe in general could have been around for billions of years prior to Jehovah transforming the surface of the Earth to make it habitable for life.
If the bible tells you that God is a jealous God and also that God is love and love is not jealous then, according to those who think there are no contradictions in the bible, yes, jealous = not jealous.
I don't see any issue with being inspired to use the word jealous by the authors. It is an attempt to get through to them in cruder terms. God is indeed jealous for our time. That's what I get from it.
I don't see any issue with being inspired to use the word jealous by the authors. It is an attempt to get through to them in cruder terms. God is indeed jealous for our time. That's what I get from it.
but we are talking about ancient almost primitive thinking people...just how deep did they really think?
but we are talking about ancient almost primitive thinking people...just how deep did they really think?
There are plenty of records of deep thought, from even way "back then". Chinese philosophers, Egyptian mathematicians, Greek philosophers. Just because life was simpler says nothing about their mental state and depth.
Comparing some of them to people now, it could be argued that we are often more primitive in our thinking now. When you have nothing concrete to go on, your mind and possibilities are wide open. When everything seems explained and defined, you're have no reason to fully open up and explore.
Lao-tzu, Cuang-tzu, Yamaga Soko, Mencius, Plato, Socrates, Plotinus, Pythagoras, maybe Theophilus and Josephus. The pyramids, Stonehenge... objects we still can't fully explain as to construction. The spread of these people and objects is wide-ranging too, not in any one spot/location. There was plenty of intelligence in ancient times. The biggest setback with this older information comes from the effects of time and loss of records.
Last edited by Thoreau424; 01-25-2019 at 11:53 AM..
You have no idea what the Bible is actually saying, especially about 6 ea 24 hour days. That is not what it says if you read it with comprehension as to word meaning and context. Plus time to God, a day, is not only equal to a 1000 years to God, but also just a watch in the night, 4 hours, so the "days" do not mean just 24 hours anymore than saying "in my father's 'day'".
An example is Genesis 1:1.
The word "bara" in Hebrew, the verb portrays completed action, it is in the perfect state. Therefore the Heavens and Earth were already createdprior to the reading of Genesis 1:2. With that being the case the Earth and the Universe in general could have been around for billions of years prior to Jehovah transforming the surface of the Earth to make it habitable for life.
Actually, I do know what the Bible is actually saying regarding the creation account and have already explained it. Old Testament scholars are well aware of the connection between the Biblical creation account and the other ancient Near Eastern creation accounts.
If 24 hour days are not in view in the creation account then according to that account earth existed for an indefinite amount of time - ages perhaps, before the sun was created. That is simply not scientifically correct. But again, Genesis is not an attempt at providing a scientific explanation for how the Universe was created.
Last edited by Michael Way; 01-25-2019 at 01:16 PM..
I don't see any issue with being inspired to use the word jealous by the authors. It is an attempt to get through to them in cruder terms. God is indeed jealous for our time. That's what I get from it.
I kind of get that somewhat in the terms that God is protective for our well being, so he watches over us individually "as if" he is Jealous.
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--- Unless, like many on the Christianity forum, one imitates 'Sargent Schultz' ('Hogan's Heros) - with his hands covering his eyes - declaring, "I zee nothing, I zee nothing"
