Re: Precambrian geology (2)
Allen Roy (allen@infomagic.com)
Thu, 15 Apr 1999 22:30:30 -0700
> From Paul: PHSEELY@aol.com
> More importantly, these verses would be pointless if they referred to
areas
> unknown to the reader. Gen 2:11, for example, "The name of the first is
> Pishon; it is the one that flows around the whole land of Havilah, where
> there is gold;" would mean Moses is saying, "The name of the first river
was
> called Pishon, but it no longer exists today. It flowed all around the
whole
> land of Havilah, which had gold; but, neither the land nor the gold
exists
> there today. We have a river today of the same name that flows around a
land
> of the same name which also has gold; but, there is no geographical
identity
> between the river and land I am talking about and the ones you (the
reader)
> know about."
Actually, the literary structure of Genesis, according to the 'tablet
theory,' would indicate that these notes were not Moses explaining where
these places were, but the original tellers of the story (which later
became written down and which was later edited into Genesis by Moses) to
their pre-flood audience. They made sense in the pre-flood world, but no
sense after the Flood. Whether Moses understood this or not is not
important. But I think he did and I think he faithfully reported what the
original tablets and storytellers said and expected us to be able to
understand.
Allen