glintofpewter Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 David, I thought you had written a good-by letter. We might agree on some things but the divide starts in Genesis 1:1. Whether it is historical fact. Whether it is the sine qua non of the Bible. So by believing they are [in]compatable, there's the unintentional conclusion that, Jesus and the Jewish writers were confused. You know more about what Jesus and the Jewish writers meant than anyone I know or have read but Jesus made a-historical but spiritual statements. The Jewish writers wrote or included stories they knew were not historical. If this particular verse, Gen 1:1, is untrue and so can be eliminated without prejudice; then where, in your opinion, does that leave the rest of the Biblical text? You have collapsed "historical" and "spiritual" forcing them to have the same meaning. Jesus and the Jewish writers did not. I am not objecting to the verse. I am objecting to your insistence on its historical facticity and the way you will use it as a hammer of the absolute. Genesis 1:1 was added to the Torah after much of the Torah had already been written so it can hardly be "foundational" for those who had written before. It was an idea that developed over time in the conversations among people (words ). The Bible is a "wonderful chronicle" of those conversations, which were sometimes messy, loud and disagreeable. It is in the process of conversation that we develop our ideas (words again! creating understanding and meaning). Yours seem to be fully developed so conversations have less use. In the face of your rigidity I am not inclined to be flexible. Until one believes in one God, Genesis 1:1 would not be important from Wikipedia The concept of monotheism develops gradually throughout the various books of the Hebrew Bible. In the oldest sections - some of the Psalms, for example - Yahweh, the God of Israel, is shown as a member of a larger divine council of which El is the head; by the time of the Torah, written most probably around 700-450 BC, Yahweh reveals himself as the national deity to be worshipped alone, but without excluding the existence of other gods.[R. G. Vincent, "Monotheism (in the Bible)" in New Catholic Encyclopedia, (1967), 9:1066.] In the classical interpretation of the Hebrew Bible, as taught in Rabbinical Judaism as well as in Christianity, it was Abraham who discovered God (Genesis 12:1-9;[8] 13:14-18;[9] 15[10] 18;[11] and 22[12]), and thus became "the world's first monotheist". This is in agreement with the teaching of Islam, holding Abraham to be the original hanif (to incline towards a right state). That scholars disagree is obvious. But some absolutely are right, I guess. Take Care Dutch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephM Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 This post by Davidk was accidently deleted and is restored in full here... Posted Today, 06:26 PM "... the divide starts in Genesis 1:1." Agreed. "I thought you had written a good-by letter." Well, for this thread- I had. G'day, y'all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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