In many Christian theologies, God is a person with personality traits - i.e. style.What do you mean by "style?"
Some bible stories seem to be so outrageous that for many people they are just not credible.
There are those however who believe that every word of the bible is true and therefore every event recorded in that book is true.
One such story is that of Samson and his fight with the Philistines when he killed 1000 of them using nothing more than the jaw bone of an ass.
Do any of our CF posters really believe this event actually happened?
I have posted a link showing a clip from the Samson movie and his fight with the Philistines.
You could be excused for thinking it was a clip from The Incredible Hulk, and I could only begin to believe it was a true story if the Philistines were as inept at soldiering as the movie made them out to be.
In many Christian theologies, God is a person with personality traits - i.e. style.
Close... More precisely, I'm asking if the God who parted the Red Sea under Moses or healed the blind under Jesus would empower a super strong and super stupid "hero" to catch hundreds of foxes, tie their tails together, etc.Are you asking if Samson was a reflection of God's personality traits? No. He was more Hancock than Superman.
Close... More precisely, I'm asking if the God who parted the Red Sea under Moses or healed the blind under Jesus would empower a super strong and super stupid "hero" to catch hundreds of foxes, tie their tails together, etc.
It's not the same style of miracles.
Samson seems to belong in a book of Greek mythology rather than in the Bible. There is no mention of Samson's devotion to God for example.
I don't agree, but I did want to mention the "bat bomb" if you haven't heard of that. (It goes along with what you linked about military dogs and Samson's arsonist foxesYes. Throughout scripture, God chooses seriously flawed sinners. Even stupid ones.
". . .not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;" - 1 Corinthians 1:26-27
I can also compare the foxes to modern-day military working dogs trained to risk their lives in a soldier's place. Animals are continually and deliberately placed at-risk in military warfare.
Causes of Death in Military Working Dogs During Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, 2001–2013
'Special breed of courageous': Delta Force operator hails valor of military dog wounded in Baghdadi raid
What "one style" of miracles is God limited to?
Then you must not have read the story. He was devoted at birth, but often failed to obey his obligations.
Judges 16:17 - that [Samson] told her all his heart, and said to her, “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb."
In the end, Samson repented. . .
Judges 16:28 - Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!”
The entire theme of the story is one of continual disobedience to both God's law and his own Nazirite vow, but God utilizing Samson for his glory and to fulfill Samson's purpose in delivering Israel, "So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life."
Thus, it is fully compatible with all the other ways God used certain individuals to deliver His people.
The Bible is like other ancient writings. It’s a mixture. There is some historical fact (largely as regards places, some persons, and situations.) But it’s combined with copious amounts of fable, folklore, fantasy, fallacy, and fabrication. An example would be Homer’s Iliad. Generally believed to date from the 8th century BC. Archeological evidence proves there are ruins of several ancient cities in western Turkey (once known as Asia Minor) where Troy would have been located. These ruins are layered one on top of another. One layer showed evidence of widespread fire damage. It’s certainly plausible that the city of Troy really existed. It lost a war with the Peloponnesian Greeks, and was sacked and burned. Just as Homer records. But that doesn’t mean that—as Homer also writes—the god Apollo aided the Trojans by shooting arrows of plague into the Greek camps. Or that Achilles was invulnerable except for his left heel. And was killed only when the Trojan prince Paris shot him in that heel with a poisoned arrow.
I don't agree,
. . .but I did want to mention the "bat bomb" if you haven't heard of that. (It goes along with what you linked about military dogs and Samson's arsonist foxes
Bat bomb
Interesting, jayem. And which modern scholar of Historiography did you cull this information from?
BTW I created a computer game that includes this....Some bible stories seem to be so outrageous that for many people they are just not credible.
There are those however who believe that every word of the bible is true and therefore every event recorded in that book is true.
One such story is that of Samson and his fight with the Philistines when he killed 1000 of them using nothing more than the jaw bone of an ass.....
The Iliad analogy is my own. But it’s based on the historical-critical approach to Bible study. Which has been around for a very long time. I encountered it in a elective religion/Bible course as a college undergrad. I attended a university which had a theology school affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Our instructor was a theology professor, who taught Biblical hermeneutics from the historical-critical standpoint. I enjoyed the course very much. I majored in psychology (and was pre-med.) But I took 2 elective religion courses because I know it’s a major influence on human behavior.
Instead of a textbook, our prof gave us handouts with various references for reading. But I can recommend 2 non-technical books that discuss the historical-critical approach to understanding the Bible:
Rescuing Scripture from Fundamentalism, by retired Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong
The Good Book, by the late Harvard Divinity School professor Peter Gomes.
Joshua 10 said:12 Then spake Joshua to Jehovah in the day when Jehovah delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; And thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, Until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that Jehovah hearkened unto the voice of a man: for Jehovah fought for Israel.
15 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal
Okay enough with Samson.
Let’s move onto
Joshua 10:12-15
The sun didn’t go down for a full day?
You gonna stand by that one, too?
Some bible stories seem to be so outrageous that for many people they are just not credible.
There are those however who believe that every word of the bible is true and therefore every event recorded in that book is true.
One such story is that of Samson and his fight with the Philistines when he killed 1000 of them using nothing more than the jaw bone of an ass.
Do any of our CF posters really believe this event actually happened?
I have posted a link showing a clip from the Samson movie and his fight with the Philistines.
You could be excused for thinking it was a clip from The Incredible Hulk, and I could only begin to believe it was a true story if the Philistines were as inept at soldiering as the movie made them out to be.