- Feb 17, 2005
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(moved from Creationism; original thread here: http://christianforums.com/t6666720...ation-account-new-numbers-tell-the-story.html )
And again - I wonder what that statistical analysis would do to, say, a Hebrew translation of the parable of the Prodigal Son.
In fact (and I may well overstep my bounds here) I think this study may well prove less than nothing. To my knowledge there is very little purely fictional or figurative poetry in the Hebrew Bible (excepting, perhaps, the Song of Solomon). Most of the time, a psalm that describes any kind of event describes a historical event: the Exodus, the conquering of Canaan, the exile. (Not one describes the process of creation - except for Psalm 104, which direly contradicts flood geology if it is interpreted that way.)
On the other hand, there is plenty of narrative that is purely fictional and figurative, and clearly intended to be taken that way. That is why I raised the earlier example of Daniel 1-6 and Daniel 7-12. Nobody reading the latter part seriously thinks that the author intended it to talk about actual animals - the animals are obviously code-words for various kingdoms and nations. Similarly, in Judges Jephthah tells a story which is entirely narrative and yet is completely a parable. And the story Nathan tells David after he has committed adultery with Bathsheba is obviously narrative and obviously fiction.
So. Almost no Hebrew poetry is really fictional; plenty of Hebrew narrative is clearly fictional and figurative. Guess which genre Genesis 1 falls into? ^^
And again - I wonder what that statistical analysis would do to, say, a Hebrew translation of the parable of the Prodigal Son.
In fact (and I may well overstep my bounds here) I think this study may well prove less than nothing. To my knowledge there is very little purely fictional or figurative poetry in the Hebrew Bible (excepting, perhaps, the Song of Solomon). Most of the time, a psalm that describes any kind of event describes a historical event: the Exodus, the conquering of Canaan, the exile. (Not one describes the process of creation - except for Psalm 104, which direly contradicts flood geology if it is interpreted that way.)
On the other hand, there is plenty of narrative that is purely fictional and figurative, and clearly intended to be taken that way. That is why I raised the earlier example of Daniel 1-6 and Daniel 7-12. Nobody reading the latter part seriously thinks that the author intended it to talk about actual animals - the animals are obviously code-words for various kingdoms and nations. Similarly, in Judges Jephthah tells a story which is entirely narrative and yet is completely a parable. And the story Nathan tells David after he has committed adultery with Bathsheba is obviously narrative and obviously fiction.
So. Almost no Hebrew poetry is really fictional; plenty of Hebrew narrative is clearly fictional and figurative. Guess which genre Genesis 1 falls into? ^^
