• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

Fascinated With God

Traditional Apostolic Methodist
Aug 30, 2012
1,432
75
58
NY
✟31,259.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Green
Please provide your sources on this revelation.
The increase in IQ since the 1800's is well established and is not a revelation: Flynn effect - Wikipedia.

As to the recent genetic evidence of a decline in IQ over the past 10,000 years of traditional societies rather than primative societies, I heard it recently on Science Friday on NPR, before an extended interveiw with James Watson. Here is the podcast: The Double Helix and Beyond: Catching Up With James Watson

Unfortunately the geneticist describing the decline was talking via phone and got cut off, so I was not able to get any of the details.
 
Upvote 0

Fascinated With God

Traditional Apostolic Methodist
Aug 30, 2012
1,432
75
58
NY
✟31,259.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Green
Nay, the scientists need to sit in the pew and be very quite and listen for a period of time.
You should consider attending another denomination. I have never heard any pastor or priest express YEC ideas at any of the churches I have attended over the past 35 years.

<edit>
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Upvote 0

Calminian

Senior Veteran
Feb 14, 2005
6,789
1,044
Low Dessert
✟49,695.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Republican

Well there's another Jasher that also claims to be the book of Jasher mentioned in the Bible. This also was translated in the 19th century, and also claims to be based on an ancient document. What about that one?

Now, I do believe it's very possible that Jasher (the 1840 one) is based on an ancient history book. I even believe it may be based on the book mentioned in the Bible (the Upright Book). But are you going so far as to call TBOJ inspired? Or do you just look at it as non-inspired history?

For there are differences between Jasher and Genesis. For instance, Jashar has Abram's birth 70 years after Terah's birth. The Bible, through Gen. 12:4 and Stephens inspired testimony tells us for certain Abram was born 130 years after Terah's birth. Now getting that birth date confused is very easy for many bible readers, but the Holy Spirit would never make that mistake.

Now that's a real contradiction. Now it's not a big deal to me as I would expect discrepancies like this in non-inspired yet reliable historical documents. I believe Josephus got a lot of things wrong as well. But if you think Jasher is the word of God, you have a problem. You've got to now choose between the Bible and Jasher on this one issue.

I also think it's wrong to think Jasher was inspired merely because it is mentioned and quoted in scripture. That's never a criterion for canonization. The Bible quotes many people. It's not an endorsement of their entire works.

And I'm still not sure Jashar is based on an earlier ancient document, but am hoping to find some verification, beit manuscripts or even some internal evidence. But the Dead Sea Scrolls actually don't include Jasher and that right there seems to be proof it was never an actual part of the canon. For the DSS actually coveres the time period Jasher covers.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

yeshuasavedme

Senior Veteran
May 31, 2004
12,811
779
✟112,705.00
Gender
Female
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
I think we had this conversation before....
I believe the Book of Jasher is True history, as much as Joshua, Judges, the Samuels, the Kings, the Chronicles, Ruth, Esther, Nehemiah, Ezra -all the Ezra's- and the Maccabees and Acts of the Apostles and whatever else is written as history of the Patriarchs is.
There is no other true history book of Jasher that is corroborated by the Tenach to Revelation accounts than the one linked above.

I believe it is a true record, and that is one translation of its name in Hebrew " The Upright Record".
It stops where Deuteronomy stops, and after that, the histories continue to be written and we call them "Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings Ezra, Ruth"... and so on and so forth.

As to "inspired" that is what God breathed through His prophets. The Jews do not call the histories
"inspired". They are true records and can be trusted as true.
 
Upvote 0

yeshuasavedme

Senior Veteran
May 31, 2004
12,811
779
✟112,705.00
Gender
Female
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
There is no contradiction in Jasher and Genesis, only clarity is given by the Jasher record.
Steven was not correct on his times, because he had lost Jasher -though Paul had it, being a scholar, himself. Steven had the Isrealites in Egypt 400 years and Moses 40 years old when he fled Egypt, but in fact, Moses was 18 when he fled, and ruled Cush/Sudan for many years, and married the queen of Cush [wrongly translated Ethiopian, in the KJV] when her husband died, as a politically expedient thing to do. He married Zephorah when he was 79, and two years later, when he left for Egypt, he had two small sons, one of whom was not circumcised because he heeded his father in law in not doing so....and the rest is written in Jasher

If you follow the Genesis account painstakingly, then you discover that Israel was in Egypt for 215 years [says Usher], but in Jasher, it plainly tells you they were in Egypt 210 years, so there is error in those who try to make it 400 years, esp when the Torah tells us that Moses is the grandson of Levi, being the son of Levi's daughter.
Exd 6:20
And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram [were] an hundred and thirty and seven years.
So in Jasher we read that Jochebed was born at the gate of Egypt, to Levi when they went in [Jewish history also states] and was 127 when Jochedbed took her [back] Israel left Egypt when Moses was 82. Moses was a 7 month baby, also.

