Old Testemant

[futuresoldier]

Although Jesus and others said that the 'scriptures' gave good guidance on the truth and God's will etc., did anyone ever say that the OT was 100% true?

[rkbo]

2 Tim 3:16-17
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
(KJV)

The "all" scripture being refered too "is" the Old Testament.

[chagal was here]

literally, historically true? no, not 100%

one quick example...

in Ezekiel 26, Ezekiel makes the following statments:

.) King Nebuchadnezzar would attack the island city of Tyre

.) He would set up siege works around the city

.) King Neb would destroy Tyre and kill all the people

.) Tyre would become a bare rock (ironic since Tyre means "rock") for all eternity... it would never be rebuilt.


Historically we know that:

.) King Neb did attack Tyre

.) King Neb did siege the city - for 13 years!

.) King Neb never was able to break the city. He settled with a truce and went home.


Some point out that some many years later Alexander the Great did mangage to completely destroy Tyre.

but Alexander the Great was not King Nebuchadnezzar - and in any case the city was rebuilt after it's destruction by Alexander, and still exists today.

[Project 86]

Ezekiel 26:14 where it refers to never being rebuilt is to be understood as the glory and prestige Tyre once had would never be restored. He did destroy it in terms that they had hardships until the Great devastation in 332 B.C. by Alexander.

[futuresoldier]

So some of the OT is symbolic rather than literal?

[futuresoldier]

So some of the OT is symbolic rather than literal?

[Project 86]

Well symbolic? I dunno about that lets look at what rebuilt means:

1 a : to make extensive repairs to : RECONSTRUCT <rebuild a war-torn city> b : to restore to a previous state <rebuild inventories>
2 : to make extensive changes in : REMODEL <rebuild society>
intransitive senses : to build again <planned to rebuild after the fire>

Many people when thinking rebuilt think like rebuilding a a house. But as you can see by definition that a previous state doesn't have to be a physical thing like a building. It can mean the society etc not having to be building etc.

[chagal was here]

There are a good number of Christians who would argue that Genesis 1 - 11 isn't literally / historially true - but rather symbolically or spiritually true...

as to Tyre being rebuilt..

Ezekiel said that Tyre would be naked rock forever, never to be rebuilt... Any reconstruction (whether it was up to the former glory or not) would invalidate that.

Not everything in the bible (or the OT specifically) has to be understood literally. To do so spoils the depth of the scriptures

[rkbo]

Tyre was rebuilt but it is not in the same location. The old Tyre was completely destroyed and was rebuilt and destroyed several times. Now it's location is bare rock.

[chagal was here]

even if the bible isn't 100% historically accurate, that doesn't necesarilly invalidate the truth contained therein.

much energy has been spent and countless pages written to "prove" the historicity of the genesis account of creation.

Incest has been endorsed by the literalist to solve the problem of cain's wife .(they propose that cain married one of his sisters or cousins...)

and its the same problem that i have with the futurist interpretations of the apocalyptic sections of the bible that attempt to prove microchips with the mark of the beast under my skin or 200 million chinese tanks.....

to demand a literal interpretation of everything in the bible will destroy it. It is possible to accept portions of the bible as figurative / symoblic / or even mythic and still believe them to be the inspired word of God - and 100% true.