THE BOOK OF GENESIS: HISTORY OR MYTH
University of the future
UNIVERSITY OF EXCELLENCE
THE BOOK OF GENESIS: HISTORY OR MYTH
THE PROBLEM
A new – a renewed - attempt to discredit the Book of Genesis by so-called “Evangelical” and “Orthodox” scholars is causing many of God's people to doubt the authenticity and inspiration of the first book in the Torah.
Through writings of men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit, God has revealed Himself and His interaction with humanity, including the Creation of the heavens and the earth. However, men and women who claim to be evangelical, orthodox or conservative, have crept into the halls of academia as wolves in sheep's clothing. One such example is Azusa Pacific University which originally was an exemplary Christian institution.
This is a very deceitful front and the same is characteristic of several seminaries today, many of whom used to be powerful institutions of faith and religion. These “mentors of madness” who claim to believe in the inspiration of the Holy Bible are actually hiding behind the mask of semantical deception. Their words sound right … to appease YOU … but what their words portray is NOT what they really believe.
For example, in the cloak of scholarly subtlety they will try - if they gain your ear - to persuade you that Adam and Eve were NOT real people, that the Edenic Curse (the Fall of adam and Eve in the Garden) was only symbolic, and that Noah's Flood was only local (not covering the whole earth). These professors and preachers of pithiness attempt to make you believe that the Bible and evolution are compatible; furthermore, that “natural selection” as proposed by Darwin's darlings of evolution is a better explanation of Creation than God's divinely inspired historical account.
THE POSITION
How the Book of Genesis is positioned in your belief system is of vital importance.
- It is God's inspired revelation;
- It is accurate historical narrative; and,
- It is a key to knowing and understanding God.
The Book of Genesis is a record of accurate, true history. The Apostle Paul, a Hebrew of the tribe of Benjamin who studied under Gamaliel, a member of the Sanhedrin and one of the chief Jewish rabbis of the day, positioned his whole theology upon the Torah account of the Book of Genesis. See the Brit Chadashah (Hebrew New Testament), Romans Chpater 5, verses 12-21.
The Book of Genesis is accurate, true history … NOT myth. One of the first things thrown at young seminarians by their “Professors of Puke” is that Genesis is mythology or Hebrew poetry.
English poetry is defined by verbal hardware with the delivery of its pronounced sounds showing it to be poetry. Hebrew poetry is defined by parallelism in meaning, while English poetry is defined by the format of verse and sound (like meter and ryhme). Meter is the rhythmic “beat” of a poem.
Hebrew poetry is defined its software: by informational parallelism (of meaning).1 The paralleled thought may contrast good and bad, wise and unwise, reverent and irreverent. Also, the informational lines and phrases may just portray similarities. Usually they are in pairs, but sometimes a triplet is used. Examples of Hebrew poetry in the Tanakh (Hebrew Old Testament) are Psalms, Proverbs, Lamentations, and Song of Solomon … but NOT the Book of Genesis.
The Book of Genesis exhibits the format of narrative prose. WHY? Because Genesis IS history: careful attention to sequenced events, with inclusion of time and space information in context, and the absence of Hebrew parallelism.
For example:
- WHO - Who was involved …
- WHAT - This happened, then that happened, and next …
- WHERE – Location geographically or spatially ...
- WHEN - What time (when relevant) …
- WHY - Why were they involved …
THE PURPOSE
Some people think The Book of Genesis is Hebrew poetry because they have been deceived by a perceived “expert.” Just because a person has a Ph.D. doesn't mean they hold truth circumspectly. There are usually Ph.D.'s holding the opposite view on the other side of the aisle. So, a Ph.D. degree does NOT mean a person … or professor … is an expert. But WHAT is the PURPOSE of such deception at the core of the tree? Probably an attempt to rationalize their own evolutionary mythology by discrediting the REAL HISTORY of our origins.
“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies ...” – 2 Peter 2:1
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.“ – 2 Timothy 3:16
THE PROOF
Mashiach Yeshua (Messiah Jesus) validated the Torah account of the Book of Genesis.
“But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.”
Yeshua – Brit Chadashah: Mark 10:6
[Quoting from Torah: Genesis 1:27]
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"For had you believed Moshe [Moses], you would have believed me: for he wrote of me.
But if you believe not his writings [Genesis and other books of Torah] how shall you believe my words?”
Yeshua – Brit Chadashah: Yochanon (John) 5:45-47
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THE POWER
The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1 to 50 is an inerrantly inspired historical narrative.
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Reference:
1. Practico, G.D. and M.V. Van Pelt. 2001. Basics of Biblical Hebrew Workbook. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 125-134.
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