Re: Good Mutations.
Brian Neuschwander (bwnbcg@sjm.infi.net)
Sat, 29 Nov 1997 12:08:42 -0800Garry DeWeese wrote:
> [snip]This wascontrasted to some of the mythologies of nearby cultures in which there
> >were all sorts of bizarre man/beast and beast/beast hybrids.
>
> Allan's point here is excellent. We cannot properly interpret Gn 1 (or
> almost any other part of biblical literature, for that matter) in ignorance
> of the cultural context of the original audience and receipients. I think
> greater attention to the theological polemic nature of Gn 1 would let us
> avoid many of the silly controversies the church is engaged in these days.
>
> Garry DeWeese
For an excellent quick look at the anitpagen polemic, see ch10 of _The
Galileo Connection_ by Chas. Hummel. There was no methodology of
naturalism (so familar for the past 200 years) with which to formulate a
cosmology at the foot of Mt Sinai. Scientism was not the issue to
Moses. Paganism was. Seen with that purpose, Gn 1 is full of meaning
oft overlooked by our technical oriented perspectives.
-- Brian W. Neuschwander