jimrptla@juno.com wrote:
> Hello,
> My name is Jim, and I'm a 6th grade science teacher with some background
> in Biblical studies. I was just wondering about this geocentric
> argument. Could it be understood that most of the descriptions found in
> the Bible are stated in such a way because the Bible is an
> anthropocentric document. That is, God meant it to be understood from
> the perspective of a human being placed in and on this world?
> Therefore, just as one could grant geocentrism to be a fallacious theory
> of orbital mechanics, could one suggest that scientific observations from
> any other perspective are theologically beside the point?
>
> This is not to suggest that scientific inquiry, observation or
> theorization cannot shed light upon the glory of creation or its Creator.
> I am simply wondering if a "sitz im leben" exists for the interpretation
> of biblical accounts of natural phenomena. If so, it would seem that
> many such arguments or perspectives could be laid to rest quite simply.
Yes. The biblical writers used the picture of the universe that they
were familiar with, a picture which is in many ways different from a
scientific one circa 2000 A.D. Part of the task of biblical interpretation
is to translate what is said in biblical language about God and God's
relationship with the world from that picture to ours.
Shalom,
George
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