Re: Precambrian geology (2)

Allen Roy (allen@infomagic.com)
Mon, 12 Apr 1999 14:55:05 -0700

> From: gordon brown <gbrown@euclid.Colorado.EDU>
> On Sun, 11 Apr 1999, Allen Roy wrote:
> > Then, some 4000 years ago, the Flood occurred which compleately altered
the
> > surface of the globe.
> This is NOT what the Bible says. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers were not
> erased by the Flood (Gen. 2:14). Moses undertook to geographically locate
> the Garden of Eden for his readers, mentioning geographical features of
> his day (and even minerals occurring in certain areas), a project that
> would have been an exercise in futility if the Flood had completely
> altered the surface of the globe.

Two points.
1) It is common practice to name new places with old names: take for
instance:
London, England,
London, Arkansas,
London, Indiana,
London, Kentucky,
London, Ohio,
London, Texas.

or:

Londonderry, N. Ireland,
Londonderry, Nova Scocia,
Londonderry, New Hamshire,
Londonderry, Ohio,
Londonderry, Vermont,
Cape Londonderry, Austrailia
Isla Londonderry, Chile.

Therefore it would not be surprising to find both pre-flood Tigris and
Euphrates rivers and post-flood Tigris and Euphrates rivers. These need
not be the same rivers at all.

2) There is literary evidence in Genesis that Moses edited Genesis from
about 11 family histories which were likely written on clay tablets in his
day, but which had likely originated as oral family histories. Thus the
references to geographical features in the stories may not be Moses'
identification of locations at all, but rather that of the originators of
the family histories.

Allen