I think it much more likely that it was written down, over the years, especially during the Diaspora in Babylon, for the Jews to remember from whence they came, and teach the following generations, since they had been removed from their land.
It doesn't threaten my belief in God, or the truths that He has given to us, if it's possible that every single word of the Old Testament might not be the literal truth. Jesus told us Parables as a way to drive home the lessons he wanted us to learn. Quite possibly, some of the stories in the Old Testament are 'parables' in their own ways. Does it make their lessons any less true?
As I said, I disagree with you, but that doesn't make me any LESS Christian than you.
Until the nineteenth century, the Torah was studied assiduously by Jews every single day and no one thought of multiple authors or multiple sources until liberal German Lutherans, whom you Catholics take as your authorities on the subject. Does Sacred Tradition mean nothing to you? I thought Catholics were all about Tradition? Whey then do you attack immemorial Tradition and believe the words of nineteenth century German Protestants? It seems to me that you don't mind Protestantism so much as you mind American rural religious culture.
I think it much more likely that it was written down, over the years, especially during the Diaspora in Babylon, for the Jews to remember from whence they came, and teach the following generations, since they had been removed from their land.
I don't doubt this is what you think. But do you accept the synoptic problem or the J*sus Seminar? Probably not. You carefully limit all your doubts to the Torah. Why would you do this other than because you don't want to be associated with "trailer trash?"
It doesn't threaten my belief in God, or the truths that He has given to us, if it's possible that every single word of the Old Testament might not be the literal truth.
Then I guess not every single word of the "new testament" has to be the literal truth either. Correct?
And this is not about your belief in G-d. This is about G-d's veracity, not whether or not He exists.
Jesus told us Parables as a way to drive home the lessons he wanted us to learn. Quite possibly, some of the stories in the Old Testament are 'parables' in their own ways. Does it make their lessons any less true?
Does the text or Oral Tradition say that the stories are parables? If not, then on what grounds do you propose such outlandish nonsense? So far as I know, the only Biblical story concerning which there is an authentic tradition that it may be a parable is the Book of Job. But certainly this doesn't apply to anything in the Torah.
How do you know the "words of institution" weren't a parable as well? Is it merely because people you don't like find it difficult to accept their literal truth?
As I said, I disagree with you, but that doesn't make me any LESS Christian than you.
When did I ever say you were less of a chr*stian than I am? I am not a chr*stian at all. So far as I am concerned, you are a perfect example of a chr*stian and why Fundamentalist Protestants should leave chr*stianity. And besides, isn't it the Catholic Church that calls into question the chr*stianity of Fundamentalist Protestants? Certainly the Catholic Church spends an inordinate amount of time attacking the historicity of the Torah and identifying evolution and higher criticism as Catholic positions. Why is it wrong for Fundamentalist Protestants to attack theistic evolution but perfectly all right for Catholics to attack creationism?
Why does the Catholic Church not spend a modicum of the amount of time attacking the Pelosi's in its own fold that it does in attacking creationism or Jonah's fish? What did Adam or Jonah's fish ever do to so earn Catholic hatred?