Why should the prophets not exist? Do we not have Old Testament books ascribed to them? Why do you take an all or nothing position on the entire Old Testament canon? The teaching authority of the Church tells us that the early texts of Genesis aren’t meant to be taken as a literal historical event. Why do you refuse to accept that position? Even St. Augustine did not subscribe to a literal reading of Genesis. What do you know that he and the teaching authority of the Church don’t???
I don’t and yet I do understand that these books were collated after much prayer and deliberation. Out of reverence more than anything do I attribute the possibility of everything in there. For the Holy Spirit. And because it contains The Word. Whether this interpretation is to be poetry or story or history fact. Or a combination of all of the above.
The Church has not told us to dismiss everything in Genesis as purely figurative. St. Augustine reasoned that Christological insight into Genesis helps us to see the meaning and he does assert that the first (probably second) Genesis story is figurative. And what we understand to not be true in the sense of literal can in fact be true when seen in the way the people wrote - as a kind of summing up of their faith and relationship at the time.
The Second account does not have to be historically accurate but I think it is very presumptious to call people fundamentalists because they can see that a certain thing could be true when you can’t. I happen to believe in the legitimate claim of the Second to be an historical event based on the first two people during evolution. This makes sense to me and no doubt many others based on a lot of factors.
There was a flood recorded that happened which could, and I believe does, account for the story of Noah. Where people are concerned and mentioned, there is no argument.
We do know that later on, the story of Job is just that, a story. Yet, even in the case of Job, it could be based on real people, because the story is so true and therefore likely to have happened, to one and many. Her is like an archetypal suffering servant.
Ultimately though, what is important, is that the books of the OT show the life of the people in various genres, a creative expression of a peoples, growing in knowledge of their Creator. Written in many forms and coming under various genres. This is what matters most. More than trying to prove historical facts from more poetic language.
