Iain Strachan wrote:
<< His line of argument (and I've seen this argued
elsewhere) is that this means that the Bible was _not_ written by
God, but by human beings messing about with numbers, which human
beings have done since time immemorial (and there is plenty of evidence
that for example the composers Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Debussy,
Bartok and Shostakovich did so).
His explanation for this
is that humans have always believed that numbers and arithmetic
are the only things that represent certainty; one can contest a
scientific law, but not an arithmetical relationship.
>>
This is partly why I rarely take the claims of numbers
seriously. What Vernon points out is observant. I can
appreciate that he has spent a good deal of time reading
the Bible which I consider a worthy enterprise. However, I
would surely not use his obervations for apologetics.
Consider the Psalms (our human expression to God), should we be
surprised that humans would think deeply about how to express
their feelings to God? Psalms were intended to be read aloud.
I would add, that I have learned that what seemed to me
to be a jarring haphazard juxipositioning of ideas in the
book of Exodus is quite likely a well arranged text, when
you understand it from the intention of the writer(s).
I think it is cynical to see the incorporation of numbers in a
text as irrational human grasping for anything eternal. That is
a typical rationalist' view of the religion. Rather, I see it
from the poetic view that it express a deep love and admiration
for the creator.
by Grace alone do we proceed,
Wayne
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