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To say that heliocentricity leaped into being with Galileo is an incorrect assumption. The fact is, Galileo was the first to develop a theory and a mathematical dynamic that supported heliocentricity. To say that no one conceived of a heliocentric solar system prior to Galileo is to deny history, and the written evidence. Pythagorus, best known for his work in mathematics, was the first to develop the idea that the earth is spherical in nature, and his pupil Philolaus (approx. 500 BC) was the first to begin work along the lines of a heliocentric system. The ancient Egyptians, who enslaved Israel for 430 years, developed a crude model of the solar system with the sun at its center in 2200 BC, fully 800 years before the Exodus and 1200 years before David wrote Psalm 19.gluadys said:So, no, the same cannot be arguably assumed about David.
The fact is, the Bible is silent on heliocentricity, the expansion or contraction of the universe, life on other planets, and many other concepts that have been erroneously stated by YEC opponents to beunscientifically or erroneously addressed in the Scriptures. That the earth is unique and special in God's economy is beyond question. In fact, efforts by some scientists to prove that the earth is not the unique and special planet the Bible very clearly teaches it to be, have failed completely. While the earth is lush, green, bountiful and fruitful, the rest of the known universe appears to be barren and deserted.
Given that, can the leap to conclusion that the Bible teaches geocentrism be made successfully? No, it cannot. In fact, the Bible again is completely silent on that aspect of science. Implicit arguments may be developed that would make Scripture appear to teach geocentrism, an immobile earth at the center of the universe, but in none of these arguments do the Bible verses used to accomplish this goal rest in a context of an overall discussion of the physical form of the universe. That simply is absent from the Bible.
Because of the aforementioned facts -- that heliocentrism predates Galileo's detailed theory, and that the Bible is silent on the mechanics and makeup of the universe -- there is no way you can confidently make that series of statements. It is assumption, to be discussed and debated, but never proven. In reality, the known facts speak against the likelihood of of David having such a misconception. Pythagorus' work, as well as Philolaus, and the evidence left by the ancient Egyptians, must lead us to the conclusion that it is naive (no offense) to think David was not aware of scientific thoughts along the lines of a heliocentric system. As I've said elsewhere in this thread, his writing wasn't from a scientific viewpoint, but a spiritual view of God's relationship to His creation, and the coming redemption of fallen man.gluadys said:What can be arguably assumed is that David would take for granted the common assumptions of his time. When David and his contemporaries spoke of the sun rising and setting and moving through the sky they believed they were describing actual solar motion. They had no context for considering these phrases to be mere custom.
As you've said, you have not studied Hebrew. I have. So who should be trusted to express the facts of the Hebrew language here -- you, or me?gluadys said:Again, I would like to see an example of vocabulary, verb tense, syntax, etc. that must be literal and cannot be figurative. I taught grammar and composition for many years. And although Hebrew is not among the languages I have studied,I have studied several others. And whether it is English, French, Russian or whatever, I have never heard of a language that has this sort of structural contrast.
That is totally inconsequential not only to this discussion, but to Hebrew poetry in general. It is not constructed in the same fashion as traditional romance, germanic or even other semitic languages. It is not written in a style reminiscent of meter, rhyme, or structure, but rather finds its style in its nuance of duality, contrast, and irony. If you have not studied it, you cannot begin to understand the complexity of its structure, which is as much science as anything existing before or since.gluadys said:The grammatical structure of poetry is identical to the grammatical structure of prose. The grammatical structure of an allegory is identical to the grammatical structure of a journalist's report.
Again, you haven't studied it. To attempt to understand it because you have studied other unrelated languages does your own scholarship severe disservice -- would you attempt to understand Swahili by using vocabulary rules established for Middle European languages? -- and belittles the study of the langauge by people who have actually made the effort to know it.gluadys said:Certainly, they sound different and one can usually tell when language is being used figuratively, but I don't see them using language with different vocabulary or syntax.
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