Theistic Evolution and the Sabbath

[PeterK]

CJ,
Thanks for the kind replies.
Briefly, because I have to go to work, I don’t contest Mosaic authorship of the Torah. But I don’t think it’s out of line to hold that others, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit of course, could have added and expanded upon that authorship. The scripture is not less sacred or authoritative because of this.

The Bible - It’s about God.

Peter

 

[Catholic_Johnny]

CJ,
Thanks for the kind replies.
Briefly, because I have to go to work, I don’t contest Mosaic authorship of the Torah. But I don’t think it’s out of line to hold that others, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit of course, could have added and expanded upon that authorship. The scripture is not less sacred or authoritative because of this.

The Bible - It’s about God.

Peter

Bless you, my brother. I think we are in violent agreement about that. I know that some other editor (perhaps Joshua or one of Aaron’s sons) added the post script in Deuteronomy about the decease of Moses. I do not agree with Cardinal Ratzinger however that the ‘deuteronomist’ added a second creation account to Genesis during the exile. I think Rabbinical Tradition could shed some light on that were it so. No doubt some Rabbis and Hebrew scholars also subscribe to redaction criticism and the historical critical methods, but more orthodox Jewish scholars should have some insights into preservation of and epistemology of the Torah.

Before one begins to apply the redaction critic methods to the Sacred Scriptures, one needs to weigh both the internal evidences for Mosiac authorship and give first benefit of the doubt to those witnesses closest to the actual events. Exodus 20:11 is a very strong internal evidence for Moses’ authorship of Genesis.

Shalom,
Johnny

 

[Catholic_Johnny]

Johnny, I think you’ll be interested in this article The “Toledoths” of Genesis. The main point is that the Book of Genesis takes the form of ancient writings on stone (or clay) tablets. Also, check out his chiasm from this webpage, which by itself effectively demolishes the documentary hypothesis.

Luke65:
I just finished the “Toledoths of Genesis” by Damien F. Mackey -
and I am so blessed I can’t put it into words. It enlarges my heart with floods of love for God and His Church to know that the reliability of Genesis is obscured to those who subscribe to a rationalist, antisupernaturalist neo-modernist worldview and revealed to those who reverently adore the God revealed in Genesis with childlike trust in the steady, consonant proclamation of the Church. You have strengthened me and all the Lord allows me to evangelize and catechize in my ministry.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Johnny
:yyeess:

 

[Luke65]

Luke65:
I just finished the “Toledoths of Genesis” by Damien F. Mackey -
and I am so blessed I can’t put it into words. It enlarges my heart with floods of love for God and His Church to know that the reliability of Genesis is obscured to those who subscribe to a rationalist, antisupernaturalist neo-modernist worldview and revealed to those who reverently adore the God revealed in Genesis with childlike trust in the steady, consonant proclamation of the Church. You have strengthened me and all the Lord allows me to evangelize and catechize in my ministry.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Johnny
:yyeess:

You’re welcome, Johnny, and you said it all! Btw, I see that you are a busy guy, in your noble service to our country, so if there is any topic you might be interested in you can PM me and I’ll hook you up with some good reading materials. Don’t hesitate! God bless.

 

[A88buckshot]

To be honest i haven’t read every post yet, so if i ask something that has already been answered i apologies.

So what you are saying is since there is a seven day week and Jews have the best earliest calenders the First chapters of Genesis should be taken literal?

I don’t think that by saying that the Genesis story is nothing but a story with truths revealed in it symbolically hurts the Sabbath day whatsoever.

Correct me if i am misinterpreting or misrepresenting your view, but if you believe that god needed to rest on the seventh day does not that mean God had to have a physical body to rest or a physical brain to put at ease?

It seems that you are interpreting parts of this scripture literally just to make sense of something you don’t quite understand. But, like a problem that our protestant brothers and sisters have, interpretation must be consistant.

If you literally interpret that God created the universe in seven days and literally needed to rest then you must be consistent with the other interpretations.

but this cannot be or else it would not make sense

3 “And God said: Be light made. And light was made.” God created light.

16 “And God made two great lights: a greater light to rule the day; and a lesser light to rule the night: and the stars.” I think this is the third day and now the story says God made the Sun and Moon when on the first day he already cast light upon the earth, not to mention that you say these were literally 24 hour days when not until the third “day” was the Sun made. This interpretation does not make sense, it is not consistent. There are many, many other contradictions if you interpret it this way.

We must think rationally because that is how we are called to think, we were after all made in God’s image ie. we think like him. I am not saying i know or fully understand what God means when scripture says God rested on the 7th day, but i know it is not because he was exhausted.

There is nothing wrong with theist evolutionism and it takes nothing away from the Sabbath or Christianity.

 

[Catholic_Johnny]

Mr. A88Buckshot:

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. 9 As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.
-Isaiah 55

God doesn’t need to make sense to you for Him to be God.

I never said He needed to rest, you did.

You probably need to read the entire discussion before I comment on your remarks. You seem to have a minimum of appreciation for the prominence of the Sabbath in Hebrew and Christian Tradtion and theology.

Shalom,
Johnny