Re: [asa] On Job

I take Don W's point that there is a slope. But I deny that it is
uniform and slippery. In my opinion the slope has steps, so that one is
control on how far it is proper to descend (or ascend).
Don N

Don Winterstein wrote:

> My emphasis (admittedly hidden from view) was on what I took to be the
> "Alice" aspect: That is, do you look with skepticism on historicity
> if the events described seem far-fetched?
>
> Job is clearly written more like a play than a history. Jonah is not
> written like a play, but the usual historical details, such as the
> name of the king of Nineveh, are missing; so it's a good candidate for
> allegory. But there's nothing in the text that can really make the
> case. Elijah appears in a book that's clearly history. But the
> "Alice" aspect is strong in all three cases.
>
> Whether or not the book is history, what should we take literally?
> That's the question. The later chapters of Genesis clearly seem to be
> history, but who among us can take the reported fate of Lot's wife as
> fact? Do we believe God would go to the trouble of transmuting all
> the elements of her body just because of an inappropriate glance? Not
> I. What would be the point, other than generating a memorable Sunday
> school story forever after? This story is readily explained by
> elaborations on subsequent observations of a salt feature in the Dead
> Sea area. And when Elijah had 100 innocent soldiers killed by fire
> from heaven, doesn't this seem like gratuitous violence that may have
> been embellished considerably in the retelling? What would we have
> observed if we'd been on the scene at the time?
>
> But if we are skeptical because of the "Alice" aspect, how much do we
> wind up believing in the end? That's the slippery slope. Obviously
> many theologians and clergy have slipped a long way down that slope.
>
> Don
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* Don Nield <mailto:d.nield@auckland.ac.nz>
> *To:* Don Winterstein <mailto:dfwinterstein@msn.com>
> *Cc:* asa@calvin.edu <mailto:asa@calvin.edu> ; Carol or John
> Burgeson <mailto:burgytwo@juno.com>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, October 04, 2006 1:46 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [asa] On Job
>
> Don W has introduced a "slippery slope" argument. I consider such
> arguments to be fallacious. Each passage in the Bible should be
> treated
> on its merits --- and that means determining the genre of the passage
> before one proceeds further with intepretation. If that means hard
> work
> for the reader of the Bible, so be it.
> Don N.
>
>
> Don Winterstein wrote:
>
> > Would you assign Jonah similar status? Then, how about Elijah
> calling
> > down fire on the captains of fifty? Once we get started, how do we
> > know where to stop?
> >
> > Don
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > *From:* Carol or John Burgeson <mailto:burgytwo@juno.com>
> > *To:* asa@calvin.edu <mailto:asa@calvin.edu>
> <mailto:asa@calvin.edu>
> > *Sent:* Wednesday, October 04, 2006 6:37 AM
> > *Subject:* [asa] On Job
> >
> > Vernon commented: "Can such passages as Job 1:6-12 =
> > and 2:1-7 be 'interpreted' to mean something different from
> their =
> > account of actual meetings, actual discussions and actual
> > consequences?
> > =
> > And if, in your view they must be accepted as real events, what
> > might we
> > =
> > usefully glean from them?"
> >
> > The most reasonable interpretation of Job is that it is a
> morality
> > play.
> > To consider it as sober factual history is ludicrous. Sort
> of like
> > believing ALICE IN WONDERLAND.
> >
> > Burgy
> >
> > To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu
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> >
>
>

-- 
Donald A. Nield
Associate Professor, Department of Engineering Science
University of Auckland
Private Bag 92019
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