What about the 7-day creation story? (Earth, bible, trinity, Apostle)

[Mike182]

well, from a Pagan point of view... why is this in comparative religion?

i don't know enough about Biblical numerology to make any comments on this topic.

[Booko]

Originally Posted by Comet

So what of five? What of "the" nine? Where do they fit in?

5 and 9 are for Baha'is.

[Booko]

Originally Posted by Mike182

well, from a Pagan point of view... why is this in comparative religion?

i don't know enough about Biblical numerology to make any comments on this topic.

Engyo's comment about 3 representing the divine and 4 the earthly and their union being 7 was pretty apt, numerologically speaking.

[look3467]

Originally Posted by Mike182

well, from a Pagan point of view... why is this in comparative religion?

i don't know enough about Biblical numerology to make any comments on this topic.

Where would you suggest it should be?
It doesn't fit any organized religion for none of them can see it as key to understanding the bible, in my opinion.
So, I figure a non debatable topic opened for discussion.
No one wins, no one losses, yet everyone can have a say so.

Peace>>>AJ

[look3467]

Since the bible speaks of a 7-day creation story, then there must be more to that story than just a story.
I believe that in understanding that story and how it is used in the creation process, we'd find that we all have many things in common, especially when it comes to the spirit that is in mankind.

Peace>>>AJ

[Mike182]

Originally Posted by look3467

Where would you suggest it should be?
It doesn't fit any organized religion for none of them can see it as key to understanding the bible, in my opinion.
So, I figure a non debatable topic opened for discussion.
No one wins, no one losses, yet everyone can have a say so.

Peace>>>AJ

biblical debates?

just because it's a debate forum doesn't mean you can't hold discussions.

[Jayhawker Soule]

Ancient peoples were intimidated, intrigued, and inspired by 'the heavens', populated as they were by gods, spirits, and omens. With the evolution of the nascent priesthood astrology inspired mythology which, in recipricol fashion, informed mythology.

Chief among these objects of intimidation, intrigue, and inspiration were the great luminaries: the sun, moon, and the 5 visible planets.

As I've noted before, Yi-Fu Tuan elegantly defines religion as "the impulse for coherence and meaning." We are a pattern-matching organism, and the god-of-the-gaps is little more than an anthropomorphic and anthropopathic evolution of a primitive mysticism-of-the-gaps. That our early ancestors in Mesopotamia and the Levant would imbue the number 7 with "coherence and meaning" is not at all surprising. It was, in fact, deeply and wonderfully human.

For us to do so now is simply ignorant.

[BruceDLimber]

Greetings!

I would say that, very simply, ALL small numbers tend to appear often, and that while there is clearly significance attached to various numbers by given groups, this isn't in any sense universal or an objective number property!

As to the creation story (to get back to your original topic), in the Baha'i view its significance is quite different from the common understanding (as well as definitely not beling at all literal). The Baha'i scriptures explain it as follows:

Chapter 30

ADAM and EVE

“Question. - What is the truth of the story of Adam, and His eating of the fruit of the tree?”

“Answer. - In the Bible it is written that God put Adam in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and take care of it, and said to Him: ‘Eat of every tree of the garden except the tree of good and evil, for if You eat of that, You will die.’ Then it is said that God caused Adam to sleep, and He took one of His ribs and created woman in order that she might be His companion. After that it is said the serpent induced the woman to eat of the tree, saying: ‘God has forbidden you to eat of the tree in order that your eyes may not be opened, and that you may not know good from evil.’ Then Eve ate from the tree and gave unto Adam, Who also ate; their eyes were opened, they found themselves naked, and they hid their bodies with leaves. In consequence of this act they received the reproaches of God. God said to Adam: ‘Hast Thou eaten of the forbidden tree?’ Adam answered: ‘Eve tempted Me, and I did eat.’ God then reproved Eve; Eve said: ‘The serpent tempted me, and I did eat.’ For this the serpent was cursed, and enmity was put between the serpent and Eve, and between their descendants. And God said: ‘The man is become like unto Us, knowing good and evil, and perhaps He will eat of the tree of life and live forever.’ So God guarded the tree of life.

“If we take this story in its apparent meaning, according to the interpretation of the masses, it is indeed extraordinary. The intelligence cannot accept it, affirm it, or imagine it; for such arrangements, such details, such speeches and reproaches are far from being those of an intelligent man, how much less of the Divinity - that Divinity Who has organized this infinite universe in the most perfect form, and its innumerable inhabitants with absolute system, strength and perfection.

“We must reflect a little: if the literal meaning of this story were attributed to a wise man, certainly all would logically deny that this arrangement, this invention, could have emanated from an intelligent being. Therefore, this story of Adam and Eve who ate from the tree, and their expulsion from Paradise, must be thought of simply as a symbol. It contains divine mysteries and universal meanings, and it is capable of marvelous explanations. Only those who are initiated into mysteries, and those who are near the Court of the All-Powerful, are aware of these secrets. Hence these verses of the Bible have numerous meanings.

“We will explain one of them, and we will say: Adam signifies the heavenly spirit of Adam, and Eve His human soul. For in some passages in the Holy Books where women are mentioned, they represent the soul of man. The tree of good and evil signifies the human world; for the spiritual and divine world is purely good and absolutely luminous, but in the human world light and darkness, good and evil, exist as opposite conditions.

“The meaning of the serpent is attachment to the human world. This attachment of the spirit to the human world led the soul and spirit of Adam from the world of freedom to the world of bondage and caused Him to turn from the Kingdom of Unity to the human world. When the soul and spirit of Adam entered the human world, He came out from the paradise of freedom and fell into the world of bondage. From the height of purity and absolute goodness, He entered into the world of good and evil.
[continues]



Best, :-)

Bruce