Interpretation of Texts (General)

by Balance_Maintained , U.S.A., Saturday, September 18, 2010, 14:44 (4988 days ago) @ David Turell

To some extent I agree with you. Which is why I do not discriminate between the excluded books. I still have a long way to go in my research, but where as some can give a cursory investigation and call it rubbish, there are enough fact to pique my curiosity, and give them a more thorough examination. Nor is that my only avenue of research, as I give nearly equal time to other ancient history/philosophy, earth sciences, cosmology, and biology. -Science has as many varied beliefs in its sphere as religion does, and just as many conflicting stories, just published under the titles of hypothesis and theory. -As to whether the research is fruitful or not, all I can offer is that following this trail has lead me down avenues of research that I would most likely not have even stumbled upon had I not been attempting to cross-reference all of it. For that reason alone, it is not a dead end to me. -As to the two accounts in Genesis, all I can offer is this, and you are free to make of it what you will. Again, this is a section of the translators notes that shed a little light on the situation.-9tn The Hebrew phrase אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת ('elle tolÿdot) is traditionally translated as "these are the generations of" because the noun was derived from the verb "beget." Its usage, however, shows that it introduces more than genealogies; it begins a narrative that traces what became of the entity or individual mentioned in the heading. In fact, a good paraphrase of this heading would be: "This is what became of the heavens and the earth," for what follows is not another account of creation but a tracing of events from creation through the fall and judgment (the section extends from 2:4 through 4:26). See M. H. Woudstra, "The Toledot of the Book of Genesis and Their Redemptive-Historical Significance," CTJ 5 (1970): 184-89.-sn The expression this is the account of is an important title used throughout the Book of Genesis, serving as the organizing principle of the work. It is always a heading, introducing the subject matter that is to come. From the starting point of the title, the narrative traces the genealogy or the records or the particulars involved. Although some would make the heading in 2:4 a summary of creation (1:1...2:3), that goes against the usage in the book. As a heading it introduces the theme of the next section, the particulars about this creation that God made. Genesis 2 is not a simple parallel account of creation; rather, beginning with the account of the creation of man and women, the narrative tells what became of that creation. As a beginning, the construction of 2:4-7 forms a fine parallel to the construction of 1:1-3. The subject matter of each תּוֹלְדֹת (tolÿdot, "this is the account of") section of the book traces a decline or a deterioration through to the next beginning point, and each is thereby a microcosm of the book which begins with divine blessing in the garden, and ends with a coffin in Egypt.