jcberry

The things we don’t keep track of, the things we don’t consider, the things forgotten, these are gold, silver, precious stones or wood, hay, and stubble. Fire will make clear, pure. The fruition of labor and rest, finally.

Tire tire, free free.

The Babylonian exiles were learned men. Their audience, however, were the people who needed to remember what God had spoken to Abraham those many years ago. Mesopotamian sacrifices, seven days, servitude in Egypt, rain from clouds that floated in the blue waters above. But the story was different from the other myths. This myth was to become flesh.

The scribes had memorized the texts and didn’t stray from meaning. Genesis was a folk tale like the others. The story changed over time, until the final, by-heart version was written down by an inspired person. Its essential truthfulness preserved a collaboration between God and man.

As with Lewis, the complete story of Christ was myth come true. Earlier pagan myths foreshadowed Him. Historicism can hinder the story. The ancients’ moral worldview related Eden as a sanctuary like the temple and tabernacle. The Israelites were heirs of Adam. Abram was God’s fresh start after Adam. We all long for Eden. Read and remember.

If the biblical accounts share similarities with Sumerian, Egyptian, and Babylonian myths, how is the bible any different?

1) God is invisible, while other religions adore statues.
2) The world and universe came from nothing and everything has a beginning.
3) God is the one creator.
4) God was not born, he did not originate in a sexual act, and he has always been.
5) God is not of nature, but nature comes from him.

As difficult it is to read ancient near eastern literature, these differences make the Hebrew language of the faith something to study. Genesis 1 is a superbly designed text. The intricacies create wonder for its close readers.

Will praying for translation enable you to understand a foreign language? God is not a “celestial butler,” and relying on the holy spirit to reveal the meaning of Greek and Hebrew is not something to be lauded. Try praying for God to give you the answers on a test that you have not studied for or more importantly, try praying for money to drop from the sky or your troubled marriage to change overnight. To rely on supernatural exegesis is also intellectually lazy.

A case of my incomplete knowledge of translation came to light when i asked my Wycliffe missionary about the use of AI for Bible translation into Nahuatl. Though the AI could appear to do it, my friend told me about there being multiple dialects and many other complications i had not considered. She’s an expert.

Don’t rely on answers falling from the sky, go to the experts if you need to and then study to show yourself approved.

Behemoths, Unicorns, Fiery flying serpents, O my.

Continuing my short exploration of supposed dinosaurs in the OT, these creatures are manipulated into prehistoric animals. Fire-breathing leviathan aside, behemoth stood as a super-bull, a divine cow. The creature’s tail was a male organ. In stood in parallel to “thighs,” a euphemism for testicles. He extends or stiffens his tail. His strength was his virility. He’s a mythic chaos counterpart to the leviathan dragon. It all stands for God’s domination over the cosmic order and man’s frailty.

Unicorns in the KJV are another problem for young earth creationists. Unicorns are not a one-horned creature as some creationists suggest. Scholars say that the Hebrew does not allow that construction. It’s a mistranslation for wild ox.

Finally, no, flying serpents were not pterodactyls. The burning bites were most likely venomous bites. The Egyptians used similar language for cobra bites. Diving beings like flying cobras were common in Jewish literature. Cobras were the earthly counterpart to the spiritual, winged versions.

Adapted from “Misinterpreting Genesis” by Ben Stanhope.

Some creationists say that some of the animal literary figures in the Old Testament (Psalm 74 and Isaiah 27:1) are dinosaurs, that Earth is only 6,000 – 10,000 years old. If we look at the background of these verses, we see that the Leviathan spoken of is not a prehistoric creature like a dinosaur.

1. First, dinosaurs–nor any other creatures–did not have multiple heads. Hydras do, however.
2. Then in Isaiah 27:1, Leviathan is a serpent and God will kill the dragon that is “in the sea.”
3. “Litanu” was the Ugaritic (the closest language to Hebrew) leviathan, the god of the chaotic waters of the sea.
4. As in Genesis 1-2, Yahweh divided the sea, smashing the heads of Leviathan before creating the sun and moon and establishing all the boundaries of earth. Yahweh is the real dragon slayer.
5. Leviathan is used as a figurative symbol, emphasizing God’s kingship over all creation.

The watery chaos that threatens the created order and His dominion over natural creatures are common motifs of Near Eastern cultures. In Genesis, God hovered over the chaotic waters.

Adapted from “Misinterpreting Genesis” by Ben Stanhope.