The shaky road of Biblical literalism

[Onoma]

Have you spent a lot of time on secular/liberal sites or instead, comparing liberal and conservative sites/sources.

For example, today I read a "King David didn't exist" article. Yet archaeology was invented only in the 1800s, really. So the "writers of 300 BC" did VERY well in getting their details right from kingly lines of descent to housing, structures, weapons, etc. from 700 years before their time!

Now I agree with you about adding literary tradition to exegesis. But I don't think the "New Moon" rained on the land forty days until every living thing had drowned.

I tend to look at any and all sources, and I like to dissect them and see what their sources are, etc

I like to examine point and counterpoint.( Much like a good rabbi would ) I feel that it's important to fully examine any and all claims to see what kind of gravitas they carry

 

[Onoma]

Here in the attached panel I have included some isolated terms that one would commonly find in Mesopotamian astronomy texts, all of which center around the same symbol of the " garden ", ( I even drew a red line through it to make it obvious just in case it all " looks like squiggles " ) all of which pertain to the sacerdotal ( priestly ) duty of acting as a scribe / astronomer to that " god " they served under

 

[Terry Sampson]

Something can still be passable as " true " and " accurate ", and the fact that there may be other explanations and interpretations for the things in Genesis doesn't actually mean the Bible couldn't still be considered as " God's word "

I find that reassuring because I, for one, am convinced that Genesis 3:14 is either the source of or repeats and ancient animal folktale which explains why the snake has no legs.

14 "And the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed be you more than all the cattle and more than all the beasts of the field; you shall walk on your belly, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life."

 

[Onoma]

I find that reassuring because I, for one, am convinced that Genesis 3:14 is either the source of or repeats and ancient animal folktale which explains why the snake has no legs.

14 "And the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed be you more than all the cattle and more than all the beasts of the field; you shall walk on your belly, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life."

This is a topic that deserves it's own thread, imo, as the span of the discussion would be rather extensive

" serpent ", " dragon " etc...all common Mesopotamian titles used to refer to people, god-men, gods, rulers, priests, etc

" dust " is an interesting topic, in the context of ancient literature, I've found it to be used in texts dealing with " births ", although given the literary complexities it's difficult to ascertain whether the text is referring to the " birth " of a planet or the moon, which is the synodic average month ( In Hebrew a " molad " ( birth ) refers to the synodic month interval that was common to Mesopotamian texts ), but a " birth " in Mesopotamian literature can refer to the same thing

It may be also that the texts I have looked at are referring to the birth / lineage associated with the priests in Mesopotamia, because that's what I tend to focus on, and that they actually refer to both ( Which makes more sense ), an example would be a text like: A Cow of Sîn' ( an Akkadian incantation for a woman in childbirth )

text here--> CCP 4.2.A.a - Therapeutic (én munus ù-tu-ud-da-a-ni) A | Cuneiform Commentaries Project

(Line23)

“Slithered” (nešelpû) stems from “to slither” (nešalpû), which means “to cross;” “to slither” (nešalpû) (also means) “to go.”(Moreover), gir₅-gir₅, which means “to slide” (nehelṣû), can also mean “to slith” (našalpû).

(Line8)

(In) “Take a small (banda) reed (gi) from the marsh (enbar),” gimeans “woman,” bar means “to go out,” banda means “baby,”“little one” (ṣaḫru). (In) “Dust (sahar) from the street (sila),”saḫar means “dust.” “Dust” (saḫar) and “little one” (ṣaḫar) are one and the same thing

(Line 48)

(In) “Dust from a fallen wall” (SAḪAR BÀD ŠUB-tú), BÀD means “wall;” (from its components (KÉŠ×BAD)), KÉŠmeans “bond” and BAD means “to open.” (The wall has tobe) “fallen” (because of) what it is said, “diri (SI.A) = ‘to collapse’ said of a wall” (Antagal A 151, cf. OB Diri I 18b), since si means “to go straight” said of walking, and A means“little one” (ṣaḫar) "


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It may actually even have another use in their specific mathematical terminologies, used in those same types of " priestly " texts dealing with astronomy calculations, but that is an ongoing area of study for me and I wouldn't feel comfortable giving a detailed opinion on it currently ( It's another niche topic that would span a rather large discussion )

Could also be that the word " ṣaḫar " in that text is taken from " saḫar " ( A name for Venus ), but don't quote me on that

 

[Onoma]

Now I agree with you about adding literary tradition to exegesis. But I don't think the "New Moon" rained on the land forty days until every living thing had drowned.

also, in respect to that

I can show how every single length of time, lifespan, measurement associated with the flood epic in the Bible to be clearly taken directly from priestly astronomy texts and the complex methods of calculation, which I intend to cover in my thread on flood terminologies