The Biblical Preamble (Or, What Has Come Before¡K.) [View All]

[Brentos]

The Biblical Preamble (Or, What Has Come Before¡K)

One issue that tends to confuse people (myself included) is the first 12 (or so) chapters of Genesis. The fundamentalists have attached themselves like leeches to the literal interpretation of this section, so believe that anyone (myself included) that believes in (for example) evolution, is a complete nutter (blasphemer, evil, etc.). Those who don¡¦t profess a Christian belief tend to finger point at this section as to why the Christians (usually meaning fundies) are complete nutters, as science shows us a very different picture.

A wiser man than me (Dr. Paul Meier) helped explain that it is best to read the first 12 (or so) chapters as the opening scroll of a movie serial (or Star Wars)¡Kit is a quick summary of What Has Come Before¡K.

The Bible is a focused document on specific people/times/themes. It does not pretend to be an all-encompassing history of the world (though some on the far right may have you believe otherwise). The Bible begins with a basic retelling of the previous 33 books of the Bible (making it up) and condenses it with: ¡§God created everything, through God is everything created, He created mankind, they rebelled, fell into sin, got wiped out (mostly), got a second chance (Noah)¡Kand here begins this part of our tale, focusing on Abraham and the covenant.

I believe with this in mind, many of the sticky issues become irrelevant and the main idea/purpose/story of the Bible (in whichever version) can begin to be understood. Whether you are a believer (myself included) or not, the Bible is easier to follow with this in mind.

It is also worth noting, that the modern concept of History (factual based lists, time, dates, etc.) is different from the type of History that the ancients wrote (idea, story, concept). The ancients would exaggerate numbers (in all cultures), to aggrandize a point, they would use parable to get across an important piece of information, and they would build upon what was already there, and do it orally (in most cases). A lot of the nit-picky issues of Bible historicity can then be understood for what they are, and the reader can then focus on the original point/intent by reading from the culture/time period in which it was written down or written about. Looked at as a historical document, the Bible is the most historical of ancient religious documents, as more people/places/geography/etc. that are written about in the Bible turn out to be accurate than in any other religious documents.

So, no, I am not a Bible literalist! ļ I believe that is where most heated biblical issues come from.