Genesis Text: Response or Documentary? Allegory or Narrative?

Theistic-Evolution.net ^

[JediGirl]

hello?

[Cogadh na Sith]

C'mere... This is an interesting one. From the source:

Thus, it is believed that the first Genesis account was written during the second exilic era (when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem).

This idea is further bolstered by the inclusion in the first Genesis account of the story of the 'Nephilim'--the offspring of fallen angels and human women. The account of the Nephilim is very, very similar to Persian, Zoroastrian, Babylonian, Kurdish and Sumerian legends, not Egyptian.

In the Persian myths, they are the Djinn or Ifrit that was incorporated in the Koran.

These similarities have caused me to believe that the story of the 'Djinn' and Genesis I came from the same place: Somewhere in the north of what is now Iraq.

[cracker]

Looks good - very provocative, and yet so straightforward. This would support the thesis that much of the Old Testament was edited into final form by Josiah following the return from Babylon.

Don't forget to visit the Crevo List for all the latest!

[warchild9]

More like religion or myth. "Religion" presumes genesis is the literal (and properly translated) word of the Almighty, while "myth" infers genesis is a symbolic tale of the Almighty's work upon the earth. The Kid.

[RichardMoore]

In Catholic interpretation the Genesis story of creation is not literal. It and the rest of the Old Testament are considered an explaination of God introducing Himself into human history. The New Testament is the next step in that process. Those who don't admit the need for a Creator have no viable explaination for existence.

[Alex Murphy]

Bump for later. And hello again.

[PatrickHenry]

Sooner or later, this thread will probably become a creationism vs. evolution discussion. Therefore, here's a bit from the famous "list-o-links" (so the creationists don't get to start each new thread from ground zero).

01: Site that debunks virtually all of creationism's fallacies. Excellent resource.
02: Creation "Science" Debunked.
03: Creationi sm and Pseudo Science. Familiar cartoon then lots of links.
04: The SKEPTIC annotated bibliography. Amazingly great meta-site!
05: The Evidence for Human Evolution. For the "no evidence" crowd.
06: Massi ve mega-site with thousands of links on evolution, creationism, young earth, etc..
07: Another amazing site full of links debunking creationism.
08: Creationism and Pseudo Science. Great cartoon!
09: Glenn R. Morton's site about creationism's fallacies. Another jennyp contribution.
11: Is Evolution Science?. Successful PREDICTIONS of evolution (Moonman62).
12: Five Major Misconceptions about Evolution. On point and well-written.
13: Frequently Asked But Never Answered Questions. A creationist nightmare!
14: DARWIN, FULL TEXT OF HIS WRITINGS. The original ee-voe-lou-shunist.

The foregoing was just a tiny sample. So that everyone will have access to the accumulated "Creationism vs. Evolution" threads which have previously appeared on FreeRepublic, plus links to hundreds of sites with a vast amount of information on this topic, here's Junior's massive work, available for all to review: The Ultimate Creation vs. Evolution Resource [ver 15].

[JediGirl]

(so the creationists don't get to start each new thread from ground zero). They do it anyway....

[PatrickHenry]

ping

[JenB]

Interesting article. Personally, I believe that the Babylonian and Egyptian creation myths are distorted versions of the true story. I don't see any reason why there couldn't have been a Hebrew oral tradition before and after the 'pagan' versions were recorded. I've gotten in trouble for holding this theory in a couple of college world history courses, but it seems plausible to me.

[Texan5]

In the late Joseph Campbell's PBS series "Man and Myth", this theory was gone into in depth. I greatly enjoyed that series (we are Catholic), but my husband has not had the opportunity to see it, and would like to. Does anyone here know if there is a place where I can get the videotapes?

[Texan5]

Agree 100% with your comment on those who deny the existence of the Creator.

[Jeremy_Bentham]

I don't see any reason why there couldn't have been a Hebrew oral tradition before and after the 'pagan' versions were recorded.

You would have to consider when the Hebrews, or Isrealites, actually came into being, which would have been after these "pagan" cultures were already established in Egypt, the Chaldees, Greece, etc. and had developed many of their myths. Consider that Abraham came from the Ur of the Chaldees, which was a thriving culture long before the Isrealites became as numberless as the stars.

[jimtorr]

Consider that Abraham came from the Ur of the Chaldees.........

One thing about that, though, is that he left Ur and went to Haran, where he stayed some years with his mothers relatives. Remember that the Hebrews have always (as far as we know) figured descent as from the mother.

[Jeremy_Bentham]

True that we went to Haran, but I don't know much about how Hebrews determine their lineage.

[Jeremy_Bentham]

Good point.

[mv1]

PBS once aired "Testament: the Bible and History," in which the British scholar John Romer examined the roots of the Old Testament and the degree of correspondence between biblical text and archaeological evidence. That and Joseph Campbell were all I needed to have an epiphany about the middle eastern religions.

Now what is myth? The dictionary definition of a myth would be stories about gods. So then you have to ask the next question. What is a god?
--Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

[RadioAstronomer]

Thanks!