Ge 3 b
ayin and gimmel Submitted by PigSP on Mon, 2015-04-20 10:14.
tov - the strokes say: a spontaneous life responding to God's revelation. Faith could be considered a small part of that metaphor, but I don't see it used that way anywhere in scripture. I would be happy to see references.
gimmel - The strokes say: The son of man pursuing man through grace, the expression of Holiness (judgement) is cut short. "The rich man pursuing the poor man" is an allegorical memory and is currently based on the look of the letter similar to a man with an outstretched leg.
ayin - is one of the metaphors that is not consistently used by rabbis. Add it to bar 'son' and it becomes 'son of evil'. The strokes indicate Holiness and Grace expressed without the cross. The sense of evil comes from a representation of God without the cross. The sense of the flesh comes from Christ prior to the cross, and the taking of sin upon himself. I am not sure how to reconcile that with 'providence' I have found it to be more consistent and productive when expressed as the flesh.
vav - is usually translated 'and'. Just as 'and' separates and connects, the vav is usually expressed as 'clarify' and I find it's use consistent.
I have used the methods of the rabbis, but insist their conclusions must meet the same rigor of the rules above. I have applied this to their metaphoric meanings as well, rather than just accept them at face value.
Good clues... we'll see what comes of it. ;)
obfuscation Submitted by PigSP on Mon, 2015-04-20 10:25.
I have mentioned previously that the addition of modern valves is an obfuscation of Christ in the scriptures. There is no reason to add the vowels except to hide Christ. Modern newpapers in Israel don't use modern vowels.
Also, to learn the Hebrew hermeneutic a man was required to be 40 years old, have a family and be a faithful Jew. As he began his studies he would be warned: When you see the white rock, do not say "Water, water".
We know that this as an admonition not to see Christ.
White - Holy Rock - Christ Water - Word of God, Torah twice - in heaven and on earth
When you see the Holy Christ, do not say he is the Living Torah in heaven and on earth.
So all rabbinic interpretations have to be bent to avoid Christ. Their warning also includes dire consequences of being called crazy, being cast out of the faith and being killed. All of these things happened to early Jews who proclaimed Christ.
alphabetic metaphor Submitted by PigSP on Mon, 2015-04-20 10:44.
Here is the table of letters I currently use. It is subject to correction by the same rules:
blank page God is א alef God created the heavens and the earth ב bet He revealed to man that ג gimel He pursued them with a ד dalet Declared word ה he which they heard ו vav and it distinguished them ז zayin as the bride ח het when they understood ט tet they became the bride י yod a new creation כ kaf The Son of God ל lamed taught מ mem the promise of the Father נ nun The Son of Man ס samekh fulfilled the promise by his person ע ayin (in the flesh) reconciling holiness and grace at the end of his life by being made to be sin פ pe He spoke of heaven through examples of earth (riddle, parable) צ tsadi holiness and grace were reconciled in his flesh (beginning to end - the righeous one) ק qof The Son of God died ר resh revealing (in his person) ש shin that his word does not return void (obtained a bride by the Spirit) ת tav He completed his work resulting in a new life spontaneously responding to him ך final kaf The Son of God died (separated from the Father) ם final mem and finished his declared works (completed the covenant) ן final nun The son of man died (He was restored to his heavenly glory) ף final pe The prophet died (Prophecy is fulfilled) ץ final tsadi The judge died (Judgement is finished) shin-4 4-pronged shin He is the king (Ruling in and over all flesh). (and that of which the prophets could not speak)
Again, the few words represent a metaphor and are just a hint of the metaphor. The strokes of the letters create the metaphor.
The upper horizontal - heavenly things The lower horizontal - earthly things The right vertical - descends from heaven The left horizontal - ascend to heaven
The right angle vs the rounded corner. The dalet is a spoken word or command. The resh is a revelation which includes attributes of personality.
Oh... be sure to read the hidden message of the alphabet just by reading the English down the list.
help Submitted by tomgroeneman on Mon, 2015-04-20 11:51.
How is the assigning of meaning to the individual letters not an arbitrary choice? On what basis are these meanings granted?
Below is a list of key words in Genesis that I compiled. If you do not mind taking the time, could you apply the hermeneutic you are using to them?
Key words in Genesis
Here is a list of some of the important words and concepts we should be aware of when reading through the book.
