How old is the Earth?

[Ronald Nolette]

I think you are missing some literary context. The sequence of 7 days with repetitive phrases is a poetic form. We know this is true because archaeologists dug up a bunch of other poems from the same period and area that use the same exact poetic structure.

If you'd like to read some, the book Stories from Ancient Canaan (Coogan) contains at least two. It's also just generally an interesting read.

And you are missing historic context. These stories were bein gtold before writing became fairly common. sothere were two ways they memorized the stories. On stiles with figures they could recite from, or by use of poetic rhythym to tell teh tale (it is easier to remember poems than mere prose like a book)

Poetry can be just as much truth as prose- look at the psalms!

Paul literally tells us to ignore the genealogies... twice. The New Testament spends multiple chapters developing the idea that heredity is NOT determined by genealogy, but by behavior.

If your idea of Biblical inspiration requires you to ignore what the text of the Bible says, is it really serving you well?

No Pual did not tell us to "literally" ignore genealogies! If he meant to not pay attention, He would have been saying that we had to ignore quite a few chapters that God inspired! He would have rebukes the gospels of Matthew and Mark for including the lineage of Jesus! He would have even rebuked himself for Romans 11 when he trace3d part of his genealogy.

What he was telling people to avoid (which is still common today in many circles) was to avoide the genealogy mean a pedigree and advantage over others. Examples were people who traced their lineage to the Rockefellers, Astors, and people on the mayflower, Rothschilds etc.

God would not have inspired massive genealogies if He later revoked them.

 

[Wick Stick]

Poetry can be just as much truth as prose- look at the psalms!

True, but not relevant here. When there's poetry, you have to take into account figurative language. In this case, the poetic form used (a sequence of 7 days, punctuated by repetitive statements) is meant to express ardor in an undertaking - that someone has persisted in their undertaking until it is finished.

I know that you, Ronald, cannot accept that because it would require you to re-think your whole view of Scripture and inspiration. It is nonetheless demonstrably true and provable by looking at comparable literature from the same time period. The book I referenced earlier contains examples.

No Paul did not tell us to "literally" ignore genealogies!

Yes he did. Here are the verses:

1Timothy 1:4 Do not give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

Titus 3:9 Avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

If he meant to not pay attention, He would have been saying that we had to ignore quite a few chapters that God inspired! He would have rebukes the gospels of Matthew and Mark for including the lineage of Jesus! He would have even rebuked himself for Romans 11 when he traced part of his genealogy.

What he was telling people to avoid (which is still common today in many circles) was to avoide the genealogy mean a pedigree and advantage over others. Examples were people who traced their lineage to the Rockefellers, Astors, and people on the mayflower, Rothschilds etc.

The New Testament spells out this doctrine pretty fully over the course of multiple chapters, and it isn't what you're saying here.

One of Jesus' doctrines is that we should look at behavior to tell heredity (John 6-8), and the gospels are explicit that genealogies are not useful for this purpose (Matt 3, Luke 3). Paul endorses Jesus' teaching on the matter in Romans 9, as well.

Will you ignore Jesus' teachings in order to prop up your church's doctrine on the infallibility of Scripture? Probably.

 

[Deborah_]

Genealogies are critical. If we believe that God inspired the Scriptures and that the genealogy of Jesus is fraught with error, then we believe god inspired error. Remember one genealogy of Jesus goes back to Adam! The Israelites were also very punctilious in writing family trees and ages etc.

The absence of a number of generations from an ancient genealogy is NOT an error!

Problems arise when we try to shoehorn ancient literature into modern ways of thinking.