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The writer of Deuteronomy changed what the writer of Exodus said? Wow! And I thought you believed that there was only one author of both -- and that He cannot change! If the earlier account is always to be preferred over the later account, how do you explain Mark 2:26, which quotes Jesus as...

Their "value" lies in their prescriptive pronouncements, not in their historical references. Isn't that obvious? By the way, I wasn't on the mountain when God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, and for all I know they could have been given EXACTLY WORD FOR WORD as Deut.5:6-21 records, with NO...

I TOTALLY accept oral tradition! How many times do I need to say it? The ONLY thing you and I disagree on here is whether 2 Thess. 2:15 is or is not evidence of that fact. It's NOT!!!! READ THE VERSE, WOULD YOU PLEASE?

Surely you agree with me that 2 Tim. 3:16-17's reference to "Scripture" was a reference to ONLY the OT.

Fair point, but let's not forget that Abraham did not occupy all or even most of the Canaanite region. After a brief Egyptian detour he settled in Hebron, a tiny fraction of Canaan --and when Jacob's kids headed to Egypt, Abraham's extended progeny numbered probably less than 200. The rest of...

But when God issued the command recorded in Deut. 20:16-17, He mandated that the Promised Land be "stolen with bloodshed from others who were there first." You can't call that initial land grab "defending their God-given land." (The way you could call Jewish retaliation for October 7...

But nothing in the Cairo Geniza dates from the first century. Nothing in its contents suggests a first century --or even a second century -- reworking of OT texts. You have your centuries mixed up in mentioning ben Chiyim in the 6th century. He actually lived in the 16th century. What...

Would you interpret “Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle” (2 Samuel 2:18) literally? Meaning, he was that fast a runner? Usain Bolt would have had no chance against him?

What do you mean by "read the account literally (considering figures of speech, etc.)"? Does that leave room for allegory, metaphoric or hyperbole, or are they excluded?

Why do you think so?

The validity of evolution has been proven to my satisfaction. What I cannot understand is why that would trouble any Bible-believing theist. It certainly wouldn't if they recognized that the Genesis creation stories are allegorical and metaphorical.

I'm curious to get people's take on God Himself sending an evil spirit, as in 1 Samuel 16:14-16.

Good question! I think Jewish monotheism took root in Israel after David, and thus after the Psalms, so Ps 95:3 (or for that matter, Ps 138:1) doesn't really surprise me. But from the start of Job? That's a tough one for me to answer.

The Masoretes, well after Jerome penned the Latin Vulgate, did indeed remove references to "the Sons of God" -- but as a nod to Jewish monotheism rather than as an anti-Christian measure. See my OP on the subject. I suspect that this removal predated the Masoretes.

An important topic! Why does the faith of the locals matter to the performance of miracles?

Because it's true. The Genesis creation story should not be taken literally. It's value lies in its overarching message of God as creator. Man's evolution from ancient primates is consistent with that overarching message.

Yup.

Actually, I question whether Moses actually wrote the Pentateuch anyway, so the question is a bit rhetorical -- but of course, Moses need not have been able to write Hebrew in order to be deemed the author; he could have dictated to scribes. And those scribes would likely have been using a...

We have to draw the line somewhere between mythos/allegory/parable and factual reality (for me, the resurrection is top of the list). But I don't think that line can be drawn intelligently at the promise or expectation or prediction stage. If Jesus was being allegorical in promising that what...

I wonder how he learned to write in Hebrew.