Re: Living and dying with Inaccurate History (fwd)

Rodney Dunning (dunnirb4@wfu.edu)
Sun, 2 Mar 1997 14:47:45 -0500 (EST)

I won't respond to everything you said, although I appreciate what you
wrote. It seems we're getting sidetracked. My question is simply this,
what are the criteria you use to determine that Genesis, or any text,
intends to impart a record of actual historical events?

This question really hasn't been answered. But it seems from you've
written so far that answering the journalistic questions, and being
different from the other texts of the day have something to do with it. Are
these the criteria?

You wrote that it is impossible to determine the author's intent (given
your reference to Luke, I'm sure you meant impossible without an explicit
statement of intent). But it is precisely the author, and not the reader,
who determines how a text should be read. So, if it is really impossible to
determine the author's intent, then on what basis do you criticize
alternative readings of Genesis, and how do you defend your own?

Rodney Dunning
e-mail: dunnirb4@wfu.edu
URL: http://www.wfu.edu/~dunnirb4
voice: 910.759.4977 or 910.759.4980
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