Re: Is there any way to falsify accomodationalist interpretations?

Wayne wrote,
<<Is there any way to know where the line is when we chose
to accommodate scripture? In what way can we validate
accommodation as an honest way to interpret scripture?
Or is Grace the only means by which we can see our way
to God, and accept God's word as truth, irrespective of
whether it concordant or accommodating?>>

Thanks Wayne for raising these important questions.

I don't see any opposition between accommodation and Grace. I see them working hand in hand.

Accommodation arose for me directly out of historical-grammatical hermeneutics. The meaning of any word in any dated text means whet it meant to the people who read it at the time the text was written--unless there is some contextual basis for saying the author was giving some word a new meaning of his own. In order to see the biblical text within its historical context, I read through in translation I estimate 90% of the extant literature from the ancient world (2500 to AD 150).

In the light of that background and more that I gained through further research I could see that the OT and Genesis 1 in particular employed an ancient Near Eastern cosmology. I laid this all out in 3 papers published in the Westminster Theol J in the '90's. One question I faced was How is it that this flat earth-solid sky-ocean above the sky cosmology is in the divinely inspired OT? The Reformed tradition, following Calvin, suggested divine accommodation: God said it but had no intention of teaching astronomy, so he employed the science of the times.

Having gone through the Bible verse by verse, it is my conclusion that God never had any intention to teach, that is, reveal science. I conclude that for two main reasons: I understand from Gen 1:26-28 and elsewhere that God delegated the discovery of truth of the natural world (science) to mankind and hence does not interfere to give special revelation to his chosen people AND I have found ancient science throughout the Bible from cover to cover, but never modern science.

So, I think the persistent presence of ancient science validates accommodation as an honest interpretation of Scripture. And, one line we can draw is: Science qua science, science as such, is always accommodated in Scripture.

There is much more that needs to be said, but I do not want to write a full article here. See also, however, my response to Jack Syme, "Are there guidelines for accommodation?

Paul

 
Received on Sat Jun 10 20:24:27 2006