God-the main character and protagonist in our story. It is all about God and the worship of Him.
heaven-this includes the sky above us as well as the stars and celestial bodies; also in the spiritual sense as the abode and realm of God and our ultimate home.
earth/land-this is the place where God's plan of Creation and Redemption happens; the people of Bible times were very connected to and dependent upon the land.
man/woman-the crown of God's creative activity; their purpose? to worship Him, procreate, and manage the creation.
sin-the main problem for humanity and the cause of all evil.
family-the microcosm of society and picture of the Trinity; the main entity through which God carries out His plan and purpose for mankind.
seed-the potential organism and the theological term for Abraham and his descendants, Israel, Christ and us.
generation(genealogy)-a significant marker in the narrative; the way the people of Genesis related to their past and found identity.
nation-meaning many different things depending on context; Genesis records the origins and early history of all the peoples of the earth.
sacrifice-the price of our redemption; a type of Christ and His shed blood.
altar-the location of worship and sacrifice; where communion with God takes place.
covenant-the principal vehicle and means by which God relates to mankind; a pact or agreement between two parties that carries conditions.
bless/blessing-the word and action by which God and the patriarchs conferred goodness and abundance to men and women.
famine-an agent of change and God's providence that moves the characters in the story.
flocks/herds-the most important economic factor in the lives of the patriarchs.
There are no doubt several other words that relate to the book of Genesis but these are some of the more relevant ones. Can you mention any others I might have missed?
Your brother in Christ, TOM G.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation to all the believing; to the Jew first and also the Gentile." Romans 1:16
Scripture and Genesis Submitted by tomgroeneman on Mon, 2015-04-20 12:07.
Scripture and Genesis
It may be useful for us to discuss the nature of inerrancy and infallibility; and how the Bible can be inspired by God and yet written by imperfect men. Some view the idea of inerrancy as meaning that every fact and word and letter of the manuscript is flawless and therefore the Bible is a perfect document and divinely sanctioned. Others have a less than exact conception of inspiration allowing for historical or narrative or textual anomalies yet with God still in control of the process and result. Either way you have a unique and supernatural book that is superior to any other texts based on its claim that it comes from the one true God. My idea of inspiration avoids the controversy of just what exactly 'inerrancy' means and rests in the confidence that God's word is authoritative. So I use the word 'authority' to describe the truth of the Scriptures and Genesis without rendering qualitative statements about its perfection since that is debated by some. I believe the Bible and Genesis are the final word on any question or issue that mankind may have concerning their origin, condition, purpose and destiny. The Genesis Creation account is authoritative and I will not compromise that understanding of truth to accommodate any theory be it scientific or philosophical. However, I cannot deny what truth exists in the scientific perception of reality and so if the two conflict then there must be some error in my interpretation of God's authoritative and inspired word. God will ultimately have the final say on these matters of origins and if science and Scripture cannot be reconciled then of course the Bible is right no matter what. But I also believe that there can be harmony between science and faith and any person does not have to compromise their doctrine of inspiration to accept scientific teachings. In other words, the Bible and science can both be true at the same time. When Christians disagree on the specifics of origins often what happens is some will accuse the others of unfaithfulness to the doctrine of inspiration; using pejoratives like 'liberal' and 'humanist'. I maintain that I can accept science and the truth of Genesis and still have a healthy conception of God's eternal word. I am not alone in these convictions but I am beginning to get the impression that the majority of Christians at least in America are averse to reconciling science and faith. This may be due to the way our universities have used the billy club of scientific materialism to beat down the faith of young people. This is most unfortunate and reflects a paradigm shift among academics from a Judeo-Christian worldview to an atheistic worldview. Whatever your perspective is on these subjects I would hope that you may be able to respectfully express them without recriminations from other posters and that the environment of this study be a healthy, redemptive one. Peace to you all,
Your brother in Christ, TOM G.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation to all the believing; to the Jew first and also the Gentile." Romans 1:16
general ideas Submitted by tomgroeneman on Mon, 2015-04-20 12:18.
