Re: [asa] RE: Are there guidelines for accommodational interpretation?

Dick

I was hoping in yhour response to my qquery that you'd cite some rabbinic
commentary that asserted that Genesis 1-11 is Jewish history. Maybe such a
thing doesn't exist, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

--- Don Nield <d.nield@auckland.ac.nz> wrote:

> Hi Dick:
> Thank you for your response. However, you give no reason why it is
> history -- just a statement about why your *assumption* that it is
> history ties in with your understanding of other aspects of ANE history.
> Don
>
> Dick Fischer wrote:
>
> > Hi Don, you wrote:
> >
> >>>Why can we be pretty sure that Genesis 1-11 is the *history* of the
> >
> > Semites and Arabs rather than a foundation story expressing how Israel
> >
> > sees itself in covenant relationship to God? And in what way does
> >
> > Christian faith depend on this distinction?<<
> >
> > Genesis 2-11 is helpful in seeing the first glimpses of Israel’s role
> > in God’s grand plan. The curse upon the serpent contains the first
> > prophecy of Christ, for example. And Genesis appears to be grounded in
> > somewhat verifiable history. The list of patriarchs in Genesis 5 and
> > 11 are helpful to see there are no more than 20 generations between
> > Abraham and Adam. I don’t see any push to deny Abraham a role in
> > history. He’s buried in the tomb of the patriarchs.
> >
> > Luke 3 also gives us a line of descent for Christ and for itermediate
> > generations; Juda, Joseph, David, Shem, all linked to Noah and Adam.
> >
> > Noah’s grandsons and great grandsons became inextricably interwoven
> > into the immediate surroundings of Mesopotamia. Elam goes to Iran,
> > Mizraim heads to Egypt, Ashur discovers Ninevah, etc. And their
> > descendants, Elamites, Hittites, Amorites, Cannanites develop into
> > identifiable cultures associated closely with the affairs of Sumer and
> > Accad.
> >
> > It’s intriquing, fascinating history totally ignored by apologists who
> > are locked into methodologies that force them to neglect the very
> > history that underscores the credibility of Scripture itself!
> >
> > I don’t think it requires any particular measure of faith to see the
> > historical connections between Genesis and ANE literature. Whereas
> > having seen the connections myself, it has only bolstered my faith in
> > these much-maligned chapters.
> >
> > Dick Fischer
> >
> > Dick Fischer, Genesis Proclaimed Association
> >
> > Finding Harmony in Bible, Science, and History
> >
> > www.genesisproclaimed.org <http://www.genesisproclaimed.org/>
> >
>
>
> -
>
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Bill Hamilton
William E. Hamilton, Jr., Ph.D.
248.652.4148 (home) 248.821.8156 (mobile)
"...If God is for us, who is against us?" Rom 8:31

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Received on Wed Jun 14 22:58:01 2006