You just cannot get 400 years of slavery out of the Torah, and also, before Joseph died, Israel was in grand favor in Egypt. Not until after Joseph died did things begin to go bad for Israel, and Miriam was born after it did so, and was named bitter/Mira -Am because of the bitterness they were suffering under the next ruler and his nation -the people "Am".
 
Upvote 0

Calminian

Senior Veteran
Feb 14, 2005
6,789
1,044
Low Dessert
✟49,695.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Republican
There is no contradiction in Jasher and Genesis, only clarity is given by the Jasher record.
Steven was not correct on his times, because he had lost Jasher -though Paul had it, being a scholar, himself.

Yeah I had a feeling you'd throw out N.T. inerrancy before admitting Jasher is errant. Seems you put more into personal revelations you receive than just trusting scripture.

Stephen was right on the money. You see Genesis tells us that Abram left Haran after his father's death and was 75 years old. Terah was 205 when he died, therefore he was 130 when Abram was born.

BTW Terah's genealogy where he mentions his 3 sons is almost identical in construction to Noah's genealogy where he mentions he 3 sons at age 500. This didn't mean all 3 sons were born at 500, just the first of them. We then learn that Shem was born when Noah was 502. The same thing happens in Terah's genealogy. We know Haran was the oldest born when Terah was 70, and Abram was born 60 years later.

Stephen merely confirmed the story that was in Genesis by explaining that Abram left Terah after his death when he was 75. And according to Josephus, Stephen would have had access to Jasher. The Book of Jasher was known to Josephus and was known to be among the books laid up in the Temple in the first century.

But this is the danger of simply trusting that every ancient document is inspired. You then are forced to choose between extra-biblical books and the Bible itself.

Now the Bereans were much smarter than this. They tested teachings by scripture. They would have told you flat out that you choose the Genesis and the books of Moses over Jasher. You've ceased to do that.
 
Upvote 0
B

BluhdoftheLamb

Guest
This may explain why cave paintings of later generations after Nimrod and other early mighty hunters didn't depict dinosaurs.

There is an astonishingly high number of depictions of dinosaurs, some of which are more accurate than science came up with until recently. South America is especially rich with these. Also, pterodactyls have been seen in the last 100 years, by multiple credible persons in remote locations.

Here, we have birds called pterodactyls but really they're just sandhill cranes. Still considered dinosaurs ...
 
Upvote 0

Jig

Christ Follower
Oct 3, 2005
4,529
399
Texas
✟23,214.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others

Dragon mythology is indeed quite interesting. In some sense, I agree that some of these stories are rooted in actual history. This all reminds me of the dilemma of living fossils.
 
Upvote 0
B

BluhdoftheLamb

Guest
Even apart from Ussher's calculations, all biblical chronologies would lead to a relatively young earth.

How so? It only goes back to when God re plenished the earth. Just because our story starts out with the whole planet being without form and void, doesn't mean a thing about its history. Other parts of the Bible explicitly tell us about time before this.
 
Upvote 0
B

BluhdoftheLamb

Guest

What do you base that on?
 
Upvote 0

Jig

Christ Follower
Oct 3, 2005
4,529
399
Texas
✟23,214.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others

I'm guessing you believe in the gap theory?
 
Upvote 0
B

BluhdoftheLamb

Guest

I still don't understand your theory, nor do I see Scriptural support for it. You must be stating that 2 different earths co-existed?
 
Upvote 0
B

BluhdoftheLamb

Guest

Hermeneutics will tell you to read it as the original audience did, which was not at all similar to anything you've said here. Instead, it is God Himself claiming superiority over the gods of the the tribes surrounding the Hebrews, and God did so in order of their importance.

i used to do a lot of eschatology, and spent years going over revelation and daniel. then suddenly, i realised that i had been fooled.

Apparently in your "research," you never read what the author of Revelation taught about it?
 
Upvote 0

yeshuasavedme

Senior Veteran
May 31, 2004
12,811
779
✟112,705.00
Gender
Female
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Yeah I had a feeling you'd throw out N.T. inerrancy before admitting Jasher is errant. Seems you put more into personal revelations you receive than just trusting scripture.

I do not know what you are talking about.


Stephen was right on the money.
So you think Genesis is wrong, then? Go look at what Genesis has to say about the time Israel was in Egypt, but you have to dig it out for yourself, because it was already written in Jasher, and quite plainly they were not in Egypt for 400 years according to Genesis.
I pointed out to you that Moses was the son of Levi's daughter, Jochebed, and I gave you the Scripture to prove it. Moses was 82 years old when Israel left Egypt, and his mother was born at the gate of Egypt, when Levi went in, so how you gonna stretch out Moses being born to a 318 year old woman, to come up with 400 years for Israel in Egypt?
Then, Joseph ruled in Egypt as the Pharaoh, under the Pharaoh that was there [in place of his addlepated son], and while Joseph ruled, Israel was blessed in Egypt, and prospered and were not slaves. Do you know how long Joseph lived after Israel entered Egypt and how long Israel lived in peace and prosperity in Egypt before Joseph was forgotten and Israel was harshly treated?

