It is beginning to look more and more like the Bible is explaining modern science to people from thousands of years ago. In a previous post, JP said in the comments that the first chapter 0f Genesis is indeed literal but it's mystical. Ok, let's grant that. How do we know that the mysticism isn't in fact referring to 20/21st century science?
Gen. 1:29
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים הִנֵּה֩ נָתַ֨תִּי לָכֶ֜ם אֶת־ כָּל־ עֵ֣שֶׂב זֹרֵ֣עַ זֶ֗רַע אֲשֶׁר֙ עַל־ פְּנֵ֣י כָל־ הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאֶת־ כָּל־ הָעֵ֛ץ אֲשֶׁר־ בֹּ֥ו פְרִי־ עֵ֖ץ זֹרֵ֣עַ זָ֑רַע לָכֶ֥ם יִֽהְיֶ֖ה לְאָכְלָֽה׃
And God said Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth and every tree in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed to you it shall be for meat.
Gen. 1:30
וּֽלְכָל־ חַיַּ֣ת הָ֠אָרֶץ וּלְכָל־ עֹ֨וף הַשָּׁמַ֜יִם וּלְכֹ֣ל רֹומֵ֣שׂ עַל־ הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־ בֹּו֙ נֶ֣פֶשׁ חַיָּ֔ה אֶת־ כָּל־ יֶ֥רֶק עֵ֖שֶׂב לְאָכְלָ֑ה וַֽיְהִי־ כֵֽן׃
And to every beast of the earth and to every fowl of the air and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat and it was so.
Gen. 1:31
וַיַּ֤רְא אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־ כָּל־ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֔ה וְהִנֵּה־ טֹ֖וב מְאֹ֑ד וַֽיְהִי־ עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־ בֹ֖קֶר יֹ֥ום הַשִּׁשִּֽׁי׃
And God saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
One can speculate that it seems to be saying that the first animals were in fact carnivores and then God made some of them herbivores (does "every animal" meeeeaaan every animal or is it metaphor?).
It seems to be consistent with evolutionary thought in a metaphoric sense; if you don't take it too literal, which you shouldn't, referring to the unspecific nature of the creation story that takes place before the Bible talks about Adam and Eve.
Alternatively, you can speculate that the first animals were indeed herbivores. The eoraptor, one of the world's earliest dinosaurs, has some herbivore teeth. They say modern humans were originally herbivores.
Check this out from Science Daily.
We just finished the first chapter of Genesis. XD
This is just speculation though. I do not claim to be an expert in the evolutionary timeline.
Anyways, I have a new instant message gadget in the top of blog sidebar. If you see me online, say hi. XD
5 comments:
Dinosaurs were not the first creatures to live on the planet. They evolved from even older species that died out.
And why would this have to explain 20/21 century science? Why not science that we don't know about yet? Why not science of an earlier date?
I'm not seeing it myself, but then again I am the resident skeptic :) Personally I just think modern people need to get over themselves and realize that the ancients knew their sh*t and we are just recovering what was lost.
>> Dinosaurs were not the first creatures to live on the planet. They evolved from even older species that died out.
True, but it would seem to me more is known about the dinosaurs than the earlier species so I just put in dinosaurs.
>> And why would this have to explain 20/21 century science? Why not science that we don't know about yet? Why not science of an earlier date?
All good points for speculation.
Do you watch the Discovery/History, Nat Geo/Science Channels? One (or more than one) of them have done very interesting shows on what was before dinosaurs. Good stuff.
From this you can extrapolate that things which WON'T reproduce from seed after their kind - such as GMO "Frakenfoods" - should NOT be considered food.
"It seems to be consistent with evolutionary thought in a metaphoric sense; if you don't take it too literal, which you shouldn't, referring to the unspecific nature of the creation story that takes place before the Bible talks about Adam and Eve."
Its becoming blatantly obvious you are being metaphorical when it suits you.
Have you read Middle Eastern Mythology by Hooke?
The name of the female thus created. In Genesis, Eve, or in its original semitic form Hawah, means life. In the Sumerian myth, the word ti from the name Ninti has a double meaning; it could mean either ‘rib’ or ‘life’. Thus Ninti can be rendered as “lady of the rib” or “lady of life”. This is the origin of the rib story with Eve
But as an evolutionist you clearly don't take the rib story literally. Be literal when it suits you and metaphorical when it is convenient.
Problem is, EVERYONE from every religious tradition can do that from their scriptures. It doesn't authentic Torah, all it does is show how desperate adherants are to hold on to divine authorship
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