YEC vs OEC

[juvenissun]

True, but once there was a sun, would the length of a day change? The pattern was made in heaven. The pattern is more essential than the sun itself.

Very good question. I am very interested in this problem, but haven't got much time to work on it. I hope I could start something soon.

In geological science, the uniqueness of the Earth is just one part of the miracle. The other part is the uniqueness of our moon and its close relationship to the earth. To be short, it IS possible that the early "days" on the earth is much shorter than the 24-hr day today. And the length of an earth day is getting longer.

Of course, this is just a model. But it is the main stream model. I am troubled in trying to fit this idea to the Scripture. One thing nearly all people neglected is that the critical role of the moon as it is mentioned in Gen 1. Everyone is attracted to the sun only. We know now that our moon is different from all other moons in the solar system.

 

[Assyrian]

If anybody wants to look into the Answers in Genesis claim for themselves, you can do a word search in Blue Letter Bible. It is better to search for the words in Hebrew because you don't always get a consistent translation into English. The easiest way to do this search for the Strong's number. You will find the Strong's numbers you need here http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Gen&c=1&v=5&t=KJV#conc/5

So for example to search for all the occurrences of 'evening' and 'morning' just put
h6153 h1242
in the Search the Bible box.

 

[mark kennedy]

The HTMLBible is really good as well. It links to a lot of commentaries and Bible dictionaries

 

[Assyrian]

That is useful, I've bookmark it. Thanks. It is good the way it includes untranslated words like eth (Strong's no 835), though it doesn't have them all.

 

[mark kennedy]

That is useful, I've bookmark it. Thanks. It is good the way it includes untranslated words like eth (Strong's no 835), though it doesn't have them all.

You might also what to try Esword if you don't already have it. You will not believe the plugins you can get for this, it is by far the best free study tool I have seen on the internet.

 

[Assyrian]

E-sword is great.

 

[juvenissun]

E-sword is great.

It does not work on my Mac

 

[MatthewDiscipleofGod]

Theologians that did not interpret 'yom' as a literal, 24-hour day: Philo, Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Basil, Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, CS Lewis...

I'm not sure where you got your list of names but I know they are not all accurate. John Calvin for example believed in 6 literal days. He also believed the world was less then 6,000 years old.

albeit the duration of the world, now declining to its ultimate end, has not yet attained six thousand years … God’s work was completed not in a moment but in six days.

You can check out this link for a more in depth article on Calvin believing in 6 literal days.

Since you bring up a reformer let us bring up another one. Martin Luther. What did he believe?

The Days of Creation were ordinary days in length. We must understand that these days were actual days (veros dies), contrary to the opinion of the Holy Fathers. Whenever we observe that the opinions of the Fathers disagree with Scripture, we reverently bear with them and acknowledge them to be our elders. Nevertheless, we do not depart from the authority of Scripture for their sake.

When Moses writes that God created Heaven and Earth and whatever is in them in six days, then let this period continue to have been six days, and do not venture to devise any comment according to which six days were one day. But, if you cannot understand how this could have been done in six days, then grant the Holy Spirit the honor of being more learned than you are. For you are to deal with Scripture in such a way that you bear in mind that God Himself says what is written. But since God is speaking, it is not fitting for you wantonly to turn His Word in the direction you wish to go.

Also, even if Augustine and Clement of Alexandria took the days figurative they at least believed the creation of Adam took place around 5,500 B.C.