I appreciated this post from James McGrath, whose short essay was stimulated by Robin Parry's post, to whom James directs his readers. The issue is how "literal creationists" are actually only selective literalists (or, as I would call them, "inconsistent...
Genesis 1
What Do You See in Psalm 66:5-6?
I came across Psalm 66:5-6 the other day while working with Mark Futato at Logos Bible Software last weekend (it was a reference in a presentation he made). Here's the ESV: 5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. 6 He...
Guest Post on Adam Topic
A Naked Bible reader, Bryan Hodge, asked permission to post his thoughts on the Adam issue (it picks up on my previous post about 'adam with or without the definite article). They are below. I presume that reader comments will be answered by him. Once again, the...
Taking Genesis 1-3 at Face Value: Is it Compatible with Recent Genome Research?
[Addendum 7/27/2012: I hope readers will have a look at the comments on this post when they are done reading the post. There are some good, coherent questions asked. I hope readers will see that these questions only *appear* problematic *since* they are asked from the...
Is ‘adam “Adam”?
I've been thinking (still) about the historical Adam issue. It surprises me that I haven't seen anyone (yet -- perhaps one of you knows an exception) address the grammatical-syntactical issue as it relates to "Adam" in Genesis 1-5. I speak specifically of the fact...
The Evolution of Adam: Additional Thoughts
[NOTE / UPDATE: 6/6/2020 - I was recently informed that BioLogos deleted that article mentioned below by Dennis Venema because the science in it was deemed indefensible. For details on that, click here.] A few weeks ago I had offered some thoughts on a review of Peter...
Genesis 1:2 and the Verb HAYAH
Here is a [download] link to a short (13:00 or so) video I made searching for the structure of Genesis 1:2 and its verb, hayah ("to be") The video was prompted by a comment to an earlier post I made about the "gap theory." That theory of interpreting Genesis 1:1-3 in...
Review of Peter Enns’ Book, The Evolution of Adam
This review of Peter Enns' short but important book, The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn't Say about Human Origins, is getting some discussion on the web. I just finished Enns' book, so I want to share some impressions of this review and what Enns is...
The Deuteronomy 32 Worldview of the Bible (“Cosmic Geography”)
In this presentation, Dr. Michael Heiser lays out the divine council worldview as a framework for understanding the story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. He describes it as a form of biblical theology centered on cosmic geography—the idea that God’s rule over...
There's a Lot to Think About When Translating Genesis 1:1-3
Way back in September of 2010 I had posted a lecture I gave at church where I attempted to explain the real issue involved in translating Genesis 1:1-3. Rather than meanings of words like bara', the real issue is the relationship of the clauses (and the nature of...
Genesis & Creation – Class 4 of 4
Editor's note: Replaced original link; here is the fourth/ final in the series of lectures on creation that Dr. Heiser gave at Grace Church Bellingham from September to October 2010: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=589NDmbH9nk
Genesis & Creation – Class 3 of 4
Editor's note: Original link replaced, and added the previous class of this series where Dr. Heiser spoke at Grace Church Bellingham on the creation of Genesis 1 in light of the ancient Near East. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOWTdhAFEh4...
Genesis 1:2 and the “Gap Theory”
Blogging has been a bit tough lately. This post (like everything else I'm working on presently) is overdue. Some have asked for some comments about the validity of the gap theory - the idea that Genesis 1:1 speaks of the initial creation, while Genesis 1:2 describes...
Genesis & Creation – Class 1 of 4
Editor's note: Original broken link replaced. Here is the first in a series of four lectures about Genesis and creation that Dr. Heiser gave at Grace Church Bellingham in September to October 2010. In this lecture, Dr. Michael Heiser tackles one of the most debated...
On John Walton’s Understanding of Hebrew Bara’
Some of you have asked for a summary of where I disagree with Walton on bara'. What follows below is an exchange between John Hobbins (another friend of mine and Hebrew scholar) and Walton. My reservations are essentially those that are expressed by Hobbins. Hobbins...