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:essay wrote: Thanks for an excellent post - I agree with virtually EVERYTHING that you say here. However, either the Bible is literally true or it is not. If we permit Matthew the luxury of a literary device, then it is possible (tho' not necessary, of course) to view the Virgin Bнrth, the Resurrection, the Divinity of Christ, or anything else in the Bible in the same light. If we allow Matthew to compress Jesus' ancestry by a few generations, we can certainly allow BOTH creation accounts to compress billions of years into 6 days (Gen 1) or one day (Gen 2). caf -- You surely know how I'm going to respond already. Firstly, that word "literally" might be misleading. Not everything in the Bible is presented as literal. There are symbols, there is figurative language and metaphor and allegory and poetry. When Jesus described Pharisees as snakes (Matthew 23:33) he didn't mean they were legless and scaly. Arguing for Biblical inerrancy, that Bible facts are factual, and Bible testimony is reliable, and the Biblical record dependable, doesn't mean that the Bible only contains literal statements. Understanding that Matthew used a literary device, based on Biblical context and information in the text itself, doesn't turn the account, for example, into mere fiction, nor turn facts into allegories. Matthew gave an abbreviated list to emphasize his points about King Jesus, but he didn't simply pull names out of the air. The characters and the succession were real. He wasn't suggesting we should pretend or imagine that Jesus was the heir of David, he was saying Jesus truly is the heir of David (etc.) This doesn't set any sort of standard for doubting the historicity of historical statements in the text. Regarding the virgin birth, Matthew and Luke both clearly and definitely present it as historical reality, from both the paternal and maternal perspectives in the surrounding details. Likewise with the accounts of the resurrection, where witnesses and specific encounters are named and described. Hang on, I will get to the creation account in Genesis 1-2 in some detail soon, and it's six days all the way. :essay wrote: To answer your other inquiry, I just had my 62nd birthday, and a couple of years ago I decided to spend my last few years before retirement teaching English here in Europe. It's something many young Americans do - not having been able to do so in my youth, I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity now, because I'm enjoying it immensely. I do get a little homesick from time to time, tho'.
: I will reply to your previous post, regarding OT predictions and NT allusions, later in the week.
: Susan A. caf -- So, is that teaching English to children or adults? And has teaching been your livelihood, or is that part of the adventure?
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