Originally posted by lucifershammerIt's just a whole new debate (that has been dicussed heavily in other threads) that would take us away from the pooint of this thread.
Er ... why wouldn't you want to go into the allegory question?
After all, when was the last time you read an allegory that begins with the words, "What follows is just an allegory ..."?
Originally posted by KellyJayPoint taken. I think the concept of setting an example is the most sensible answer I have heard. It also brings up the question if he set an example or if we just copied him. It also doesn't quite explain how the week was applied to other societies. Consider this, the 7-day week was implemented by the late Roman Empire before the rise of christianity. Hmm, that kind of leaads to the fact the genesis wasn't the basis for our 7 day week and also contradicts that god was setting an example by taking 7 days.
You said that no one was there to see it so it could not be
an example? Adam was given the knowledge, his seeing
it was not required. I fail to see your point if all you have
is that no one but God was there to witness the event.
A more likely reason for the 7 day week? If a person wanted to securely tie a number of cylindrical or round objects together there's is only one number of objects you can do this with: 7. ( I know 1 and 3 also work, but do not provide enough to be a useful grouping of trying things together). Anyhow, 7 was seen as a "magical" number in ancient times and continues to be seen that way at your local casino.
Another basis,..we can all figure out that the month and year are based astrologically. Well, the week has an astrological significance as well. It is one moon phase.
Both of these better support how the 7 day week was created before christianity and axplain how it is in other religions.
This leads me to conclude that the authors of the bible had God take seven days as a matter of matching the current status quo.
Originally posted by pcaspianFor the sake of debate and assuming that the length of a day is farily fixed, I am assuming that a "day" that genesis refers to is the same "day" that we know it as.
Originally posted by Saint Nick
[b]I have a question that I have never heard an answer to. I'm wondering if someone here can give an actual answer to this:
God is all-powerful and all-knowing. God can create anything with the snap of his finger. Why did it take him 6 days to create the earth? (I could break this down day-to-day but I'm assuming ...[text shortened]... , that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
If a day is a thousand years to God then why would he need more than a day?
Well, yes, I think that how long it took him to create the earth is a reflection of his power. If it had taken him 100 years, I think it would appear that he is not all-knowing and all-powerful.
If he had created the earth in 7 seconds? Well, you have to respect someone that can create a planet in 7 seconds 😀
Why are people saying the 7-day week is a later invention - Roman Empire, Norse gods etc? Just because our NAMES for the days of the week come from later times doesn't mean the Jews didn't have the concept of a 7-day week. It's in Exodus which, no matter who you believe the author was (ie if you don't think it was Moses, fine), was quite definitely written well before the Romans were around to make these decisions.
The moon phase thing, that's more interesting and may well have some relevance. The Jews were very big on 7 in general. 7, 12 and 40 were all highly significant numbers.
Originally posted by Saint NickWhy would that be different for the Romans? If all mankind rose
Point taken. I think the concept of setting an example is the most sensible answer I have heard. It also brings up the question if he set an example or if we just copied him. It also doesn't quite explain how the week was applied to other societies. Consider this, the 7-day week was implemented by the late Roman Empire before the rise of christianity. Hm ...[text shortened]... he authors of the bible had God take seven days as a matter of matching the current status quo.
from the same source we would have within in us similar desires,
and notions wouldn't we? The Romans may not know or understand
why, but if their beginnings were shaped the same way from that
same starting point, so wouldn’t having a 7-day week just simply
seem the natural thing to do? The names would change because of
the time elapsing afterwards, and the languages being made different
after the flood.
Originally posted by KellyJayThe point being that the 7-day week was not based on genesis (christianity) and hence there was no reason for God to take seven days (as per the setting example theory).
Why would that be different for the Romans? If all mankind rose
from the same source we would have within in us similar desires,
and notions wouldn't we? The Romans may not know or understand
why, but if their beginnings were shaped the same way from that
same starting point, so wouldn’t having a 7-day week just simply
seem the natural thing to do? T ...[text shortened]... use of
the time elapsing afterwards, and the languages being made different
after the flood.
So, if the Romans created the seven day week while worshipping other gods, then how could we justify God taking seven days?
Can you imagine the Romans saying "Athena is great and she has willed that there be 7 days in the week and on the 7th day we shall rest" while creating the Imperical calendar, but now we're saying that is what God had prescribed for us in Genesis.
The more I think about it, I'm leaning towards the theory of 7 being "magical" or "significant" far before the creation of the calendar for the moon phases or the cool way 7 cylindrical objects make a stable hexagon.
Still have to admit that God setting an example is a great explanation of Genesis.