From: Michael Roberts (michael.andrea.r@ukonline.co.uk)
Date: Fri Oct 17 2003 - 16:42:15 EDT
This is exactly the point I wish to stress all the time from 33AD until
about 1780 when geological evidence for the age became unequivocal
theologians of all persuasions were not certain of the either the duration
of Chaos/without form and void of Gen 1,2 , or the length of days or whether
we could talk about time bound days before Day 4.
Hence no one can claim that before these geologists came along all were good
literalists ala ICR and AIG. Neither can one claim all allowed a vast time.
As Oscar Wilde said to every complex question there is a simple answer which
is wrong!!
But simple answers are far better for crude pulpit rhetoric.
The other thing we need to avoid is to say that there was a sudden switch
from 144hr in Gewn 1 to millions of years in about 1790. There was a gradual
awareness that the earth was older than they thought - which varied from
4004 BC to 10s of thousands and many were totally vague. So by 1790 some
were onto millions others 10s of thousands - de Luc.
Finally the standard view that Chalmers invented the Gap Theory in 1802 to
allow for geology is totally false, he simply stretched and modified
traditional interpretations.
Michael
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ted Davis" <tdavis@messiah.edu>
To: <asa@calvin.edu>; <bivalve@mail.davidson.alumlink.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2003 3:51 AM
Subject: Re: extra stuff in Genesis 1-2
> Uncertainties about the interpretation of the "days" in Genesis go back to
> the patristic period, they are not a result of modern science. This is
esp
> true for the first three days, which (so a number of writers held) predate
> the sun's creation--where the sun and moon are expressly assigned the job
of
> marking out time and to divide the light from the darkness! The days were
> often divided therefore into two sets: 1-3 and 4-6. It is abundantly
> unclear, from the biblical text itself, that the "days" must be taken
> literally.
>
> ted
>
>
>
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