Monday, September 20, 2010

Stump the Christians #9

This one is simple: according to the Bible, what/who did YHWH create before all else?

Hint: look beyond Genesis.

7 comments:

  1. God isnt mocked no matter how hard you try. Jesus created all things according to the scripture.

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  2. This isn't mocking, it's a Biblical question. Defensive much?

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  3. The angels. Lucifer was created as an angel before the world began.

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  4. Nope. Another hint: it's in Proverbs.

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  5. Sorry it's taken me so long- I tried to post the other day, but my computer is a _complete_ retard.

    Anyway. After some research, I think you must be reffering to where Solomon says the personification of Wisdom was created by God...its in Proverbs 8 IIRC.

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  6. Bing! You got it. And give her and the female gender some credit for being there so early.

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  7. I am hesitant to respond, given that your tone reflects not an honest search for answers, but rather an eager hope for fuel against those you dislike. However, here I go, anyway.
    Please read closer. I'm glad you have read your Bible. This is never a bad thing, however reading is one thing, studying is another. I can read Gray's Anatomy, but you might think twice before letting me operate on you without the letters MD after my name. First to respond to Liberty: Solomon does not refer to any extant "personification" of wisdom. Proverbs is a poetic book. Personification of abstracts is a common poetic device. So is hyperbole and metaphor, all used in Proverbs. Therefore in the following quotes: "The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be." (Pr 8:22-23, NIV) Solomon refers not to a personification of wisdom, but he refers to wisdom as a personification. Two very different things. Further, how does one then deal with the apparent contradiction "The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works" and the statement "I was formed long ages ago…when the world came to be" If Wisdom was "created" before anything else, then how was it also "created" at the beginning of the earth? To answer your question, one must at least glance at the original language, to see that the problem lies with the complexity of translation. Two key words here Hebrew "kanah" for "brought me forth" and "nasak" for "I was formed". "Kanah" is acceptably rendered as "created", however the wording in the NIV "brought forth" is likely the better in the context, since "kanah" can also be rendered as "possessing" or "owning". Likewise, "nasak" is also translated "to put forth or cast out". The ultimate meaning here, is that wisdom is not created thing, but, like truth, justice (another abstract often personified in poetics" , morality, and love, is an attribute of God, emanating from Him, and "put forth" to us at the beginning of this world, thus knowable by us.

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