Overview of Genesis
Genesis is the book of origins. It is the story of creation and humanity but ultimately it is about God. It is written as a narrative history and is full of interesting characters and plots. As history it records an accurate account of the events and people in question but not mere factual retelling as in a newspaper but a literary work that has both artistic and theological value. History can be understood as the retelling of real life in the past and extremely reliable; especially if it is inspired by the Spirit of God. The characters in Genesis represent the best and worst of humanity. Many valuable lessons can be derived from their lives. Genesis is also replete with references to Christ either in actual person or by types. The author of Genesis is traditionally thought to be Moses when he gave the Law to Israel on Mt. Sinai. Genesis is the first book of the Torah or Pentateuch which is composed of the first five books of the Bible. Moses wanted to give God's people a good record of their past while instructing them in the ways of God. The word Genesis comes from the Greek Septuagint title of the book. It means beginning and is a transliteration of the first word of the first verse in the Hebrew text: bereisheit. Some scholars subscribe to a Documentary Hypothesis of the book which argues that along with the initial writings of Moses several editions and additions were added by other writers in later centuries respectively known as J(Jehovistic) E(Elohist) P(Priestly) and for Deuteronomy, D. The Documentary Hypothesis has fallen out of favor in recent years because of the difficulty in determining which parts of Genesis were written by which writer.
Much of the controversy surrounding the question of the authenticity of Genesis stems from the unfortunately misguided literal reading of many of its passages. In Genesis, as well as the rest of the Bible, God does speak to us literally but He also uses figurative language to communicate His truths. So a great deal of the misunderstanding of the book is because people do not know when and how to interpret either literally or symbolically.
Another area that has caused problems is the way people use the word myth. Most understand myth to mean a fantastic story of a fictional hero or false god. The presumption is that the story is outlandish and inaccurate and not based on reality. But another definition for myth is a traditional story accepted as history that serves to explain the worldview of a people. In this second sense, the stories in Genesis can be considered myths. A few years ago, I saw a documentary on the Discovery channel that related the latest hominid fossil dug up and it was all very scientific and persuasive but at the end the head scientist concluded that we should rely on his evidence rather than unsubstantiated myths that give people a false hope in a God who does not exist. As a Christian, this offended me and challenged my faith to the point where I began to research Genesis and read up on science.
The relationship between science and faith presents the most essential issues that we are confronted with today. If folks would only realize that Genesis was not written to prove scientifically the origins of life and the universe but is meant to be read as a theological message from God about Himself and His plan of salvation then much of the debate would subside. Even within Christianity you have the Young Earth Creationists accusing the Old Earth group of compromise while the Old Earthers say one must reject scientific fact and commit intellectual suicide if Genesis is entirely literal. And the evolutionists think we are nuts for believing God had His hand in Creation. The whole environment of discussion is tainted with attacks coming from all sides with no rational voice prevailing. Genesis is the most contested book in the Bible because Satan knows that if he can discredit Genesis then the rest of the faith falls apart. From the Scopes trial to the Cosmogony of the seventies to today the question of origins is a loaded one. All sides claim to have the real science and there is no consensus regarding the issues. One refreshing fact in all this is that there are many reputable and competent scientists who believe in God and the Genesis account.
It may be useful to point out at this time that there are two types of revelation: one general and one special. General revelation is the realm of science and nature and a person only has to look out their window to see God's handiwork. Special revelation is the Scriptures and Christ. God has chosen to reveal Himself in both and they both complement each other. Both are true at the same time and do not contradict each other. This is the concordist view of the Genesis account of Creation and how it relates to science. We are operating on a couple of presuppositions that not everyone accepts. First, that God is real; and second, that His word is authoritative.
All of the major doctrines of Christianity are introduced and presented in seed form in the book of Genesis. We have just touched on the doctrines of God and the Scriptures and as we go through the book we will see the doctrines of Creation, Man, Sin, Christ, Redemption, Salvation, Covenant, Angels, Predestination and many others.
The study of Genesis requires an interdisciplinary approach that uses philosophy, history, theology and science. Metaphysics and Physics are informative as well. In the High School and University environment of today many sincere young Christians find themselves browbeaten by atheistic scientific materialists who undermine the faith they learned while growing up in Church. The practical value of a study of Genesis is enormous for equipping the saints to defend the faith under these attacks.
The Bible and Genesis are very spiritual books and the lives of the people in them are instructive beyond measure. We get to know God by getting to know His Word and Spirit and it all begins in Genesis.
Your brother in Christ, TOM G.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation to all the believing; to the Jew first and also the Gentile." Romans 1:16
