Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: hplabs!scottg@hp-ptp.hp.com (Scott_Gulland) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: inconsistencies in the Bible (digest of postings) Message-ID: Date: 7 Jan 90 03:32:10 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: HP Indus. Appl. Center, Sunnyvale, CA Lines: 123 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Nichael Cramer writes... > It appears that what Scott is proposing here is a variation on what has > been called, among other things, "gapism". In short, this is an attempt > to explain differences between the Genesis creation stories and modern > science by supposing an (implicit) time-gap somewhere in the first few > verses of Genesis. Where the gap is supposed to occur in the story ...a > A major problem with this line of argument is that it is not supported by > the actual text. Specifically it is based on the standard, but poor, > translation of Gen 1.1-4 that is given in the KJV and most subsequent > popular translations (i.e. translations that start "In the beginning..."). You are absolutely incorrect! It is based on work by Dr. Hugh Ross and the actual Hebrew text for Genesis one. A strong case can be made for each day in Genesis 1 covering a login period of time. I'll offer the following arguments: 1. The Hewbrew word used in Genesis 1 for "day" is YOWM. YOWM can be used (and is) to indicate any of four time periods: a) from sunrise to sunset, b) from sunset to sunset, c) a segment of time without any reference to solor days (usually several years), and finally d) an age or epoch. Therefore there is a valid interpretation of the word day which agrees with known scientific knowledge about the age of the earth. 2. Genesis 2:4 suggests a long time span for the creation week. In the literal Hebrew this verse reads "These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created in the day of their making ...". Here, the word "day" refers to all six creation days. Obviously a period greater than 24 hours. However, the word "generation" is TOLEDAH in Hebrew and refers to a time span of never less than 20 years. Note that the plural form is used meaning a significantly greater span of time. 3. The 7th day in Genesis 1 and 2 is not closed out. For the 1st six creation days the author says "...there was evening, and there was morning -- the N th day." This statement indicates that each of the 1st six creation days had a beginning and an ending. However, for the 7th day no such statement appears either in Genesis 1 - 2 or anywhere else in the Bible. This distinct change in form strongly suggests that this day has (or had) not yet ended. There are several other supporting arguments but these should suffice to make my point. > Most modern translations now understand the first sentence to comprise > *all* of the first *three* verses on Gen 1 in a very interesting --and > surprisingly characteristic-- way. > > (For anyone interested in examining these arguments in more detail, > good sources are the notes and commentary for the corresponding verses > of A. E. Speiser's translation of _Genesis_ for the Anchor Bible series, > the Doubleday Biblical Commentary and Friedman's _Who Wrote the Bible_.) > > The first sentence breaks down as follows (translation by Speiser): > > Opening temporal clause. > 1] "When God set about to create the heaven and earth ..." Almost all modern tranlations (made within the last 15 years) using all current knowledge on Hebrew and Greek translation and discoveries of ancient text translate this "In the beginning". Remember, these translations come from the Top scolars in the field and they all agree. I don't think Speiser is a very credible source! > Parenthetical aside. > 2] "... --the world being then a formless waste, with darkness over > the seas and an awesome wind sweeping over the water-- ..." Hebrew: TEHOM RUWACH ELOHIYM RACHAPH TEHOM: a great mass of water; the oceans and the seas RUWACH: spirit; breath; wind - in conjunction with Elohiym always refers to the Holy Spirit ELOHIYM: the deity; the supreme Being; the true God RACHAPH: to brood over; cherishing and vivifying; to be tenderly affected; to be moved These translations are absolute rubish (especially #2). Scott Gulland scottg@hpiacla -------------- [First, let me comment that I see this discussion not as a matter of creationism -- which would belong on talk.origins -- but as about how one goes about interpreting Gen. if one believes that creation took a lot more than 7 days. Here are the translations I have. I think this includes most of the major modern translations: TEV: "In the beginning, when God created the universe..." (footnote: or "in the beginning God created the universe" or "When God began to create the universe"), the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the power of God was moving over the water. Then God commanded... NAB: "In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, ppwhile a mighty wind swept over the waters. Then God said... NIV: "In the beginning, God created ... Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering ove the waters. And God said... NJB: same as NIV, except "with a divine wind sweeping over the waters" REB and RSV: similar to NIV, but with footnote: or "when God began to create") NJPS: "When God began to create heaven and earth -- the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the waters -- God said... (footnotes: others "In the beginning God created.", others "the spirit of") It seems clear that other translators see various elements of the Anchor Bible translation as at least plausible, though no one translation adopts them all. --clh]