why is the atheist obsessed with the Bible

the trick to jar's post is in the wording, i think: this is actually true, and a very astute reading of the text. in genesis 1, god simply commands things to happen, and they do. and most of his commands regard organization. there isn't anything being created out of nothing. similarly, in genesis 2, the existence of the world outside of eden is taken for granted. it's simply a story that happens when god created the earth.though, i think jar is obfuscating the point a little. this is, indeed, how quite a lot of creation stories and epic read. Edited by arachnophilia, : what do you mean isn't bbcode?Edited by AdminPD, : Warning

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gap, no. difference, yes. for instance, there's a clear instance of bookending going on here:

quote:

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אֵלֶּה תוֹלְדוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ, בְּהִבָּרְאָם
בְּיוֹם, עֲשׂוֹת יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים--אֶרֶץ וְשָׁמָיִם

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בְּרֵאשִׁית 2:4

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notice how the lines contain basically the same words, but suddenly in a different style? suddenly, שמים and ארץ switch order, and lose their definite articles. the first half of the verse takes the תולדות style, which is a pretty clear sign it was an addition by P (the author of the genealogies). another clear sign of the break is the beginning dependent clause:

• ביום (complex preposition, "in the day" or "when")
  
• עשות (infinitive construct, "the making of")
  
• יהוה אלהים (subject "yahweh god")
  
• ארץ ושמים (direct objects, "earth and heaven")

this directly mirrors the grammar of genesis 1:1,

• בראשית (complex preposition, "in the beginning of" or "when ___ began")
  
• ברא (probably mispointed infinitive construct, "creating of", cf; nJPS translation, rashi)
  
• אלהים (subject, "god")
  
• את הארץ ואת השמים (direct objects, "the earth and the heaven")

it also directly mimics the beginning of another section, genesis 5:1,2:

quote:

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זֶה סֵפֶר, תּוֹלְדֹת אָדָם: בְּיוֹם, בְּרֹא אֱלֹהִים אָדָם, בִּדְמוּת אֱלֹהִים, עָשָׂה אֹתוֹ
זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה, בְּרָאָם; וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם, וַיִּקְרָא אֶת-שְׁמָם אָדָם, בְּיוֹם, הִבָּרְאָם.

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notice the תולדות again, as well as the fact that ביום ברא אלהים אדם is precisely the same grammar as above: complex preposition, infinitive construct, subject, direct object, forming a dependent clause.note also that the text suddenly begins using hashem. it's very, very clear that one story ends in genesis 2:3, and another begins in genesis 2:4. it's likely that the original story began in 2:4b (the second half of the verse), and the first half was added by the redactors in the style of the P (or perhaps the redactors are P, to smooth out the transition. Edited by arachnophilia, : No reason given.Edited by AdminPD, : Warning

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אָרַח

the traditional belief is also that adam ate an apple in the garden of eden. the truth is that tradition rarely has any bearing on what the bible actually says. Edited by AdminPD, : Warning

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