in his name...wait what?

BriHahn · Post by **BriHahn** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 7:05 am

putaro wrote:al·le·go·ry (ăl'ĭ-gôr'ē, -gōr'ē)
n., pl. -ries.
The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form.
A story, picture, or play employing such representation. John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and Herman Melville's Moby Dick are allegories.
A symbolic representation: The blindfolded figure with scales is an allegory of justice.

Is anyone seriously advocating a literal interpretation of the Bible?

Some of the Bible-bangers I've gotten into arguments with apparently are; although one then has to wonder why they don't follow all of the OTHER antiquated laws in the Bible (as evidenced by the Laura Schlessinger letter).

Swordsman3003 · Post by **Swordsman3003** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 6:25 pm

I read somewhere that Melville didn't know Moby Dick was an allegory until his friend read it and thought that it was, and told him so.

Jetsetlemming · Post by **Jetsetlemming** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 6:57 pm

warmachine wrote:
Jetsetlemming wrote:As for the use of "day" in the story of Creation: I always chalked it up to a lack of a suitable long term for the time taken when it was "told" to the original author (whomever the hell it was that wrote it down). I doubt there was any good word for "a couple billion years" at the dawn of history. Just like with the native americans: Their methods of telling time were only based on days, lunar cycles, seasons, and generations.
That's gibberish as well. If the scribe didn't have the best phrase for billions of years, he'd choose the longest unit of time, which, as you've pointed out, can include generations. The Israelites weren't famous for their mathematics but they could use 'countless' or 'immeasurable time'. Anything vague would be less ridiculous than 'day'.

THAT I'd chalk up to mistranslation.
I'm positive that the story of Genesis is far older than the Isrealites, btw. There are more chances for mistranlation and telephone game-ish changes to the story from being passed down generation to generation than just Hebrew to Roman to English, (or something of that nature; never bothered to distinctly research the history of the current popular translations of the bible).
Besides, I suspect more than a little artistic licence was taken.

Having creation take place day by day is more poetic than having it take place over a series of "infinitely long periods of time". Wouldn't want to portray god as slow or anything, would you?