Numbers Chapter 22

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Are Catholics required to believe a donkey really, literally spoke in Numbers?
 
Because… donkeys don’t speak. And yes, I know anything is possible for God and it could’ve been a miracle.
 
I saw a horse that spoke in numbers. It’s trainer would say “what’s two plus two”, and the horse would stomp four times. It was amazing.
 
I think I’ve seen that, too. But I’m talking about a rational, verbal conversation? So, are Catholics supposed to believe it?
 
I’m sure someone will post how not every thing in the bible is not suppose to be taken literal… but I say if The Holy Spirit inspired those who wrote the bible to write the words, there is a reason God wants us to believe it. So its a question you must ask yourself… do you believe it happened?

I say there is no proof it didn’t happen so why wouldn’t I believe it did. 🙂
 
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Hope1960 said:
I think I’ve seen that, too. But I’m talking about a rational, verbal conversation? So, are Catholics supposed to believe it?
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annad347 said:
I’m sure someone will post how not every thing in the bible is suppose to be taken literal…
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Exactly. Every Catholic is free to read these OT passages either literally or figuratively. .
 
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BartholomewB said:
Exactly. Every Catholic is free to read these OT passages either literally or figuratively. .
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I think the Church needs to stop using this reasoning, which is not reasoning at all. They need to come out and say what the stuff in the Bible means, or what it doesn’t mean.

All this stuff about believing whatever you want about the what the Bible says is all but a joke. The writers of scripture meant something when they wrote…if no one knows what it is the writers were trying to say then what’s the point of even having scripture?

I often find myself just going to Jewish sources to find out what something from the OT was trying to say. Sometimes I think the Church is not a good place to get info on the OT.
 
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I believe that God became man, and died for our sins. If I can believe that, why should I take issue with a donkey being able to talk? And remember, the donkey’s mouth was opened, it wasn’t really the donkey talking, but it being used to communicate (V. 28). Psychics and horoscopes are more unbelievable than a talking donkey.
 
I think it depends on what the author is trying to say in the story. Is the author intending to say that donkeys can talk? Or is there a wider theological point that is being made? Is the author maybe saying that God will use anyone and anything to reach you? I can’t tell you but I do not take the passage at face value.

With regards to the Church defining every passage in the Bible, I don’t think this would be very useful. The Word is alive and has meaning to us beyond the mere text on a page. There are new nuggets of insight to be gleaned for personal revelation. Proclaiming sweeping definitions would stifle any personal growth one could reap from personal reading and interfere with the encounter we have with God through scripture.
 
I like Chabad. There’s lots of commentary there. Here’s one about the donkey.
The Midrash teaches that G‑d made the donkey speak to show Balaam that “the tongue and mouth (speech) are entirely in G‑d’s hands,” to the extent that He could even make an animal speak. G‑d wanted Balaam to realize that when it would come time for Balaam to curse the Jews, he would be entirely at G‑d’s mercy.13
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https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3715894/jewish/Balaam-and-Balak-The-Full-Story.htm
 
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Do you believe Moses spoke to a burning bush?

Do you believe a man was raised from the dead after He was crucified?
 
Plenty of talking donkeys in DC. I believe it. However isn’t there some symbolism with donkey’s being
the Jew’s because they are stubborn?
 
Hope1960 said:
Because… donkeys don’t speak. And yes, I know anything is possible for God and it could’ve been a miracle.
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Points to ponder. Since this is such an outrageous, unprecedented, unusual and even shocking occurrence in all of human history:
  1. Why would it be suggested if it did not occur?
  2. Why would it be written on scrolls and re-copied hundreds of times
  3. It was either witnessed or tested by sober religious authorities and found to be not only possible, but credible.
  4. Even if allegorical, does it represent a universal truth?
  5. How can angels appear and speak since they are disembodied, spiritual creatures, immaterial and without larynx?
  6. For that matter, how can God speak, since He is pure Spirit?
Thus, we are back to:
  1. All things are is possible with God.
 
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Hope1960 said:
Because… donkeys don’t speak. And yes, I know anything is possible for God and it could’ve been a miracle.
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So, do you have any reason to think that it was not a miracle?

There is also 2 Peter 2:15-16: “Leaving the right way they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam of Bosor, who loved the wages of iniquity, but had a check of his madness, the dumb beast used to the yoke, which speaking with man’s voice, forbade the folly of the prophet.”. It does seem to indicate that the story about donkey describes an actual miracle.
 
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