Originally posted by robbie carrobieAn embellishment of the fact that he probably lived for about 70 years tops, maybe a few more. "950 years" is a metaphor for greatness or something, right. It is an attempt the embellish the profile of this man.
no not really, an embellishment upon what?
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Originally posted by FMFPerhaps but what if he did live for 950 years?
An embellishment of the fact that he probably lived for about 70 years tops, maybe a few more. "950 years" is a metaphor for greatness or something, right. It is an attempt the embellish the profile of this man.
Originally posted by robbie carrobieThere is no reason to think he did. I would say accepting at face value such a gratuitous embellishment would call into question the judgement and interpretation skills of the person credulous enough to do so. I would then be suspicious of their comprehension skills every time they come across a metaphor, an embellishment, a piece of hyperbole, imagery, ambiguous words and the like. Anything they had to interpret would have an asterisk over it. But if you want to go ahead and say you reckon Noah lived for 950 years, then feel free. Don't mind me.
Perhaps but what if he did live for 950 years?
Originally posted by FMFhardly, one only needs to make room for the supernatural.
There is no reason to think he did. I would say accepting at face value such a gratuitous embellishment would call into question the judgement and interpretation skills of the person credulous enough to do so. I would then be suspicious of their comprehension skills every time they come across a metaphor, an embellishment, a piece of hyperbole, imagery, ambiguou ...[text shortened]... you want to go ahead and say you reckon Noah lived for 950 years, then feel free. Don't mind me.
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Originally posted by FMFComparing the stories of Noah in the Bible and the Qur'an, one comes across these statements:
Noah supposedly living for 950 years: for you is it a sort of "metaphor" for greatness or some such, or is it for you a biographical fact?
After the flood Noah lived 350 years. Altogether, Noah lived 950 years, and then he died. Genesis 9:28-29
Indeed, We sent Noah to his people, and he tarried among them a thousand years, all but fifty; so the Flood seized them, while they were evildoers. S. 29:14 Arberry
Obviously, Muhammad had heard of Noah's age of 950 years, but he either did not correctly understand it or his memory failed him when he included this information in the Qur'an. He apparently thought that it was Noah's age at the time of the flood.
Actually, taking a second look at the formulation of S. 29:14, one could even get the impression that that the 950 years do not refer to Noah's age at the time of the Flood, but to the length of the period in which he was sent to his people in order to warn them of the impending judgment, i.e. to the time span of being called by God to be a warner of the Flood.
Be that as it may, one thing is clear: Muhammad mistakenly assigned the full life span of Noah to only part of his life.
http://www.answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/noahs_age.html
Originally posted by wolfgang59everything is into question, at any point. however , just because there is some stupidity in one chapter doesn't mean there is some in another chapter that has nothing to do with the first.
Talking to animals!
That would be wild - who would believe that?
It would bring the whole bible into question!
Originally posted by robbie carrobieBut do you believe it to be an 'actual' fact based on its inclusion in a book of Hebrew mythology?
You get a Bible, you pick it up, you turn the pages, you locate a scripture, you read it and you come to the conclusion that yes, its in the Bible. How hard can it be?
Originally posted by FMFWhether I believe it or not is irrelevant, its there. I would also like to take the occasion to point out the the Hebrew portion of scripture contains history, particularly the history of the nation of Israel and the Kings of Israel and Judah, none of which remotely resembles a mythology.
But do you believe it to be an 'actual' fact based on its inclusion in a book of Hebrew mythology?
Originally posted by robbie carrobieDo you believe that the information about Noah living for 950 years is an historical fact or a piece of mythology?
Whether I believe it or not is irrelevant, its there. I would also like to take the occasion to point out the the Hebrew portion of scripture contains history, particularly the history of the nation of Israel and the Kings of Israel and Judah, none of which remotely resembles a mythology.