- How does the animals being saved in the ark fit into your “figurative” morality interpretation of the Flood?
- what is your “figurative” interpretation of Noah taking one pair of the unclean animal and seven pairs of the clean animals?
- What is the “figurative” significance of applying tar to the ark inside and out?
- What is the “figurative” meaning of the ark being made out of gofer wood?
Nice try at setting up straw men.
The sad thing is that you seem unaware that this is what you’re doing.
You see, in a literalistic interpretation, every element must be literally, historically true. That’s the whole point of fundamentalist-style literalism: every animal
must be a literal animal, every drop of tar
must be a literal drop of tar, and every plank of gopher wood
must be a literal piece of wood.
However, in a figurative interpretation, these rules of interpretation don’t hold. That is, not every element
must be ‘figurative’. When Jesus tells the parable about Lazarus and the rich man, there doesn’t have to be a figurative interpretation of the purple garments, or the sores or the dogs. These are all elements of the story, and the
story is what is figurative.
So, rail away, if you wish! Your request for figurative interpretations of each element of the story only demonstrates your skill at setting up straw men.
Sorry, I can’t find the part in which he specifically refers to Genesis 1:14-18 - which is what I asked for. So can you point it out please?
Actually, this is what you first asked for:
Gorgias:
lots of folks argue that the ‘days’ are figurative
In that case, you won’t have any trouble citing a theologian who does. Thanks.
Only later, once I provided
exactly what you asked for, did you break out the red herring of “Genesis 1:14-18”.
If Augustine says that the days are actually “an instant”, then that means that
all the days are actually instantaneous. All of them. Day 1 (vv3-5), day 2 (vv6-8), day 3 (vv9-13), day 4 (vv14-19), day 5 (vv20-23), and day 6 (vv24-31). All of them, according to Augustine, are an instant.
Therefore, there is no word or phrase or sentence or paragraph that deals solely with vv14-18. Asking for a part that deals solely with that day?
Red herring.
Here’s the fun part about red herrings: I’m going to walk away from this exchange, having demonstrated what you asserted doesn’t exist. You, however, are going to walk away, declaring victory – “A ha! I asked for a reference to vv14-18, and he couldn’t provide one! Epic fail!”
