On Sun, 21 Jul 1996 19:20:19, Glenn Morton wrote:
GM>Stephen Jones wrote:
SJ>Actually, Ramm (and I) are not concerned to give a precise
>identification of the "kind" of Genesis 1 with any particular
>modern biological classification:
GM>Not defining what one is talking about works real well at avoiding
>having to defend one's statements.
Ramm and I *do* define what we are "talking about". We *do not*
identify "the `kind' of Genesis 1 with any particular modern
biological classification"! See more below.
GM>When faced with a difficulty, one can always claim that was not
>what was meant.
What "difficulty" does Glenn have in mind? Compared to the
"difficulty" of his position, believing that Adam was a Homo habilis
that existed 3 million years before there is any evidence of Homo
habilis, my position is a bed of roses! :-)
GM>Of course not defining a word leaves the word with
>no meaning. This, of course, makes for great conversation.
OK. I will define it for Glenn. Anything to have a "conversation"!
:-) The word "kind" Heb. "min" in Genesis 1 means (from
Quickverse Strong's Hebrew-Greek Dictionary):
1. Vegetation: "land...vegetation" [Heb. deshe' = "sprout"] -- Gn
1:11,12.
A. Plants: "seed-bearing plants" [Heb. 'eseb =
"green"] -- Gn 1:11,12.
B. Trees: "fruit tree" [Heb. periy = "fruit"] yielding
fruit...whose seed is in itself"-- Gn 1:11,12.
2. Animals:
A. Sea Animals:
i. Large: "great creatures of the sea" [Heb. tanniyn =
"sea-monster", "whale"]; and
ii. Small: "every living and moving [Heb. ramas = "to
glide", "swarm" -- Gn 1:21
B. Air Animals:
i. "every winged bird" [Heb. 'owph = a bird"]-- Gn 1:21
C. Land Animals: "land...living creatures -- Gn 1:24:
i. "livestock" [Heb. behemah = "large quadruped or animal,
beast, cattle"]-- Gn 1:24,25
ii. "creatures that move along the ground" [Heb. remes = a
reptile, rapidly moving animal, creeping thing"]-- Gn
1:24,25
iii. "creatures that move along the ground" [Heb. remes = a
reptile, rapidly moving animal, creeping thing"]-- Gn
1:24,25
Note that man is not even included in these "kinds". The
classification scheme is first by vegetable and animal and then by
ecological niche (ie. sea, air, land). It is not indended to be a
Linnaean taxonomy, but clearly something above the species level is
intended, eg.
"land...vegetation: plants bearing seed...and trees bearing fruit
with seed..." (Gn 1:11,12). These would all presumably be within
the phylum Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants) and the class Angiospermae
(Flowering Plants). Below the level of Class it is impossible to go
on the general details provided by these verses.
"...water...living creatures...great creatures of the sea and every
living and moving thing with which the water teems..." (Gn 1:20,21)
These would presumably fall withing the Phylum Chordata, Subphylum
Vertebrata, Classes Mammalia, Orders Cetacea (ie. whales) and
Pinnipedia (seals, sea-lions, walruses) and Sirenia (dugong);
Classes Agnatha (Jawless Fishes), Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous
Fishes, ie. sharks, rays) and Osteichthyes (Bony Fishes). It may
include invertebrate sea creatures such as jellyfish (Phylum
Coelenterata, Classes Hydrozoa and Scyphozoa, Phylum Ctenophora);
Phylum Arthropoda, Class Crustacea (Shrimps, prawns, lobsters,
crayfishes, crabs, etc). Again, it seems impossible to go lower than
Order on the data of these verses.
"..birds...every winged bird..." (Gn 1:20,21)
This is obviously Class Aves, and it cannot be made any lower in
modern taxonomic categories.
"...land...living creatures...creatures that move along the ground,
and wild animals...." (Gn 1:24-25)
These would be within Phylum Chordata, Subphylum Vertebrata. The
"livestock" would presumably fall within Classes Mammalia, Order
Artiodactyla (cattle, goats, and sheep) and possibly Perissodactyla
(which includes horses and). The "creatures that move along the
ground" are no doubt within the Class Reptilia. But it is possible
that they include members of Phylum Arthropoda, Classes Arachnida
(spiders, scorpions, mites, etc); Diplopoda (millipedes); Chilopoda
(centipedes); Insecta (insects). The "wild animals" may include
the Orders Carnivora, Proboscidea (elephants) and other
members of Perissodactyla (e.g. tapirs, rhinoceroses).
So it seems that if one is going to try to equate the "kinds" of
Genesis 1 with modern scientific taxonomic categories (I don't), then
one cannot equate them lower than Class or Order.
God bless.
Steve
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