Biblical interpolation?

[fakename]

The bible isn’t a purely historical work, so as such what events can be added to it without damaging its teachings?

I ask this with a view to understanding where to place things like cavemen into biblical chronology -because by themselves they certainly don’t fit with the text. Is there some possible event which so ruins the sense of the biblical teachings that they cannot be added since they are irreconcilable?

 

[Deacon_Keith]

Certainly, the Bible is not a purely historical work. It is a chronicle of a people. Our people, our ancestors, our lives as lived out in antiquity. The authors, divinely inspired, recorded their chronolgy, their understanding of the world, their God and their faith. It is not intended to be an exhaustive work of history, it is focused on one thing only. That is to point to the Christ. All of the old testament points to the future Messiah. It was written with the intent of teaching future peoples of the sons of Abraham how these folks struggled (sometimes failing and sometimes gloriously succeeding) to understand and draw near the ever-patient God. Likewise, the Gospels and all of the new testament point forward to our future WITH Christ. I am grateful that their writings survive today as it chronicles and leads me through my struggles.

What could be added without damaging its teachings? My friend, mankind has tried for thousands of years to damage its teaching. Mankind has failed to do so. Mother Church has been a steadfast protector of the “original script” so as to maintain a pure and trustworthy source. It is as we say, sufficient in intent and content to its original purpose.
It is our guide to God. It is our guide to Christ. It is our guide to His grace.

The world has plenty of documents (books) on many other things, events and supposition to sustain thousands of libraries. The Bible is not the place to add (or subtract) it is simply the basic guidebook of our faith.

Lest you missunderstand me that the Bible cannot withstand the scrutiny of science, history, logic and the like, remember that the study of science was instituted by the Church which came from Jesus’ own lips. History has only confirmed the importance of scripture, the unshakable and reliable foundation for mankind as we continue to stumble through this thing called life. Logic leads us to application of Bible principle. And, there is nothing more logical to explain God, life, the world, relationships, ad infinitum than the Bible.

I wish I still had the youthful enthusiam and curiousity that you obviously have. I look forward to meeting you one day. God bless you and keep you. Your friend in Christ, Deacon Keith

 

[fakename]

Well I didn’t mean I wanted to change the bible proper I just wanted to see how one could logically reconcile cave men with any of the parts of Genesis. It seems implicit that the bible would state one version of events (like if you calculate the lifespans of the biblical individuals the earth would probably be only 6000 yrs old) and history another (historians do not all agree on a biblical flood). So I was wondering what we are to make of these seemingly competing claims? In what part of Genesis for instance, do cavemen date back to etc?

 

[Deacon_Keith]

My Brother, fakename,
I regret for misunderstanding your question; now, that I do understand, allow me to respond again.
Re: ”cavemen”: Take a look at Genesis Chapter 11: 1-9. I find that this described “scattering” is a logical and necessary insertion into the discussion.
Re: ”Age of the earth”: Your valid question of the age of the “earth” is another issue. I do not hold with the “so called “strict creationist’ (and widely held opinion of many of our Protestant brothers) notion that the age of the earth must be held empirically to approximately 6000 years. BUT, if the earth IS 6000 years old, it will not distress me or cause me to schism from the divinely inspired Bible and its truths. I am ABSOLUTELY COMFORTABLE (it is the conviction of my personal belief) however with “man’s” time on earth right around 6000 years. Not the earth - - - man. Even when factoring in the opinion of a purist of “big bang”/evolution concept, man would have certainly come about after the “evolution” of the other animals. Even that order of first animal, then man, is fundamental to the Darwinist. This ordering or sequence is pivotal. And, Genesis addresses this eloquently particularly when we consider the era of the Genesis writings. The authors of Genesis had a limited knowledge base with which to express themselves. BUT, they still got it right.
Re: “historians do not all agree on a biblical flood”: You are right, they do not all agree. Then again some self named Christians do not accept Jesus as having two natures and deny the divine. If agreement is a requirement then questions need not be asked as there will never be a consensus. Not being a student of any of the sciences of antiquity, I can only tell you that I embrace the mystery of history. I find it fascinating and worthy of study. As for me, the conflict among scholars is for them to sort out and then let old roughnecks read their synopsis. I probably won’t understand it but I would read it. No matter what was “suddenly found” it would not shake any of the Bible, my faith or my church into historical footnote.
Peace be with you, my friend

 

[COPLAND_3]

My guess is that cavemen were around before Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were the first to be created in the image of God, that is, to have an immortal soul. I’d say that we can figure cavemen to appear in Genesis on the sixth day of creation Genesis 1:24-26, but we don’t really know how long those “days” actually were. More than likely those were not 24 hour days, but were intervals of long periods of time in which Moses more than likely was speaking metaphorically. So my guess is that on the 6th day God created the cavemen when Moses said “24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creatures according to its kind, four-legged animals and reptiles and wild beasts of the earth according to their kind, and it was so. 25 And God made the wild beasts of the earth according to their kind, and cattle according to their kind, and all the reptiles of the earth according to their kind, and God saw that they were good.”