Re: [asa] The Hebrew for the Making of Man

Dick, it's a good observation that Moses didn't use that verb.  It says he "set" the "luminaries" in the sky as a phenomenon, not that he created the sun or moon as objects.

Phil

-----Original Message-----
From: Dick Fischer <dickfischer@verizon.net>
To: SteamDoc@aol.com; ASA <asa@calvin.edu>
Sent: Sat, 2 Feb 2008 10:24 am
Subject: RE: [asa] The Hebrew for the Making of Man

A better way of looking at the fourth day is as a day of “ordination” rather than as a day of creation.  The sun, moon, and stars God created are included in the phrase, “heaven and earth” which God created on Day One.  These were appointed by God as measures of time and to delineate the seasons on Day Four for the sighted creatures which God began creating starting on Day Five.  To call Day Four a “4th-day creation of sun, moon, and stars” confuses the issue, and the Hebrew word “bara” for “create” is conspicuously absent on Day Four.  Why would we use it when the writer of Genesis didn’t?

Dick Fischer

Dick Fischer, Genesis Proclaimed Association

Finding Harmony in Bible, Science, and History

www.genesisproclaimed.org

-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On Behalf Of SteamDoc@aol.com
Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2008 12:01 AM
To: asa@calvin.edu
Subject: Re: [asa] The Hebrew for the Making of Man

Here is more on what I gather is the "standard" scholarly interpretation of why Gen. 1:16 does not use the Hebrew words for Sun and Moon, and the general polemical nature of the way the 4th-day creation of sun, moon, and stars is stated.

Quoting Conrad Hyers book on Genesis 1-3 "The Meaning of Creation" (p. 21):

-------------------

This religious meaning is conveyed very pointedly in Genesis 1:14-19 by the way in which sun, moon, and stars are treated. The normal Hebrew terms for sun and moon (shemesh and yareah) are not used, for they are closely related to the Canaanite (Ugaritic) terms for the sun-god and moon-god. The Hebrew term for sun is also related to the Akkadian term for the sun-god (shamshu). Thus descriptive terms having no possible association with divinity are used instead: "the greater light (ma'or gadol) to rule the day" and "the lesser light (ma'or qaton) to rule the night" (vs 16).

The reference to the stars represents the same kind of linguistic usage. The stars are mentioned almost as an afterthought, and in the most minimal manner possible: "he made the stars also." ... The stars and planets (both are included under the term) and especially Venus, the evening and morning star, were important zones of divinity in ancient religion. The development of astrology added further to this importance. ... It is relative to *this* problem of the supposed relationship between human fates and the stars that the biblical discussion of the stars is offered; namely, no discussion at all. The stars are mentioned in the barest and most offhand manner possible, in contrast with their prominence in polytheistic religion and astrology.

------(end of Hyers quote)------------

Certainly the religion of the Canaanites was a real and present danger which God (in inspiring Genesis 1) might want to "put in its place" (not divine, just some lights that the one God made) for the edification of his people.

Allan (ASA Member)

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Allan H. Harvey, Boulder, Colorado | SteamDoc@aol.com
"Any opinions expressed here are mine, and should not be
attributed to my employer, my wife, or my cat"

Who's never won? Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL Music.

________________________________________________________________________
More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail ! - http://webmail.aol.com

To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with
"unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.
Received on Sat Feb 2 11:42:04 2008