The Mesa Arizona Temple was Arizona\u2019s first. Please notice how, just as the Cody Wyoming Temple will surely do if it its construction is permitted, the Mesa Arizona Temple has completely blotted out the night sky, making it impossible to see. (LDS Media Library)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve just finished re-reading The Lost World of Genesis 1: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate <\/em>(Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2010), by John H. Walton. \u00a0I commend it to your attention. \u00a0It is a fascinating book that, I think, should be of very special interest to more than a few Latter-day Saints. \u00a0Yes, they should be interested in his argument that there is no necessary conflict between the first chapter of the Bible, on the one hand, and, on the other, current scientific theories of geology and evolutionary biology. \u00a0But the specifically Latter-day Saint interest, I think, should focus on his specific suggestion about what Genesis 1 is actually talking about:<\/p>\nThe position that I have proposed regarding Genesis 1 may be designated the cosmic temple inauguration view. This label picks up the most important aspect of the view: that the cosmos is being given its functions as God\u2019s temple, where he has taken up his residence and from where he runs the cosmos. This world is his headquarters. \u00a0(162)<\/p>\n
The key features of this interpretation include most prominently:<\/p>\n
\n- The Hebrew word translated \u201ccreate\u201d (b\u0101r\u0101\u02be<\/em>) concerns assigning functions.<\/li>\n
- The account begins in verse 2 with no functions (rather than with no material).<\/li>\n
- The first three days pertain to the three major functions of life: time, weather, food. *<\/li>\n
- Days four to six pertain to functionaries in the cosmos being assigned their roles and spheres.<\/li>\n
- The recurring comment that \u201cit is good\u201d refers to functionality (relative to people).<\/li>\n
- The temple aspect is evident in the climax of day seven when God rests\u2014an activity in a temple.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The account can then be seen to be a seven-day inauguration of the cosmic temple, setting up its functions for the benefit of humanity, with God dwelling in relationship with his creatures. \u00a0(163)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
A little further on, and on a distinct but not wholly unrelated topic:<\/p>\n
As Gerald Runkle writes in his book Good Thinking<\/em>:<\/p>\nIt is the mark of stubborn and dogmatic persons to be oblivious to the need either to test their own beliefs or to recognize the successful tests that opposing beliefs have undergone. Copernicus caused widespread consternation when he suggested that the earth revolved around the sun. Though he had impressive evidence for his theory, it was received in ill humor by most religious groups. Martin Luther complained: \u201cPeople give ear to an upstart astrologer who strove to show that the earth revolved, not the heavens or the firmament, the sun and the moon. . . . This fool wishes to reverse the entire science of astronomy; but the sacred Scripture tells us that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still and not the earth.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nWe must keep in mind that we are presumptuous if we consider our interpretations of Scripture to have the same authority as Scripture itself. Nobody is an infallible interpreter, and we must always stand ready to reconsider our interpretations in light of new information. We must not let our interpretations stand in the place of Scripture\u2019s authority and thus risk misrepresenting God\u2019s revelation. We are willing to bind reason if our faith calls for belief where reason fails. But we are also people who in faith seek learning. What we learn may cause us to reconsider interpretations of Scripture, but need never cause us to question the intrinsic authority or nature of Scripture. \u00a0(167-168)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
John H. Walton is an emeritus professor at Wheaton College in Illinois who\u00a0specializes in the Ancient Near Eastern background of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament, with a special focus on the book of Genesis and its creation account, as well as on the interpretation of the book of Job. \u00a0Among his many books are these, which have held a particular interest for me over the past little while\u201d<\/p>\n
\n- (2006).<\/em> Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament<\/i>.<\/cite><\/cite><\/li>\n
- (2009). The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate<\/i>.<\/cite><\/li>\n
- (2011). Genesis 1 as Ancient Cosmology<\/i>.<\/cite><\/li>\n
- With D. Brent Sandy (2013)<\/em>. \u00a0The Lost World of Scripture: Ancient Literary Culture and Biblical Authority<\/i>.<\/cite><\/li>\n
- (2015). The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2\u20133 and the Human Origins Debate<\/i>.<\/cite><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Posted from Scottsdale, Arizona<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 The second part of my \u201cFollow Him\u201d podcast interview with Hank Smith and John Bytheway (on 1 Corinthians 14-16, \u201cGod is Not the Author of Confusion, But of Peace\u201d) is now up online: \u00a01 Corinthians 14-16 Part 2 \u2022 Dr. Daniel C. Peterson \u2022 Sept 4 \u2013 Sept 10. \u00a0The first part of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":25997,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[36494,1679,10135,10150,36608,641],"class_list":["post-101648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-1-corinthians-14","tag-baptism-for-the-dead","tag-genesis-1","tag-john-walton","tag-lost-world","tag-temple"],"yoast_head":"\n
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