The Bible has been at the center of many highly controversially issues over the last 2000 years. Believers and non-believers alike have been debating whether it is the true word of God, or just a collection of stories and myths. At the forefront of this debate is the issue of creation. Many Christians believe that God created the world in 7 literal, 24-hour days. Using this theory, they would say the earth is roughly 6000 years old, but there is also a minority who believe in an old earth and that the creation story in Genesis 1 should be taken figuratively. Those who believe that the creation story is written in figurative language hold a variety of different beliefs on the issue, but at the center of their argument is the statement that: “Genesis 1 should not be taken literally, and that there is no way the earth is only 6000 years old”. In order to understand both sides, the true meaning of the Biblical text must be understood.
The most important question one must ask is how should the Bible be interpreted? The first and obvious, yet important thing to say about the Bible is that it is literature. In fact, it is a whole library of books: some of them history, some poetry, and some in the form of letters. When we approach literature, one usually asks the question “How does the author want it to be understood?” When reading the Bible, one should always try and follow the natural understanding of a passage in its context. Dr. John Lennox, who is a professor at Oxford University explains this idea well, by showing how the early Christian fathers used this “literal understanding” to counter a metaphorical interpretation.
The reformers emphasized this in their reaction against the kind of interpretation that took the four river...
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..., Hebrew Word “Yom” (Day) (Old Earth Ministries 2014) 1.
James Stambaugh, M.DIV. 1988. The Meaning of "Day" in Genesis. Acts & Facts. 17 (10).
Ravi Zacharias, Jesus Among Other Gods (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.), p. 65.
John Ankerburg and Dr. Norman Geisler, “What is the Biblical Evidence for Long Days in Genesis?” (Ankerberg Theological Research Institute, 2007) 1-10.
Kevin Killeen and Peter J. Forshaw. "The Word and the World." Biblical Exegesis and Early Modern Science, 220-225.
Augustine A commentary on Genesis: Two Books against the Manichees 2.2.3, quoted in Augustine The Literal Meaning of Genesis (ACW 42) 271.
Ibid. 253-271.
John C. Lennox, Seven Days That Divide the world: The beginning according to Genesis and science. Zondervan,
Old Earth Ministries, Hebrew Word “Yom” (Day) (Old Earth Ministries 2014) 1.
Carson, D. A. New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.
Coogan, Michael David., Marc Zvi. Brettler, Carol A. Newsom, and Pheme Perkins. "Genesis." The New Oxford Annotated Bible: With the Apocrypha. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.
... defines the scriptural meaning of the word “day” and explores its usage throughout the Scriptures to provide evidence for a literal six day creation. MacArthur dispels the notion that each day was a long period of time, an idea held by old-earth creationist, through scriptural insight that “whenever the word [day] is modified by a number the clear reference is to a normal solar day” (40). To MacArthur the word day marks “clearly defined boundaries” instead of indeterminate span of time (39). MacArthur beautifully challenges his readers to see that the purpose of Scriptural account of creation is to reveal an infinitely powerful God, who created everything perfectly in a short period of time (41).
Earth didn’t just begin with a simple process; it took millions of years just to form. On top of that it took a long time for humans to evolve to who they are today. Evolution has been a constraversial subject for centuries. Whether it’s evolving from bacteria or the supernatural we all have different ideas of how man came to be. We also have ideas of how we as humans became who we are today. In This Fleeting World, by David Christian, he explains and breaks down evolution, the formation of the earth, and humanity over all. To do this effectively, Christian uses details, modern day connections, and examples to prove his beliefs on earth’s formation. This Fleeting World thoroughly breaks down Christian’s idea of the creation of the modern
Harris, Stephen. Understanding The Bible. 6 ed. New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2002. Print.
Sheler, Jeffrey L. "Mysteries of the Bible." U.S. News & World Report 17 Apr. 1995: 8. SIRS Researcher (2001).
The "Genesis, Chapters 1 to 3." Ted Goertzel. 18 Feb 2009 http://crab.rutgers.edu/goertzel/genesis.htm>. Morford, Mark P.O., and Robert J. Lenardon. Classical Mythology.
Humans have asked questions about their origin and their purpose on earth for eons. The Bible tells humans that God created them and explains their purpose. However, since the Renaissance, humanism answers questions about origins by naturalistic means and science has been redefined in the process. Most institutions of higher education and many individuals have adopted the naturalistic theory of evolution to explain human origin without considering its effects on faith. In contrast to prevailing thought at Goshen College, a literal six-day creation is foundational to the Gospel message. Combining evolution and Christianity makes one’s faith less logical and opens one’s science to new quandaries.
Longman, Tremper III and David E. Garland The expositor’s Bible Commentary: Revised Edition, vol. 9. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000.
In the days of Christ’s life on this earth, believers did not have access to the Bible in its entirety as we know and are familiar with today. Believers in this ancient time period only had access to the Old Testament. However, through their access to the Old Testament, believers were provided a foundation for New Testament times. This foundation provided New Testament believers with the Lord’s established principles of right and wrong they were expected to follow. In addition, the Old Testament is overflowing with accounts of people whose lives exemplified the future life of Christ on this earth. These pictures allowed the Israelite nation to begin to have an understanding of why Christ needed to come as their Messiah and the work He needed to do on earth. Finally, there are common themes that are interwoven throughout the entire Old Testament. Three of these themes: transgression, redemption, and consummation point to the purpose of Christ’s atoning death on the cross. These themes portray God’s work both in the lives of Old Testament believers, but they also foreshadow God’s desire and plan for believers in New Testament times and beyond.
Franz Delitzsch, A New Commentary on Genesis: Vol. I (New York: Scribner & Welford, 1889), p. 409.
In this paper I am trying to find out what true Biblical exegesis means. By finding that truth then I and the person reading this paper can leave with an understand-ing on how to comprehend the content of exegesis. Through out my paper you will see noted some of my sources. I have carefully read these books and have selected the best ones to fit the purpose of this document. I will be exploring many areas of exegesis and will be giving you a brief overview of these and then explaining different uses for exegesis.
Wenham, G.J., Moyter, J.A., Carson, D.A. and France, R.T., eds. New Bible Commentary. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1998.
Thiselton, A.C. (2005). Can the Bible mean whatever we want it to mean? Chester, U.K.: Chester Acadamic Press, 10-11.
Theopedia, an Encyclopedia of Biblical Christianity." Theopedia, an Encyclopedia of Biblical Christianity. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. (Theopedia) (Theopedia)