How long after Joseph died was Moses born? Do you know?
You can search Genesis and discover with painstaking care the answers to these questions, but Jasher lays it out from the beginning, in exact chronology.

As to the when the sons of Noah were born, the record in Genesis contradicts Jasher in no way. Jasher plainly states who was born when, but Genesis is not recording, again, the dates each son was born, because it was already in Jasher =the Upright Record, and so, we have these following statements in Genesis:

Gen 5:32
And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Gen 6:10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Gen 10:21 Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were [children] born.

So Jasher tells us Japheth was born first, to Noah, and Shem last, but Shem has the preeminence, being the elect son who was given the blessing by Noah, of "firstborn" which carried the office of priest and king, and which blessing Shem gave to Abraham, the last born son of Terah, also.


The Book of Jasher was known to Josephus and was known to be among the books laid up in the Temple in the first century.
Josephus knew there was a book of Jasher, but he never read it, never used it, and never knew what it said. I have read both, and Josephus errs in several places because of not having all the books. Josephus uses the Targum [sp?], which is faulty because of Isaiah 29:14

Isaiah 29:14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

2 Esdras tells of all the temple books being lost after the temple was burned by the Assyrians, and rewritten, miraculously, Esdras and his scribes wrote the 104 books used by the Jews, but 70 he was commanded to hide, leaving them 24 until the 70 are opened again.

But this is the danger of simply trusting that every ancient document is inspired. You then are forced to choose between extra-biblical books and the Bible itself.
Please stop saying I have said any such a thing. I have repeatedly said the opposite of what you are saying that I have said.

I believe what the Jews believed, in that the Torah is inspired, and the histories are histories and the writings are writings.

I believe Enoch is inspired and Jasher is history, in the same class of all the histories we do have in the Bible -which are not "Thus saith YHWH", but are true history.
 
Upvote 0

Calminian

Senior Veteran
Feb 14, 2005
6,789
1,044
Low Dessert
✟49,695.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Republican
I do not know what you are talking about.

Oh I think you do. You keep wanting to talk about the 400 vs. 430 years but keep avoiding what Stephen's testimony says about Abram's age relative to Terah's age. I'm trying to keep you focused.

Genesis 12 and Acts 7 confirm Abram was born when Terah was 130. Jasher contradicts this.

Now you keep trying to change the subject to a different issue, but let's take it one at a time. Why are you trusting Jasher over the Bible in regard to Abram's birth date? Why are you trusting a non-inspired history book (ostensibly one based on an ancient manuscript&#8212;which it very well may be) over the inspired texts of Genesis and Acts?

Now don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed Jasher quite a bit. But it can never rise to the level of judging scripture. Scripture must be its judge.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

yeshuasavedme

Senior Veteran
May 31, 2004
12,811
779
✟112,705.00
Gender
Female
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
About the thing I said "I do not know what you are talking about", I still don't!

Maybe I try to go too fast for you. Let's just begin here, and check the Torah account with Stephan's excellent heartfelt sermon to the Jews:

http://www.torah.org/qanda/seequanda.php?id=625
Is the Torah wrong, Calminian?
 
Upvote 0

yeshuasavedme

Senior Veteran
May 31, 2004
12,811
779
✟112,705.00
Gender
Female
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Gen 5:32
And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Gen 6:10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Gen 10:21 Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were [children] born.

Abram was born last, to Terah, and listed first, in the Genesis record, just like Shem was listed first, born last, for they each inherited the office of "firstborn", with its blessing.

Gen 11:26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Gen 11:32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Gen 12:4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram [was] seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.



Jasher 7:23 And Peleg his brother begat Yen, and Yen begat Serug, and Serug begat Nahor and Nahor begat Terah, and Terah was thirty-eight years old, and he begat Haran and Nahor.

Haran and Nahor were twins, born to Terah when Terah was 38 years old. Abram was born to Terah when Terah was 70 years old.

Haran begat Sarai, Milchah, and Lot.
Sarai was ten years younger than Abraham.
Sarai was also called Iscah.


Gen 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife [was] Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.
 
Upvote 0

yeshuasavedme

Senior Veteran
May 31, 2004
12,811
779
✟112,705.00
Gender
Female
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Abram married his neice -legally also called his fathers daughter- who was ten years his younger. Haran died in the "fire of the chaldees" when he was 82 years old, leaving his two daughters and Lot fatherless.
Abram married Sarai, she was 39 years old.



 
Upvote 0

yeshuasavedme

Senior Veteran
May 31, 2004
12,811
779
✟112,705.00
Gender
Female
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Abram left Haran to go to Canaan two times. The records are in Jasher, and corroboration is in Torah -with much painstaking labor to add all events with all ages to make a chart of the times of the happenings in the lives of the patriarchs.
 
Upvote 0