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Is Genesis chapter 12 an historical account or the divine word of God?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Neither. Genesis chapter 12 contains two early Hebrew traditions written down by an anonymous source now known as the Yahwist. Parallel, but somewhat different traditions from another author now known as the Elohist, were written down elsewhere in Genesis. The combinations of similarities and differences are the first evidence that this is not an historical account nor the word of God.
In Genesis 12:8, Abraham had pitched his tent to the east of Bethel and built an altar, then in verse 13:3, he returned to Bethel and to the sacred altar. Yet in chapter 28, the Elohist says that Abraham's grandson Jacob slept in a certain place and named that place Bethel, but before then it had been called Luz. Writing independently of the Yahwist, the Elohist was unaware that the Yahwist had written that the place was already called Bethel long before the time of Jacob. Centuries later, the two stories were compiled into a book that would become known as the Book of Genesis.
Likewise, Genesis gives two parallel stories of Abraham where he got tangled up in his deviousness. In 12:13, he told the Pharaoh that his wife Sarah was his sister, for fear that the Pharaoh would kill him in order to have sex with her, only to be found out and banished from Egypt. Later, (chapter 20) for the same reason, he told the king of Gerar that his by now quite elderly wife (Sarah was now over 90 years old and stricken with age) really was his sister. This doublet is repeated when Isaac, Abraham's son, tried to pass his wife Rebekah off as his sister to the same king, once again for fear that the king would kill him in order to have sex with her. Only in a mythical epic would Abraham and Isaac have believed that Egyptians and Gerarites would only attempt to have sex with a woman after killing her husband, and that they would not kill her brother in order to achieve the same ends. For this to have been an historical account, it must also have been remarkable that the king and the citizens of Gerar never suspected, nor became annoyed with the Abraham family after two failed attempts to deceive them.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
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Which chapter and verse in the Bible tells of Abraham's divine call?
More than one. See (especially) Genesis 12:1. Also see:Abraham's biography
How many laws in genesis the first chapter?
The question needs to specify the reader of the book.Genesis Chapter 1 is not seen by Christians as having any laws embedded in it. Most Christians read it as either a literal or figurative accounting of the six days of Creation.Judaism reads Divine Commandments into all areas of the Torah, and Genesis Chapter 1 is no exception. Judaism sees the command that God gives to "be fruitful and multiply" to imply that every Jew is required to have a family and children. There are only one or two other laws in Genesis Chapter 1 from a Jewish perspective.
What is the divine chariot?
The Divine Chariot is the prophetic vision described in the first chapter of Yechezkel (Ezekiel).
Did God create everything by speaking it into existence?
Yes, in Genesis chapter 1. Another, more primitive creation story in Genesis chapter 2 tells us that God could not make living things out of nothing. In this second creation account, God created man out of moist earth, then made animals, also out of moist earth. He created Eve out of a rib he took from Adam's side.
What is the term divine fiat means in Genesis?
It means, principally, that God did so supernaturally; in a manner which defies our physical laws.
How do you define the Creation?
Creation is the divine activity of making the universe from nothing as told in the book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible.
What does the Latin word Divine Fiat in Theology mean?
"Divine fiat" is the creative command of God, from the Latin word fiat, "let there be," used by God to create the universe in the Latin version of the Book of Genesis.
Who is the most written about historical figure?
His Divine Grace Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
How are the first few verses of John Chapter 1 similar to the first few verses of Genesis Chapter 1?
AnswerThe first few verses of John's Gospel are both like and unlike the first few verses of Genesis. We can be sure that the author of John knew Genesis chapter 1 quite well and sought to place the Logos (Word) in that context, although Genesis is clear that only God was present. The Logos, usually translated (although inadequately) as the Word, was a concept developed by the Greek philosophers to explain the creation of the world. It entered Christianity to become a synonym for Jesus, via Philo of Alexandria, although Philo was probably not really a Christian. The reference in John 1:5 to 'light' could be from a Gnostic concept of light as a divine substance, since some scholars think that John's Gospel might have been written in a Gnostic community before becoming more widely read.
What is the interpretation of genesis 6 verse 1?
Genesis 6:1 refers to the union of "the sons of God" and "the daughters of men," resulting in the birth of the Nephilim. The interpretation of this verse varies among theologians. Some believe that the "sons of God" were angels who procreated with human women, while others suggest they were men from the godly line of Seth. Regardless, the verse is generally understood as depicting a period of moral corruption and divine judgment that led to the flood in the subsequent verses.
What is the summary of chapter 1 of when the emperor was divine?
Chapter 1 of "When the Emperor Was Divine" introduces the characters of a Japanese American family living in Berkeley, California during World War II. The family faces the aftermath of the father's arrest by the FBI and their impending evacuation to a Japanese internment camp. The chapter sets the tone for the novel's exploration of the impact of wartime hysteria and racism on Japanese American families.
Poet whose Divine Comedy included conversations with historical figures in hell?
Divine Comedy was written by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri in the Forteenth century. Scenes of travels through hell and conversations with historical figures who had gone to hell are included in this epic book written in three parts. It is a landmark in world literature.
