As mentioned previously, as I work my way through the Christian Bible (again) for the Tao Bible series, I run into aspects of the text that make little rational sense. So, my hope is that some of the Christian readers of this blog can explain these aspects to me.
Though I'm now working through the Book of Exodus, there was something in the Book of Genesis that kept bugging me, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. Last night, as I was drifting off to sleep, it hit me. It concerns the order of creation in the very first verse.
And here is where a person lands themselves in trouble by reading the Bible literally. The text that covers Day 1 stipulates that the light divides the day from night and we all know that this light is the sun. But, according to Genesis, God didn't create the sun until Day 4. Consequently, if the Bible indeed is the word of the almighty, then it appears he created the same thing for the first time on Day 1 AND Day 4.
Would someone care to explain how this is possible?
To see what other questions I've asked about the Christian Bible, go here.
Though I'm now working through the Book of Exodus, there was something in the Book of Genesis that kept bugging me, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. Last night, as I was drifting off to sleep, it hit me. It concerns the order of creation in the very first verse.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.OK, this appears to be very straightforward. God creates the sun on the first day and it is the sun that provides the definition between day and night. So, what's the problem?
~ Genesis 1:1-5, KJV ~
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.If God created the sun on the first day, what did he create on Day 4? If he created the sun on Day 4, what is the light he created on Day 1?
~ Genesis 1:14-19, KJV ~
And here is where a person lands themselves in trouble by reading the Bible literally. The text that covers Day 1 stipulates that the light divides the day from night and we all know that this light is the sun. But, according to Genesis, God didn't create the sun until Day 4. Consequently, if the Bible indeed is the word of the almighty, then it appears he created the same thing for the first time on Day 1 AND Day 4.
Would someone care to explain how this is possible?
To see what other questions I've asked about the Christian Bible, go here.
Day one he invented photons but he did not set them to use, just an kind of ambient light. Later, by day 4, he was a bit more up to speed on making stuff and he formed some emitters and reflectors.
ReplyDeleteGood try, brother! But the light created on Day 1 set the difference between day and night. And we all know what object differentiates day and night -- the sun.
ReplyDeleteIt would appear that the almighty God is absentminded! What he "created" on Day 4 was what he had already "created" on Day 1. He did the same thing when "creating" humans. He did it once, then forget about it, only to create us again.
not a christian, but perhaps this is useful: if you haven't already heard of it, you might want to google "Documentary hypothesis":
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_hypothesis
The documentary hypothesis (DH) [...], holds that the Pentateuch (the Torah, or the Five Books of Moses) was derived from originally independent, parallel and complete narratives, which were subsequently combined into the current form by a series of redactors (editors). [....]
In an attempt to reconcile inconsistencies in the biblical text, and refusing to accept traditional explanations to harmonize them, 18th and 19th century biblical scholars using source criticism eventually arrived at the theory that the Torah was composed of selections woven together from several, at times inconsistent, sources, each originally a complete and independent document[clarification needed]. The hypothesis developed slowly over the course of the 19th century, by the end of which it was generally agreed that there were four main sources, combined into their final form by a series of redactors, R. These four sources came to be known as the Yahwist, or Jahwist, J (J being the German equivalent of the English letter Y); the Elohist, E; the Deuteronomist, D, (the name comes from the Book of Deuteronomy, D's contribution to the Torah); and the Priestly Writer, P.
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also, you might be interested in the books by bart ehrman, such as "misquoting jesus", where he covers the last 50+ years of biblical scholarship, where the inconsistencies are, what various scholarly theories are, etc. he does a very good job of being concise targeting an intelligent lay-person with a lot of info.
--sgl